Chapter 15: Desperate Escape

"Dammit! Spread out!!" Don's command echoed through the forest like a gunshot, and in that electrifying moment, our hearts pounded in sync with his urgency. Panic surged through our veins as we scattered in different directions, a desperate attempt to outmaneuver the two menacing bald men and their snarling bloodhounds.

As my feet carried me through the underbrush, I seized this fleeting opportunity, my instincts taking over. My trembling hand shot out, desperately latching onto the arm of the scar-faced man who had imprisoned me. In that heart-stopping instant, I bit down with every ounce of strength I could muster, feeling my teeth meet his flesh with a nauseating crunch. A sharp, agonized cry escaped his lips, and he hastily retreated, his eyes wide with shock and pain. Beside him, the bloodhound reacted with lightning speed, lunging at me, its fangs bared in fury.

With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I clenched my fist and unleashed a punch fueled by an overwhelming surge of fear and fury. My knuckles connected with the bloodhound's jaw mid-flight, producing a resounding collision that echoed through the forest. The impact was enough to dislocate its jaw, sending the massive beast hurtling through the air, its menacing growl replaced by a pitiful whimper.

Amid the chaos, my astonishment at this newfound strength briefly distracted me. I stood there, wide-eyed, my fingers still clenched into a fist, my heart racing. I had tapped into something beyond my understanding, and it left me both exhilarated and terrified. Don's urgent voice snapped me back to reality. "Reo!" he shouted, and without hesitation, I sprinted into the forest, leaving the scar-faced man, the shorter one, and their bewildered hounds behind – or so I hoped.

"Get the brats, boys!" Shorty barked the order, unleashing the two other hounds to give chase.

The colossal hounds, twice the size of any ordinary dog, fixed their relentless pursuit solely on me. The exclusion of the other kids bewildered me and fueled my growing sense of dread.

"What in the world is going on?" I muttered under my breath, my mind racing as I focused on running and suppressing the panic clawing at my chest.

My gaze darted to the scattered kids in the forest, just ten feet away. I knew I couldn't let them become targets. "I'll draw the hounds! Don't look back. We'll meet back at the checkpoint! Run!" I shouted urgently, trying to mask my fear with determination.

With that declaration, I sprinted deeper into the forest, hoping to lead the hounds away from my friends. They pursued with unrelenting determination, their snarls and barks growing alarmingly closer. I stumbled, but sheer adrenaline propelled me forward. I used the massive trees for cover, zigzagging erratically to shake off my relentless pursuers. The original plan was to reunite with the others at the checkpoint, but the unfamiliar terrain soon cast doubt on my sense of direction.

"How the hell do I get there?" I thought in desperation, but there was no time to ponder. A hound suddenly soared overhead with a menacing chomp, and I instinctively ducked and rolled to evade becoming its prey. The second hound lunged from the side, and I executed a nimble roll to dodge its attack, swiftly rising to my feet and grabbing a hefty log from the ground.

Or rather, I lifted it as though it weighed nothing. A log this size should have been impossible for me to wield, but the urgency of the situation left no room for analysis.

The hound that had narrowly missed me on its second attempt was gearing up for another assault. With all my might, I swung the massive log, aiming for the hound's hulking form. The impact created a deafening thud, sending the bloodhound crashing into a nearby tree. The force of my swing propelled me forward, and I tumbled, inadvertently giving the second hound another opportunity.

I saw my impending doom just moments before it happened. The hound lunged at me, its gnashing jaws closing in on my throat. I had no time to react except to grab a thick branch from the ground beside me and use it to fend off the salivating beast. The frenzied hound pressed closer, drool streaming over my face.

In a desperate move, I arched my knees inward and kicked the beast in the gut, sending it sprawling backward. Taking advantage of the moment, I scrambled to my feet, ready to run. But the hound was equally relentless, swiftly regaining its footing and lunging at me once more.

I couldn't dodge it this time. The beast was about to pounce when, out of nowhere, a blur intervened, knocking the bloodhound aside. My bewildered gaze locked onto the space where the hound had been just moments ago.

"Reo." Lia's voice snapped me out of my daze. There she stood, disheveled and bruised, clutching a thick log of wood she could barely lift.

"L... Lia? What are you doing here?" I asked in astonishment, taking in her battered appearance. Her blue hair was tangled, twigs and dirt clung to her, and her clothes were torn and stained. She had faced her share of struggles to reach this point. I wasn't in much better shape.

Glancing at the spot where the second hound had been thrown, I noticed that it was still dazed but recovering quickly. I turned back to Lia. "We should run." Without waiting for her response, I grabbed her hand and pulled her along as we sprinted through the forest, leaving the bloodhounds behind.

We maneuvered through the dense trees, ducking under branches and leaping over fallen logs, putting as much distance as we could between us and the pursuing hounds. We covered over a hundred meters in a matter of minutes, neither of us daring to look back.

Then, the familiar snarls and growls echoed through the forest, now more ferocious than ever. The hounds had caught up, flanking us from both sides, just six to ten meters away, closing in rapidly. I looked over my shoulder at Lia, who was struggling to keep up.

"Darn it," I cursed inwardly.

The hound on our right snarled, then lunged at us. I pulled Lia's head down and made a sudden dash to the side, narrowly missing the jaws of the beast

We fell into a role and tumbled forward into a forest clearing from inertia. The wind blew against our skin, the evening sunlight meeting our faces for the first time in hours.

We got up to our feet and then stumbled back, just enough to narrowly avoid the cliff edge behind us.

'It's a dead end!' I thought grimly, watching the hounds slowly circle us with growls.

Then out of a bush in the forest, a chubby figure stepped out with haggard breath. Shorty's face was beading with sweat, his chest heaving with each breath he forced into his lungs.

He raised his head and smiled with a glare at us.

"Give up. We've already caught your friends too."

Then on cue, one of the hounds pounced forward. Startled, Lia stumbled backward, one step too far, right at the cliff's edge. Her body teetered backward, and in the next heartbeat, she was falling.

"Lia!" I couldn't allow her to plummet to her death. My body reacted without conscious thought. I turned, leaped after her, and reached out to grab her hand. There was no room for fear or hesitation – only resolve.

"I won't let her die!" I swore to myself as I pulled Lia into a tight embrace, and together, we plummeted off the tall cliff. The wind roared in our ears as the ground below rushed toward us. There was no denying the sheer height of the fall; it was more than thirty feet, and there seemed to be no hope of survival

But I couldn't give up, not now. The ground was fast approaching, and I had one last trick up my sleeve – magic. It was our only hope.