The glimmer of dawn silently sprinkled on this temporary resting place, dispelling some of the thick night, but the remaining darkness still shrouded everyone's anxious hearts.
The next day came. The village chief, who was used to summon villagers by ringing the gong, hesitated again and again and finally did not dare to ring it, for fear that the "dangdang" sound would break the rare silence and bring about some unknown disaster.
So the village chief could only lower his body and tiptoe around every corner where the villagers were resting, waking everyone up one by one.
The village chief woke up each villager in turn. After everyone woke up, he reminded them carefully: "Fellow villagers, hurry up and pack your things. We have to leave soon."
Most of the villagers were already frightened last night, and they couldn't sleep well in such fear. They were all in a half-asleep and half-awake state, with dark circles under their eyes clearly visible.
But even so, everyone knew that they must not slack off at this moment, so they forced themselves to cheer up, took out some dry food from the bags they carried with them, and hurriedly stuffed a few mouthfuls into their mouths, just to fill their stomachs. They did not care about the taste of the dry food, and only thought about recovering some strength as soon as possible so that they could continue on their journey.
The village chief stood aside, his eyes constantly scanning the crowd. Seeing that everyone was tired but trying their best to prepare, his heart was filled with satisfaction and emotion.
After making sure everyone was packed and ready to go, the village chief cleared his throat and said, "Fellow villagers, let's set off now. Let's go back to the official road below. Please be careful along the way."
As soon as the village chief finished speaking, a strong sense of uneasiness and restlessness suddenly surged among the crowd.
When some people heard that they had to return to the official road full of dangers, their faces turned as pale as paper, and their blood seemed to be drained in an instant.
One of the young men trembled violently, his teeth chattering. His eyes widened, bloodshot with terror, and his mind replayed the horrific scene on the official road yesterday: gleaming blades brandished wantonly in the sun, the desperate cries and miserable wails mingled together, blood gushed out like a fountain onto the yellow earth, quickly converging into a blinding river of blood. The pungent smell of blood seemed to linger in his nose again, making him almost nauseous.
He swallowed hard, his voice filled with tears and pleading, breaking the silence first: "Village Chief, can't we just take the mountain road like last time? The scenes on the official road yesterday are like a nightmare, floating in my mind. It was so horrible!"
After hearing what he said, everyone responded and became more excited.
An old man also spoke tremblingly, his hand constantly stroking his chest back and forth, as if trying to soothe his pounding heart: "Village Chief, the official road is too dangerous, let's take the mountain road. Although this mountain road is rugged and difficult to walk on, compared to the official road, I prefer the mountain road.
We were lucky to escape the disaster on the official road yesterday. My old bones can't stand the torture.
"The group of people on the official road yesterday were like devils crawling out of hell. In their eyes, we, the elderly, the weak, women and children, were no different from lambs to be slaughtered. If we run into them again, we will really have nothing to do but wait for death, and even God can't save us."
Everyone was talking at once, expressing their inner fears. The fear in their eyes seemed to be materialized. They were filled with a deep fear of the official road and an eager anticipation of taking the mountain road. They all stared at the village chief, their eyes filled with the last glimmer of hope, hoping that the village chief would change his mind and lead everyone away from the terrible official road.
The village chief looked at the villagers' faces filled with fear and expectation, sighed heavily, and slowly explained, "Fellow villagers, to be honest, I have thought about taking the mountain road.
However, the mountain road is rugged and steep, with rocks and thorns everywhere. It would take a lot of time and energy for a group of us, the elderly, the weak, women and children, to pass through smoothly.
We're running for our lives now, time is of the essence, and every moment we delay increases the danger. Furthermore, these mountains are far from a safe place. Wild animals are everywhere, and if we get lost and become trapped in this deep forest, there's no hope for us. We were lucky to escape unscathed last time, but we won't risk it again this time."
The village chief shook his head helplessly. "So, after weighing the pros and cons, I simply can't risk everyone's lives on this mountain road. This official road may be dangerous, but it's a major thoroughfare for daily commutes. If we're careful, there's always a glimmer of hope."
After hearing what the village chief said, everyone looked at each other, and the crowd that had been excited and noisy just now suddenly quieted down.
Everyone's face showed helplessness and despair, and their eyes were full of struggle and unwillingness.
Some women hugged their children tightly, putting their faces against their children's heads, as if trying to get some comfort from their loved ones; the young men lowered their heads, bit their lips tightly, clenched their fists, but then loosened them weakly; the old people sighed, tears flashing in their turbid eyes. They knew that what the village chief said was true, but the fear in their hearts did not diminish in the slightest.
For a moment, only the sound of heavy breathing filled the air. Everyone fell into deep silence, full of worries about the unknown official road journey, but there was nothing they could do.
The village chief looked at the villagers with fearful faces. Although he felt heavy in his heart, he still forced himself to cheer up, raised his voice, and shouted: "Let's go, let's get off this official road and hurry up to reach the south as soon as possible.
We can't be intimidated by this. We can't be so unlucky all the time, encountering these bad things every time. As long as we work harder, we will definitely get out of this predicament."
After saying that, the village chief took the first step, with a look of determination in his eyes.
Everyone looked at each other, knowing that they had no other choice. They could only sigh helplessly, shout at the animals, push the luggage full of belongings, and move step by step towards the official road at the foot of the mountain.
As I stepped onto the official road again, a mixture of stench and blood hit me in the face.
On both sides of the official road, the withered yellow leaves trembled in the wind, as if wailing for this tragic scene.
Corpses were lying all over the place in various postures, some twisted into strange shapes, and some piled on top of each other.
Their clothes were tattered and soaked with blood, and the coagulated blood formed hard scabs on the clothes.
Some of the corpses were cut open by sharp weapons, revealing their eerie white bones; some of the heads were broken, and the brains were spilled on the dry ground.
Broken limbs and arms can be seen everywhere. Several vultures are circling at low altitude, making chilling calls from time to time. Their sharp eyes are fixed on the rotten meat on the ground, waiting for the crowd to pass by before they swarm over.
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