"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
One of the dogs had caught up to her and sunk its teeth into her. Before the rest of the pack could arrive, the dog that had attacked Laila was determined to claim the largest share. With terrifying ferocity, it kept biting and yanking on her leg as if trying to tear off a chunk of flesh or even the entire limb. Laila, completely helpless, could only scream in agony as the pain from being devoured alive tore through her. In a final, desperate attempt, she managed to grab a stick and struck the dog on the head, successfully driving it back. Covered in blood and exhausted, she somehow; perhaps due to an adrenaline surge, stood up and pointed the stick at the animal, as if to say, "Stay back, or I'll use this!"
The two adversaries stood their ground, exchanging menacing glares. One was ready to attack, and the other prepared to defend! But before the standoff could continue, an awful noise came from the dark woods, shattering the fragile balance:
*Growl*, *growl*, *growl*, *growl*...
The other dogs had caught up, and now the one-on-one battle had turned into six against one. Realizing she had no chance, the last flicker of hope in the girl's eyes went out. And...
*Drops*
Her only means of defense slipped from her hands, as she no longer had the strength to hold it. Fear had overtaken her. Just like her body, Laila's face froze in terror at the sight of the dogs baring their teeth, making their intentions clear. Seeing that their prey was utterly helpless, one of the dogs lunged at her and leaped.But...
DOOOOOOMMMM
The dog was intercepted mid-air by a punch to the head that smashed it to the ground, crushing its skull in the process. The one responsible for this overwhelming show of power was none other than Nate, burning with rage, ready to eviscerate all of them. Two other dogs leaped at him, but he caught both by the neck. He strangled one until its neck snapped, then threw it aside, while with the other, he tore its jaw apart with his bare hands, ripping it in two! He tossed the pieces in front of the remaining dogs and, in a terrifyingly menacing voice, commanded:
"Disappear!!!"
The animals understood the message loud and clear and fled with their tails between their legs. Nate stood still for a moment, then approached Laila, saying:
"Let me look at your wounds."
The girl, too weak to resist, let him. After examining her injuries, Nate said:
"The cuts are a bit deep, but you should be okay. We'll just pray they don't get infected, or we're in trouble. On my way here, I spotted an abandoned house near a waterfall a few kilometers away. We'll head there for now; we'll figure out the rest later."
At this suggestion, Laila simply nodded in agreement. Nate then carried her on his back and began heading toward the house. Along the way, Laila couldn't help but notice how fast he was running, definitely faster than most. She realized she hadn't thanked him, so...
"By the way, thank you for saving me... again."
"If you'd listened to me yesterday, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Oh, s-sorry, I'm really sorry."
"Pffff... It's fine, let's move on."
"Thank you..."
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived in front of the house Nate had mentioned. It was almost entirely made of wood and looked like it had been uninhabited for a long time. They entered the rundown, dark building. Inside, there were a few old, relatively intact wooden pieces of furniture, beneath which a mouse or two scurried by, and broken dishes scattered across the floor. Nate remarked:
"It's not much, but at least it'll keep us out of the rain and give us a place to treat your wounds."
He helped Laila off his back in the dimly lit hallway that ran through the house, then added:
"Wait here. I'll see if I can start a fire with this old wood."
"Okay."
Nate headed toward the furniture in what seemed to be the living room, smashing the already dilapidated pieces to gather wood. While he was there, he quickly explored the rest of the house before returning to Laila. He started a fire using the wood and some scraps of cloth he found upstairs. Now that the place was a little brighter, it was time to clean Laila's wounds.
He soaked some cloth strips in water for this purpose and began preparing to clean the cuts. But before starting, he gave the girl a warning:
"Brace yourself, this is going to hurt."
After cleaning the wounds, he tore some fabric from an old sheet to bandage her. The atmosphere was somewhat tense because Nate wasn't used to being so close to a girl. Not only were they alone, but he had to touch her, and the soft sounds she made while he cleaned her wounds didn't help the situation. They seemed to make him even more uncomfortable; perhaps even slightly flustered. When he finally finished, he stood up, took off his clothes, and said to the girl:
"Take your clothes off."
"(What?!?)"
His words hit her like a bombshell, leaving her completely shocked and confused by the turn of events. After a few moments, she resigned herself to the reality of the situation:
"(Ah, I see... the masks are coming off. In the end, he's no different from the others; I was too naive, as usual.)"
"Hurry up!"
Reluctantly, the girl began to undress under Nate's insistence, who seemed determined to see things through. Once again, the harsh reality had caught up with her.