"Took you long enough, ya damn baby," the innkeeper's voice was strained but loud. Kia was still sobbing over me, thinking I was truly dead. "Now get over here and help me out before I die..." Kia walked slowly over to the man, staring down at her bloodied hands. If I had to guess, this was the first time she'd had to kill someone before, or at least someone she didn't want to kill.
"Go grab that bottle over there and-" he began to cough, the sound of blood hitting the floor in splatters. "Hand it to me, will ya?" Kia obeyed and grabbed something from off the counter, walking back over to him.
I couldn't see based on where I was laying down, but I could sort of tell what was happening. I had made Kia think she'd kill me to avoid causing the collar anymore harm to her. Now all I had to do was wait for an opening and get her out of here... but with the innkeeper dying, I wasn't sure how to do that.
"The dumbass really believed me, huh?" The innkeeper spoke again, this time catching my attention. "If he'd had called my bluff, I'd be dead by now, sheesh."
Called his bluff? What was he bluffing about in the first place? That's when I think I realized what he was talking about...
I slowly turned my head as to not have either of them notice. Looking at them, I could see Kia kneeling down beside him, her eyes red and her cheeks tear-stained as she stared blankly ahead. The innkeeper was preoccupied with pouring alcohol into his wound, holding it tightly to stop the bleeding.
I slowly sat up while they were both looking away, slowly crawling my way over to them. Kia glanced at me, her eyes going wide, so I put my finger to my mouth to shush her. She nodded her head gently, tears forming once again.
I picked up the bottle the innkeeper left at his side, and just as he looked back over at me...
"Kia-!"
"Shut up!"
I slammed the bottle into his head, causing his hands to fly up and hold it. I interrupted him just before he could call Kia for help. I knelt down and put my hand over his mouth, picking up a shard of glass and putting it up to his face.
"Can't order her around now, can you?" I asked him, staring him in the eyes. He looked fearful at first, then he began to laugh. "I said shut up!" I sliced the glass against his cheek, a trickle of blood sliding down his chin. "Let her go or I'll do more than just cut your ugly face, you bastard."
I wanted to let him speak, but I knew he'd try to order Kia again, so instead I called him on his bluff to see his reaction.
"I know if I kill you here, Kia will be just fine," I said that slowly and with a smile, watching his eyes for a reaction. "In fact, I know the collar won't even work anymore, isn't that right?"
But the innkeeper's face never changed and his eyes stayed locked onto mine. I didn't want to risk it. I was too worried that if he died still, Kia would die, too. So I did all I could think to do and took my hand off his mouth...
"Kia!" he tried calling again, but I shoved the shard of glass into his mouth, pushing his jaw so he'd bite down. Blood started to pool out of his mouth as he groaned in pain.
"What did I say about shutting up, old man?" I reached over and grabbed the bloody rag he'd been using to clean his blood, then shoved it into his bleeding mouth. "Don't come after us or I'll kill you for real next time, alright?"
I stood back up and stared down at the innkeeper. God, I hope this works...
I grabbed onto Kia's trembling wrist, then darted out the door with her. I kept a slow pace for her to catch up, but went as fast as I could to get her away from that horrible place. I kept going and going until I was finally out of view of the tiny town, sitting behind a tree a bit off the path and looking back at Kia.
I stared at her for a moment, her eyes still staring blankly forward, as if she were stuck in her own head. I sat her down and put myself across from her.
"Hey," I began, not sure how to word anything. "You're safe now, alright?"
She looked up at me, her eyes still tearful. I pointed at the blood on my neck to help ease her mind. "Look, I'm not hurt, see?" I wiped the blood away to show her my uninjured neck, only a scar left behind after the healing.
She reached out slowly, touching the scar with her fingers. They were still shaking, but unlike the barrage of attacks from earlier, they were soft and gentle against my skin.
"See? I'm just fine, Kia," I said this with a smile, to which she responded with pulling her hand back.
"You don't have to worry about him anymore," I pointed back down the path. "And I'll find a way to take this collar off you, alright?" I pointed at the collar to which she nodded gently. Her eyes looked a bit better, but they were still red and puffy from crying. I smiled softly at her once again.
"I'll protect you from now on, Kia," I said, reaching out to pet her head. She recoiled, her shoulders scrunching up as her ears folded downward. "Ahh, sorry... no touching, got it." She was breathing heavily, but calmed down enough to sit up straight again. I felt horrible for her. What had that man done that I wasn't here to see?
"We should get some sleep," I said, leaning against a tree with my backpack as a pillow. "I know it isn't the best in a forest like this, but tomorrow will be much better, I promise." She nodded her head again, closing her eyes.
It was hard to sleep the whole night. She cried in her sleep alot, and her whimpers made my heart hurt. The next morning came and I could tell both of us were still tired.
But our next stop should hopefully change that for both of us, as looking upward at the giant mountains ahead made me feel more confident about saving Kia's life.