Chapter 10: Hiding in the Shadow of the Metropolis and the Desperate Journey
The light from the convenience store with its shattered windows illuminated Amorn's pale face as she quickly stuffed a tin of baby formula and a few bottles of drinking water into the leather bag slung crossbody over her shoulder. The announcements from the television still echoed in her ears: "coup d'état," "martial law," "nationwide terrorism." Every word underscored the danger surrounding her and the little baby in her arms. Bangkok, once her safe home, had now become a colossal trap, ready to devour its prey at any moment.
"We have to get out of here... Ar-Chin... we have to get as far away as possible," she whispered to the small form that had begun to wriggle in her arms. A soft whimper started to emanate from his tiny throat. Amorn's heart skipped a beat; this could be a sign he was getting hungry. The calm that had been her shield was beginning to wear thin.
Amorn had made her decision... Chiang Mai was her destination. Her hometown was there; at least she had relatives she could rely on. Though the journey would be long and fraught with unseen obstacles, she had no other choice. Hiding in the capital, with soldiers controlling every inch, was too risky.
That night, Amorn navigated with Ar-Chin through the dark, deserted alleys of Bangkok, trying to avoid the main roads teeming with military vehicles and densely established checkpoints. Sirens still wailed intermittently, interspersed with announcements warning citizens to stay in their residences. Many times, she had to quickly duck into building alcoves or behind piles of rubbish when she saw the headlights of military vehicles approaching from afar. Her heart pounded with fear each time. And now… Ar-Chin had started to wail loudly from hunger.
"Oh... shhh, there, there, little one... don't cry, good boy... they'll hear you," Amorn tried to soothe the infant, her voice trembling. She quickly looked for a safe and secluded spot to feed him. Luckily, she found a dark corner behind an abandoned bus stop. She hastily mixed the newly acquired formula with drinking water and fed him as quickly as she could, but his cries persisted for a while before finally subsiding once his stomach was full.
She headed towards the Old Southern Bus Terminal, knowing that normally, many cargo trucks traveling to the northern region would park there. Even in this situation, public transport was impossible, but she hoped some trucks might have permits to transport essential goods, and she might be able to hitch a ride.
The journey to the bus terminal took almost the entire night. Amorn was so exhausted she could barely move her legs. Her body ached all over, and hunger was beginning to set in again. But she gritted her teeth and kept going, using the darkness and the complex network of alleys as her shield.
As she neared the bus terminal, Amorn noticed that the area was under much stricter control than she had anticipated. Heavily armed soldiers were meticulously searching every vehicle entering and exiting. Barricades and barbed wire fences had been set up in some places. The atmosphere was so tense it was suffocating.
"What do I do..." Amorn murmured to herself in despair. She hid behind an old wall, observing the situation with a heavy heart. The chances of getting through this checkpoint seemed incredibly slim.
Suddenly, she heard people talking softly from a dark corner not far away. Cautiously peeking out, she saw two men smoking beside an old ten-wheeler truck loaded to the brim with fertilizer sacks. Both men were shabbily dressed and looked weary; they were likely the driver and his mate.
An idea flashed into Amorn's mind again. It was an extremely dangerous idea, but in such a desperate situation, she had no other choice. She took a deep breath, gathered all her courage, and decided to walk straight towards the two men.
"Um... excuse me, Uncle," Amorn began, her voice trembling slightly, trying to put on a brave face. "It's just that... I... I really need to get to Chiang Mai urgently. But there are no buses running right now. I was wondering... if I could possibly hitch a ride with you? I have a little money for the fare, and... I promise I won't be any trouble at all." She spoke while looking down at the baby in her arms, who had started to stir again.
The two men looked at each other before the older driver turned to Amorn, his eyes scrutinizing her. His gaze was clearly filled with suspicion and distrust. "To Chiang Mai, little miss? And whose baby is this tiny one? Why are you in such a hurry to travel at a time like this? Didn't you hear the official announcements? They've forbidden travel unless it's absolutely necessary."
Amorn swallowed hard. News about the hospital attacks and the hunt for babies must have reached these men's ears. She had to answer with utmost care. "He's my son, Uncle. It's just that... an elderly relative in Chiang Mai is critically ill. I have to rush back with my son to visit them. But I got caught in this chaos in Bangkok and couldn't get out. As for the announcement... I've heard some of it, but this is truly essential, Uncle."
The driver still looked at her distrustfully. "It's dangerous these days, little miss, especially with a small child like this. And if anything happens on the way, I'll be in trouble too."
The truck mate standing beside him chimed in, "Yeah, P' (older brother)... last night, I heard some guys at the drinking circle talking about some crazy people out there killing newborn babies at hospitals. Scary as hell."
Amorn's heart plummeted! The rumor had spread this far already!
"Uh... my son isn't sick at all, Uncle. He's perfectly healthy. And I really have enough money to pay for the journey. Please, consider it a meritorious act," Amorn pleaded, her eyes beginning to redden.
The driver looked at his mate, then sighed deeply. "Alright, alright... for the sake of this innocent child. But if I'm taking you, I'm only going as far as Lampang. I have to pick up another load there to go to Mae Hong Son, which is past Chiang Mai. If you want to go to Chiang Mai, you'll have to find your own way from there. But you'll have to be sneaky; there are a hell of a lot of checkpoints these days. And if anything happens on the way, you have to say you don't know me!"
Though not Chiang Mai directly, Lampang was much closer, and getting out of Bangkok was the most important thing right now. "Thank you so much, Uncle! Thank you, truly! Just Lampang is wonderful!" Amorn almost cried with joy.
"Yeah, yeah, no need for all that. Go hide behind those fertilizer sacks at the back of the truck. Don't let anyone see you, or we'll all be in deep trouble," the driver said, glancing around warily.
Amorn quickly and awkwardly climbed onto the back of the truck. She found a small nook between the fertilizer sacks where she and Ar-Chin could hide discreetly. The chemical smell of the fertilizer was pungent and stung her nostrils, but she had to endure it. Soon, the truck began to move slowly, heading out onto an unknown road.
The journey on the fertilizer truck was far more arduous than she had imagined. The vibrations from the rough road made her so dizzy she nearly vomited. Dust from the fertilizer sacks billowed around, making it almost impossible to breathe. And she had to constantly be careful not to be seen, especially when the truck passed through military checkpoints, which were stationed periodically along the route.
And then, what she had feared happened... Ar-Chin started to wail loudly from hunger again! And this time, it seemed he also needed a diaper change. Amorn tried to soothe him, her voice trembling, but a baby's cry was too loud to conceal for long amidst the quiet of the early morning journey on a relatively deserted road.
The driver's voice drifted in from the front of the truck, not a shout of alarm, but a grumble tinged with slight annoyance: "Damn... that kid's crying again, Daeng! Tell his mother to sort it out, will ya? If he's still crying when we hit the next checkpoint, we're all screwed!"
The truck mate, Daeng, who was likely sitting next to the driver, shouted back, though he tried to keep his voice down: "Yeah, yeah, P'! I'll try to tap and let her know. But you know, P', when a baby's hungry, it's gotta cry, right?!"
The truck didn't slow down immediately, but Amorn felt a few light thumps on the side of the truck bed, as if the truck mate was using a broom handle or something similar to tap as a warning from below or the side.
Amorn's heart pounded with anxiety and shame. She knew Ar-Chin's cries were causing problems for her two benefactors. She quickly opened the leather bag, awkwardly taking out the formula and water bottle, trying to prepare milk for him amidst the truck's vibrations and the dim light that still prevailed under the tarpaulin.
"Shhh, shhh, don't cry, my little darling. Mommy's making your milk, good boy... be quiet now, son... or Uncle will scold us," Amorn murmured, soothing Ar-Chin with a trembling voice. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead from the heat, exhaustion, and accumulated stress.
The situation compelled her to do everything as quickly and quietly as possible. Ar-Chin's cries continued intermittently, though they softened somewhat when she tried to distract him, but they were still sounds that anyone nearby could clearly hear if they listened intently.
The truck continued at a steady speed, but Amorn felt the tension mounting. She didn't know how far away the next checkpoint might be.