The Hunt for Crypto by Peter Mallon

Author:Peter Mallon [Peter Mallon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Peter Mallon
Published: 2023-05-24T00:00:00+00:00

13

“Calm down. Breathe. Relax, Crypto. Relax,” I told him after sliding into the undergrowth beside him.

“Here! Take a couple of sips.”

“Don’t gulp it,” I said, unscrewing the plastic cap of a small bottle of water from my side pouch, then watched the driver return to his seat, the lights go out, and the wheels of the bus turn.

Heeding my advice, after three short swigs, he breathed normally while I glanced at the illuminated hour tabs and face hands of my watch.

“OK! Let’s go,” I said and crawled hands and knees farther into the woods until the lights of the cars were barely visible behind us.

Once clear of the nettles and knee-high ferns, I stood up and started walking in the coast’s direction.

“Stay close to my back, I’m going to walk fast, then jog once my eyes adjust.

“OK,” he whispered.

Raising my arms to protect my face, I started jogging slowly, continually stopping to battle and negotiate the branches smacking Crypto and fallen trees tripping us up. Then, after approximately five hundred metres, the moonlight breaching the treetop canopy began to highlight a passageway between the trees, causing me to smile, look up and tip my hat for yet another unexpected Hail Mary. As the gaps in the trees widened, the unmistakable smell of seaweed and that sea air freshness swept towards us, confirming we were close. Approaching the shore, I slowed to a fast walk, held up my arm and dropped to one knee.

“Stop!” I whispered.

Feeling his hand still gripping the strap of my daysack, I let him know what was coming next.

“We’re going down a steep slope.”

“Do what I do, and for fuck sake, don’t fall over,” I told him.

Easing a foot onto the almost vertical slope, the second I felt my boot sink into the shale, I leaned against the moving wall of dirt and allowed my body to slide until both feet touched the bottom, twenty seconds later. After wiping our clothes free of dirt and dead leaves, I slapped his arm and pointed right along the coast.

“Someone’s looking out for us tonight,” I said.

“So! The plan?”

“You still haven’t told me,” he reminded me, gulping water between breaths.

Waiting until I’d satisfied the thirst, then stowed my water bottle, I shared what I thought was our best option.

“In ten minutes, we’ll be past the line where the police checkpoint is. After that, we’ll dust ourselves down and hail a taxi to the city. Then, if we’re lucky, catch a bus or a train to Taipei.” I said quietly and then held a finger to my lips to listen.

“If they know we’re on the Island, won’t they be expecting us to do that,” he said casually.

Surprising me again, I said nothing and motioned for him to continue.

“I still have friends in Hong Kong.”

“Colleagues from before when I started working for the people hunting us.”

“How do you know they’ll still be where you left them?” I asked.

“How do you know they haven’t moved on? And more importantly. How do you know

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