The moment she turned the bend onto Deera Street, the world around her fell deathly quiet, as though no living soul remained. Naught could be seen save for a thick, creeping haze in the distance, accompanied by the eerie howls of dogs echoing from the mouth of the alley. Windows were tightly drawn and curtains pulled shut in every house. Through the veil of mist, she caught sight of the fleeting shadows of a hound pack darting across the cobbles ahead.
Wary and on high alert, the maiden pressed her back against a stone wall, scanning the narrow passages intersecting the buildings. Once certain the way was clear, she quickened her pace, desperate to reach a place of safety away from those beasts.
A foul stench struck Mary's nostrils, forcing her to cover her face. It was the rancid smell of rotting freshes, strung up and bound to wooden posts. Tags carved in mortal blood were fastened to the parched, blackened remains, their charred flesh telling a gruesome tale: 'O ye unfaithful to the ancient spirits, ye have brought everlasting ruin upon our house!!'
Passing the horrific signs, a nauseating stench of filth assailed her. Mary hastened her steps toward the end of the alley, only to hear the loud cries of a man echoing at the exit.
"By decree of the Father! Clear out of District XV at once!" Ring! Ring! Mary spotted a man clad in the dark garb of a plague doctor, ringing a handbell to warn the locals.
Noticing her, the dark-clad figure immediately ran over to perform his duty. "Sister nurse! Fall back from District XV at once!" The young man spoke with surprising politeness from beneath his bird-beaked mask.
The maiden nodded, asking nervously, "What hath occurred in this district to warrant a quarantine?"
"Infected hounds have broken free from their cages, Sister. We must seal this sector to prevent the beasts from spreading to the rest of the city."
"I must deliver this bottle of holy water to Kadelmere Church. Please, it is a matter of dire urgency!"
Hearing this, his eyes darted left and right with hesitation beneath his mask. Mary could hear the sharp intake of his breath.
"Follow me," the plague doctor instructed, leading Marilyn out of the shadowy alleyway. The two quickened their pace, stepping across a creek running rose-red, heavy with the stench of lifeless animal carcasses.
Unable to stomach the gruesome sight, the maiden lamented, "How monstrous... How could the guards commit such cruelty against these pitiful beasts?"
"These hounds have slaughtered dozens of villagers, Sister. Had the soldiers not slain the beasts before it was too late, this city would not survive until the coming season. In times like these, we must simply endure until the morrow. Should the season change... all may grow peaceful once more."
"Thou art right... But do the plague doctors no longer examine the sick?"
"I volunteered under Father Sereza to control the outbreak," the young man replied. "Though it risks my life, if I can save others, my sins may be cleansed, and the holy land will surely receive me."
"That is not what I was taught. If thou seekest redemption, it must begin with a truly penitent heart."
"Hm?! But Father Sereza himself taught me this!" the young man countered.
"Father Sereza taught thee that? How strange... He never spoke of such things to me." A subtle doubt crept into Mary's mind.
"Anyway, we are near District XVI Elk—the road ahead," the young man pointed to a three-way intersection. Further down the path stood the grand cathedral of Kadelmere.
To reach it, they had to pass an open blacksmith shop. Suddenly, she froze. A massive black hound stood before them, its eyes locked onto them without a single blink. White foam bubbled from its jaws, dripping onto the stone street.
Noticing a heavy blacksmith's hammer resting nearby, the young man grabbed it to defend them.
"Stand behind, Sister!" The hound lurked closer, casting a cold, hollow gaze upon them. It let out a pained, raspy whine from its throat.
"It does not seek to harm us! Look... it is sick and powerless. Oh, poor thing~ Thou must be in so much pain." Mary reached out her hand, but the plague doctor immediately pinned her arm down.
"Don't! These beasts are sensitive to sound... Stay quiet..."
The two cautiously skirted past the rabid hound, watching its every movement. When the hound showed no aggressive reaction, he whispered his assessment, "This one poses no threat. Run ahead! I shall cover our rear!"
Hearing his words, the maiden broke into a sprint, her footsteps echoing loudly across the empty street. Seeing her run, the young man turned to follow close behind. "Faster!" he urged.
"Trying...!"
Puff~ Bark! Bark!
Instantly, the frantic, rabid growls of the hound erupted behind them!
"It heard us! Move!!" the young man shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice drowned out by the terrifyingly swift thud of four paws. The black beast spun around, lunging blindly toward the sound of human prey.
The plague doctor raised the iron hammer defensively. Unable to leave him behind, the maiden cried out for help, but the streets were utterly deserted. The beast leaped, its razor-sharp teeth clamping onto the wooden handle of the hammer just as the young man stumbled to the ground!
Mary watched in horror as the dog yanked the hammer away, sinking its teeth deep into his left arm. Blood spurted across the stones. Marilyn recoiled in terror, paralyzed for a split second, before a sharp thought pierced her mind: 'Run ahead, SistaaARGH~~~!' the man screamed in agony.
'If I do not help him, he will surely perish! And Lord will never forgive me!'
Her eyes darted around, catching sight of a meat cleaver and a wooden broom beside a warm hearth. "Forgive me, little pup!" Mary rushed over, snatching the broom to strike the rabid hound—unaware of the terrible mistake she was making.
The young man beneath the mask widened his eyes at the flimsy broom in her hands, gasping, "May Heaven have mercy..." The beast instantly shifted its target, unleashing its fury upon the maiden. Mary jammed the broomstick across its maw, holding its snapping jaws at bay.
CRACK!
The wooden shaft holding back the razor-sharp teeth began to splinter. Unable to withstand the hound's brute force, Marilyn lost her footing and slammed onto her back. The beast's hot, foamy saliva dripped directly onto her delicate face.
The wild, starved fury in the dog's eyes intensified. Its sharp teeth edged closer and closer to her cheek until, with a sharp snap, the wooden broom shattered in two!
Mary squeezed her eyes shut, surrendering to the inevitable end.
'Forgive me,' she whispered in her heart.
Suddenly!
THUD! Mary opened her eyes to see the rabid hound fleeing into the distance, letting out pained yelps. Standing before her was the plague doctor holding the iron hammer, having struck the beast down just in the nick of time. The masked young man looked down at the maiden, his voice raspy. "Too slow..."
Without another word, the plague doctor limped toward a cauldron of boiling water beside a nearby house. Spotting a cleaver as large as a man's forearm, he picked it up and submerged the blade into the scalding water for a brief moment.
"Look not upon me! Turn thy head away!"
The man committed an act beyond her wildest imagination. Raising the hot cleaver, he hacked down onto his own mangle-bitten arm. With a single sharp CHOP, he unleashed a strangled cry of agony. Worse still, he reached into the hearth for a burning torch, branding the red-hot wood directly onto his severed stump to cauterize the bleeding.
"ARGH~~~~~~~~!"
The young man screamed in utter torment, the force of his agony causing his bird-beaked mask to fly off.
The stranger's hair fell in messy locks of ash-brown, covering both his eyes. As he snapped his head back in pain, he revealed pale gray eyes before collapsing onto the stones, writhing in agony.
"W-What hast thou done?!" the maiden cried out, rushing to support him.
"Ugh... Ahh! Doing... what I must d—ghk!" the man wheezed, struggling to speak. "I saw one of them bite me, lads, and none could live to see the sunrise."
The maiden pulled clean bandages from her nursing satchel, pressing them tightly against his wound before forcing him to lie still. Slowly, the young man's breathing leveled out as he regained a semblance of composure. When Mary chanced a glance at the severed arm lying upon the cobbles, she winced in horror, quickly averting her gaze.
"Thou art... a good... nurse..." the young man panted, his voice dry and faint.
"And thou art a doctor who... Oh, never mind!" Marilyn tended to the wretched doctor's wound with as gentle a touch as she could muster. "Thou cut off thine own arm?!"
"To stay the spread of the foul rot. Had I not severed it, my life would surely be cut short... Or worse, I would end up like that wretched beast."
"Canst thou stand?" Mary helped hoist him to his feet.
"My deepest thanks to thee. Had it not been for thy help, I would be in far dire straits. Wert thou bitten?"
"Nay. If the agony proves too great, thou shouldst rest at the infirmary. My companion will help soothe thy wound." Mary tied the bandage tightly around his stump.
"Hmm. Be on thy way; I can stand on mine own now. I can yet bear this wretched frame a while longer... Heh. Until we meet again.."
Hearing his words, the maiden stood up and resumed her journey. She quickened her pace through the blanket of fog, glancing back one last time at the young man. He offered a faint smile, his eyes shining with profound gratitude for her mercy.
'What a noble soul he is...' Mary thought from the depths of her heart. 'Good men grow rarer with every passing day.'