My fingers were still wrapped around the older girl's hand.
It was the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart.
Then...
She slowly let go.
I looked at her, confused.
"...?"
She didn't look at me.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the trees surrounding the old mansion, scanning every direction as if she were searching for something.
Her breathing became slower.
More focused.
Almost... determined.
Then she whispered so quietly I almost didn't hear it.
"...When I say run..."
"H-Huh...?"
"...Don't look back."
Before I could ask what she meant…
She suddenly shoved me backward.
"RUN!"
She spun around and sprinted toward the forest without hesitating.
"W-Wait!"
The two men stared for only a split second before the skinny one burst into laughter.
"Oh, you've got spirit."
He casually reached beneath his jacket.
Something metallic caught the light.
A gun.
My eyes widened.
"...No...!"
He raised it without even aiming for long.
BANG!
The gunshot echoed throughout the forest.
Birds immediately scattered from the trees.
The girl cried out in pain as the bullet tore through her shoulder.
"...AHH!"
She stumbled forward before crashing onto the dirt.
Blood quickly soaked through her sleeve.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't even breathe.
The skinny man walked toward her with his hands tucked into his pockets as though he were taking an evening stroll.
He crouched beside her.
"You really thought that would work?"
His voice was almost playful.
He smiled.
"Silly girl."
The older girl gritted her teeth.
Her entire body trembled from the pain.
But...
She wasn't finished.
The moment he leaned closer, she suddenly swung her leg upward with every bit of strength she had left.
CRACK
"...GHK!"
The kick landed directly between his legs.
His face instantly twisted in agony.
Both hands dropped instinctively as he collapsed onto his knees.
"You little-"
He couldn't even finish the sentence.
I stared in disbelief.
She...
She actually fought back.
That girl quickly pushed herself off the ground despite blood pouring from her shoulder.
She staggered only a few steps.
Then…
Three deafening gunshots shattered the air.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Time stopped.
Her body jerked violently with each impact.
The first bullet struck her back.
The second hit lower.
The third sent her collapsing face-first onto the dirt.
She didn't move again.
My mouth slowly fell open.
"…N-no…"
The fat man lowered his smoking pistol.
He didn't even look guilty.
Instead, he sighed in annoyance.
"Tch. What a waste."
He walked over to the motionless body and nudged it lightly with his shoe.
"...Dead already?"
He clicked his tongue.
"I don't really care if you're dead anyway."
He shrugged.
"All we need are the organs."
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
He slowly turned toward me.
Then...
He smiled.
It wasn't a normal smile.
It was the kind that made my entire body scream at me to run.
"Now then..."
His eyes traveled slowly from my face downward.
"...At least we can have a little fun with this girl first."
My blood ran cold.
I finally understood.
Every horrible possibility...
Every terrifying thought...
They weren't thoughts anymore.
They were about to become real.
"No..."
I stumbled backward.
"P-Please..."
He took one step closer.
I took two steps back.
Then I turned.
And ran.
I had only made it a few meters before rough fingers wrapped tightly around my wrist.
"No!"
He yanked me backward so hard I nearly fell.
"I said stay still."
I struggled desperately.
"L-LET GO!"
Tears blurred my vision.
I kicked.
I scratched.
I tried pulling away with everything I had.
It didn't matter.
He was far stronger.
Then…
A scream.
Not mine.
"AAAAAAAGH!!"
Is… from the skinny man's…?
A wet slicing sound echoed through the forest.
It was unlike anything I'd ever heard.
A thick...
Heavy...
Crunch.
The fat man's grip loosened.
Both of us instinctively turned toward the sound.
And froze.
The skinny man was on the ground.
Or...
What was left of him.
His head no longer rested on his shoulders.
It rolled slowly across the dirt before stopping against a rock.
Blood poured across the ground beneath it.
Standing behind the corpse...
Was a man.
He looked tall.
Broad-shouldered.
His expression never changed.
One hand firmly gripped an axe.
Fresh blood slowly dripped from its blade.
The forest became completely silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
The fat man's confident smile vanished.
"...Who the hell are you?!"
No answer.
The man simply stared at him.
Those eyes...
They weren't angry.
They weren't excited.
They were empty.
Cold enough to make my entire body freeze.
"I'm talking to you!"
Still...
Nothing.
Not a single word.
Not a single movement.
The silence somehow felt even more terrifying than the gunshots.
The fat man's breathing became heavier.
"...Fine."
He suddenly grabbed me by the collar and pulled me violently against his chest.
I gasped.
Before I could react-
Something cold pressed against the side of my head.
The barrel of a gun.
"...N-No..."
Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks.
"P-Please..."
The man behind me shouted toward the stranger.
"Don't come any closer!"
His voice shook despite trying to sound brave.
"One more step..."
He pressed the gun harder against my temple.
"...And I'll blow this girl's brains out!"
I couldn't stop crying.
"P-Please...I-I don't want t-to die...!"
The stranger remained perfectly still.
His face didn't change.
His breathing didn't change.
Nothing changed.
The fat man laughed nervously.
"That's right… Stay where you are! If you're smart, you'll-"
A sharp crack interrupted him.
BANG.
I didn't even see the stranger move.
One moment...
His hands were empty except for the axe.
The next...
A pistol rested in his free hand.
The bullet had already reached its target.
A clean hole appeared in the fat man's forehead.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
The gun slipped from his fingers.
His grip around me disappeared completely.
He stumbled backward once.
Twice.
Then collapsed onto the dirt without another word.
Silence returned to the forest.
Only the sound of my trembling breaths remained.
The stranger slowly lowered his pistol.
The axe was still hanging loosely in his other hand.
Blood dripped steadily from its blade.
I stood frozen in place.
Unable to move.
Unable to speak.
Unable to look away from the man who had just killed two people...
As if it were nothing at all.
The forest fell silent again.
The smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air.
I couldn't stop staring at the three bodies lying motionless on the ground.
Only a few minutes ago...
Those two man had been laughing.
Talking.
Threatening me.
Now...
Neither of them would ever speak again.
The man calmly wiped a small stain of blood from his sleeve before sliding the pistol back inside his jacket.
His movements were slow.
Practiced.
As though this wasn't the first time he had done something like this.
He walked toward the headless corpse without a word.
The axe was still stained dark red.
He bent down, pulled it free from the body with one firm tug, then drove it back into the corpse's chest.
THUD
The blade buried itself deep into the man's body.
I flinched.
The stranger looked over the scene one last time.
Then turned his back to me.
"...Go."
His voice was calm.
Cold.
It wasn't a suggestion.
It was an order.
He began walking away.
Step.
Step.
Step.
I stared at his back.
Go...?
Go where?
Home?
The word echoed painfully in my head.
Home...
I pictured my parents.
My mother counting money without even looking at me.
My father smiling before throwing me into the wall.
Their laughter.
Their voices.
"She's fourteen already."
"We'll get a better price."
I couldn't go back.
Even if I somehow found my way home...
They would only sell me again.
Or worse.
My breathing became uneven.
"N-No..."
The stranger kept walking.
I looked around desperately.
The forest stretched endlessly in every direction.
I didn't know where I was.
I didn't know how to get home.
And even if I did...
I had nowhere to return to.
Before I realized what I was doing…
I ran.
"…W-Wait!"
My feet stumbled over the uneven ground as I chased after him.
"P-Please!"
I grabbed the back of his jacket with both trembling hands.
He stopped immediately.
Slowly...
He looked down at the fabric I was clutching.
Then sighed.
His shoulders tensed slightly.
"Let go."
His voice remained emotionless.
I shook my head.
"...No."
"I said..."
He began reaching toward my hands.
"...Let go of me, kid."
His fingers were only inches away from mine.
Then the words escaped before I could stop them.
"...I can't go home..!"
His hand froze.
"I..."
My voice shook violently.
"...I don't have a home anymore…"
Silence.
That guy didn't move.
I tightened my grip on his jacket.
"...My parents..."
I lowered my head.
"...They sold me…"
The wind quietly passed through the trees.
"They...they didn't want me anymore..."
No response.
"My dad..."
I swallowed hard.
"...He hits me whenever he's angry… And my mom…she never stopped him."
Tears slowly fell onto the dirt beneath me.
"They laughed..."
I could barely breathe.
"...They laughed when I begged them not to sell me."
The stranger's hand slowly lowered back to his side.
I continued speaking.
Almost desperately.
"Asking them to love me..."
A weak laugh escaped through my tears.
"...That was stupid, wasn't it?... I kept thinking... If I studied harder...If I listened better...If I became someone they could be proud of... Maybe they'd finally love me."
I smiled weakly.
"They never did…"
My voice broke.
"...They were happy when strangers took me away."
I covered my mouth with one hand, trying to stop myself from crying.
It didn't work.
"…They didn't even say goodbye…"
The tears wouldn't stop.
"I...I don't want to go back… I can't… If I go back... They'll sell me again...Or they'll kill me… I...I don't want to die…!"
My fingers trembled against his jacket.
"So..."
I lowered my head until my forehead nearly touched his back.
"...Please… Please take me with you… I'll do anything… and I-I won't be any trouble..! I'll clean… I'll cook… I'll stay quiet…. I won't ask for anything…I promise…!"
My voice became almost inaudible.
"...I don't want to be alone anymore…"
Silence.
A long...
Heavy silence.
That guy still hadn't spoken.
I slowly looked up.
His back remained turned toward me.
I couldn't see his face.
"...Please..."
Another quiet whisper.
"...Don't leave me…"
He finally moved.
Slowly.
He turned around.
The moment our eyes met…
My body froze.
His expression was unreadable.
Those cold eyes stared directly into mine.
For a brief second...
I forgot how to breathe.
He looked...
Almost angry.
Like he was seeing something he didn't want to remember.
Neither of us spoke.
His gaze remained fixed on my tear-stained face.
Then...
His eyes slowly widened.
Just slightly.
Almost too little to notice.
Something inside his expression changed.
Not completely.
Just enough.
As though a memory had suddenly forced its way into his mind.
His hand twitched.
He looked away for a second.
"..."
His jaw tightened.
Then…
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
I instinctively flinched.
"...What a pain."
He rubbed a hand across his face before letting out a long, tired sigh.
"...You really know how to make someone's day worse, huh?"
I quickly lowered my head.
"...S-Sorry..."
"I wasn't asking for your life story."
"...Sorry..."
Another sigh.
He looked up at the darkening sky.
Muttered something too quietly for me to hear.
Then looked back at me.
"...Kid."
I slowly raised my head.
His expression had returned to its usual calm.
"...Get your things."
I blinked.
"...H-Huh?"
"I said..."
He turned away again.
"I'm taking you with me."