37

 “The village may be the best bet.”

Kate nods in approval. She works the GPS and it points in the direction you need to go. Kate leads the way and you follow her.

The hike seems endless. Kate tries her cell phone several times, but there is no signal. She worries about the professor and his safety now that you have stirred the hornet’s nest.

Dawn spreads out across the hills in front of you, touching everything in pink. The cold of the night quickly gives way to a humid heat as the sun rises. You reach the village at midmorning. Your already dirty clothes are now caked in dirt and sweat, attracting unsavoury looks from the locals.

Kate uses her cell phone to contact her university friends informing them that she will be late. Next, she phones the professor. No answer. She casts a worrying look in your and Emily’s direction.

“We have to get back to the hotel as soon as possible!” Emily is almost frantic with worry.

Kate calls her friends again and asks one of them to pick you up. He says that he will be there in two hours.

Kate tries the professor a few times and then phones the hotel. Her face turns white.

“The professor was seen leaving with two men early this morning. He has not returned. They left a note for me at reception,” she tells you and Emily.

You decide that you need some food while you wait for Kate’s friends. There is not much conversation. The three of you are too tense and tired. You are also on the lookout for anybody that may be looking for you. The food is really good though and you feel some of your strength returning. After a few hours, Kate’s friends arrive and you are back at the hotel just before sunset.

Kate jumps out of the car, rushes thought the hotel’s giant glass doors and retrieves the note from a young receptionist. She tears it open. The note contains a set of coordinates and a time. It also tells you and Emily to come alone.

If you:

Follow the instructions, go to chapter, go to chapter 38

 

Go to the university regardless, sacrifice the professor for the data, go to chapter 39