Not A Small-Town Girl

----

She moved toward the exit, but Howard stopped her.

“Vivian, don’t be crazy! It’s a warzone out there! You’ll get

shot the moment you step outside!"

Gunfire and the sound of vehicles rumbled from beyond the

cave entrance.

"David, I’ll go check if our reinforcements have arrived,"

Nathan said, urgency in his voice. They needed to move,

and fast.

David didn’t respond. He just kept his eyes on Danielle, his

fingers gently brushing through her hair. "Danielle, I swear,

I won’t let you die."

Asoft cough broke the tension.

"Where am I?" Matthew’s voice was weak, but he was

awake.

----

Howard rushed to his side. "How are you feeling?"

“Dad? What happened? Where are we?" Matthew asked,

disoriented, looking around at the group.

Howard assessed him—just some surface wounds, nothing

too serious. But Danielle and Xavier... their injuries were far

worse. This situation was spiraling out of control.

"Get up, we need to move." Howard’s face showed the

strain of the situation, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Matthew, still confused, glanced at the others. His gaze fell

on his sister and Xavier, both covered in blood, held by two

men with stern expressions.

“What happened to Danielle and Xavier?" he asked, his

voice cracking with worry.

Vivian, relieved that Matthew was awake, rushed to him.noveldrama

“Matthew, you’re awake! Thank goodness. Don’t worry,

we’ll get out of here soon. Danielle and Xavier are hurt, but

we’re getting help.”

----

Matthew nodded slowly, realizing they had come to rescue

him. He felt a pang of guilt, seeing his family in such a

state, but knew there was nothing he could do right now.

Outside, the gunfire suddenly stopped, and Nathan

returned, breathless.

----

“We’ve taken care of them, sir. Let’s go." David nodded.

In the Blackpool Village, inside the village chief’s home, a

group of the best doctors in the country huddled around

Danielle.

Ethan wiped his brow, his gaze focused on the

unconscious girl. "I’ve seen her before... She’s highly

skilled in medicine, but this poison... I can’t identify it."

David’s eyes were cold as ice. "Spit it out."

----

Ethan hesitated but finally spoke,

fear in his yatce. "Mr. Charrington,

Miss Darling seems to have only L

minor injtiries... some cuts and

bruises, But... if I’m not mistake

she’Sbeen poisoned. I can’t say for

sut® what it is, though."

David turned his gaze to the other doctors. "And you?"

One of them spoke up cautiously. "I know of a poison that

matches her symptoms... but it’s not an exact match."

----

The doctor hurriedly explained. "It’s

called Luna Stalk. Anyone poisoned

by it doesn’tsurvive more than fives

years. Ata when the poison ws

activ aS, it triggers uncontrollable

killinginstincts, loss of all five

senses, and eventually, excruciating

pain until death."

He paused, his voice dropping lower. "It’s... it’s considered

extinct. There’s no known antidote."

----

The room seemed to freeze as the

words hunqNtr the air. The doctors,

now fullysaware of the gravity of thé

situationnervously glanced at each

other they could feel the weight of

es id’s gaze burning into them.

Howard, unable to stand the tension, stepped forward.

“Where did you learn about this poison?"

The doctor, shaking, said, "It was in an ancient book... but

the antidote—it doesn’t exist. I swear, I’m not lying."

The other doctors exchanged uncomfortable glances. They

were all worried—not just about Danielle’s fate, but about

the wrath of Mr. Charrington.