In the clutches of evil III.

III.

Honza was a young, aspiring chef. If he was twenty, one would have guessed too much. That evening he stayed in the kitchen to finish the pots and other dishes left over from the day's cooking. He was just silently cursing to himself about what a damn job it was to scrub those burnt-on dishes when he heard the door open in the next room. Three footsteps headed straight for him. He lifted his head from the sink and saw two prisoners coming from the doorway. They were carrying the leftovers from dinner. "What are you still here for?", the guard asked from behind him. "Ah, so you know. I'm the youngest, so I have to do the work", the young cook says in a boyish way and bends over the blackened pan. "Hey, I think these two can do it for you. They don't have anything to do anyway, zevls", the bastard replies, winking at him. "Well then, if you don't mind, I don't mind", a smile lights up Honza's face, because now he has saved at least two hours that he can date his sweetheart. He flicks the wire into the sink and is on his way to the dressing room. Just as the door slams behind him, the three of them look at each other. Jarda the bachelor just blows his nose. "That was such an unexpected interjection, wasn't it?", he tries to be above the fray, but it's clear to all three of them that there's not much room for fun here. Jarda goes to take another look at the door that leads further into the prison to check that everything is in order. Meanwhile Martin and David have ducked down to the sink so they can't be in any danger at this point, perfect cover. Jarda hurriedly walks past them to the back of the kitchen where the last door with bars is. It leads to the prison yard. After a few interminably long minutes, he finally arrives. "It's okay guys," he says half-loudly, biting his lower lip nervously. So David and Martin turn around and both of them now walk to the back door. Behind them, the car should be ready by the loading bay. The nervousness is rising. Jarda runs one last time to check the front of the kitchen to see if anyone has just happened to be there. Nothing. So he quickly goes back to the back door, where both of our two bouncers are waiting for him. And you too" Jarda turns to David. David shakes his hand as a sign of thanks, Jarda returns the firm grip and then hugs Martin. One last look and Martin reaches out to slap Jarda. He finally stops him, "Wait, take this one more," and hands Martin the bag of pepper. "You thought I was looking at everything. Thanks!" Martin hides the bag in the waistband of his prison pants and Jarda closes his eyes as he stands there in front of him. Martin doesn't wait for anything, he gives him a good one when Jarda falls over. There's nothing to be done, it has to look believable. Jarda gasps as he falls to the ground, then grabs his face and stands up. "Sorry," Martin huffs, and he and David run for the back door. Jarda just tries to smile, a sign that he understands everything, and then makes his way to the supply closet, where he lies down on the floor. As agreed.

Outside, meanwhile, it was already getting darker and darkness began to fall on the landscape. The last of the birds fly for cover in the treetops, where they chatter and flit from branch to branch for a while before going to bed. They will go to sleep. In fact, most of the animals will go to sleep now. Some of them, on the other hand, are just starting their hunting trail as night falls. The night is their advantage. As it is for our two adventurers. If anyone had been standing unobserved in a corner of the prison grounds that night, they would have seen the door leading to the loading dock slowly open out of nowhere. The silhouette of a man's head would then peek out of the door, looking around quickly before walking out. Another figure walks in right behind him. The two figures then walk slightly crouched towards a truck that is parked by the ramp. They walk briskly, yet quietly. It's only about 20 meters, but both of their hearts are beating fast. Then, almost simultaneously, they both jump off the ramp silently to the ground and their silhouettes disappear into the darkness. "I can't get there. There's no room," David tells Martin in a whisper. Both of them are now lying on the ground, each on one side of the truck, trying to find some space where they can slide out. Or at least grab something. No luck. In the pitch-black darkness, both of them grope blindly in the space above them, trying to catch themselves with both hands and feet. But all they can feel is the structure of the car, the exhaust and things like that, which they recognise by touch in the dark. But they can't get in there or get a grip. "We have to go up, there's nothing we can do," says Martin after a few minutes of struggling. Both of them are already so breathless and dirty that if they wanted some camouflage, they probably don't need any more. David realizes that there is nothing to be done. What if the car starts in a minute and the man drives off? He starts to get out from under the car and hears Martin doing the same. The two of them then crouch down to the back of the car, jump back up the ramp, and then they just pull back the canvas of the body and try to get as far into the cargo area as they can, as quietly as possible. "Where's your pepper?" asks David of Martin. "I forgot," comes the quiet reply into the darkness, and then Martin can be heard getting up and trying to get back through the various bags and empty boxes to dump the pepper on the hull at the back of the tarpaulin. It only took a few seconds, done. He's coming back. "Let's get it around us some more," he says in a whisper as he finally sits down next to David. Just then he starts the car engine. Without looking at each other, there is a rattle in both of them. "Here," Martin hands David a bag of pepper spray. He feels it, but when he takes it, he squeezes it so awkwardly in the darkness that he manages to blow a good portion of the contents just between them. "Holy shit," Martin manages to say, and then he grabs his nose and can't help sneezing. David's not much better. His eyes are burning, he's holding his nose with his hand so he doesn't sneeze too, and in general they both have a lot to do with themselves right now. But the car has started in the meantime and is slowly approaching the main gate.

Both of them are now lying pinned to the ground, not even breathing. Their pulse is rising. David's heart feels like it's in his throat as the blood beats rapidly. Ears strained in the darkness to hear as much as possible. The car pulls up at an old, dusty gate that has seen its best days. The barrier lifts and the gate opens. They drive another few metres and stop again. Now they are in the space between two gates. They can hear the guards talking, but they can't understand what they're saying. They hear footsteps passing the car in the back. The dog's powerful breathing can be heard. The tarpaulin opens and the light from the lamp on the wall filters in. David prays in his mind, wishing only one thing, that the guard would leave. But the opposite is true. Suddenly he hears the guard open the hull and urge the dog to jump up. "It's over, it's over", David's mind is racing and he starts to panic a little. He tries not to even breathe, hoping for a miracle with his eyes closed. He hears the dog start sniffing at the cargo in the front. Suddenly he starts barking, but as soon as he starts, he's practically sneezing horribly too. Once, twice, three times, four times, it's unstoppable. "What were you doing there, did you spill something or something?!" the handler shouts to the driver in the cab. "I don't know, man. I was hauling spices today too, so if they didn't tear something up, I really don't know" replies the driver in a natural and calm voice. "It's playing well, keep it up", a small light of hope dawns on David. "What the hell am I supposed to do with him now?" the handler is angry with the driver. "It's not even my dog, it's Tondy's!", he laments further. "Is it my fault? I didn't wear it, you deal with it in the kitchen. You act like he's dying, he'll get over it soon", the driver tries to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and drives away. "Good, open the door for him", comes the voice of the handler and the front gate is heard to open with a creak. Someone slams the car and it drives off. David hears the handler swear once more over the engine noise, "Well, look at him", he says to someone else, and the last thing he hears is the dog sneezing again. Then the car starts to accelerate. After a while, it slows down again. But it's too close, it's going to turn, it's not going to stop. That's right. When the car stops, it starts moving again and turns right. In the next few minutes, it's speeding away down the dark county road, through the woods. As far away as possible.

The engine has been purring regularly for some time and David has to laugh quietly. It seems incredible to him what they've just done. They're both breathing fresh, warm, summer air. They can't get enough of it. The feeling of freedom is an absolute thing. But for someone who takes it for granted, no words about it carry any weight. David was just having these thoughts in his head when suddenly a flame lit up beside him. It's Martin. He holds a burning match in the air and lights a cigarette. "You have cigarettes?", David asks in surprise. "Sure. This one's for you. I'll light another one", she hands him the lit cigarette. David doesn't address where he got them at that moment. From Jarda, perhaps. Maybe he found them in the kitchen. Who knows? Automatically he reaches for a cigarette and takes a slow, gourmet drag from it. They sit down comfortably with their backs against the sofa and begin to figure out what to do next. They decide to go as far as they can the first night. In the woods, in the dark. Preferably on a path. When dawn breaks, they'll try to hide somewhere. Whether it's under a branch or in a cave, an abandoned house. "We'll see", Martin finally concludes the debate. A mixture of feelings is now fighting inside David. On the one hand, he's glad they did what they did. On the other, they are now hunted game. When the prison discovers they are missing, all hell is sure to break loose. He wouldn't be at all surprised if they put soldiers on them. But one thing's for sure. They need to get to the hideout as fast as they can. So that by the time the other side figures out what's going on, they'll be over the hill. There's no point in waiting. Pick up the gold and then get to the west line. David already knows what section they'll pass through and when. But everything is so uncertain now. Fortune could turn its back on them at any moment, and then God's will will be done.

Meanwhile, the car was heading further and further away. The wheels of the car swallowed more miles of dirt roads. Sometimes it throws them, but it doesn't matter. Just keep it going as long as you can. An estimated two hours passed and the driver stopped. The two of them remain sitting in the back until the tarp is opened and they hear an unfamiliar voice. "Come on," the driver urges them, slightly nervously. You can hear in the tone that he wants to get this over with too. Or so it seems to David. They both jump out. They find they're on the edge of some woods. They can see the lights of a village in the distance and the barking of a dog coming towards them. The new stranger looks more like a boxer by the looks of it. The scars on his face and his nose, obviously broken several times, indicate that he has been wrestling. "Okay, guys, I'm going home, I want to be there as soon as possible. Just for alibis and stuff, you know. No time. Hang in there." Boxer, as David now called him because the man hadn't introduced himself, now gets into the car, starts the engine and drives slowly towards the main road. Then he turns onto it, and even from a distance he can be seen stepping on the gas and moving quickly away. The truck's taillights disappear into the darkness after a moment, and David now actually realizes that they didn't even ask where he dumped them. "Hey, where are we anyway, do you know?", he now asks Martin, who in the meantime is lighting another cigarette. "Take it easy, buddy. There's no forest going on. We're going to Prague now. In an hour another car should come for us and in another half an hour we'll be in Prague. We'll hide in an apartment there. We'll have it at our disposal for a week. There's food, everything. We'll sleep, change clothes, and when we've finished picking up the stuff and planning our move west, we'll go straight to it." David didn't seem to believe his ears now. "What? What do you mean, to Prague? What apartment, what are you talking about?", he didn't understand what Martin had just blurted out. It was never mentioned, nothing. Just never a hint, a word, anything. Nothing. "Aren't you glad?", Martin doesn't even turn to David, still standing with his back to him, smoking, "Well I am, but how can I trust you, or you know what. Why didn't you tell me before?", David looks at the ground and shakes his head. "I couldn't mate. Think of it as a promise. I had to keep my mouth shut until the last minute for someone to help us. I trust you, but they don't know you. I had to guarantee that nothing would go wrong. And even if they do, no one can find out. You can know that now. We're out of here. That was the deal with them. They're gonna want a little bit of it...if you know what I mean." Martin pauses. David wonders what to make of this. On the one hand, he's angry because he didn't count on this situation at all. On the other hand, it's a brilliantly handled situation. About a hundred times better than someone hiding in the woods. "How much?", he finally asks. "How much what", Martin doesn't understand. "How much do they want?", David replies immediately. "Don't worry, it's no big deal. Just observant. A souvenir. Nothing to make you, or let's say us, uncomfortable". These words reassure David. He was secretly hoping for something like this. "Okay", he finally adds, and a smiling Martin offers him a cigarette, which he happily takes from him. As he lights it for him, they both look at each other and smile. Everything is going damn well. They still have a long way to go, but it couldn't be better in this situation.They remain standing near the edge of the woods, in the shadows of the massive oaks growing by the roadside, observing their surroundings. The cars are passing on the main road, which is only a few hundred metres away from them. But there aren't many of them, rather sparingly. It's not a very busy road. It's a good place. After a while, Martin spoke. "That'll be him", he taps David with his hand, who wasn't looking at the road at the moment. He turns and sees two lights approaching them on a side road. It's a car.