John woke up to the sound of Lina's screams. Disoriented, he scrambled to his feet, trying to remember where he was and what had happened. His eyes darted to his ankle, where the snake had bitten him. Without wasting a second, he tore a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around the wound, attempting to slow the venom's spread.
As he focused on tying the fabric tightly, the doctor suddenly smacked the back of his head lightly.
"Is this how your mother taught you to say thank you to someone who helped you?" the doctor said.
John groaned. "Shut up… And sorry. I should've hit you harder before. That's what you'll get if you try to stop me again. Anyway, where did the fire go? Before I blacked out, my mother was in a cage, and the fire was almost on top of her."
The doctor hesitated before replying. "I see you don't care about the man you just met... He's your mother's ex-husband. He sacrificed himself for her."
John scoffed. "That piece of shit who hit Lina? What could a worthless man like him possibly do?"
The doctor slapped John, hard.
"YOU BETTER LEARN HOW TO TALK, OR I'LL SELL YOU TO THESE VILLAGERS!" he snapped. "I have nothing to lose. They already think I'm looking for you, so do yourself a favor and don't act like a savage asshole like them."
John lowered his head, regret flickering in his eyes.
The doctor continued, his voice calmer but firm. "While I was out—thanks to you—I ran to the center of the village to find you. I saw exactly what you described. The old man punched a guard and ran straight for the one with the cage keys. He fought him, stole the keys, and freed your mother. Then, he used a burning wooden stick to fend off the others while she ran into the woods. I think she's in the Bloody Forest. No one here has the courage to go in."
John's eyes filled with tears. "M-my mom is safe!"
The doctor sighed and tried to calm him down. "Yes, she's safe. For now. But Lina is in danger. We don't know where she is or who took her. And as for the old man… he's probably dead by now for what he did."
John wiped his face. "But I just heard Lina scream. Didn't you hear it too?"
The doctor frowned. "John… that's just the venom affecting your mind."
John's body tensed. "W-what? Then where is she?!"
The doctor slapped him again. "BE QUIET! Lina is missing too. She managed to open her cage and escape."
John took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. What should we do now?"
The doctor straightened. "Since both Lina and Alina are in a safe place for now, we need to find that so-called hero—the old man."
John clenched his fists. "But I don't care about him. He was cruel. He treated my mother and Lina like garbage."
The doctor nodded grimly. "That's true. Even I hated him. He was a corrupt teacher and a biased father. But he still saved your mother. And no matter what, John, we are not animals."
John looked away, reluctantly accepting the truth.
[That Night]
The doctor treated John's wound and laid out their next steps.
"Listen, we need to split up to confuse the villagers. I'll go to the top of the mountain behind the village. You stay here. When you see my fire signal, wait five minutes, then sneak into the village prison. There's a high chance the old man is there."
John frowned. "And what about you?"
The doctor smirked. "I'll set part of the village on fire as a distraction. Then I'll wait for you and the old man at our meeting spot."
As the doctor prepared to leave, he suddenly turned back. "One last thing… are you sure you can defend yourself? I mean, not just yourself but also dragging an old, beaten man with a bunch of people chasing you?"
John hesitated, then forced a smirk. "Don't worry. My mom taught me how to handle situations like this."
The doctor gave a small wave before running into the darkness.
As the doctor made his way up the mountain, he spotted a group of scouts searching for Alina and Lina. He hid, waiting for them to pass.
Meanwhile, John sat on a rock, thinking of ways to escape. Then he remembered Sasaki's journey and Kon Qiu's strategies. Inspired, he started setting up traps in case things went south.
The scouts eventually left, allowing the doctor to continue. He reached the mountain peak and struggled to start a fire. At the same time, John was halfway done setting his traps when he heard footsteps. He crouched low, trying to locate the source, but as he turned, he smacked his head against a tree.
A massive man stood before him.
Before John could react, the man grabbed him like a ragdoll and hauled him to the village prison. John went limp, pretending to be weak and helpless, hoping they wouldn't bother tying him up.
The large man laughed. "HA! DON'T WORRY. THIS LITTLE BRAT PISSED HIMSELF WHEN HE SAW ME. NO NEED TO TIE UP A RAT."
The guard left him half-bound and walked away.
Meanwhile, the doctor finally succeeded in setting the fire and ran back down. As he did, a group of scouts spotted him.
"HEY! YOU, DOCTOR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? CAN'T YOU SEE THE FIRE?!"
Thinking quickly, the doctor shouted back, "OF COURSE I SAW IT, YOU IDIOTS! WHY DO YOU THINK I'M RUNNING THE OTHER WAY? I'M LOOKING FOR THAT KID, JOHN! I'LL BRING HIM TO THE PRISON!"
Without waiting for their response, he continued running.
Inside the prison, John spotted Gabriel in the next cage. The fire began spreading, causing panic outside. As the large man ran off to help, he dropped a key onto the ground.
John quickly tied pieces of his shirt into a makeshift rope and dragged the key toward him. He unlocked his cage, then rushed to Gabriel's cell. He shook him, but the old man didn't respond.
"WAKE UP, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I DIDN'T BREAK IN HERE TO RESCUE A CORPSE!"
No response.
John bent down to check. Gabriel's body was ice-cold. His heart wasn't beating.
Panic set in. He glanced outside—everyone was focused on the fire. Then, in the flames, he saw a vision of Sasaki. The image moved, dragging something. John mimicked it, grabbing Gabriel's feet and pulling him toward the meeting point.
Before he could escape, the massive man returned and spotted him.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN, RAT?!"
John bolted into the forest, leading the man straight into his traps. Rocks fell, hitting the giant, but he barely flinched.
John laughed. "HA! AFTER TWO ROCK SLAMS, YOU PROBABLY HAVE A RAT-SIZED BRAIN UP THERE!"
Enraged, the man charged. He stepped onto another trap—this time, venomous snakes latched onto his legs. He collapsed instantly.
John tied him up and ran back to Gabriel's corpse. Dragging it to the meeting point, he found the doctor waiting.
Next Chapter: The Chaos - Part 2