"Thank you for saving my life," Ben said
"You are welcome. C'mon, stand up," The man said, offering Ben his hand, Ben grabbed it and he lifted him.
"Have already lost my hope," he said.
The man takes out a handkerchief and hands it over to Ben. "Clean your blood."
"Thanks."
"I just try my luck to ran here after I heard a gunshot. I thought a hunter shoot an animal," he said, "I'm glad I save a life today. What's your name?"
"Benjamin, and you."
"Merlin," he said."
Two girls darted there, breathing hard.
"Merlin, did he shoot the animal?" The first girl said
"No," Merlin said, "someone wants to shoot him dead, and I saved him."
"Really?" The second girl asked, looking at Ben.
"Ben," Merlin said, "meet my sister, Carolina, and my girlfriend..."
"Victoria," she cuts in.
"Hi," Ben said, "It's nice meeting you guys."
"Same here, Ben," Victoria said.
"Brother, what is going on here"
Merlin picked Edwin's black gun, he read out word imprinted on it, "Dragon."
Merlin looked at Ben. "This is from a cultist group."
"Merlin began lying again. How do you know?" Victoria asked him.
"Don't you see? An image of dragons," he said, showing it to her.
"Oh," she said, "It's true, you should drop it now."
"I want to keep it," he said.
"Brother," Carolina said, "you should drop this now. Dad must not see."
"He can't see it," he said, "I would hide it perfectly."
"And I will tell my daddy if you don't drop it now," Carolina vowed
"Okay then," Merlin said, throwing it far away. He looked at Ben and asked him, "Do you know that man?"
"He's my schoolmate. He shoots my girlfriend and puts a crime on someone else," he said cleaning tears and the blood on the handkerchief stained his eyebrows.
"This is pure wickedness, he was the son of a Satan, putting innocent men in huge trouble. We should leave here because he might come back at any fucking time," Victoria asseverated.
"We should go now," Merlin said, "It would soon rain too."
They walked from there toward home. Ben was sad, feeling pain over his body. "Sophia must know what I know, I need to go back to them," he thoughts to himself.
"I need to go back," Ben said, "I'm sorry, I can't follow you."
"Why," Merlin asked.
"My friends were waiting for me somewhere," he said.
"You will go when the rain stops," Victoria said.
"No, I can't wait, please guys," he said, "Thank you, Merlin, for saving my life. We would meet again sometime."
Merlin sighed, take a necklace out of his shirt pocket, and gave Ben. "Keep it."
"Thank you so much."
"Welcome."
"Bye."
"Bye," They chorused, and he left them, darting away.
They keep gazing at him, he looked back, and he waved his hands to them, which they do too till he was out of sight.
"He's cute," Victoria said.
"More than me?" Merlin asked angrily and then walked away.
"I'm joking, Honey," Victoria shouted, "You know I love you."
And then Carolina laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It's raining. The birds flew to their net, while some were taken away by the wind. The water flow under the lawn. Alice, Lucy, and Bella stood under a tree, feeling cold. Henry and Sophia stood under another tree while the rain keeps saturating their clothes, and they wonder if Reuben and Roderigo haven't dead.
"He should have come by now," Lucy said.
"Are you sure he is going to come?" Bella asked
"How would he knows where we were?" Lucy asked
"We need to wait, he shall come," Alice said, "If we leave here now, the enemies might kill us"
"What if he doesn't come?" Bella asked.
"He shall pass through this place with his friend," Alice said, "we just need to be patient."
"Who knows maybe he had been killed by the king" Bella said.
"They can't be killed. They are legends in the business of war. They were more than two before."
"Really?" Bella asked.
"Yes, my father was among them. But Santiago betrayed them when they were fighting against the enemy. He killed my father."
"Sorry for that," Bella said
"It's fine. Thank you"
"Can you fight too?" Alice asked her.
"Yeah," Alice said
"Really?" Lisa asked
"Yeah. My father taught me everything. He taught me how to hold a sword."
"What of Anabelle?" Lucy asked.
Alice and Anabelle exchanged glances. "She can't fight."
"Will you teach me how to fight too?"
"I don't know."
The thunder strike from the sky, trees were falling and they yelled in fear, and then Lucy started crying.
"Oh my goodness, I miss home," Lucy said.
"Me too. Heaven should please help us," Bella said.
In the other end, Sophia sat, feeling chin and cold. Her face looked pale. "I'm not feeling well."
"What happened to you?" Henry asked.
"A fever," she said and coughed
Henry felt like removing his garment to cover her, but he cannot do that, and he hated that he change his identity. He sat near her and she slept on the ground.
"Don't dirty your clothes," Henry said, "place your head on my lap."
Sophia couldn't talk like before anymore, her lips were shaking. She just managed to get up and then placed her head on Henry's lap saying, "Thank you, Anabelle."
Lucy walked from the other end of the tree and she looked at Sophia. "Why was she like this?"
"She told me she has a fever," Henry said.
"Oh my goodness, do you bring your drugs?" Lucy asked her.
"No," Sophia managed to say in a low voice. Lucy looked at Bella who was talking with Alice and called, "Bella, come over here. We don't remember to bring Sophia drugs along."
Bella darted there to avoid much water and say, "What's happening?"
"She has a fever again," Lucy said.
"She wasn't with her drugs?"
"Yes," Lucy said, shedding tears.
Bella summoned Alice there and told her, "When would Reuben get here?"
"Had already told you guys that we should be patient," Alice said, "he shall come."
"Sophia has a fever, doctor-prescribed drugs for her to be using every time the fever show," Lucy said, still sobbing. "Sophia mustn't die"
"Stop thinking that way," Alice said, "he shall come, you-"
"Till when," Bella cut in, "till when? Till she dies?" Bella said
"It's not my fault," Alice snapped.
"But you took us here," Bella said.
"But he gave us a signal to run. Isn't it," she said, "we just have to wait for him. Or we should plan what to do about her fever."
"Snake," Lucy screamed.
A snake crawled to them, and start gazing at them. And they were screaming, except Sophia and Henry who are busy worrying about Sophia's health.
"Alice please do something," Lucy said, screaming.
"My father," Bella cry, shedding tears.
"Alice please"
"It's looking at us."
Alice cooperates with her fear, drink its cup, and when the snake is about to bite Lucy, she grabbed its neck, and she starts screaming too. Henry lifted Sophia head up and down slowly and then darted to Alice's side, grabbing the snake in its tail.
"Anabelle be careful," Lucy said
"Oh my goodness," Bella cried
"Someone should help me," Alice pleaded.
"Just hold it, don't drop it," Henry said. And move his hand to Alice's hand, and then grabbed the snakehead. He pressed it hard, the tails of the snake wiggle back and forth to his face, he was scared, but he didn't drop its neck.
"Anabelle," Alice said, crying.
"Oh my God," Alice cried
"Don't let it fall . . ."
"Anabelle be careful . . ."
Henry was overflowing with fear, his hands started shaking, but he still holds its neck and then pressed it harder and then harder, with all his strength.
Alice ran to take a long stick and then darted back to him. "Dropped it."
"Easily . . . Easy . . . Easy," Bella said.
"Don't drop it, Anabelle," Lucy cried, "it would bite you."
Henry lowers his hand down, to the ground and says, "Alice, hit its head. Kill it."
"Okay okay," Alice said, screaming, shaking, and then raised the stick high with all her power and then landed it upon Henry's hand twice.
"It's paining me. You are beating me," Henry shouted.
"Oh sorry, Anabelle," Alice said.
"Oh my goodness," Lucy cried, hugging Bella in fear.
Her hugs make Bella feel like she was hugging a snake and then pushed her away.
Alice calmed herself down, targeting the snakehead, and then hit it, and the snake lost its strength. Henry dropped it and start matching it with his legs.
"Why did you pushed me?" Lucy asked Bella.
"Why did you hug me?" Bella asked back.
"In fear," Lucy said.
"I do that in fear too," Bella said.
"It has died," Alice said, "I'm scared."
Henry sat on the floor, feeling the pain in his hand. "Alice, do you want to kill me?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know am hitting your hands," Alice said, using the long stick to push the dead snake far away.
Henry stood and walked to Sophia, placing her head back on his lap.
"We are not saved here too," Bella said.
"I'm tired of everything," Lucy said.
"We have to leave here," Bella said.
"We just need to be patient, he would soon be here."
Bella shakes her head saying, "I can't believe this anymore."