Free Gift

No, now is not the time to let my guard down.

I stood up, enduring the pain in my side, and packed my belongings. Glancing in the direction Major Robert and Lord William had departed, I hesitated.

If I followed that path, there was a good chance I'd run into Major Robert on his way back, and that wouldn't end well.

But heading deeper into Indian territory didn't seem like a much better option. 

After weighing my choices, I looked at the thick forest by the side of the road, and with unsteady steps, plunged into the dense wilderness.

The forest was ancient and dense. Towering larch trees blocked out the sky, and the ground, covered in years of accumulated pine needles and fallen leaves, felt soft and spongy underfoot.

I hadn't walked more than a few dozen meters before I felt utterly exhausted.

Finally, I hid behind a thick bush.

Lying on the cushion of leaves, I felt surprisingly comfortable, almost tempted to fall asleep. But I knew this wasn't the time for rest, so I gritted my teeth and kept alert, occasionally peeking outside the forest. 

Sure enough, after about 20 or 30 minutes, the sound of hoofbeats and Major Robert's curses broke the silence. "That damn green boy ran away! Fuck, if I don't torture him to death, I'll never be satisfied. How dare he ruin my plans, that filthy scum."

I listened silently, almost laughing at his twisted logic. How could someone twist the truth so shamelessly? It was pure banditry.

At the same time, I felt relieved that I hadn't stayed put. If I had, the outcome tonight would've been far worse. 

I couldn't help but sigh. For the first time, I truly understood the importance of law and order, and I began to miss the peaceful life I once thought was so mundane.

"Boss, he's injured. He can't have gone far. Should we chase him?" I heard Scar's voice.

"Bah," Major Robert spat, "Forget it. It's late, and who knows where that bastard ran off to. We have more important things to do. Grab everything from Jack, and let's head to Pennsylvania." 

Soon after, the sound of hoofbeats faded into the night.

Once they left, I finally let out a sigh of relief. My tense body relaxed, and with it came a wave of exhaustion. The last few hours had been more thrilling than anything I'd experienced in my previous 25 years of life. 

After hours of struggling on the edge of life and death, I was utterly drained, too tired to move even a finger. Despite my best efforts to stay awake, it wasn't long before my eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and no matter how hard I tried to lift them, they fell shut. 

When I woke up, it was already midday the next day. 

The dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing playfully on my face, gently rousing me from my sleep. The soft warmth felt like a tender caress. 

I had slept deeply, and when I woke, I felt a bit of energy returning. Carefully, I checked my wound. By some miracle—thanks to whichever deity was watching over me—it hadn't become infected.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I ate a bit of bread and then cleaned the wound again with the strong liquor.

Without Sofia around this time, I didn't bother pretending to be tough. The pain brought tears to my eyes.

Thinking of Sofia dampened my spirits. Last night, I hadn't felt it so strongly, but now that I was safe, a deep sadness from parting with her overwhelmed me. 

We'd only spent a few hours together, but during that harrowing time, Sofia's beauty and strength had unknowingly taken root in my heart.

After tending to my wound, I sat alone, lost in thought for her for a while.

Then I began considering my current predicament.

What should I do?

Someone with no outdoor survival skills couldn't possibly survive long in this dangerous wilderness. 

Maybe Bear Grylls could thrive in a place like this, but considering my near-zero survival abilities, I quickly dismissed that fantasy. My most pressing goal now was to return to the relative civilized colony.

I still had some memories of Philadelphia, so I decided to head there.

Leaving the forest, I saw that the campsite from the day before was still in disarray.

This was an era where the law of the jungle reigned supreme, survival of the fittest. Darwin hadn't been born yet, but social Darwinism ran rampant in the picturesque forests of North America. The strong ruled, and the weak didn't even have a chance to survive.

The rules of civilized society were as fragile as paper—once you poked a hole through them, you realized just how weak they really were. 

I sighed, wishing those poor souls who perished in the forest could be reborn in the 21st century.

As I trudged along the path I had taken before, I cursed that damned demon who had brought me here. I used every vile word I could think of, hoping it would slightly lessen my urge to peel the skin off his head.

Oh, wait—does that demon even have hair? Peeling his scalp might be tricky, I thought wickedly.

———

In the lavishly decorated Hell building, Rowan Whitlock was happily slacking off, playing on his computer during work hours. Suddenly, he sneezed four or five times in a row, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh, Rowan, bless you! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Must've caught a chill from the air conditioning."

"I heard in some cultures, they say if you sneeze suddenly, it means someone's talking about you behind your back. Looks like someone's got you on their mind. You haven't done anything shady recently, have you?" the female demon next to him teased.

Rowan wiped his nose with a handful of tissues. "Oh, really? I've never heard that before. It's interesting. Of course, I haven't done anything shady. I'm Hell's most dedicated employee, after all." 

Rowan's voice was full of confidence at first, but by the time he finished speaking, his tone had softened slightly.

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he considered recent events. Had he gone a little overboard? 

"Well, maybe I could offer him a small token as compensation?"

Rowan typed away on his computer, muttering to himself, "No, this one's exclusive to Super VIPs; that's for Max Version users."

After much deliberation, he finally selected an item labeled "free gift."

"Well, it's a gift for important clients. It's unlimited in quantity, and though it doesn't seem particularly useful, it's at least a gesture of goodwill."

With a quick click of his finger, a golden beam of light shot out from a nearby device, then vanished into the air, as if nothing had happened at all.