I Can’t Run Away From the Girl Who Saved Me

1 – Carriage Accident

*

On a night with rain pouring down like crazy.

A large carriage was racing desperately through the pitch black forest, unable to see an inch ahead.

Rather than a well-paved road, it was bumping along a forest path without even a hint of people passing through. The carriage was battered by everything from small branches to massive boulders, and its rickety four wheels kept shaking violently, bouncing over protruding tree roots.

Of course the coachman knew it was impossible to drive a carriage through a forest path.

He just didn’t have time to consider another option.

The coachman strained his eyes trying to spot obstacles, but the rainy night forest mocked his efforts by obscuring his vision in darkness.

The only light the coachman could rely on was a tiny lantern.

But the lantern, hung by the coachman’s seat, swaying crazily and scattering faint light haphazardly around, couldn’t properly illuminate what lay directly ahead.

He could barely even see the hind hooves of the horses pulling the carriage.

Spooked by obstacles like trees popping up suddenly outside the extremely limited field of vision, the horses faltered, but the coachman paid no heed and fiercely cracked his whip.

Without even a moment to wipe the rain striking his face, the coachman looked anxiously at the sky, unable to hide his agitation.

Vexingly, stars that could provide direction were completely obscured by the storm clouds.

“Gah,”

“Kyaa!”

The interior of the carriage was just as much of a mess as its battered exterior.

All sorts of objects were spilled and tangled together, violently shaking around inside the unsteady carriage.

I was tightly gripping the hand of my little sister Laila as I held her in my arms, her eyes squeezed shut.

I hugged Laila’s shuddering head close to my chest, to protect the head of this girl who was barely ten years old yet.

Laila had buried her face in my chest and was sniffling.

“Oppa, save me.”

“Laila, keep your eyes shut tight. We’ll be out of the forest soon. Just wait a little longer…”

Thud

“…Ugh.”

“…Just trust me, okay? I’ll keep you safe.”

“I’m…so scared…”

Each time the carriage violently shook, our bodies were tossed about.

I hugged my sister trembling from the shocks and sighed softly.

Since we had no choice but to flee from the assassins after our lives, with nothing I could do but hold this frightened little girl, I felt so powerless and pathetic.

Covering my sister’s uneasy, roving eyes with my arm, I squeezed the young lady in my embrace even tighter.

Just then—

Boom!

“Kyaa!”

The carriage shook tremendously.

The wooden body of the carriage let out an ominous creaking noise.

“Ugh…o-oppa…”

My sister’s voice, as if she would pass out from fear at any moment.

But I couldn’t give any reply.

While I didn’t want to show it before my much younger sister, the terror of imminent death had stiffened my body, choking me up to my Adam’s apple.

Thud!

Each time the already unsteady carriage swayed and made that abnormal sound, Laila let out a sharp shriek from her tiny mouth.

But I focused all my senses on the carriage’s groaning, piercing through Laila’s screams.

Creak, creak.

Even a sturdy, rugged freight carriage would move carefully on such treacherous terrain, so racing a noble’s carriage like this was surely madness.

I understood there was no choice with the urgency of the situation.

Assassins were chasing us to kill me and Laila.

But premonition filled my head and gradually prickled my skin that this wild ride could only end in ruin.

The downpour was growing heavier by the moment.

Seeing the fierce winds whipping up, it seemed a storm was approaching.

Under the rainfall enveloping the world, the carriage struggling painfully along let out cries as if declaring its end.

Snap, crack!

The moment that bone-chilling sound rang out, the coachman and I, even young Laila, sensed our fates.

The coachman’s eyes were tightly shut, while Laila’s face was deathly pale as she soaked my chest with her tears and drool.

I desperately tried to wrap the girl’s head deeper into my embrace, to somehow save my sister.

Whoosh!

Hitting a boulder sized lump, the front wheel finally broke and collapsed.

The sudden braking made the carriage lurch up violently.

Then, it slowly began tilting and falling to the side.

The horses thrashed about, trying to resist, but unable to bear the increasing weight of the accelerating carriage, they were dragged down the slope.

Their bewildered neighing mingled with hot breaths dispersed into the rain.

Screams, cries, sounds of things smashing and crumbling.

None of it could help us now.

“Uwaaah!”

“Kyaa! Oppa Ash!”

Of course, of course cruelly,

There were no fences or anything in a forest like this.

The carriage began rolling down the mountainside.

*

Tap

Tap

The feeling of icy raindrops striking my face slowly brought me back to consciousness.

But for some reason, I couldn’t open my eyes.

No, not just my eyes, my whole body wouldn’t move an inch, as if pinned down by scissors.

I couldn’t even lift my eyelids by my own will.

Thanks to that confusion, as my awareness gradually grew clearer, a numb heat began rising from my lower abdomen.

That warmth soon spread through my body, intensifying steadily.

My whole body feels scorching hot.

“Ugh,”

No, it wasn’t heat.

It was a thick pain like being beaten all over with red-hot iron rods.

Writhing in that agony for some time, only after the dense raindrops pounding my tightly shut eyes did I somehow manage to force my eyes open with a tortured groan that felt like my lungs were being crushed.

“Khack,”

I couldn’t even vocalize my suffering.

I realized my face was plastered in the mud.

Were all my bones broken? Or did all my muscles get ripped out at once?

The agony, steadily intensifying to a degree beyond what words can convey, prevented me from even lifting my head. I could only turn my face to the side and barely pull it from the muck.

“Keh! Puh,”

I repeatedly coughed up the mud covering my nose and mouth, but the mud mixed with blood simply fell limply by my lips.

I forcibly dragged up my hazy, darkening vision and slowly looked around.

Somehow unbroken, the old oil lamp hung by the coachman’s seat had toppled over, burning the remaining oil to give off faint light—thanks to that, I could barely make out my surroundings.

The horses’ corpses scattered around the wreckage of the smashed carriage had cooled rapidly in the rain, losing all warmth.

Seeing the corpses were cold, I must have been unconscious for quite some time, but seeing my nose and mouth clogged with mud, it couldn’t have been too long either.

If I’d been without air for that long, I’d surely be dead already.

But what use was wondering about that now, when I had so many more pressing issues to worry about, piling up like a mountain.

My vision kept sinking into darkness, and the pain striking my whole body was gradually becoming duller.

It felt like lying on a soft bed.

It also felt like a huge, heavy weight was hanging from my waist, dragging my body down.

If I closed my eyes now, surrendered my body to that weight and allowed myself to sink below the ground, I would surely die.

I was desperately struggling to keep the flickering flame of life from being extinguished by the pouring rain.

I can’t die here.

Not until I’ve taken my sister to safety…

…My sister.

Laila!

I tried to get up, but only my fingertips weakly twitched. Raising my body was not easy at all.

At times like these, it was better for the pain to be numb.

“La… Laila.”

With my hoarse, dying voice I called my sister’s name with great difficulty.

The chilling sensation of something flying out of my embrace when the carriage tumbled suddenly flashed through my mind.

Along with her shriek.

“Ugh, kuheh!”

I slowly raised my arm, then let it drop limply.

Taking advantage of that motion, I raised my arm again and planted it on the ground.

Then I carefully leaned some of my weight onto that arm.

“Kah, argh.”

Unbearable pain shot through my arm’s core, probably the bone.

I swallowed my ragged breath and let out a faint scream.

Unable to lift my upper body even 1 centimeter, both arms shook as if they would snap any second.

It seemed my arms were already broken from the impact of the accident.

Somehow taking in a breath, I twisted my body.

I didn’t yell or grit my teeth to psyche myself up.

If I had the strength for that, I would devote it all to getting up first and foremost.

Roughly inhaling, I slowly rolled my torso.

The mud beneath me as I rose slightly seemed darker and more watery than before.

I had probably lost a lot of blood.

My frail, trembling arms eventually lost balance and slid in the mud.

My body simply fell over onto its side with a thump, barely managing to roll halfway.

“Huh… huu…”

I caught my breath and slowly tried to raise my upper body.

With my abs as strengthless as my arms, getting up was extremely difficult, but still a better option than trying to lift my body using just my arms while lying prone.

Isn’t it easier to do a sit up than a push up?

Moving my body seemed to gradually clear my mind.

At the same time, the pain grew progressively greater as well.

Only now did I clench my teeth.

*

I can’t even guess how much time I spent just getting up.

It felt like hours had ridiculously passed, by my perception.

But the damn rain was still pouring down and the sky remained filled with darkness without a glimmer of light.

I was standing, using a long wooden rod that had been part of the carriage frame to support myself.

The end of the rod was bent in a Y-shape, so I hung the lamp there.

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The flickering light was nearly extinguished from water damage, but better than nothing.

I tottered around, surveying the surroundings.

There was no sign of Laila anywhere.

“Laila… Lail, kah,”

Just a bit of pressure made it feel like my waist and chest would snap, so I couldn’t yell loudly.

Whenever I tried to raise my voice even slightly, I would end up coughing up the tang of blood along with a scream.

But even so, if Laila was awake, she would surely hear her brother calling her name.

She would at least hear the screams.

How far could she have been flung?

Was she badly hurt?

Could a mere ten year old child survive such a terrible accident?

Earlier, I saw the coachman’s corpse, shapeless from smashing into a tree.

Maybe Laila was already…

My vision dangerously swayed.

Ah, no, Laila.

Could it be? Could it…

My legs, already at their limit just standing, shook like mad.

Managing to get up was a miracle in itself, but that miracle too now had its limits.

I dropped my head and leaned my whole body against the large tree, forehead first.

If I crumpled here, I would never stand again.

I’m dying.

Despite fleeing to live, I would die like this here.

I knew all along.

My foolish hopes made me struggle to rise, suffering like this, but what would change by doing so?

…Laila already…

Ah, Laila.

My only remaining family.

I wanted to protect you no matter what,

I’m sorry.

I’ve given up on everything.

I couldn’t see any hope.

Just days ago I couldn’t have imagined this would happen, my abruptly ruined life felt so empty.

Helplessness and futility were jammed in every tiny gap between the pain densely filling my body.

The rod I had hung the lamp on slowly slipped from my fingertips.

Crash.

At last the lamp shattered into pieces.

At the same time, the entire world was enveloped in darkness, unable to see an inch ahead.

Did Laila disappear into this darkness as well?

This all-consuming darkness seems to be devouring my pain.

The pain scattered to the edges of my consciousness.

Somehow, this darkness started feeling cozily warm.

Laila. Oppa will come find you.

I was about to collapse to the ground.

Just then,

In the brief moment between the lamp breaking and my attempted collapse.

Something entered the edge of my raised field of vision.

Until now, the lamplight had been too close for me to notice.

“…A house?”

I could clearly see a light in the distance.

.