He stood right in front of her, looking at her like a stranger, as if they had never met before.
This time, she caught only a fleeting glimpse of him, the same man she used to look at first thing
every morning to begin her day. Every time she saw him, her wounds reopened, yet today,
looking at him, her mind felt strangely empty of him. Instead, her thoughts were consumed by
the life of that innocent soul.
“Where are you going at such a late hour?” The ma’am standing beside him asked.
Her eyes, which moments ago had been wandering here and there to avoid him, were now
fixed on the ma’am because of that question. What should I tell them? She thought. I don’t even
know if he will be okay.
“Excuse me, I’m asking you,” the ma’am said again, her tone firmly.
“Yes… I…,” she began, shaking her eyes slightly, something she always did whenever she
had to lie. “I’m going to the ground floor to meet Ana, my friend.”
“Alright but come back quickly. It’s sleeping time,” the ma’am warned.
“Excuse me,” she said, stepping into the lift as they walked away. As the lift doors began to
close, she didn’t know why, but she turned back to look at him. Their eyes met just for a moment
before the connection shattered as the lift doors sealed shut.
I’ve lied to them," she thought anxiously, but what will I say to the guard? By then, it will be
too late.
Her nervousness began to turn into panic.
Everything will be fine. He will be fine," she kept telling herself, trying to calm her racing
heart.
And then came to her destination, the hardest stage she still had to cross. The lift doors
opened. She rushed out immediately, glanced around, and headed toward the main gate.
But the moment she saw the guard, her steps came to a halt.
No… how will I get past him? What should I do?
I’ll have to make some excuses; otherwise, he won’t let me leave.
Her legs were trembling, and her mind felt completely out of place. Right now, all she could
think about was the excuse she would make to get outside. Got it, she blurted out so loudly that
her voice echoed through the entire hall.
Shit… speak softly, she scolded herself.
Suddenly, the guard’s eyes fell on her through the transparent door, and for reasons she
couldn’t understand, he straightened up from his chair as if going on alert. Seeing him walk
toward her made her heart skip.
Why is he looking at me like that? She panicked inwardly. What if he already knows?
The guard stared at her in a strange, questioning way. By now, she had reached close to the
door. She looked at him, and he raised an eyebrow, signaling silently as if asking what business,
she had there at this hour.
Her mind went blank. She stood frozen in one place, staring back at him.
What’s wrong with this girl? What is she trying to do? The guard thought, eyeing her
suspiciously.
I think my nervousness is written all over my face, she realized. How am I supposed to lie
like this?
Overcome with anxiety, she began cracking her fingers unconsciously, her fear tightening
around her with every passing second.
I’m already getting late… if I step outside now, will I still be able to reach him?
The thought struck her mind, and without giving herself another second to hesitate, she
pushed open the transparent gate and stepped outside.
She was trembling.
“What do you need?” The guard asked her in his deep, heavy voice.
The silence around them was so intense that even his calm words struck straight at her heart.
She took a deep breath and stammered,
“I want to go for a walk. My heart feels restless.”
“What? Your heart feels restless?” The guard replied sternly. “You’re so young. You can
walk inside the building as well.”
“Mm… if I don’t walk outside, something might happen to me,” she said desperately. “And
if it does, you’ll be responsible.”
She tried to cry, forcing a pitiful expression on her face, but the tears refused to come.
Her words softened the guard slightly.
“You know I don’t have parents,” she added, her voice trembling. “I miss them. Staying
locked inside one room and one building… I’ll go mad.”
Her face was twisted into a crying expression as she spoke.
“Alright, alright,” the guard finally said. “I’ll come with you for the walk.”
The moment she heard that, her anxiety spiked even more.
“No, no,” she blurted out instinctively.
The guard had already started walking forward when her voice reached him from behind. He
stopped abruptly, startled, and turned to look at her.
“What happened?” The guard asked in a serious tone.
“Nothing important,” she replied, her voice trembling as she tried to explain, “I’m just
saying, if you go with me, who will watch the building?” Her words came in broken, hesitant
bursts; her nervousness was rising with every second. “And if something happens to you… My
job won’t be lost, right?”
The guard’s eyes softened slightly, but he remained firm. “Look, please, I cannot let you go.
I’m not allowed,” he said strictly, turning to head back toward the gate.
She grabbed his arm, dropped her knees, and pleaded, “Please, let me go. I promise I’ll be
back soon. No one will know.”
Seeing her like that, crouched, desperate, the guard’s heart filled with a strange warmth. He
bent down, held her by both arms, and helped her to her feet. “Alright… go,” he finally said.
She didn’t hesitate. She threw her arms around him in relief. “You are so kind. Thank you…
" Because of you,” she stopped mid-sentence, overwhelmed.
He chuckled softly, thinking to himself, then he added, holding her lightly, “Just be careful.
Come back quickly.”
Her heart raced, a sudden jolt of panic hitting her. What if someone sees us? She thought.
Her gaze flicked around, scanning the darkness.
“Come back soon,” the guard’s deep, calm voice carried through the night.
She nodded silently, managing a small smile, and turned toward her destination. She was
now far from her building, and her eyes nervously scanned the surroundings, searching.
“Where are you? I’m sorry, I’m here… respond!” She shouted, her voice echoing on the
deserted road.
The road was empty, flanked on both sides by thick, shadowy forests. The darkness felt
heavier, almost alive, in the dead of night. Dim streetlights flickered along the road, casting long,
haunting shadows that danced eerily across the path.
The dim streetlights flickered, casting jittery shadows that made the night feel even more
menacing. She wondered where he could have gone. Glancing around anxiously, she called out,
“Where are you? Where are you?”
Her voice cracked through the darkness, louder than before, echoing so sharply that even
after she climbed a little distance, it reverberated three more times in different tones, bouncing
eerily from the trees and empty road.
Her throat and legs trembled from the strain of shouting and walking. She no longer dared to
move forward or speak further. Slowly, she sank to her knees on the cold ground. “I’m sorry…”
she whispered, her voice breaking.
Suddenly, the sharp sound of footsteps behind her made her heart leap. Someone approached
quickly. The echoing steps made her pulse race. At this hour of the night, who could it be? Her
mind raced with possibilities. Could it be him? Or… someone else?
Fear held her frozen; she couldn’t even summon the courage to glance behind. Then, the
sound of a single step multiplied into several, growing louder and more deliberate. Panic clawed
at her chest as it dawned on her: It feels like a whole crowd is coming this way.
Her body tensed, trapped between terror and helplessness. As the footsteps drew closer, the
shadows around her seeming to twist and grow darker with each passing second.
Who will these people be? She asked herself. She took a deep breath and decided to turn
back. She was just about to turn when someone grabbed her hand and forced her to move
forward. “You, you, what are you doing here?” She spoke. “We must get out of here quickly!
Those people are coming after us! Run!” He said quickly. Her breath was coming in gasps.
She looked back and saw not one, not two, but seven people moving rapidly toward them.
Trembling, she asked, “Who are these people?” “Don’t ask anything now, run! Otherwise, those
people will kill me,” he replied. Without hesitation, she decided to run with him.
“Where will we go?” She asked. He looked toward the jungle, then looked at her and said,
“There is no better or safer place than this.” She gripped his hands tightly, holding onto him, and
pulled her toward the jungle.She stopped, afraid to move forward, and turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?” He asked.
She was trembling, her whole body drenched in sweat. Seeing her like this, he took her hands
into his, holding her close to his chest.
“I’m scared of the jungle,” she said, her voice trembling as if she might cry at any moment.
He held her by the arm and pulled her in front of him, while she kept looking at him. He,
too, looked straight into her eyes.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. But if you’re still afraid of the jungle, then we won’t go
there; we’ll go by the road instead. Whatever you say,” he said.
“I’m ready to walk. I trust you,” she said.
“Thank you,” he replied.
“There they are,” one of the seven said, pointing toward them. As soon as they heard the
voice, both of them turned out to look in that direction.
“Run!” He shouted, and then both of them grabbed each other’s hands and ran into the
jungle. The seven men followed them as well. Each one of them had a weapon in his hand, as if
they had come fully prepared.
There was extreme anger on their faces, as if they were not humans but beasts thirsty for
someone’s blood. Their cruelty was clearly visible on their faces.
The jungle was silent and gloomy. Their fast footsteps stirred the quiet forest, creating
movement everywhere. The trees were so tall that they blocked the moonlight from reaching the
ground. They ran blindly, not knowing what lay ahead, into a vast jungle that seemed endless.
Behind them, a group of people was closing in; if they got their hands on them, survival would
be nearly impossible.
“I can’t run anymore,” she said, stopping. Her breath was ragged and sweat drenched her
entire body. Fear gripped her heart, and her tongue trembled. He turned to her and said in a
quivering voice, “You’re okay, right? I, I can’t go on.”
He looked into her eyes, coming closer, and said, “I’m sorry. You’re going through all of
this because of me.”
“What do we do now?” She asked, panicked.
“Shh… I feel like they’re coming this way,” he whispered.
She grew even more anxious. “What will we do if they harm you?”Hearing this, he looked at her with a mixture of surprises and admiration in his eyes. “What
did you just say?”
“Say it again,” she replied.
Before he could respond, the sound of footsteps grew louder; they were moving quickly
toward them.
They were walking through that dense, dark forest. She trusted him completely, yet for some
reason, her heartbeat refused to settle. Every breath was a struggle, and her hands had grown hot
with the effort, but she kept walking, just following him. Slowly, step by step, they had covered a
long distance. Behind them, the sound of footsteps had finally ceased.
“I just need a little break…” she said, her voice trembling.
Hearing her shaky voice, he stopped. She was breathing heavily, each gasp making his chest
tighten with worry.
“Are you okay?” He asked, panicking, creeping into his tone.
Before she could answer, he placed a hand behind her back, supporting her.
“I feel dizzy…” she whispered, and then she fainted.
“What happened to you? Open your eyes, hello!” he shouted, desperation lacing every word.
He lifted her gently into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I know how much pain I’ve caused you. I don’t even know if
I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for it.”
With that, he held her close and started moving forward. All around them, silence reigned.
She had no idea whether it was morning or night.
Suddenly, a scent wafted past her nose, traveling all the way to her empty stomach. Her eyes
fluttered open, drawn by the pull of hunger. She found herself alone in what felt like a
completely different world.
As her gaze swept across the surroundings, wonder and surprise grew with every movement
of her eyes.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ058rqFyuAp
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