Redemption

Chapter Nine: The Knight in Shining Armor

I opened my eyes a fraction of an inch as my mind surfaced from unconsciousness.

I glanced around in bewilderment, unsure where I was. There were three rock walls on three sides of me, with a small opening straight ahead. It took a few minutes for me to realize that I was in some sort of stone cavern.

Beside me, a fire burned brightly. I could make out the silhouette of a man sitting next to the fire, his back to me as he peered through the cave's entrance. I vaguely recognized him as the man who came to my aid earlier that day.

Though he has helped me, I felt apprehensive of him. I didn't know this man, if he was a friend or foe. He saved me from the hunter, yes, but for what reason? He could be just as appalling as the man who assaulted me. I was acutely aware that he was sitting in front of my only exit.

My qualms were momentarily forgotten, as an aching throb raked through my body. My head pounded, and every inch of my body was in unspeakable agony.

I was debilitated for a few moments as the throbbing pulsated through my body. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but immediately regretted that decision, as a sharp twinge shot up my side. It took all my effort not to scream out, as the burning white pain ran through me from what I assumed were bruised ribs.

My injuries remind me of the previous day's events. The memories I had been suppressing came flooding back into my mind, and I gave an involuntary shutter. For a moment, I felt as though I might vomit.

Worst of all, I felt ashamed. How could I allow myself to get in a situation like that? Had I provoked the man in some way? What would have happened to me if my savior hadn't shown up when he did?

I assessed my injuries and moved my body to test its movement. That's when I noticed that I was no longer wearing my favorite yellow blouse, but a black, oversized t-shirt. I was thankful for the change of clothing- I wasn't sure I could handle looking at that blouse right now, with its buttons ripped off and the blood stains.

I lifted my hand to my face, and felt a dried scab over my lip where the man had struck me. My nose was tender; I was quite certain that it was broken. Judging by the way my left eye was nearly swollen shut, I suspected it had a nasty bruise.

A bandage covered the front of my forehead, concealing an area where I was still bleeding. I moved my hand to the back of my head, and felt a lump the size of plum, which I assumed was the source of the throbbing headache I had.

Each time I moved my hand to a different wound, I couldn't help but to think of the cause of the injury. I flashed back to the gun hitting me in the face; the crunching noise from when my nose was smashed; the blow of the hunter's hand; the unbearable pain when I landed on the rock and almost lost consciousness.

The overwhelming recollections caused a quiet whimper to escape my lips. At the sound, the man sitting at the mouth of the cave turned to look at mr.

The stranger was breathtakingly handsome. I could see the curvature of large muscles along his chest and arms, contouring his olive toned skin beneath a plain white t-shirt. He looked as though he could easily hurt me if he chose to; I found myself shrinking a little at the thought.

From what I could tell in the darkness, the man was fairly young, despite his brawny build. I was certain that he was around my age, a few years older at most.

His dark brown hair was close cropped to his head. His handsome brown face had a naturally soft appearance, but was hidden beneath hard, rough features. Everything about the man screamed "unapproachable", from his stiff but powerful demeanor, to his stoic facial expressions.