The Tusgal began to gradually disappear like smoke in the air, as if he had completed his mission and returned to his world and turned into dust.
As Joey is waiting outside the house,
he spotted the door of the house opening slowly, so he got up in curiousness and excitement, stood on his feet, waiting for Zain to come out, with victory. or less so, the thing that he was fighting, so he was on alert for either both, getting his handgun out of it holster on his leather belt.
a bloody hand welcomed Joey's eyes, holding the door as if it leaning on it, they locked eyes, Joey sighted in relief, they looked like friends reassuring each other on the last day of the final exams.
After a second, Zain's smile faded away and he began to get paler all of the sudden and fell on his knees, this was when Joey rushed to his side and caught him
"Where did you got hurt !!" Joey asked Zain
Joey felt something wet under the palm of his hand which he places on Zain's leg. Joey removed his hand and looked at his palm to find blood all over it. Joey looked at Zain shocked
"Why is there such a deep wound on your thigh!"
" Just... what do we do now ?" Zain said in a shaky and low voice because duo to the pain, then he looked at his thigh where he stabbed himself, he didn't stab himself too deep, but it hurt anyway if it's not to be treated right it may be dangerous, Zain gradually felt a great pain as Joey took his belt and knotted it around his wound. causing Zain to scream in pain in Joey's arms. Joey didn't know what to do and next and looked around,
"Shit !!" Joey cursed, then looked at Zain, cold sweat was all over his face.
Joey looked at Zain and then looked around, Zain sighed when he saw Joey in bewilderment:
"Go ... I'll wait here .. call me when you find the Exist or whatever.... I'll ..." Joey cut his sentence:
"Come on. you idiot! there is no network here! stop mumbling and get on my back! " said Joey, turning his back at Zain.
"Just go.. shit!" Zain said angrily and in pain.
" You're coming or I'll really leave you here to bleed to death?!" Joey raised his brows threatening him.
Zain looked at him a little, then put his arms around Joey's neck and grabbed his back, Zain was a tall man who's Amy not be too muscled but yet heavy to carry he was boarder than Joey and a abit taller, Joey carried him with great effort but absolutely didn't show that, he is a man and he didn't like showing a single weakness, it's a good thing Zain can't see his face which was sweating and red with vines that popped out on both of his forehead sides and clenched jaw. the man was facing another Challenge of his own!
After a few minutes , they finally got off the street, and entered a forest which was the only way available, with many trees and birds sounds, Joey tried to open any topic with Zain so that he would not lose consciousness, but Zain preceded him,
"So what is the situation ... I will bleed to death? But instead of dying on the ground, I will die on your back!" Zain said and laughed sarcastically, but the pain caused him to mute the laugh and coughed .
Joey ignored his words, but this does not deny what he said, it true, if he continued on this, he wouldn't be able to survive for long, What reassured him a little was that the bleeding had decreased a lot than before. But still all this was just a temporary solution, the man might lose his leg if he stays like this for too long. the other thing is that if this is really the test, then someone must be watching them and and they are aware of Zain's injury and will not risk an officer's life. Especially If this person is the grandson of the so called The San family as all the participants said, his great grandfather is the one who established the main police station in the capital.
Only after walking for about half an hour did Joey find a good spot to camp this day, For both of them need a rest, especially Zain who Joey wanted to take a look at his wounded shoulder and leg. Joey slowly put the man on the ground, until Zain leaned on one of trees in this forest, while Joey went to look for stones and wood to light a fire and found it, Joey rubbed two stones together until a flame formed at one time as a result of friction and the second time it finally caught fire. The flames of fire reflected on Zain's eyes, who was not blinking nor moving, only looking at the fire in depth blankly. Joey took off his jacket. a sit for a moment, then approached Zain and began to check the wound on his shoulder first, which seemed to be healing just fine, then looked at his thigh, and swallowed his saliva in Fear, it didn't look well, he didn't know what to do if the situation got worse. The pants were already cut where he was stabbed, as the dagger cut the cloth of the black jeans, making the wound visible enough, to see that it wasn't too deep but needed immediate treatment.
Joey raised his head and looked at Zain, who drew his attention to him.
"Well... no, but yes if we don't find a cure soon..." Zain sighed and his eyes kept watching Joey's moves, who stood and got back to sat across of him, as the fire was between them,
-"You told me to trust myself... and that's what I did..."Zain said in low voice, Joey looked at the fire in front of him, didn't know what how to respond,
"then you're gonna be okay..." Joey said as he threw more firewood into the fire.
-"Do you know...the death of....Liz....was indeed my fault, when the Tusgal confronted me with this heartbreaking fact, I did not even deny it! I talked about it and admitted it like an everyday thing! And as if I am a vile without feelings....He really has every right to want to end my life...I am a bad person, who listeny to his family's words thoughtlessly..."
Zain put his uninjured arm on his eyes to hide his emotions, but Joey was able to see the tear that sneaked out from his eyelid along his sad smile.
"You must had a reason " After seconds of silence, Joey fint said,
-"You think so? Do you even trust me...no, do you even know me? "
"No human being kills someone without purpose, I don't say you're right or wrong, I don't know what happened... and I can't intervene, I'm not... "
-"Liz was my fiancée from birth and one of my father's closest friend's daughter. I didn't love her. She knew it, but she loved me so much. we were raised and together we studied about the underworld, in the end my family was always the intermediary between the two worlds, So many people are afraid of us too "
Probably because of the pain, Zain laughed ironically and continued
-" they thought we were possessed! " Zain completed after coughing twice which slightly worried Joey.
_"one day, Liz asked me to go and discover one of the caves which were written about in a book we read before, that it had one of the gates to the underworld, when everyone took studying the underworld as something scary but necessary to continue the work of the family, but Liz took it to as it's something exciting and fun, ahe wanted to explore it, we were 15 then, and I rejected the idea, and thought she changed her mind too! But she took some kids her age without anyone's knowing, and they went there. " Zayn's voice started to get lower and more exhausted, which made Joey say no to curiousness, wanting him to stop and rest.
"You can complete this later! and save your energy to..."
-"They all disappeared for three days, and the bodies of all the children were found except Liz's...."
Joey couldn't believe what he just heard, it's one of the hororr stories you hear on the radio, it's not believable, it must be cruel and ugly, that's what Joey though, before Zain continue his sentence :
"Liz came back a week later, in a bloody dress and looked blank with empty eyes, thrown into the arms of my grandfather who raised her and welcomed with love and warm by her parents who couldn't believe she was back, but... I didn't recognize her, her aura changed... she became dark?.... she wasn't sleeping. Whenever I opened my eyes, she was looking at me and sometimes talk to the walls or things I didn't see. after three days , I woke up to the sound of my mom and everyone in the main hall screaming, where Liz was standing in another bloody dress with her hands full of blood that wasn't hers. with few bodies of servants around her, and my grandfather and mom trying to stop her. I went down quickly with the book of therapy and spells, but nothing worked, until she grabbed me hardly and started screaming, ((I'm not going to survive, they took my soul!!!)))
She kept screaming that her soul had been stolen!! And the remaining little part was just to keep her heart beating, with a bunch of spirits inside her next, at this moment she grabbed the dagger in my pocket, but I could take it back, holding it away, while she kept pleading to kill her saying that want to kill our grandfather! That they sent her to kill him! And that she doesn't want That, in one second, she grabbed my hand which held the dagger, while she locked eyes with me, with a sad smile and hopeful eyes, wishing me to end her misery, I Voluntarily pushed it towards her heart deeply, till I felt her soulless body flowing from my hand and a lifeless body fell smiling on the ground " with each word Zain said, his voice got lower and lower, with a colorless face and cold sweat.
" oh...shit..am cold....let's talk ....later"
was the last thing he said before he closed his eyes.
Joey ran towards him and checked on the wound, it got infected with his emotional state and effort he lost consciousness.
Bang!!!
A gun sound was heard, Joey but his hands on his head automatically. then looked around to see where the sound came from. then he found a guy. who is tall with white hair and black suit, he was holding two bags. he looked at Joey.
" I am Helper No.1, you are in need of what is inside of this bag Mr. Yang, you must come and sign that you received it" The man said in a rough voice.
" How do you know my name?!" Joey asked the man taking out his handgun.
" Mr. Yang, I am Helper No.1 , come and sign so Mr. San could be treated on time"
Joey could see, that the man is not allowed to talk any further, and indeed Joey expected something similar when Zain was hurt, it's true, they're being watched,
The man waved to Joey to come over. Joey wasn't sure, if this man was good or evil, is he even a human? Well he looked like one, Joey took his handgun from the holster, and made it visible to the man, that he is armed.
Joey went there with caution, and when he got closer the tall man looked at him and pointed a paper and a pin for him to sign, Joey was confused, but he needed the bags fastly, so hurried and singed, the man took the paper , folded it into his pocket, and gave Joey the bags. " is this the test for real?" Joey asked, but he know he will get no answers, and it was true the man walked away with no words.
Joey was about to go back to Zain and see what will they use in the bag to heal his wounds, and maybe some food too.
Suddenly a ballet was shot under Joey's foot, which made him put the bags aside, took his handgun and pointed it to where the bullet came from.
End of chapter 6
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