**Clarissa’s POV**
We're concealed behind a tree, watching the man with the rifle scour the area until he veers off in another direction. At first, when Matthias grabbed me, panic coursed through me. But now, there's a glimmer of relief in my heart, and I could almost cry from it. Matthias groans softly, his discomfort evident.
"Are you okay?" I ask, concern lacing my voice. I quickly turn to check his face.
"I'm fine. How about you?" he replies, nodding silently and leaning against the tree. My body trembles, and my eyes are drawn to his other hand clutching his stomach. The pressure he's applying tells me he's been shot.
On instinct, I take his hand to assess for myself, my gaze dropping to the blood coating his palm. As I look up at him, I catch a single tear trickling from the corn
