I hear myself scream as something covers my mouth, a fabric of some kind. Thrashing around, I spot several bodies behind me before someone squeezes my neck.

  I wake in a panic, scanning the room I'm in. The... large and cosy wooden room with a textured stone fireplace? I've seen this place before - I'm in the library.

  How did I get here? Why did they leave me here? Who were they?

  I try to stand and immediately regret that decision. Not only is the chair I'm lying on nice and comfy, but someone also rigged up a small footrest and bandage for my leg—a bandage that somebody should have changed a long time ago, but I appreciate the effort.

  So, the room is warm, I'm being looked after, near my home, but immobile. Still, the question is, why am I alive? I should have bled out then and there, and yet I'm alright.

  A door slowly creaks open behind me, trying to be quiet. I try to look, but the chair's in the way.

  Through the door walk three people: Pild, Triss, and someone I don't recognise. Pild and Triss look at me but don't inch closer than the man. The large, extremely tall 20-something man who isn't wearing a shirt with a massive sword on his back. He walks up to me without a word, grabbing my shivering wrist before I feel extremely cold.

  "You'll live. Good."

  "Who are you?" He stares at me quietly for an awkwardly long time.

  "Someone who doesn't want to deal with this." He walks away briskly, revealing what looks to be large, unhealed gashes on his back.

  "Thank you!" He leaves the room without responding, lightly slamming the door behind him.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Looking over to Pild and Triss, they both look relieved. Pild speaks first, speaking faster and faster as he goes on;

  "I don't know who that is. He appeared in front of me after the bend, like he was waiting for me. Then there was another guy behind him, a really hairy guy with a book in his hand! He said something, and we disappeared! Next thing I knew, we were in the bar and the small hairy guy grabbed Triss - bam! We were gone! We heard you scream in front of us; another different guy grabbed you and stopped your screams. They all just kept appearing, like the knights!"

  Pild, sto-" Triss tries to explain, but Pild's too fired up to stop.

  "Then we were in front of the library, they grabbed us and walked in, and we saw another really red guy! He gave Miss Flitch a bag and brought you here! We were told by the big buff guy to 'sit' in a really deep voice, so we sat down and watched the red guy yell at him for being an idiot for doing 'all this'. He didn't care! I really like that guy; he does what he wants! I want to be li-"

  "PILD!" Triss yells in Pild's ear, stunning him out of his rambling.

  "Sorry, but this is so cool!" Triss punches him in the chest, and he falls to the ground.

  "How is this cool? Raph can't walk, and we still don't have enough to cover our rent. How are we getting the money, Pild? I know you aren't getting it."

  Pild, wheezing, tries to interrupt between coughs.

  Triss looks over to me - "How are you, Raph?" She walks closer, trying not to look at my bandage. She never liked blood.

  "I'll live, but we need to talk about all this. There's no way they aren't going to rob us blind for this. I'm happy they did it, of course. I want to live, but I don't know how we're getting out of this."

  I sigh.

  "Check the frame of my bed. One of the planks rotted inside. I keep my stash there. It'll keep us off the streets for now."

  Triss stares at me, her expression unsolvable, as she whispers a "thank you" and walks out of the room. Leaving me and Pild. In a room together. One that I can't walk away from.

  Why, Triss.

  Was this chapter good or bad?