The Story Of Dusk - Volume 1 Chapter 263 She Chose To Stay
Senja was in shock a second after she shot the arrow. Actually, she aimed for his chest but the arrow strayed and hit his neck instead, however, luckily the result was still like what she intended.
This was the first time she shot someone, not to mention she had killed him, she knew because the bandit didn’t move again after his raging breath stopped.
Rindi had used her as a target for her archery training since four years ago, thus, despite Senja had never tried it before, but she knew how to operate this kind of weapon.
The feeling when the arrow hit the target was something unexplainable, no wonder Rindi liked to make her as the target
Senja nocked another arrow and moved forward cautiously, just in case that person was still alive.
“He is died.” The man in black robe informed Senja in low voice as he groaned in pain. Not only his hand, but there was a big slashing wound on his chest as well, which kept bleeding in his attempt to stand up.
After that man gave her assurance that the bandit wouldn’t be a threat anymore, Senja threw the bow aside and knelt beside the man.
“Let me help you.” Senja stretched out her hand, wanted to help the man to sit down that apparently became quite a task to do in his current condition.
However, the man swatted her hand as he laid on his back again, gave up to try.
“Go.” He ordered curtly as he closed his eyes. He knew he would be death because of the blood loss if he kept the wound open, but he didn’t have strength to move neither he wanted to be saved.
Probably it would be a good end for him.
He couldn’t hear the voices of sounds around him, but he knew the danger had passed, so there was nothing that he needed to do now.
However, when he thought the little girl had gone because he had told her so, he felt a small hand pressed against his wounded chest.
He grunted in surprise as his eyes flew opened, the man glared at the little girl, who was startled by his reaction.
She should have expected that, right?
In the other hand, Senja fell back on her back when the man cried and glared at her viciously, as if he was startled.
But, why he was startled? Senja had told him that she wouldn’t leave and would help to take care of his wound, she even told him a moment before she pressed his wound with the cleanest clothes that she could find.
But, the man reaction as if Senja was about to attack him. He reacted exaggeratedly.
“Sir, we need to tend your wound, or else you will get a fever.” Senja informed him, she knew all about this from Aunty Su, from the short moment she was with her. Senja learnt fast and she remembered what she had taught her by heart.
“Go away!” The man swatted her hand as he took the clothes and pressed his wound by himself.
Senja startled, but she didn’t leave. After all, where she supposed to go? She didn’t have plan or place to go.
Hence, the little girl only crawled a few meters away from him, brought her legs against her chest and hugged them while watching the man.
“Sir, do you want to drink something?” Senja asked after two minutes passed in silence. But, the man didn’t give her any reaction, neither he opened his eyes. “Sir?”
There was still no answer from him.
Or, probably he was died.
That thought made Senja frowned, if he was died, that’s only mean she would be all by herself again. Alone.
“Sir?” Senja tried to call him again. She moved closer and sighed in relieve when she saw he was still breathing, his chest moved very slow, as he breathed in and out.
Out of her initiative, Senja started to rummage the things that the bandits had left behind, no, they didn’t leave their things behind. They were only death to use those things again.
It wasn’t hard to find a wooden flask from one of the dead bodies of the bandits.
From the smell of it, apparently it was an alcohol, but for the second thought, probably this was exactly what that man needed to dull the pain in his chest.
“I think you want to take some drink” Senja said in low but clear voice as she approached the man. “This is not a water” She informed him again, but still there was no reaction or reply.
The man only opened his eyes when he felt someone sat beside him and glared at the girl.
“I told you to go!” He said frustratedly, what else this girl wanted from him? “Why are you still here?!”
“Let me tend your wound.” Senja said, trying to give the wooden flask to him. “Drink this, you will feel better.”
The man glared again at her, but with his body now, he could do nothing.
The man was still looking at her with hostility, but he didn’t say anything when Senja put the wooden flask on his lips and slowly poured the liquid inside it to his mouth.
He was coughing at first, but then he gulped it down entirely.
After he drank, Senja found another clean clothes and changed the one that had been soaked with his blood.
“We need to stop the bleeding.” Senja said, she knew what she had to do, as if it was only yesterday Aunty Su taught her all of this. “I will find another alcohol to sterilize the wound.”
Senja rummaged the gruesome scene once again fearlessly as if those dead bodies were nothing in her eyes.
Once she found another wooden flask that filled with alcohol and clean bandage along with a few bottles of medicine, she comeback and put all the items beside her.
“Do you know what are you doing?” The man looked at the girl incredulously. Based on the dress that she was wearing, she should be a daughter from a prestigious family.
But, her movement was convincing, though she was still clumsy to do that, but that man knew that the girl had done this before.
“Yes, someone taught me long time ago.” Senja said gloomily and cleared her throat before she wetted the clothes with the alcohol. “It will be hurt” She warned him.
However, that man couldn’t hear what she said, neither he could read her lips. He had been trying to read lips with no avail, probably because, in the other side, he disgusted the fact that he needed to do that, to understand his opponent’s words.
Thus, when Senja touched his wound with the damped clothes that had soaked with alcohol, he cried out loud because of the acute and intense pain. It was so painful until he couldn’t even breath.
That man tried to shove Senja away, but he was lack of strength, he wasn’t even able to move his body. The only option that left for him was to endure it.
“Please don’t move” Senja pleaded as she was having hard time to clean his wound. “I know it is hurt, but you have to bear with it for awhile or else your wound will get worse.”
“Move your hand!!!” The man grunted and growled as he sucked in cold air, the pain was something that he had never felt before.
Though he had ever gotten injuries like this, but he would always have a medicine with him to alleviate the pain, however now wasn’t the case.
“No, you need to stay still.” Senja said stubbornly. “Your wound will get infection.”
The man knew that, despite he couldn’t hear her, after all he was proficient in this field.
Because the unbearable pain that he suffered, the man lost his conscious. He let the darkness consumed him and stopped struggle.
“Sir?” Senja’s heart skipped a beat when she watched the man didn’t move. She was very scare when she put her finger on his nose, to feel his breath.
She sighed deeply when the warm and soft breath brushed against her finger, indicating the man was still alive.
Only then, she continued what she had started, but it was still not an easy task for eleven years old girl like her.
Her hand shaking and her little shoulder shuddering when she suppressed her tears and fear.