Chapter 25

Felicia stumbled as she sprinted toward the village. The village dogs caught wind of an intruder and immediately began barking furiously. Soon, nearly every dog in the village joined in.
Sweat broke out on Felicia’s forehead as she realized she had overlooked this detail-the barking would alert the villagers and the criminals pursuing her!
To avoid bringing trouble to the village, she had to find a hiding place along the way.
Just then, footsteps echoed, and dozens of buff and sturdy-looking villagers charged to the village
entrance.
Felicia quickly crouched down to hide and overheard one villager ask, “Whose woman has run off? Did we catch her?”
Another replied, “No one has run away, they’re all tied up tight!”
With that, the villagers relaxed, putting down their hoes and heading back, chatting among themselves.” Keep an eye on that one; don’t let her escape! The buyer will come to collect her in the morning, and then everyone in the village will share in the profits!” Felicia froze, her heart sinking. Were the villagers complicit in this? Were they all monsters?
Out of the frying pan into the fire.
The gang of criminals was closing in faster than she had anticipated. The barking of the dogs erupted again, louder and more ferocious than before.
With nowhere to retreat, Felicia pressed deeper into the village. As long as she avoided a few lights, the many abandoned houses provided ample cover for her
Meanwhile, the villagers realized something was amiss and armed themselves with hoes and machetes, rushing toward the village entrance, where they met the criminals.
The gang leader, covering one eye, had a particularly menacing scar that made him look even more fearsome. His tone was as brutal as ever. “Did a young woman run through here? Hand her over, and I won’t harm any of you!” A young woman?
The villagers exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. “No woman has come into our village and left!”
The gang leader narrowed his eyes. “I saw her running in this direction with my own eyes! I want to search this place and take her with me!”
The villagers were united; they would never allow outsiders to roam freely in their territory, especially not to search each house.
They were dreaming!
Neither side was willing to back down, and it was clear that a major battle was about to break out.
With heightened tensions, the gang leader, losing his patience, shot the villager standing closest to him dead. “Now, can I search?”
Amid the screams and chaos, the villagers quickly backed down, fearfully parting to create a path.
The leader stormed in with his gang to conduct a thorough search!
This was Felicia’s first time in the village, and with the darkness obscuring her surroundings, she quickly
Chapy
lost her bearings.
As the criminals kicked down doors, she gritted her teeth, preparing to run further, when she heard the sound of chains rattling from a nearby house!
Startled, she instinctively glanced over to see a young girl struggling at an iron window, her feet shackled by heavy chains, making a loud clanking noise as she moved.
Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were dirty and torn, but her skin was fair-clearly, she didn’t belong in this village!
Recalling the villagers’ comments, Felicia realized this girl had been trafficked. A pang of unease washed. over her.
“Hide in that haystack; it’s safe!” the girl hoarsely instructed, pointing to a corner.
Felicia glanced over; the haystack was messy but well-concealed. She might be okay if she could hide there without being discovered, but there would be no escape if she got caught! Seeing Felicia hesitate, the girl grew anxious. “Get in there, trust me!”
With determination, Felicia dove into the haystack.
Moments later, the gang leader and his members arrived, searching through the area. They found no sign of Felicia, only the girl locked up by the villagers. Cursing under his breath, the gang leader moved on to the next house.
F
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