Leon gave his hoodie to Layla, and he wore Layla's ripped hoodie.
Layla gripped Leon's hand tightly and hugged his arm.
"I was so scared when that man said he killed you," Layla uttered in a meek voice.
Leon placed his hand on his stomach where the man had stabbed him and pondered with a confused look on his face: 'What's happening to me?'
Up until now, Leon's powers were dormant as he was always in a weak state due to a lack of food and sleep. However, that has changed now.
Leon had accepted his fate and never tried to fight back, but now he had a new hope, and a new life was waiting for him.
Leon and Layla left the farmland, and they were now walking on the street.
Layla was being cautious of her surroundings after the recent incident, but Leon, however, seemed to stumble on his feet.
"Leon?"
Leon walked a few steps and fell to the ground. He passed out due to over-exhaustion.
"Leon!" Layla yelled with a concerned look on her face and tried to wake him up.
She shook his face and body, but he didn't wake up. Then, she gasped and slowly moved her hand to check his breath with a horrified look on her face.
PHEW!
She sighed in relief after feeling Leon's breath. After glancing around and seeing nothing in her sight, Layla sat down beside Leon and placed his head on her lap.
She stroked his hair with a distant smile on her face and uttered, "You have grown so big."
Layla recalled her old memories and remembered how kind and cute Leon was, but now, they both have changed. Or rather, the circumstances forced them to change.
After some minutes, a car passed by Leon and Layla. And it U-turned after noticing Layla.
The car approached Layla, and the driver rolled down the window and asked, "You okay, miss?"
The driver looked to be in his late forties, and he was wearing fine clothes.
Layla ignored the man and covered Leopn's face with her hands.
The driver looked at Leon and asked, "Is he dead?"
"No!" Layla yelled with a furious look on her face.
The man glanced around and uttered, "What are you two doing out here at this late?"
Layla ignored the man and tried her best to stay calm.
She still hadn't recovered from the recent incident with thugs.
"Where do you want to go? I can give you a ride," the driver offered.
"We don't want to go anywhere," Layla replied.
"In that case…" The man got out of his car and said, "My home is nearby, do you want to come there? With this kid, of course."
"No thanks. Please leave us alone," Layla refuted.
Layla was trying her best not to interact with the man, but the man kept pestering her.
The man looked at Leon and saw his hands were covered in blood.
"Is he injured?" the man asked.
"...."
"Listen, miss. I am just trying to help you," the man asserted. "You might not know, but this is a dangerous area, especially for teenagers like you."
"It is dangerous because of people like you," Layla commented.
"I live near the edge of the city area, and I can drop you two till there. Or maybe I can drop you at the hospital if you want."
"But tonight is supposed to be purge night," the man added. "And I am not sure if the announcement is real or not, but if it was true, then everything will be closed."
"..."
SIGH!
The man sighed and said, "I am a doctor myself, and I can help this kid if you want."
"I don't know what happened to him," Layla uttered in a low voice.
"Then let's go to my place. I will check him up, and we will see what's wrong," the man suggested in a calm voice.
"..."
"I can help him," he uttered and continued, "If his condition turns out to be serious, then he might die, you know?"
Layla's face turned pale after hearing that. She didn't want to lose Leon, but she couldn't trust that man either.
She had a tough choice to make.
If the man turned out to be just another thug, then both Layla and Leon's life would be in danger. But if the man was telling the truth, and he truly was a doctor, then he could help Leon.
"Fine."
Layla chose to go with the man, not because she trusted him, but because she was worried about Leon.
The man carried Leon and placed him in the backseat. Then, he opened the front door and asked Layla to get in.
However, Layla sat in the backseat with Leon. She placed his head on her lap and kept her guard up from the possible danger.
The man shrugged his shoulders and turned on the car.
Even after driving for 20 minutes, they still hadn't reached anywhere.
"Why is it taking so long?" Layla asked with a serious look on her face.
"We are almost there," the man replied.
"Amh!" Leon opened his eyes and looked at Layla.
"Leon!" She called his name with a smile on her face.
Leon sat up and glanced around to find himself in a car with a strange man. He frowned his face and said, "Stop the car."
The man looked at Leon with the back mirror and kept driving the car.
"I said stop the car," Leon repeated, but this time in a loud voice.
The man stopped the car and pointed his finger at a house near the car.
"That is my home. And if you would like, you can stay there for a night," the man stated.
Leon grabbed Layla's hand and got out of the car.
The man poked his head out of the window and said, "It is dangerous out there, and the city is not a safe place. I can give you food, clothes, and some money."
Leon wasn't interested in the man's offer as he could live without food, clothes, and money. But it was different with Layla.
Layla needed food, but more importantly, she needed clothes to cover her body.
Now, Leon was in the same boat as Layla.
He had a choice to make.
Everything the man said was true. It was a purge night, so the city wasn't a safe place. They had no food, clothes, money, and shelter. Even if they managed to reach the city on their own, they couldn't possibly survive in their current circumstances.
He looked at Layla, who was hiding behind him, and wondered, 'Her body is freezing.'
Leon agreed to go with the man, but he had something else planned in his mind.
====
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