Chapter 11
Thinking of her sister who, despite being old enough to marry, had remained as clear-hearted and pure as a child, made a dull ache spread through Hill’s chest. She almost resented the bright sunlight streaming in through the window.
How could the world be this bright when Aill was gone?
She shrank into the darkest corner, turning away from the light. When the cold seeped from the wall into her back, the warmest memory rose up like a spring haze.
Her father, Aill, and herself.
The days when the three of them held one another close, cherished one another, loved one another.
Her father, a minister, had been gentle and thoughtful. Though they had lost their mother young, the two sisters grew up without shadow under the love he gave them.
If only—
If only that day she hadn’t smiled shyly and said she’d found someone she liked.
Would they be living a different present now?
She knew it was pointless, yet the foolish what-ifs spilled over, carried along by her emotions. Hill pressed her forehead to her knees and held back a breath that threatened to turn into sobs.
She knew revisiting the past would only make her more miserable, yet she couldn’t bring herself to stop this sweet recollection, like an addict reaching for opium.
She should have died then too. Or at least… instead of running away, she should have begged him to spare her sister’s life…
If it meant saving you, I would have given up my pride, my life, anything. She half-sobbed, drowning in belated regret.
And then—
Tap.
A faint vibration reached her trembling back.
At first she didn’t notice. But when it came again—tap, tap—she couldn’t miss it.
Startled, she swallowed her sobs and lifted her head. Turning toward the wall, she stared wide-eyed.
Someone outside knocked once more. Her gaze darted about in confusion, and without thinking, she tapped the wall back.
A short silence.
Then an echo returned.
—You’re still there.
And then,
—That’s a relief.
It was a voice she recognized. A voice she had hoped never to hear again. While she stood frozen, unable to respond, he added,
—Were you crying, kind soul?
A stranger whose face she’d never seen, making a guess.
She didn’t know why such a calm, unadorned voice pierced straight through her chest. Hill felt her throat tighten.
Perhaps it was because she’d been reliving happier days. Memories she hadn’t fully buried pooled in her heart, and the warmth she’d once known so naturally rose as nostalgia.
If she spoke, she felt she’d burst into tears, so she couldn’t answer. Clinging to the wall, Hill bit her lip and sobbed silently.
—Ah. You truly were crying.
I—I…
—There’s no need to worry. I’m well prepared.
Who are you, exactly… and why are you—
Questions struck her like rain, but with her thoughts clouded and blurred, she couldn’t examine him clearly. The tears kept coming. Scolding herself for her weakness, she gasped for breath, forcing it low and quiet.
—Please, don’t quiet that sorrowful crying.
The voice, now a little farther away, whispered,
—If you draw attention with sound, my task will be easier.
Before the echo of his words even faded, his presence vanished completely. Hill blinked, eyes brimming with tears, struggling to understand what she’d just heard.
What does that mean?
It was as if her crying had soaked into her mind. Normally, she would have understood such simple words instantly, but her thoughts slipped away like a mirage in the heat. She muttered his words to herself a few times before the meaning finally settled in.
What should she do?
Still curled up, she agonized. Should she follow his words, or ignore them?
Vague thoughts welled up in her foggy head, mixed with suspicion, worry, fear, hesitation… and memories she would never forget whispered to her.
Have you forgotten already?
What happened to those who helped her?
What happened to those she tried to protect?
Agonizing scenes gnawed at her chest until her breath caught. And then she thought of her sister. Aill.
Run. Aill smiled. She smiled while clutching the man’s arm. That fragile smile shattered beneath the blazing sun, the cruelest day in the world.
“No.”
A muted voice slipped from between Hill’s lips.
She spoke softly, as if letting those outside hear, and steadied her breathing.
It felt as though she were sitting somewhere between past and present. Watching for movement outside, she answered the image of her sister’s smile.
“I…”
She wiped the tears soaking her face and said,
“I won’t… leave you behind and run.”
She didn’t know why this person had come to help her, but she couldn’t let him die senselessly. She would probably be caught. He would probably be killed brutally. Still, if even a thread of possibility remained.
After all, that man wouldn’t kill her.
No matter what humiliation or pain she endured, wouldn’t it be worth it to save one life? Her exhausted mind reached that conclusion all the same.
She heard movement outside. Hill uncurled her body. There was the sound of steps. No, there couldn’t be, but—
Thinking she had to draw attention somehow, she ran toward the door. And at that moment—
Bang bang bang
Clang!
Hill, about to pound on the door, froze—eyes flying wide open.
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