Run Away!

Going back inside, Nicolas saw the two adults still chatting with each other. They were discussing something important at the moment. Nicolas gently closed the creaky door behind him. 

He took a seat on a chair and started listening to what they were discussing. 

"But how can we leave today? I still have to do a lot of packing and what about the furniture? How will we transport all the furniture to the city?" Nicole questioned, concern visible on her face.

"Don't worry about furniture, I will arrange everything for you, as I said earlier," Henry answered, clearing her doubts. "Don't worry about anything ma'am, you'll live a comfortable life in the city." He assured her.

"Alright, but what about earnings? Let's say you arrange everything for me, but you can't always provide me with financial support, right? I don't even have any skills nor do I have any job. How will I make money?" Nicole told him about her biggest concern. 

Without a job, she couldn't make any money. No one in the city could live a good life without getting a decent-paying job. Nicole knew that she was not qualified for a good-paying job. She made very little money by selling wood and herbs she found in the forest. However, after she settles in the city, she won't be able to go to the forest because of the long distance. Moreover, even if she managed to go to the forest and get wood and herbs, she wouldn't earn enough to live in the city by selling them.

"Hmmm…" Henry pondered for a while before replying. "I have a good idea, why don't you work at my shop? You just need to impress the customers and sell the items to them. It isn't a hard task and I will pay you well." He said with a gentle smile.

"Are you sure about that? You might regret this decision in the future…" Nicole knew that she couldn't do the job well. She was afraid Henry might get mad at her and kick her out.

"Mhm, I won't regret it… why would I?" Henry quickly answered, shaking his head. 

"Okay then, I will pack the necessary stuff and then we can leave." Nicole nodded and got up from the chair, heading upstairs to wrap things up before leaving for the city. She only planned on taking some clothes and money with her. There were a few other items that she packed along with the clothes. She took a strange-looking badge off the wall and cleaned it with a dry cloth before putting it in the bag of clothes. 

After half an hour, she descended the stairs, carrying two cloth bags in both her hands. They didn't look heavy but they were huge. She placed them on the floor as Nicolas and Henry approached. 

"Have you prepared everything?" Asked Henry, looking at the huge bags. Nicole nodded her head. "Alright then, time to head out, " Henry said, carrying one bag while leaving the other for Nicole.

"Let's go." He said, opening the door and stepping out of the house. Nicolas and Nicole followed after him. Nicole placed the bag on the ground and locked the door before picking the bag up again. Nicolas went to Mikey's dog house and called him out, commanding Mikey to follow him. 

"Woof-" Mikey went after Nicolas, closely following his steps. This was the first time he was heading to the forest after meeting Nicolas, making him a bit scared. He was cautious of the surroundings, trying to sense dangers around.

They kept walking without resting for an hour straight, arriving in the deeper parts of the woods. Mikey was sniffing the ground frequently for some unknown reason. Nicolas chuckled and said, "Don't worry Mikey, no one can hurt us with Henry here." He assured him, patting his head.

Henry, who was walking ahead of everyone heard Nicolas' words, and a wicked grin formed on his face. 'Yes… no one can hurt you when Henry is here. But who says Henry can't harm you?' 

Walking for a few minutes, Henry suddenly halted his steps. Nicole also stopped and asked him what happened. "What's wrong, Henry?" She raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, it's nothing much, ma'am…" Henry replied, slowly turning back. A wide grin was plastered on his face. "Just that you have to say goodbye to your life now…" He continued, sending chills running down Nicole's spine. Nicolas also heard those words from a distance. He couldn't understand what Henry meant, but Nicole very well knew what was happening. She slowly retreated as Henry walked towards her. As she kept moving back, she suddenly tripped on a stone, falling to the ground. 

Nicolas ran forward to help her up, but Mikey pulled him back, biting his pants. "Let me go, Mikey! Mommy needs my help!" He shouted at him, however, Mikey didn't stop pulling him back.

"Wait there, little bo. My next target is you. Behave and be patient." Henry laughed, moving closer to Nicole. "So, ma'am, I hope you enjoy your slave life." He grinned, stretching his hand forward.

"G-go away! Why are you doing this to us, Henry?! We saved your life and you are going to betray our trust?!" Nicole shouted, slowly moving back.

"Haah, saved me? Your husband owes me a lot of money and assets. He dared run away with the money I lent him. Moreover, He even stole precious treasures from My shop! Now that I can't find him, I'll have to sell his wife and his kid to get back my money, right?" He grinned, grabbing Nicole's hand and forcing her to get up.

"Let go of my mom, Henry!" Nicolas shouted as he dashed towards Henry. He somehow managed to push Mikey back and immediately ran to save his mom. 

"Oh my, the little savior is here." Henry chuckled as he took out a sharp dagger. "Well then, let's play a game… If you can't save your mom, your dog will have to die…" He laughed out loud.

"No! I won't let you harm Mikey!" Nicolas shouted, his throat getting sore. 

"Well then, your mom and you'll have to become slaves," Henry replied with a slight chuckle before he became serious. "Blame your dad for everything that is happening today…" He said in a dark voice, glaring at Nicolas. 

Suddenly, Nicole grabbed his hand and took the dagger from him. She aimed it at him and shouted, "Stop, or I'll kill you!" Her hands were trembling at the moment, but she had no other choice than to do this.

"Nicolas, run away with Mikey! Even if I don't return today, you must live on and avenge me when the time comes!" Nicole shouted, telling her son to run away. "Never forget this, you must always have faith in God!" She added.

"Oh my, how bold of you to assume that anyone is escaping from here today…" Henry chuckled, not a bit frightened by Nicole's threats.

"Are you not afraid?! I will kill you if you move forward!" Nicole shouted, threatening to kill him. She was trying to intimidate Henry, but her efforts were futile. "Run, Nicolas!" She shouted. 

"No, I am not leaving without you, Mommy!" Nicolas replied, not moving from his position. 

"Mikey! Take him back with you! Don't let him come back! His safety is up to you now!" Nicole commanded Mikey to run away with Nicolas. She didn't want either of them to be hurt.

Mikey nodded, sadness visible on his face. He started to push Nicolas away, not letting him come back. From behind, Nicole shouted, "Don't worry, Mommy will be back soon! I will bring you gifts! Now run!" tears gushed out of her eyes as she said these words.

After a while, Nicolas ran far away from her. His figure was not visible anymore. She heaved a sigh of relief but Henry suddenly laughed, "So, what makes you believe that we can't find him again?" He grinned wickedly.

"Who says you're leaving this place alive?" Nicole replied.

"Heh, you don't have what it takes to kill me…" Henry suddenly jumped back and took out another dagger. "You're not qualified to kill me!" He said, pointing his dagger at her. 

"Only time will tell…!" Nicole rushed forward, aiming at his throat but she failed miserably. Henry found an opening and in a short time, he went behind her, pointing his dagger at her throat. "Stop or you'll beg me to spare your life." He warned. "Put the dagger down!" He shouted, kicking her right leg.

"Aughh!" Nicole felt immense pain in her leg. She could barely stand straight at the moment. 

"Alright, I will do it!" She screamed, slowly bending her body to put the dagger down. Suddenly in the middle, she unexpectedly turned the dagger toward herself and pierced her heart with it. "Don't worry, My son will kill y-" She fell on the ground lifeless.

"Argh!!" Henry screamed, kicking her corpse. He had no use for her now. She would fetch him a fortune, however, she was now dead. Soon, he regained his composure and thought, 'No problem, as long as I find that kid, I will still make a lot of money.'

(Author: Hey guys! Here's today's chapter! I wanna thank all of you for supporting the book so far! Today's chapter is longer than usual because of the support you guys are showing! Special thanks to @OneExtraCookie, @Tanvir_Sandhar, and @ Nate_Fate for supporting the book by sending power stones, and @Maleko_Alexander for sending golden tickets! Tysm guys, it motivates me a lot!)

[Note: The discord server for the book will be ready soon! I will put the link in the sypnosis after a few days!]