The rain was heavier than Hinata expected. She was just finishing taking the pie out of the oven when she began to notice the leaks forming on the roof tiles.
She sighed deeply. She hadn't been there long. At first, she had difficulty adapting, but she soon got the hang of it, and since then, the hut left by her benefactor had truly become her home.
There she was safe and away from that madman. She missed her family, but at least until the divorce was signed by the sick man who had once been her husband, she needed to remain hidden from everyone.
She put on her yellow raincoat and grabbed her umbrella. Before leaving, she glanced briefly out the window, seeing nothing outside.
She decided to grab her .38. Ever since she was attacked by her ex-husband before arriving there, she never left without her gun, even when she was alone.
"Wish me luck, Max."
She spoke to the Persian cat who was lounging on the back of the chair. She needed to go to the barn to get the buckets to catch the leaks. She'd fix that roof in the morning.
...
"Hey, tango, isn't it a beautiful noisy night?"
The horse immediately neighed, recognizing her. Hinata loved that horse, and the affection was reciprocated by the large animal. She noticed he was more agitated than usual.
"What's wrong, kid? Afraid of thunder?"
At that moment, she heard something rattling beneath the pile of hay next to the makeshift stable. She quickly pointed her flashlight at the spot, her gun in hand.
"Who's there? Come on, answer, or I swear to God I'll shoot!"
There was no answer. She gathered all her courage and began to move the hay aside, and then, surprise: there was someone there, and he was badly injured.
The man also had a gun, but he didn't even have the strength to wield it against her.
"My God, who are you?!"
"Please... help me."
"That was the last word he uttered before passing out. She immediately finished raking the hay and noticed the bullet wound. He'd lost a considerable amount of blood and was very pale. She noticed he was a big guy for her 5'7" height, but she'd have to get him out of there no matter what. She looked at the wheelbarrow and was determined to find a way to get that man in there and take him inside the cabin. He needed urgent care.
...
"Hey, Max, look what I found."
The cat jumped off the armchair and sniffed the stranger lying in the wheelbarrow. Hinata went to the bedroom and returned with a mattress, a pillow, and a thick blanket. She arranged everything on the living room rug and carefully placed the man on the thin mattress.
"You must have done something really serious, huh, blondie?"
She carefully observed the boy's wound—the bullet was still there. She carefully undressed him, leaving him in only his underwear. She went to the stove to put some water on to boil.
She returned to the man and touched his burning face. That wasn't good. She pried open his eyelids and noticed his blue eyes were a bit grayish—that wasn't good either.
She was a veterinarian, but she didn't think her profession was all that different from dealing with humans. Of course, in this case, she would improvise.
She noticed that besides the gunshot wound, the man had several bruises and cuts; he had certainly been beaten. She put the handkerchief on his hair, turned off the water, went to her room, and quickly gathered everything she needed. She wouldn't allow that stranger to die in her house.
"Who are you?"
"I should be the one asking. You're the one who invaded my territory, young man. Please don't talk. You're very weak."
"I-I'm sorry..."
That was all he said before passing out again. She thought it was even better because she could remove the bullet from his abdomen without any anesthesia; it was the only way.
Then she would suture him and use the painkillers she had available. As soon as morning came, she would put him in the truck and take him to the nearest hospital. She wanted to stay out of trouble, and this guy was definitely a big one...
...