The moment Ren ran away, asking him to stay put, the eerie silence had returned to the shadows of the deep woods.
Earl was leaning heavily against the rough bark of the massive oak tree, and as time slowly passed, his breathing was unknowingly turning a bit shallow and ragged.
He couldn't understand the reason, but the excruciating pain in the swollen welt of his ankle had now settled into a throbbing, numbing burn, making it almost impossible for him to move his foot even an inch.
The blood slowly started to clot, but still, thick dark red droplets continued to ooze from the puncture wound, staining the green moss beneath his foot.
His head rolled back against the trunk, and with dark spots appearing before his eyes slowly, it was clear to realize the venom had already begun to circulate through his whole body.
