.: Chapter 3:.
:. Lost Freedom.:
Her eyes were shut tightly, waiting for the sharp knife to pierce through her skull while she hoped for a painless death. The sound of a loud thud forced the girl's eyes open. The sharp weapon that had supposed to be pierced through her head ended up just one millimeter beside her ear, on the pillar where she was leaning against.
"I changed my mind. I will let you live. However, you are to keep whatever you saw or heard today to yourself, and into your grave... You can choose not to do it... unless you want to enter into your grave right here, right now..." the man said, forcefully turning the knife that was still stabbed into the pillar and facing the sharp end of the tool towards the girl. In desperation to live, an agreement was made.
The girl's legs were weak from all the fearful near-death situations she found herself in that day, but she managed to make them work. Dragging herself out of the run-down inn, the girl wondered if she had made the correct choice of running away from home. She then shook her head in an attempt to harden her determination of her own choice.
"I have to think positively! Look, even though I almost got myself killed twice in such a short time, I managed to survive! I am glad that luck is on my side today!" the girl thought to herself. The sight of her white horse waiting at a distance for her cheered the girl up as she smiled slightly. "PEARL~~~! I missed you~~~!" She ran towards the horse with outstretched arms, after regaining strength in her skinny legs. Hugging the only creature she was familiar with in the silent desert, the girl felt slightly reassured.
"Who said you are free to leave?" a deep voice questioned. The girl's eyes widened as she turned around immediately in shock. Pearl reared in fright behind her. It was the young man who had saved, yet wanted to kill her. His actions confused the innocent girl and she wasn't sure how to act in front of him in order not to make him regret his decision to let her live. Patting Pearl on her nose to calm her down, the girl braved up a little and opened her mouth.
"T-T-Then, w-w-what should I do?"
"You are to follow me, until I make sure you can keep your side of the deal even when I am not around."
"H-H-HUUUH!?" the girl gasped as she absorbed his order.
"Shut up. The sky's getting darker. We need to find somewhere to stay the night." the man said. Right after that, he walked in a direction that led to a deeper part of the deserted Lasoun Town, followed by a reluctant cloaked girl dragging her horse.
In the backyard of one of the most ransacked and messy houses
The strangers sat facing each other with a campfire in between them. It was so silent that only the sounds of firewood being burnt were heard. The atmosphere was uncomfortably awkward, especially for the girl. The discomfort didn't allow her to warm herself up with the fire in front of her in the cold desert night. She hugged her knees as she pulled her cloak tighter around herself. "I guess...I should start a topic...? But what should I talk about...!? What if I pissed him off...!? I guess he won't kill me now but...it's hard to know what he will do if I angered him...Uwaaa...but this atmosphere is...Ugh! Alright! I shall start the talk!" the girl conversed with herself in her mind. However, her stomach was a step quicker than her mouth in producing a sound. A loud growl could be heard and the girl was shocked. She immediately grabbed her cloak's hood and dragged it over her head, lowering her head with minimal movements in order to hide her bright red face.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god...! Did he hear it!? He didn't, right!? So many things happened today that I didn't realise my hunger... I think there may be at least a piece of bread left in my sack...! I will just dash for the bread when he is away or asleep!" the famished girl decided. Before long, the quiet and expressionless man sitting across her stood up without a word and walked into the messy house behind them. "This is my chance!" the girl thought and stood up immediately. She was digging her large bag for the remaining piece of food when she heard an-already-familiar voice.
"What are you doing?"
The girl froze and closed her sack again, quickly rushing back to where she sat at the campfire like an obedient child. She took a glance at him, and started to shiver when she noticed that he was holding a bloodied knife.