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No one is here. Adil, my guide in Kyrgyzstan, left me at the Kegan border with a promise there would be another guide waiting on the other side. I wasn’t even convinced this was a border crossing. With no other tourist around, I had to walk past what was apparently an immigration booth, with a man who asked me in limited English my plans, and security, where I had for the seventh time now, opened my bags for someone to look inside. I think these guys were so grateful that I gave them something to do and talk about for the day. It was intimidating, the only girl amongst these men, with their long guns firmly pressed against their chests, fingers ready to pull the trigger. The final check was a guard who pointed at my eyes, flashed his stained brown teeth and proudly stated, 'beautiful'. I awkwardly smiled and murmured my thanks before walking past the barrier and into Kazakhstan. Where is he? I can see for miles across the flat barren land. No one is around. No cars apart from one black 4x4 parked to the side, visibly empty. Shit! Zero phone signal. Zero Kazakh language skills. Zero buses or trains. I’m suddenly more conscious of the sun blistering my skin and can feel the sweat building up all over my body. What am I meant to do? I start to laugh to myself. It’s all I can do to stop myself from panicking. I waited and waited, silently praying that I would look up and see a car coming in the distance, giving me some hope that it might be my guide. I play a game in my head where I look to my feet and count down from ten then tell myself when I look back up he will be there. Three, two, one, shit! Still nothing. It’s been fifteen minutes. In the silence I hear a door slam behind me. ‘Hey, Katie!’ This man who looks like he has been sleeping waves to me. He must had been having a nap on the back seats, I am too relieved to even be remotely angry. He jumps back in and pulls up next to me, throwing up the settled dust, making me cough. Ushered into the passenger seat, he throws my bags into the back. He opens his door, but rather than getting in, he turns off the engine, removes the key and walks off. No words of where he is going or what he is doing. Just gone. I try to look out the back but I can’t see anything with the small closed curtains in the way. I do a double take. Oh. My. Gosh. What in the world is that? Lying on the back seat I spot a full-face black plastic skull mask. The eyes mirrored glass so you can stare into your face full of fear. I can hear the thumps of my heart pumping blood round my body. Who is this man? Do I run? Where do I even run to? Oh, please don’t let this be the way I’m going to die. No one will ever find me. No one will ever know what happened to me. Will my parents know where to look for me? Why is he not back? Why is he dragging this out? Fight or flight Katie, come on, think! The sound of the door opening makes me jump, he climbs in with an ominous declaration, ‘let’s go!’ With the last bit of bravery in me, I ask him ‘what’s with the mask?’ He laughs, starts to pull away and replies ‘that? That’s my friend’.