There was a sniper hidden in the trees.
“Bennett, look out!” Yvonne screamed, throwing herself at him and shielding him with her body.
A gunshot shattered the silence of the forest, the sharp crack echoing through the trees and sending birds scattering in a panic.
His position exposed, the sniper quickly fled.
Bennett held Yvonne tightly in his arms. His hand, cradling her shoulder, was slick with warm wetness.
Yvonne had been shot in the left side of her chest. Blood poured from the wound, staining the front of her shirt crimson.
The bullet's entry point was dangerously close to her heart, and Bennett didn't know if it had been hit. He tore a strip from his shirt and wrapped it around the wound to stanch the bleeding, his hands trembling the entire time.
“Could you… be a little gentler? It hurts like hell,” Yvonne mumbled. Her features were completely drained of color. This new body of hers was so fragile, making the pain feel exceptionally intense.
Bennett managed to slow the bleeding and then bent down, carefully lifting her onto his back. He started walking out of the forest, his steps heavy and uneven.
By now, daylight had fully broken, and sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
With Yvonne on his back, a trail of crimson drops marked their path.
Bennett always had an excellent sense of direction and wouldn't get lost, even in a dense forest. But they were deep within it, and it would take at least an hour or two to get out.
The path seemed to stretch on forever.
Yvonne lay on Bennett’s broad back. His body was warm, but she felt increasingly cold. The blood loss was causing her temperature to drop, and her consciousness began to fade.
Bennett had to keep talking to her, desperate to keep her from slipping away.


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