15 Chapter 15 - Near Death (1/2)

Annie was now laying on the ground.Her ears hurt and everything was ringing but besides the ringing there was nothing else she could hear.Trying to sit up proved to be an impossible task as her body didn't seem to be able to work properly anymore.She couldn't even open her eyes.With no sight nor hearing and having a body that didn't want to work, it seemed like surviving would be difficult.

What Annie could tell is that she's still able to breathe but that it hurt to breathe deeply; likely the result of broken ribs judging by the pain.Something or someone was pulling on her and was dragging her on the ground.If the things hitting her back were stones and roots then this should be outdoors.At least she was being dragged upper-body-first so her head wasn't hitting anything.

As soon as she thought that, the person or thing dragging her let go and she whacked her head on the hard ground.Unaware if her voice could even come out, Annie still tried to call out to them.”If you're trying to kill me then make it quick.”A minute or so went by before there was a response or at least Annie thought it was a minute.It's hard to tell without most of your senses working.Something squeezed her cheeks briefly before she felt something wrapping around her body.Something grabbed her upper-body again but this time something else lifted her lower-body so she didn't drag along the ground.She didn't know where she was being taken but at least for the moment she was still alive.

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Thomas didn't sleep for long.It was too early in the day for any meaningful amount of sleep.The only reason he was able to get any sleep at all was because he had gone through a tough experience.The small power nap helped restore his muscles and they were no longer as sore as they once were.

With his freedom regained, Thomas had to find a way to get to the nearest city.Even if the bandits saw him later on he could just trick them into thinking that they had the wrong person or just move on to the next city.He only needed food and water from the city since his main goal is to reach the capital and enter the school there so a quick departure wouldn't be a problem.

Stepping out from the structure, Thomas was greeted by a strange view.A green-skinned woman was dragging around what appeared to be a naked dead body.The green woman was mumbling and Thomas was curious about what she was saying so he got closer to her as silently as possible.

”Why am I even bringing this woman with me?They're her friends.She'd be fine if I just left her there.Yeah.I should just leave her here.So what if she saved me?She's the enemy.But why did they attack her too if she is on their side?What if...”

The mumbling probably would have continued if she didn't bump into Thomas while not paying attention to what was behind her.”Ayaaaa!A human!? A soldier!?Here!?Don't eat me, I'm not delicious!Eat her instead! Look, she's already partially cooked!It'll be easier!”.

The green woman had already dropped the person she was dragging at this point.”Calm down.I'm not a soldier and I'm not going to eat anybody that doesn't want to be eaten.”Thomas looked at the person on the ground and thought that she looked familiar.The right side of her face was partially-burned and her right eye seemed to be melted shut.The burns covered most of the right side of her body and she was missing both her right hand and the majority of her right leg.There were some burns on her left foot but weren't so severe.The place that connected to where her missing limbs would be seemed to have been cauterized and there wasn't any blood leaking out.

Thomas could tell that she used to be a beauty and the remaining parts of her body were attractive but the burns ruined her good looks.Thinking back on the women he has seen since taking over this body, only one woman even came close to looking like this.”Annie?”

The green woman took another step back.”You know her?Are you one of them?”. Judging by the way she looked at him in fear it was clear that she wasn't on Susan's side.

Looking towards the green woman, Thomas replied to her question.”Am I one of the bandits?No, I was captured by them.I'm a survivor of that village that they destroyed.Possibly the only survivor left.”Thomas gave her a little awkward smile.