I left the mansion and went to where he had been standing just moments ago. I shone the lamp in my hand around, but a strong wind blew. Dry leaves rolled on the ground, and the lamp creaked, casting light in all directions.
Then something caught my eye. There were droplets on the ground, as if something had dripped. It wasn't just a few drops; they formed a trail leading somewhere.
"What is this?"
Curious, I approached and examined it closely. It wasn't water. It was dark. It wasn't because of the darkness. When I bent down and touched it, it stuck to my fingertips. I held it up to the light to identify it, and I was shocked.
It was blood. These were bloodstains.
My gaze, filled with horror, followed the trail of blood. It led to the corner behind the annex. I swallowed hard and straightened up, trying to calm my trembling heart. It was ominous. Should I call for help?
Then I thought of Lucas, who had just parted ways with me. He wasn't anywhere in the mansion. No, it couldn't be. After a moment of confusion, I steeled my resolve and took a slow step forward.
I shone the lamp on the ground where the bloodstains were. The closer I got to the corner, the more bloodstains there were.
The wind blew, making my hair tie flutter and hit my face. I secured the hair tie and focused on the corner. A strange noise mixed with the wind, like voices...
Just as I was thinking about it, I reached the corner. I swallowed hard and took a quiet step forward. I turned and shone the lamp.
At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew, making me close my eyes. My clothes flapped, and the lamp swayed, disorienting me.
I raised my hand to block the wind and barely opened my eyes. In the darkness, the lamp's light flickered. The swaying light illuminated the ground, the wall, a figure standing in front of me, and another figure lying beneath it.
Then a powerful force struck the lamp.
"Aaah!"
I instinctively screamed. As my body fell backward, the lamp in my hand shattered on the ground. Darkness enveloped me.
I quickly felt around for the lamp, but all I could touch were broken pieces. I clung to one of them, still screaming. I screamed as loudly as I could, hoping someone would hear and come to my aid.
Then, someone grabbed my ankle. I was thrown to the ground. I struggled to free myself from the hand. My screams turned into sobs. I swung the broken piece wildly.
"Ow! Ow! Get away!"
"…L, Pola…"
"Ow! Ahh!"
Please, help me! Stop it! Get away! I screamed and thrashed my legs. To survive, I fought with all my might. Then, a familiar voice reached my ear as I tried to crawl away.
"Pola."
The voice, strained and weak, snapped me back to reality. I turned my head immediately. Tears of fear streamed down my face.
As I stopped screaming, the sound of the wind hummed in my ears. I could hear a faint call within it. I heard it clearly.
"Lord Lucas?"
"…"
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, a round shape became visible. I called out his name, but there was no response. Instead, his labored breathing became more distinct. I listened carefully and slowly reached out to feel the hand that was holding my ankle. Something wet soaked my hand.
"Lord Lucas? Is it really you, Lord Lucas?"
"Po… Pola…"
"Oh my God. Lord Lucas!"
I crawled over to him. Lucas was lying on the ground, his body curled up, and he had reached out to grab me with great effort.
I tried to examine his face, but it was too dark to see clearly. I felt his face with my trembling hands and then his body. When my hand touched a certain spot, it was drenched in something wet. I tried to identify it, but the darkness made it impossible to tell.
I tried to lift him up, but his limp body was too heavy. I managed to sit him up, but his weak body slipped and I had to lean him against me.
As I did, my hand became even wetter. When I felt his abdomen, I realized something was gushing out.
I slowly raised my wet hand. It was still too dark to see clearly, but I instinctively knew what it was. The bloodstains on the ground, the wetness constantly seeping through. It was blood. My hand was soaked in his blood. Blood was flowing from his abdomen.
I panicked and pressed my hand against the wound, but the blood flowed through my fingers uncontrollably.
"What, what is this? What is this?"
"Po, ha. Pola."
"Yes. Lord Lucas. It's me. I'm here. What happened?"
"Ha. Ha."
His harsh breaths reached my ear. He leaned his face against my shoulder, breathing heavily. But his breaths were so weak and unstable, as if they could stop at any moment. His condition was very bad.
Who could have done this? Who could have...
"Lord, Lord Lucas. Stay with me."
I shook his shoulder. Lucas slowly moved his eyes, but they were unfocused. Seeing this, I burst into tears.
"Stay with me. Don't fall asleep."
"Why… Ha, why didn't you, ha, send me…"
"Sniff. Sniff."
"I waited…"
He mumbled, his voice so weak it could fade away at any moment. I slapped his cheek, shouting for him to stay with me. I was afraid he would fall asleep.
"Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Please, don't."
"Every day… I waited… Instead of my brother… I waited for you to, ha, send me… Ha, ah, wait, sniff!"
He groaned and twisted his body. I held him tightly as he tried to slip away. His breathing was too harsh, and the blood kept flowing.
I looked around. I called out, but no one was there. This place was usually deserted.
Tears kept blurring my vision. I wiped my eyes and looked around, hoping someone would pass by to help.
"Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Please, don't."
"Really… good… I really…"
"Lord Lucas. Don't fall asleep."
His voice, mumbling something, grew weaker. I slapped his cheeks to keep him awake. His body felt cold in my hands. Cold, even though he was a person. It was terrifying.
I needed to get him help quickly.
There was no time to waste.
I put his arm over my shoulder and used all my strength to lift him up. But it was difficult to drag his limp body. He couldn't even take a step before collapsing.
I carried him on my back and took a few steps. His body was still too heavy. I fell forward after a few steps. The pain was sharp, but I quickly got up and carried him again. But I fell again after a few more steps.
I was anxious. My heart pounded with fear. I needed to get him to someone who could help.
I tried carrying him a few more times but gave up and instead grabbed his upper body from behind and dragged him. His body dragged along the ground.
"Don't die. Don't die. Please, don't."
I pulled him with all my strength, tears streaming down my face. I didn't give up. I muttered to myself, taking one step, then another. But he was too heavy, and I was too weak to drag a grown man. I was frustrated with myself.
Please, hurry!
"We need to go. Don't die. Don't fall asleep. We need to go."
"…La."
"We need to go. Hurry. Hurry."
"La…"
His trembling hand grabbed mine. I stopped, feeling the touch.
We emerged from the darkness into the moonlight, and the trail of his blood followed the path I had dragged him on.
I immediately checked his condition. His face was pale, almost lifeless. I placed my trembling fingers under his nose. I could feel a faint breath.
I held back a sob with my hands. My hands were covered in blood. There was so much, it could be fatal.
"Lord Lucas. Lord Lucas."
I called out to him, crying. I begged him not to fall asleep. I hoped he would call out to me as he always did. But instead, he mumbled something. I gently laid him down and put my ear close to his lips.
Breath—his labored words came out in broken sentences.
"Run, run, go. Hurry. Run, for my brother. Po, Pola."
"Lord Lucas. I'm here."
I held his slightly raised hand. He found my hand and held it. His unfocused eyes finally focused on me. He blinked once, and I burst into tears of relief.
At that moment, I sensed movement in the darkness.
Footsteps. My face froze when I heard them. I turned my heavy head to see something glinting in the darkness, becoming clearer.
Lucas squeezed my hand. My gaze returned to him.
"Go. Run, hurry. Go."
"…"
He pleaded, but my body wouldn't move. My legs were heavy, and my body was stiff. I couldn't even move a finger. Fear paralyzed me. I was so scared. Someone, please help me.
Seeing my state, Lucas suddenly twisted his body. A groan escaped him. He looked in pain.