Behind her came three men, moving with the confidence of predators chasing cornered prey. They wore mismatched clothing and carried weapons—metal pipes, a knife, and what looked like a homemade club and their expressions showed anticipation of violence.
The woman saw Jorghan standing in her path, and her eyes widened with new fear. She tried to change direction, but her exhaustion made her slow.
One of the pursuing men laughed.
"Nowhere to run now, lady. Just give us what we want, and maybe we won't hurt you too much."
He licked his lips, staring at her body.
The woman stumbled directly into Jorghan, bouncing off his chest and falling backward. She looked up at him with terrified eyes.
"Please. Please help me. They've been chasing me for blocks. They want to rob me, or worse. Please."
Jorghan looked from her to the three men who'd stopped a few yards away, clearly reassessing the situation now that their prey had found a potential protector.
