The air inside the clinic felt heavy.
Kristi pulled off her bloodstained latex gloves and tossed them into the trash with a sharp motion.
"What's his condition?" The sheriff's voice cut through the silence.
She glanced toward the bed where Mark remained sedated. "It's not good."
"How bad?"
"It wasn't just a simple fracture, Boyd. It's a severe comminuted fracture." Kristi let out a tired sigh.
"Translate that for me," Donna said. She was still leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as if trying to shield herself from the answer.
"It means the bones below his knee didn't just break. They shattered." Kristi pointed toward the completely immobilized leg. "It's like they went through a meat grinder. There are dozens of fragments in there."
"Out there, this would require emergency orthopedic surgery. Titanium plates, screws, pins, a full surgical team, and months of physical therapy."
"And here?" the sheriff asked, though his expression made it clear he already knew the answer.
"Here, I did what I could." Frustration seeped into the doctor's every word. "I realigned the larger fragments by touch alone and immobilized everything with splints. We don't have an X-ray machine to locate the smaller shards. I don't have surgical equipment. And worse, I don't have antibiotics strong enough for what could happen next."
"If he's unbelievably lucky, the bones will fuse back together crooked. He'll limp for the rest of his life and probably never run again."
A curse escaped Donna's lips.
Kristi took a deep breath before continuing. "And that's the best-case scenario."
"In the worst case..." The doctor hesitated for a moment. "If one of the bone shards punctured an artery I couldn't identify, or if the wound becomes infected because of the dirt that got into the muscle tissue, necrosis could set in."
"If that happens, I'll need to amputate his leg to save his life, and even then, it would still be an enormous risk."
The weight of those words seemed to spread throughout the room.
Losing a leg in a place where survival often depended on the ability to run was practically a death sentence.
Boyd remained rigid, thoughts racing behind his tired eyes. "Don't hide this from anyone."
"Won't that cause even more panic?" Donna lifted her head.
"I hope it does." The sheriff's voice hardened. "I want everyone to know exactly what happened to Mark. I want them to understand what a single stupid decision can cost."
He ran a hand through his beard. "If fear of ending up without a leg is the only thing capable of stopping them from wandering into that forest to play hunter, then so be it."
Donna remained silent for a few seconds. The logic was cruel, but it was also impossible to argue against.
With Mark's situation temporarily under control, Boyd left the room.
Outside, he found Kenny sitting at a table, chatting while playing a game of chess with his father.
After informing them about Mark's condition, the sheriff shifted his attention to another matter.
"And our other problem? Did you take care of the alcohol?"
Kenny straightened in his chair. "Yeah. I talked to Tom. After a few apologies, I managed to get some bottles."
"I hid everything in the abandoned shed near the edge of the forest, just like you asked."
"Good." Boyd nodded.
For a moment, his gaze drifted toward some distant point.
The nighttime hunt was approaching. And this time, they would be the predators.
...
The Mind Reading Block Rune briefly glowed on the page, a cold and steady light, before fading away and leaving behind only the symbol etched like a pale scar across the paper.
Daniel completed it one hour after starting.
Despite being an incredibly complex structure, he had managed to finish it without making a single mistake.
The experience gained from creating the first rune had proven extremely valuable.
Like the previous one, the new rune followed the same basic principle: the energy stored within its structure would gradually be depleted with use and would need to be replenished.
That didn't surprise him. It was what he had expected from the start.
What truly caught his attention was the fact that the mist covering the third rune had disappeared completely.
Stealth.
A smile spread across his face as information flooded into his mind.
It wasn't what he had expected.
It was far better.
Not only did it conceal its user's presence. It could make its user literally invisible.
Daniel reviewed the information more than once to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding something.
He concluded that he wasn't mistaken.
The new rune did exactly that. The difference lay in how it functioned.
The previous two operated passively, activating their effects through specific triggers without requiring any conscious action.
This one was different.
It needed to be activated manually and continuously consumed Spiritual Energy while it remained in use.
Even so, its potential was absurd.
Numerous possibilities came to mind: exploration, reconnaissance, ambushes, and escapes.
Daniel found himself tempted to start crafting it right away, but his Spiritual Energy was still only a little over half full.
Better to wait until it recharged before testing it.
Without any hurry, he stored the notebook and needle back into his Inventory.
He decided to prepare lunch using some of the meat he had obtained during one of his previous hunts.
A short while later, the smell of sizzling fat and seasonings filled the interior of the motorhome.
The metal door opened with a soft creak.
Julie stepped inside, removing her dirt-covered boots near the entrance before walking over to the small table.
Her expression was serious.
"They're saying Mark might lose his leg," she murmured as she sat down on the cushioned bench.
The knife paused over the cutting board for a fraction of a second before Daniel resumed his work.
"Kristi's nineteenth-century medicine finally hit its limits," he commented casually.
Behind the nonchalant response, his mind was already evaluating the consequences.
The residents of Colony House could be impulsive, irresponsible, and occasionally stupid, but they weren't suicidal.
After this, the idea of venturing into the forest to hunt would lose much of its appeal.
The meat-for-water trade was doomed to die before it ever reached its peak.
Looks like I'll need to expand my catalog of goods soon.
It was a good alternative, especially with the new customers he knew would be arriving sooner or later.
Julie watched him closely. To her, his sudden silence looked like guilt.
"You know... what happened to him wasn't your fault," she said gently. "They made their own choice. They went in there because they wanted to."
Daniel blinked a few times, shifting his attention to his girlfriend's concerned face.
Then he let out an amused snort. Her conclusion was almost adorable.
"Jules, I have the cleanest conscience in this entire town." He spun the knife effortlessly between his fingers before setting it down in the sink.
"I offered a business deal. You're overthinking it."
Walking behind her, he leaned down and placed a quick kiss on top of her head.
"Now sit up straight. Lunch is ready."
The heavy atmosphere gradually faded during the meal.
Daniel made a point of steering the conversation toward less unpleasant topics.
"Do you still have a lot to do today?"
Julie rested her fork on the plate while thinking. "No. We just finished stripping the wires."
"Good." He took a sip of water. "Because I want to take you with me to check a few traps and teach you a couple of things along the way."
Julie's smile appeared immediately. Simply being included in his routine made her happy.
But the excitement didn't last long. The memory of Mark's accident made her expression falter.
"Are you sure? I mean..." She gestured vaguely toward the window. "What if we run into another bull out there? Or something worse?"
Daniel didn't answer right away. Instead, he raised his right hand.
In the blink of an eye, a Glock appeared in his palm.
A second later, it vanished. A shotgun took its place.
Before Julie could even process the switch, the weapon disappeared again and was replaced by a military grenade resting calmly between his fingers.
"Any other concerns?" Daniel arched an eyebrow.
Julie opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.
She had been so worried about something happening to him that she had forgotten one important detail:
Daniel was probably more heavily armed than the sheriff himself.
And on top of that, the night before, he had killed a creature everyone believed to be immortal.
Compared to that, an angry bull seemed almost like a minor inconvenience.
"Cocky," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
Even so, she couldn't hide the small smile of relief that appeared on her lips.
After lunch, the two of them cleaned up the kitchen together before throwing themselves onto the couch.
"Nothing beats relaxing after a meal," Daniel commented as he stretched.
Then he draped an arm around Julie's shoulders and pulled her closer.
She rested her head against his chest, settling comfortably. "And what does the warlord intend to watch today?"
"I think we can continue The Walking Dead." Daniel picked up the remote while Julie nodded enthusiastically.
The show was one of her favorites.
The hours passed without either of them noticing.
Between random comments, sarcastic jokes about the characters' questionable decisions, and a few kisses during the quieter moments of the episodes, time simply slipped away.
When the third episode ended, Daniel gave his thigh a light slap and stood up.
"Time to work."
A short while later, the two of them left the motorhome and headed toward the forest.
As they passed by the house, they found Jim and Tabitha talking quietly near the porch. Ethan remained seated on the lawn, focused on a drawing made with crayons.
Tabitha was the first to notice where they were heading. Her expression changed. "Where exactly are you two going?"
Knowing what her parents' reaction would be, Julie hesitated.
Daniel, on the other hand, seemed incapable of feeling any apprehension when faced with an uncomfortable conversation.
"I'm taking Julie with me to check a few traps."
He pointed toward the distant tree line. "Quick trip."
Those words alone were enough to unsettle Tabitha.
The image of Mark being carried back flashed through her mind again.
For a moment, she almost forbade her daughter from taking another step.
But then her eyes met Daniel's. She remembered him running to save Ethan.
She remembered the calm way he handled situations that would leave anyone else panicking.
And the explosion that had reduced one of the creatures to charcoal.
None of that erased her concern. Not even close.
Still, it was difficult to argue that there was anyone more capable of protecting Julie.
Jim didn't share the same reasoning. "Have you lost your mind? Wasn't what happened enough of a warning?"
His voice climbed several notches, causing nearby residents to stop what they were doing and listen.
"A man almost lost his leg, and you want to take my daughter on a stroll through the forest?"
Daniel remained just as calm as before. "A few angry animals aren't much of a problem."
Jim opened his mouth to criticize his recklessness, but Daniel continued.
"With me, Julie is safer than she is anywhere else in this town."
Ethan looked up so quickly he nearly dropped his notebook.
This was the perfect opportunity to join the expedition.
"That's true, Dad! Last night he even killed a—"
Tabitha's hand covered his mouth before he could finish the sentence. "Quiet, sweetheart."
She gave her son a meaningful look. "What did we talk about?"
Ethan blinked a few times.
Only then did he notice the people watching them with interest and remember Boyd's request to keep it a secret.
Oops... I got carried away.
The boy deflated slightly when his mother removed her hand from his mouth.
Jim and Tabitha exchanged a silent look. Neither of them liked the idea.
But they also knew that trying to stop Julie would probably end in an argument.
"Fine." Jim pointed a finger at Daniel. "But you two be careful."
His tone made it clear that wasn't a request. "And I want my daughter back without a single scratch. Am I clear?"
Placing a hand over his chest, Daniel gave it two dramatic pats. "Don't worry, father-in-law."
Jim closed his eyes for a second. Just one second.
Long enough to stop himself from saying something that would probably start another argument.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Daniel grabbed Julie's hand and started walking.
"See you later."
The two headed down the trail before her father could change his mind.
Watching them leave, Jim grumbled under his breath.
Ethan, who had already recovered from the scolding, ran to the edge of the lawn.
"Daniel, wait! I want to come too!"
"No way!" Jim and Tabitha answered in unison.
The boy stopped immediately. Then he turned toward his parents with an enormous pout of indignation.
"Why does Julie get to go with him and I don't?"
Tabitha sighed and rubbed her temples. A headache was starting to creep in.
"Because she's an adult. When you turn eighteen, you can go too."
Ethan looked up at the sky as if calculating the distance to that date. "That's going to take forever."
With a defeated grumble, he kicked a loose stone across the lawn while watching the two disappear among the trees.
The adults returned their attention to the town's problems.
Ethan returned to his drawing.
But he still thought it was unfair that nobody ever took his adventure plans seriously.
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