Kain Locke
The old woman’s voice trembled as she stared at Kael, who was laid out on a rickety wooden chair in her small sitting room, his face pale and slick with sweat. "Oh, child... this looks bad." Her fingers brushed against his forehead before trailing down to his wrist. "We gotta get him treatnt or---" She suddenly paused, her brows furrowing as she pressed two fingers against his neck. "His pulse is weak... it’s just too weak. This is dangerous..."
She straightened, hands moving frantically as she turned toward the small wooden table in the corner. "Wait. I’m going to call the dical center and make a report. Where do I put the communicator..." she muttered the last part to herself.
My entire body tensed. No. No. No. If she called anyone, then we were dead.
That’s right, she allowed us inside the house after I pleaded with her that we need help,
My brain worked fast, calculating the worst-case scenarios. If she called them, we were as good as dead.
The first problem? The people hunting us were already close. A single distress call would be like drawing a target on our backs. The second problem?
if this reached Caspian...
A sharp breath caught in my throat.
If Caspian found out, he might spare Kael because he was his son. But ? I was as good as dead. So... "Wait .. please." I called sharply, she stopped, turning back to look at with her brows knitted together with suspicion as I gulped,
"I know you’re afraid... just hold on, they should co if I tell them it’s an ergency." she assured, stretching her arm to take the communicator.
My hands curled into fists as I forced my breathing to steady.
I dropped to my knees before I even realized what I was doing, pressing my hands together. "There are people out there looking for us," I whispered desperately. "They’ll kill us if they find us. Please..." I swallowed the lump in my throat, pressing my palms together in a pleading motion. "Please, don’t call anyone.. let us stay. Just for a little while. Then as soon as they’re gone, we’ll be out of here."
The woman hesitated, "He can die..."
I know... God I know... and that doesn’t make feel any better, but we can always get him treatnt if we didn’t get killed first by these people.
I took a sharp breath, listening for the barking. It was closer now.
I forced myself to keep talking. "Listen, can you hear that?" I tilted my head toward the door, where the distant growls were becoming snarls. "They’re already here."
The woman’s eyes darted toward the entrance. Her fingers trembled. Her lips parted, but she didn’t say anything as she wrung her hands together, she was torn. I could see the struggle on her face and her fear of whatever trouble we’d brought to her doorstep.
Her gaze flickered to Kael, who was unconscious on the chair then to .
"Oh, boys..." She inhaled sharply, pressing a hand against her chest as if trying to steady her own heartbeat, then after a while of debating, "Can you carry him?" she asked finally.
I was already moving before she finished speaking. "Yeah."
"There’s a space down in my basent," she said, hurrying to the back of the room. She pushed open a door that creaked from age and disuse. "Co on, lift him up."
I bent down, gripping Kael’s arms. "Hey," I whispered. "Are you still with ?"
His eyelids fluttered. His lips parted as if he wanted to say sothing, but no words ca out.
I wasn’t expecting a response, anyway.
Gritting my teeth, I hauled him up. He was heavier than I expected, but I didn’t stop. I dragged him toward the open basent door, just as a series of loud, frantic knocks banged against the front door.
The dogs were barking wildly now, snarling and clawing against the wooden steps outside.
My blood turned cold.
The woman gasped but quickly grabbed a section of the floorboards and yanked them open, revealing a hidden space underneath. "Get in. Quick."
I lowered Kael down first, trying to be careful, but my hands were shaking. So he slipped and his body slumped against the cold dirt floor as I jumped in after him.
Above, the woman exhaled sharply. "I got this," she muttered before slamming the floorboards shut.
Everything went dark and silent, but then,
A loud knocking ca at the door, followed by stillness, both from the door, my own ragged breathing and Kael’s shallow gasps. I pressed my hands against the dirt beneath , grounding myself, but my mind was already slipping, already falling into mories I didn’t want, the sa panic in my chest, the sa anxiety I had back when I was waiting in the wardrobe for the door to be pushed open, the loud knocks.
The shouting.
The dark, cramped space.
I curled my fingers into the ground, the sensation of cold dirt anchoring . No. Not now. I wasn’t a kid anymore. This wasn’t then.
But my chest still felt tight, and the distant sound of boots stomping against the wooden floor above made my stomach clench. Even though I convinced myself that this was different,
However, I heard a loud crash from up, it was a little distant so it must be from the front door,
"Who---who are you people?" she questioned, her voice trembling as she spoke.
Now I’m starting to regret my decisions. Whoever this people that clearly saw our car headed for the water, yet, brought search party to look for us must be unforgiven, and out there was a kind old woman who’d help us with them at her doorstep, the blood from Kael’s wounds must’ve led them here,
What if they hurt her?
What if they killed her?
What if—
I moved before I could stop myself. My hands pressed against the floorboards to lift it up.
I wasn’t about to stay in here like a spineless coward and allow an old woman to die in my place,
I was going to open it when a weak hand touched mine.
I jolted, sucking in a sharp breath.
"Don’t go..." the voice was hoarse, trembling also.
I turned toward him. Even in the darkness, I could make out the rough outline of his face, his half-lidded eyes, his parted lips.
His fingers curled weakly against mine. "Please.." He added in another weak voice.
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