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Nightingale's POV
Run! My mind is yelling at me. You have to escape or everything will go to waste! I ran through the tall thick thorny bushes outside the Pentagon under the bright full moon.
"Search and kill Nightingale before she leaves the boundary!" a man, with a booming voice, commanded. He's so far yet his voice reached to where I am now. Captain Hugo, that's for sure and he's persistent.
My body is wrapped with bruises, cuts, wounds, stinky mud all around my legs as I try to cross the wide swamp on my tired but resilient feet wearing this black torn skinny suit. Strands of my sweat drenched hair are sticking on my face with blood oozing from the cut on the upper left of my forehead. Then I suddenly felt a painful sting on my left leg that I reached to see. A damned snake, whatever kind it is. I threw it off irritably but I can already feel the poison running through my body as I kept my marathon on.
I can already see it. Ahead of me is a clear sight of the stone wall, the boundary. Once I get to the other side they can harm me no more. My limbs are starting to get numb and with each step I take, I can hear my heart beating faster and then slower as if resonating with my quick and sudden slow breathing. I saw a thick long branch of a dead tree dangling in front of me and grabbed it and used it to pull my legs that I can no longer feel nor know if I am still moving it. Just ten more wide steps and you'll be there, I told myself.
I can hear the harsh and heavy footsteps behind me, maybe ten men or so. They're getting closer, I need to hurry. My lips are starting to draw a hopeful smile as I finally step on the first rock towards the boundary, one more and I'll be free. Just when I was about to take my last step a powerful hand grabbed mine pulling me away from the boundary and my body just helplessly got dragged off. Is this the end?I ask myself as I turn my head around to see the man who will give me my tragic fate. There were tears brimming out from my eyes as I get to lay them on this creature.
He's no Captain Hugo but merely a hunter, a stranger, judging from the way he looks. I'm hearing voices closing in that both caught our attention. He's taking me back, I want to resist and fight back thinking that he will return me to that place but I can do no good. I'm already weak, I am loosing grip of my arms as he carries me behind an old wide tree far from the opening of the boundary but still near to the stone wall. My arms fell from his powerful and strong arms lifelessly. All I can do now is to stare at him, preparing myself to rot in this world and accept my unwanted fate.
His deep emerald eyes shines as moonlight shines on it. His long black shiny hair tied with a string dropping till his hips dances with the wind. His long well shaped nose highlighted his thin pink lips, and a manly warm expression. Wearing an animal skin vest topped with his brown fur coat where a strap of leather ran down his muscular body to his back where I can see a glimpse of a hilt of a dagger, no, it's an arrow turned upside down. The strap might just be for the quiver because I see bow, a longbow, no mistake about it.
I was too busy observing him that I didn't notice that we already passed through another gate of the stone wall and is now entering another world. I can see the gate at the corner of my eyes behind us then the world became dark.
I found myself lying on a soft bed covered with a thick red blanket. This room, it is made of well-furnished shining red lacquered wood. And up on the walls are hinged vintage oil lamps. I can still smell the fragrant odour by burnt herbal oil.
As I wonder my eyes around this room I felt a warm breath at the back of my neck. This man, I can feel his big and muscular body deeply pressed on my back and his arms holding me tight on my waist keeping me close to him.
"You're awake" he whispered. His manly morning voice tickled the back of my ear. I tried to move my hand but I can't, nor can I even feel it is still intact.
"Who are you?" I whispered to him and I felt that my throat is dry. I tried to at least give it some moisture from my saliva that seems to have dried out too.
"I appreciate your help but would you mind to let go of me now?" I asked politely trying to feel my body. I'm numb all over. I know that I feel nothing of me but why do I feel his warmth?
"Then you will ran cold again" he said that made me curious.
"Again?" I asked.
"I tried to let go of you last night but you went cold. I have no choice but to hug you all night long. And I'm afraid that you might die without seeing the world you longed for" he answered on a levelled tone. But what will make me shiver to death?
I do not know if I should call him a pervert or just a concerned fellow. He doesn't need to take his shirt off and my clothes... I then remembered that I am drenched last night. But I have gotten no cold and if I ever did, this kind of contact won't be needed!
"Don't you have medicine here?" I asked on a levelled tone trying to hide my irritation.
"Plenty" he answered. When I tried to move my arms, legs, my whole body, none would do what I wanted them to do. I can't see them move under the thick blanket sheltering the two of us. I have to get out of this helpless state.
"Then would you please help me again?"
"My pleasure" he answered without hesitation.
Before he completely leaves my side, he made sure that I can stay warm. He doubled my blanket with another of the same thickness and shut the slightly open window on his side showing his well-formed upper body. He's wearing trousers, now I can at least convince myself that he didn't do it... hopefully. He opened the door and lit up the fireplace on the next room.
"Tell me what to do" he said and stared at me from the next room through the open door. After he took all the herbs needed, he started grinding them all as I told him too. He must've figured out what the paste is for that he took a stick with him while along with the paste.
"Use this, just in case you get your nerves back while I'm treating you." I don't need this, I can control myself, my pride is saying but I still received it. I nodded then he placed it between my lips. He shoved off the blanket from my arm and started applying the paste on all my wounds and bruises. I kept my eyes wide open to observe. I can't trust him still. Finished, he went to treat my other arm.
He was about to uncover my body when I spat the stick to him. He seemed to know what I was about to say and went to my legs and feet. Gladly, I could feel my arms again so I picked up the stick and threw it to him when he was about to go higher to my thighs.
"I can manage, thank you. Will you leave the room and lock the door as I treat myself?" I know I'm being rude but I can no longer stand this... this humiliation I've put myself into.
He didn't go against the idea and gave the bowl of paste to me and did as I told him to. When I uncovered myself, I am relieved to see that he had left my underclothes with me.
