Fei Wanrou took deep breaths as she felt that her legs began to numb, adding the cold sensation and her open wounds; she felt pain all over her body.
She couldn't help but bite her lips as she noticed her movement became slower and slower, but she had no choice but to continue running.
Familiar with the place, she remembered that she and her father used to stay and camp here. There was a river nearby. Thus, they always went fishing. A bridge was built between both separate lands, connecting the village and the outskirts of the forest.
Knowing that they were already close, her blood started to rush; thus, she ran even faster. She then pulled her little brother, who was already at his limit; tiredness was evident as he struggled to breathe. She scoops her brother in her embrace, ignoring her aching wounds. All she can do is to run away. She needed to live because not only was her life at stake, but her little brother as well.
The sound of the running water was heard not afar; she continued to run, her wounds throbbing with every movement that she made. She groaned, holding her brother tightly, who was struggling to breathe.
Sensing that someone was staring at her, she looked back to see the man who was running in large strides, his footsteps, light as a feather, approaching her.
"No, no, no, no, no, how could he reach me so fast!" she said, widening her eyes and filling them with shock! She gritted her teeth; she then became worried, remembering her father who stayed behind, fighting this monster!
She looked back again to see the man who was running in light footsteps. Adrenaline kicked in, causing her to dash even more quickly as she saw the bridge, their only way of escaping.
"We're almost there," she muttered under her breath.
Only a few meters left, she exhaled as she began to calm her shaky breath, cogitating all over.
"If I continue to run all the way to the outskirts, the man will surely be able to catch me, but if I take the other way. I can prevent him from catching us any further, but there's always a possibility that we could end up dead .." she frowned as she thought about these things deeply.
The distance between her and the armored man became closer and closer. He tried reaching his hand towards her hair but failed as she advanced in a mere second.
The man scrunched his nose, feeling annoyed. "You can't escape now; your father is already dead; running away is pointless," the man said between his breaths. Fei Wanrou didn't stop running as if she hadn't heard what he said.
A battle between her and time. She lunged toward the river. A loud splash of water was produced. The cold water made Fei Wanrou tremble as it touched her skin. Both siblings were gasping for air, hugging each other, drowning as the strong current pushed them away further. Luckily, she found a bark of wood from the tide that could support her and her little brother.
She tried to pry her eyes open and caught a glimpse of the armored man who was staring at her with an angered expression. Watching them as they got further and further. When he was already far from sight, she then closed her eyes from exhaustion and just let the body of water take its course.