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After she was kidnapped to a foreign land, Devora Evans found herself rescued by a questionable team claiming to be spies working for the government. However, she soon found out that the term "spies" was much...
HE WASN'T TOO sure how long they had been running. The moon was now high up in the sky, glistening in silver, not quite as bright and dazzling as the sun but thousand times more mysterious. It was enough to guide their way, definitely, but it was still risky to run around with an injured girl in his arms.
Darting behind a tree, Nathan scouted the area around them before finally letting out a breath of relief. The girl in his arms had already long fainted, perhaps from the pain, perhaps from the exhaustion. He was, however, convinced that it was the result of a mixture of both.
From what he had read from the case file, the captured children had been either starved or underfed, kept in disgusting cells that came straight out of horror stories. They were kept like dangerous convicts, all prepped to be sold for organ harvesting. Back when the case was presented to his team of three, asking for two agents to volunteer for the job, Nathan couldn't stop himself from stepping up immediately.
To think that he had been pulled from the group for a different mission— to rescue a girl named Devora Evans specifically and bring her back to headquarters.
As gently as he could, Nathan laid Devora on the forest floor, resting her head on a root of the large tree they were hiding behind. Although she was unconscious, Devora still frowned at the movement, her eyebrows furrowing, the skin in between wrinkling. Nathan had still pondered over whether he should inject Devora with a sedative but now that she was knocked out, there was no longer a need for it. As long as she didn't wake up before the bullet was removed, that was enough.
"Don't die yet, Evans. You better survive this," Nathan murmured under his breath, more to himself than to the girl before him.
His superior's words still rang clear in his mind. He had made it very clear that if anything were to happen to the girl, Nathan would be answering directly for it. A bullet wound to the leg might result in rougher training and brutal punishments that would come with failure but that was something he could still deal with. His job came with large occupational hazards, a condition he had long grown used to, more so as a necessity than a want.
Rummaging through the small crossbody bag that he had salvaged, he pulled out a small red and white pouch that had been shoved in there. His teammate had only helped him pack some of the necessities such as alcohol wipes, small tools, bandages, and some inflammation creams but that was more than enough for a job on the field. On a usual mission with no rescue targets, Nathan wouldn't even think of packing such things. It was a waste of space.
Using the tiny pair of scissors inside the pouch, Nathan tore at Devora's pant leg where the wound was so that he had a larger space to work with. Once the wound was exposed, he couldn't help but wince a little. Sure, injuries were bound to happen in his line of work and Nathan had seen his fair share of spilled blood and exposed bone. However, he wasn't used to treating the wounds. He was usually the one who caused it.
The wound was an ugly red, bits of brown dried blood crumbling around the injury. Whenever she moved even the slightest, a few drops of blood would trickle down the sides. However, it didn't need a medical professional to know that her current situation was still better than what could've been. After all, there was no major bleeding.
"I knew I should've taken up medical classes from Candice," Nathan cursed slightly.
In the end, even though he already had the tweezers out and ready to extract the bullet, Nathan decided against it. He wasn't skilled enough to attempt the impossible. They were in an unsanitary environment with way too little tools that were necessary. It was better to leave it to a professional once they got back.
Tucking the tweezers back into the pouch, Nathan reached for the alcohol wipes and a roll of bandages, making quick work of cleaning the wound before bandaging it up tightly. They might have to continue running after, which might cause the bandage to loosen. As a result, Nathan made sure to wrap a few more rounds, knotting it as best as he could.
The sudden pressure against the wound caused Devora to buck. With the movement, Nathan instinctively turned to look at Devora, whose eyes had already opened, gaze meeting his in the middle. Fresh tears rimmed her eyes, catching the silver moonlight even while hidden beneath the canopy. Her lips were already red, some parts colored by the blood that had broken through the skin due to how hard she was biting on it.
Nathan's heart trembled a little at the sight of Devora's pathetic face full of tears.
"Just bear with it for a little. We're almost out of the forest," he muttered, looking away. Digging through his small bag of emergency supplies, he fished out two packs of convenience store bread, holding one out for Devora. "Eat something. The food must've been crap in there."
She took the bread from his hands gingerly, peeling at the plastic wrap before sniffing the bread. Nathan watched in amused silence as her face lit up at the first whiff, the smell of the red bean paste filling inside charming a smile out of her sullen features. She immediately bit into it, shoving the bread down her throat like a starved animal. Once she had polished off the bread, she still clutched onto the plastic packaging, not showing any signs of letting go.
'Is she still hungry?' Nathan wondered to himself.
Peeling off half of his portion, he held it out to her once more.
"Here," he offered, shaking his hand a little to catch her attention. "You can have some of mine. I'm not that hungry."
Her eyes had practically glittered at Nathan's words, snatching the bread up instantly before biting into it. Nathan, too, began to eat, keeping an eye on her the entire time, half out of obligation and half out of self-fulfillment. The sight of her eagerly devouring the small, simple snack reminded Nathan of his past, a raw painful patch that had resulted in who he was today.
Picking up their plastic wrappers, he stuffed the waste in his bag.
"Once you're done eating, catch some sleep. We'll be setting out again in a few hours. Or if those men find us, much sooner. Rest while you can," he advised.
With those words said, Nathan stood to his feet before scaling the tree they were right under just before. It was easier to scout from a taller height than on the forest floor. Once he chose a sturdy looking branch, Nathan perched himself on the tree, leaning against the trunk, legs stretched out. It was a perfect spot to look out for any enemies and also to keep an eye on the helpless girl seated on the forest floor just a short distance away.
Under the blanket of stars, Nathan sat awake, eyes still peeled wide open for danger. However used to the wild he was, he still couldn't help but think about his bed back home, a roof over his head. If he didn't have to take up such a dangerous job, how wonderful would it be?
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