"Get moving! You are too slow!" The knight barks while he roughly pushes me towards the dark and rough patch of the ground. I bit back my scream and glared at him, but he only sneered back at me. My temperature rose in anger despite the cold.

After that embarrassing display in front of the nobles, we are escorted by the knights inside the forest. I don't know if I should be grateful that we are given leeway to escape before officially starting the hunt, but it will only be time before we are caught.

"Don't be too hard on her," his companion piped while accompanying the other two girls quietly walking in front of them. If they only had the will to fight back, I wouldn't have to feel so alone like this. However, they are being frustratingly submissive with all of what's going on! And I couldn't even see the others from where I was standing. They must have already walked far ahead of them, and it's because of my blasted ankle I don't have much strength to run away.

"Why do you care? This wench won't even last a minute. She will be dead before she knows it," the rotten bloke chuckles derisively while looking down at my throbbing ankle. I could feel my anger ready to burst out as it violently squirmed below the surface.

Abruptly, he violently grabbed my arm and forcefully twisted my body towards him. A slice of pain shot up my back, and I couldn't stop the small whimper from escaping my lips. His ugly face is on me as he spits out his disgusting words.

"That's why you should have just followed your orders quietly, you stupid wench!"

I clenched my fist hard while desperately trying to grasp my remaining sanity. My knuckle nearly collided with his jaw, and I firmly believe that I would have died there if I hadn't halted my impulsiveness. Fortunately, he intervened by releasing me and pushing me towards the dirt road before I lost my balance. Immediately, I lost my balance and collapsed onto my butt, utterly shocked.

I just couldn't believe that this was happening to me right now!

"What is this? Do you feel like being obedient now?!"

This foolish man must have mistaken my silence for obedience. But I don't want to waste my energy trying to correct him. I clenched my teeth in sheer frustration. And for a moment, I stay seated while the cold and sopping wetness of the ground seeps through my dress. I tightly closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. It served as a powerful awakening. When my nerves started to calm down, I refocused my attention on the most pressing matter at hand instead of the derisive snicker coming out of someone's mouth.

I clumsily tried to stand up and check my surroundings when a helping hand was held out in front of me. When I looked at the owner of that hand, it was from one of the girls who had only quietly observed earlier. It's the beautiful brown-haired lady with bright emerald eyes who has supposedly resigned herself to her fate. I place my hand on hers, and as she pulls me up, she whispers something in my ear.

"Stop resisting. Just accept your fate."

My blood ran cold, and my body hardened in anger. It wasn't enjoyable to hear, but I couldn't help but understand where she was coming from. Any average person living in this world would have thought the same. To just give up. However, this will not be the case for me.

My hand tightened on hers as I whispered back at her determinedly. "I will never give up,"

The young woman looks at me incredulously, and then a deep frown mars her usually uncaring face.

"You will regret this," the girl warns acidly. She immediately let go of my hand as if burned and took a shaky step back.

I looked at her dead in the eye and smiled.

"What are you two whispering about?" the knight suddenly cuts in between them.

"It's nothing," the woman replied right away.

The knight regarded them suspiciously, "It better be nothing. Now get going. We don't have time for this!"

I quietly nodded and focused on retracing my steps and running simulations inside my head. I need to at least memorize the landscape despite the limited senses that I can utilize. From my view, the forest was colossal and pitch dark. The massive and thick canopies covered the top of the woods like an enormous blanket, barely allowing the moonlight to pass through. Coiling branches swell from a couple of trees, and a few vibrant flowers dotted in various corners added color to the otherwise dark landscape. A cacophony of animal noises echoed in the air and strangely synchronized with the stillness that the forest gives off.

The path at my feet fades as it leads into the wooded darkness, so I try my best to follow the narrow strip of the naked earth I can feel. I stumbled a few times in between the thick roots bulging out of the ground, and before I could suffer even more injuries, we came to a sudden halt.

I looked at the endless darkness, and it stared back at me. I swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in my throat.

"This is as far as we can get you. You're on your own now," one of the knights declared. Now, I can see the other girls staring blankly into space while their escorts retreat one by one after doing their jobs until they hear an ear-splitting feral growl that engulfs their senses. Terror strikes their faces without warning. It was a familiar sound that she had listened to the first time she arrived at this strange place.

There is no doubt that it's the Rotter and worst, probably a horde of those monsters, considering the incessant and simultaneous growls from the distance. The knights know it, too, especially when they start running away with their tails between their legs. In just a short while, they completely disappeared from their sight.

My heart kicks into fear. Not only should I be concerned about the hunters, but also about the monsters who are poised to devour my body.

"Just where the hell can I hide in this place?!" I muttered in frustration while looking around. As soon as they were left alone, the girls started taking off in different directions. The lady who talked to her earlier gave her one last inexplicable look before taking off on her own.

And I did the same. I am already making every effort to devise a plan in my mind, regardless of how foolish or perilous it may be, to escape this hellhole as quickly as possible. Forget about the pain. It would be much better if I could go somewhere far and stall for time. Given my lack of strength in a one-on-one confrontation, hiding seems to be my best option at the moment. However, I have two problems that I need to solve. First, I can't outrun a horse. I needed to find a way to steal a horse that would help me in my escape. Secondly, I need a weapon that I can use to defend myself. And the only solution to that problem seems to be stealing from those bastards.

As if struck by lightning, a crazy thought filled my mind. It's downright suicidal, but I'm grasping at straws here. It's probably worth a shot. My head swung towards the growing sound, and I tried to determine their direction while also using my sense of smell to catch the rotten scent that was invading my senses. It wasn't that hard to find them.

After a considerable amount of walking, I discovered the ideal location for setting my trap. Now, I can hear their voices more clearly than before, fully aware that I am heading straight towards my demise. But all I must do is execute the plan properly. And I started working on my agenda.

It was almost half an hour later when the signal was set loose as the loud sound of the explosives alarmed the quiet stillness of the forest. I stared at the massive tree standing tall in front of me and smiled crookedly. It has been a long time since I climbed a tree, but I must do it anyway.

I looked down from my spot up in the tree while my body remained partly hidden by the thick leaves. From my area, I can see the smoke consistently rising from the small bonfire that I've created, stirring the nearby flesh-eating residents. I tightly grabbed my makeshift slingshot and shakily exhaled a gulp of freezing air. Now, I anxiously awaited my shot, fervently praying to the gods that I would not miss it.