Abandoned In Wasteland, He Rode To Me

Chapter 3

The sound was faint, but to my ears, it was like a thunderclap. I was grieving my father's death, while my childhood sweetheart was holding another woman in his arms just on the other side of the wall. An indescribable pain surged in my chest.

Tears pricked at my eyes. Just then, I heard the door behind me creak open. My heart skipped a beat as I spun around. "Who..."

Before the word could leave my lips, the intruder lunged at me, pinning me to the bed and ripping at my clothes. Up close, I realized it was the young mechanic from earlier that day. A chill ran down my spine. I struggled wildly, kicking and screaming at the top of my lungs, "Let me go! Help! Damian—"

Damian was right next door; he had to hear me... "Damian... help me!"

But there was total silence from the next room. My cries for help fell on deaf ears. My clothes were torn, and my strength began to fail.

Just as I hit the point of despair, bang! The door was kicked open, and a tall man stood silhouetted against the light. He strode forward, grabbed the mechanic by the back of his collar, and slammed him hard against the wall. With the weight off me, I scrambled to pull the quilt over my chest, curling up at the head of the bed, shaking.

The man glanced at me once before averting his gaze, looking coldly at the youth and saying something in a low, husky voice. I couldn't understand the tribal tongue, but his voice was like wind sweeping across the desert... By the time I gathered my senses, all I saw was his back as he dragged the mechanic out. I didn't see his face, nor did I know who he was or why he had saved me. I only remembered the green teardrop earring swaying on his left earlobe.

Just then, Damian rushed in, frantic, and flicked on the dim light. "Celeste! Celeste! Are you alright?!"

He strode over, pulled me into a tight embrace, and apologized incessantly. "I'm sorry, Celeste, I'm late..."

Leaning into him, I heard his choked voice and rapid heartbeat. But I also smelled Vivienne's perfume on his clothes and noticed a faint red mark on his collar. In that moment, my heart felt colder than the Wildlands night. "When I was screaming for help, why didn't you come?"

Damian's eyes flashed with guilt. "Vivienne fell, so I went to help her up. I didn't hear..."

Vivienne limped in, looking pitiable. "I'm so sorry, Miss Sterling. It's my fault for keeping Mr. Hawthorne from coming sooner."

The moment Damian saw her, he released me. "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you I'd be back soon?"

I watched him help Vivienne to a chair, meticulously checking the injury on her leg. From the moment he arrived until now, he hadn't asked if I was injured or if I was traumatized... Misery washed over me, but I forced myself to look away.

The next day, at the break of dawn, we left the weigh station and hit the road again. As the light grew, the scenery shifted. We had moved from the desert to the steppe, where we could occasionally spot wild animals running... Looking out the window, my heart felt inexplicably lighter, and I suddenly understood why my father had been so obsessed with the Northwest.

Vivienne groaned, "Mr. Hawthorne, my leg hurts so much..."

My heart sank. I looked over to see Damian frowning as he unwrapped the bandage on her leg. It was swollen and red, though the extent of the injury was unclear. Damian took one look and told the driver, "Turn around. We're going back to the city to find a doctor!"

I was stunned for a moment, then quickly tried to stop him. "It'll take even longer to drive back. Why not just wait until we're out of the Dead Zone and go to the county?"

Vivienne teared up. "Mr. Hawthorne, don't worry about the medical facilities in the county. Miss Sterling's business is more important. As long as I don't have to get my leg amputated, I'll be fine..."

Damian's hesitation vanished instantly. He looked at me. "How about this: we'll drop you back at the weigh station, and you can wait there for us to return."

Drop me back at the weigh station?! How could he say that?! Rage flared inside me, and my voice cracked. "Are you insane?! Have you forgotten I was almost..."

The intense humiliation and grievance choked me, leaving me unable to continue. I caught my breath and laid it out. "If you want me to go back there, you might as well just leave me by the side of the road!"

Seeing me cry, guilt flashed in Damian's eyes. He sighed, leaned over to hand me a tissue, and said helplessly, "I guess that's the only way then."