Ace gripped his dislocated left leg, breaking out in a cold sweat.
However, he still managed to plaster an arrogant expression onto his face.
'That's good." Joanna felt more relaxed now.
'That man sure is tough – he's fine even after falling a few miles down a cliff. That's impressive, not going to lie!'
"How are you feeling?" Ace endured the pain and shifted towards Joanna in the dark.
"Terrible! I'm pretty sure I have a concussion, and my leg is fractured! I'm tired, cold, and starving! I feel like I'm going to die soon!"
Joanna tried to get up a few times, but her leg didn't allow her to move at all, so she could only lay there helplessly. She thought she was about to see the light when the hunger kicked in.
"How could you fall from just walking? How stupid are you? Couldn't you have called someone for help?' Ace was so worried that he wanted to beat some sense into the woman.
'It's been four years and she's still the same – she can't take care of herself!'
"My phone is broken!" Joanna retorted in annoyance. "As if you're any better – you fell too, you know? You were just lucky enough to not hurt yourself!"
"I fell because I…" Ace started heatedly, then suddenly became silent.
"Because of what?" Joanna teased with a smile, seeing how the man wasn't speaking. "Heh, you don't want to admit that you're just as stupid, right? I already warned you, but you still rushed over like there was a ghost chasing you!"
"Fine! I, Ace Moran, am the stupidest person in the world. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come over at midnight just to save you!" Ace scoffed coldly.
'How could she not know that I only got into this situation because I was worried about her?!' He thought frustratedly.
"Well, I didn't ask you to save me! My throat felt dry so I had to cough! You're the one who rushed over, so don't blame me," Joanna said stubbornly, as she really didn't want to owe him any favors.
The two of them were finally even with each other, and she didn't want to get involved with the man anymore.
"Lend me your phone. I'll call my friend to come and save you."
Ace could feel the pain in his left leg worsening, and realized that his injuries were probably much worse than he thought. He wouldn't be able to walk much, let alone get Joanna out of there.
Thus, he handed the phone to Joanna, saying arrogantly, "I'd like to see who else would come to your rescue, apart from me."
Joanna immediately took the phone and dialed Liam's number, but soon noticed that there was no signal around, and felt despair dawn upon her once more. "What the hell even is this place?! There's no signal at all!"
"No signal?" Ace frowned right away.
'If we can't call anyone to rescue us… With both of us hurt, all we can do is just sit around and wait in this secluded place. Since this place is so remote, and we're at the bottom of a cliff, it's understandable
that there's no signal around here. I think it'd be better if we could climb to a higher place."
Joanna figured that since she had still been able to receive Kevin's texts on the main road, it was likely that they'd be able to find a signal as soon as they got out of this pit. However, it was likely half a mile away from where they currently were. Moreover, it wouldn't be an easy trip with the forest and darkness around them.
"If we have to climb out, then so be it." Ace's voice sounded especially determined.
"But my leg… I can't move at all. If I could, I would've climbed out a long time ago…" Joanna trailed off when Ace came and squatted in front of her.
The man ordered, "Put your arms around my neck, I'll carry you up there.
"Huh?" Joanna stared at the man's wide shoulders under the dim moonlight. She looked rather hesitant and replied, "That's not appropriate, is it?"
"Stop dawdling. If you won't get on, I'll just leave you here," Ace said frostily. In reality, he knew that he didn't have much time with his dislocated leg, and that he wouldn't be able to help if they kept stalling.
"Ah, fine, fine. If you insist," Joanna said and put her arms around the man's neck, putting her entire weight on him.
"Hold on tight." Ace reminded the woman and tried his best to stand up. Despite his tall build, having to endure this extraweight made him sway back and forth unsteadily.
Joanna held her breath, not daring to move a muscle, and asked softly," Hey, are you okay? Why do I feel like you're having a hard time carrying me?
It's like you're about to faint!"
"I'm… fine!" Ace said with difficulty, gritting his teeth.
It was as if his left shin bone had fractured, with the pain piercing his flesh like thousands of needles.
His forehead, back and palms were covered in sweat, but he knew he couldn't stop, nor could he let Joanna notice his wounds. With that, he kept climbing towards the main road, one step at a time, willingly enduring the intense pain…
"Hey Moran, are you sure you're okay? Why do I feel like you're trembling?" Joanna asked carefully. She had a feeling that the man was in a rather bad condition, but didn't dare to ask much. She didn't want him to misunderstand her intentions and think that she was being overly worried about him.
"Why would I not be okay? Do you think I'm as fragile as you are?" Ace mustered up all his strength to act normal. "Oh wait, no. You're way too heavy to be fragile, you're as fat as a pig!"
"Nonsense! I weigh less than 120 pounds, okay?! You're just too weak! How are you already sweating from carrying me?! What a waste of a fit body!" Joanna sputtered as she whacked Ace's back lightly.
She thought to herself, 'I was worrying for nothing! Moran is so egotistical – if he was injured, he'd ditch me in a heartbeat! He wouldn't even be in the mood to joke around or call me a pig!'
The two stopped bantering, as Ace was focusing on enduring the pain. Soon enough, they were able to reach the main road.
He opened his car door and placed Joanna in the backseat. "Stay in the car for the time being, and check if there's any signal here. Have someone save you… I just wonder how well you've been eating to become this heavy, but I'm not going to question anything anymore."
"You and your damn insults… If I do find someone to get us out of here, you're done for!" Joanna said as she checked the phone. She excitedly squealed as she noticed two lines on the signal bar. "There's a signal!
Come on, tell me your password! I'll call someone over right now!"
Ace didn't say anything, his hand still placed on his left leg as his expression grew more and more pained. His fingers were drenched in blood.
"Why aren't you saying anything? What's your password?" Joanna looked at the man, urging him in panic.
Ace initially wanted to snatch his phone from her, but was worried about Joanna finding out about his wounds. After a short pause, he said softly, ' 000809."
"000809? Okay, got it!" Joanna immediately entered the password, wondering why that string of numbers seemed familiar.
"Wait, does this password have some kind of special meaning behind it? Why does it feel like I've seen it somewhere?" "It doesn't. Just make the call, quick!" Ace said, as he was at his limit. The sheer amount of pain was making his face turn pale and sweat drip down his face