A Season Without Her

Chapter 9 The Bite

"Watch out!"

Ryan reacted instantly. He lunged toward Chloe and lit the torch in his hand, driving the hyena back.

Cynthia froze. She had never witnessed anything so brutal. The bloody scene emptied her mind completely.

When the hyena realized it couldn't reach Chloe, it turned its attention to Cynthia. The smell of blood from her injured palm excited the animal. Its jaws opened wide as it lunged straight at her.

Before she could react, a tearing pain exploded through her calf.

She looked down. The hyena had sunk its teeth into her leg. With one savage jerk, it ripped away a piece of flesh.

"Ah!"

Her scream echoed across the grassland. The pain was so intense that she nearly fainted. Blood poured from the wound, and the scent quickly drew the attention of other hyenas in the distance. They began circling closer.

"Ryan… help me…"

Desperate, she swung at the beast with trembling hands.

When she turned, she saw Ryan already leading the unconscious Chloe away. In that moment, something inside her died.

Pain tore through Cynthia's entire body. Her face turned deathly pale from blood loss.

Ryan finally placed Chloe somewhere safe before rushing back toward Cynthia, his eyes red with urgency.

Bang. Bang.

Shots rang out. The crazed hyena collapsed, and the gunfire scattered the other predators that had been creeping closer.

By the time Ryan reached her, Cynthia was barely breathing. Her body was covered in blood.

"Quick! Take her to the hospital!"

Cynthia was rushed to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment.

Because she had lost so much blood, the doctor immediately asked if anyone present had a compatible blood type.

"Our blood bank is short on AB blood. Does anyone here have that type?"

Someone spoke up.

"Chloe, aren't you type O? That's a universal donor."

Chloe's face turned pale at the mention of donating blood. She instinctively stepped behind Ryan.

"Do I have to? I… I'm afraid of needles…"

The doctor's voice rose in panic.

"The patient is severely anemic. If she doesn't receive blood immediately, her life will be in danger!"

Ryan stepped in front of Chloe.

"She said she's afraid. Didn't you hear her?"

Then he turned back to comfort her.

"It's fine. If you don't want to, no one can force you."

The doctor stared at him in disbelief. It was the first time he had seen someone treat a life so lightly. Shaking his head, he returned to the operating room.

In the end, someone else from the group happened to have AB blood. That was the only reason Cynthia survived.

Cynthia drifted into a long dream.

In it, she returned to nine years ago, the year she had been bullied the most at school. It was also the first day she met Ryan. At that time, she was sick and taking hormone medication. Her body had become swollen and overweight, and the other students constantly mocked her.

"Are you okay?"

When she was at her lowest point, only one person had reached out to her.

"My name is Ryan. What's yours?"

That summer, she fell in love with him at first sight.

'Someday he'll turn around and see me.'

But the boy in her memory walked farther and farther away, his back always facing her.

Cynthia slowly woke with tears in the corners of her eyes. When she opened them slightly, she saw two figures tangled together nearby.

"I won't let you marry another man."

Ryan kissed Chloe fiercely, his eyes red with emotion.

"I won't allow it…"

Cynthia watched for a long time, then quietly closed her eyes again. No one noticed the tear that slid silently from the corner of her eye.