Chapter 12: The rescue
Both men tensed instantly, exchanging alarmed glances.
"I told you – someone is in danger." Augustine ran toward the source of the sound, Gustave hurrying closely behind him.
The cries grew louder as they neared. Under the faint glow of moonlight, they saw a man pinning a struggling woman to the ground.
"Get off me, you monster..."
That voice.
Augustine’s blood ran cold when he recognized the voice. He froze in the mid-step, disbelief and shock flashing across his face.
"Anne." Her name ripped from his lips in a furious shout as something inside him snapped, dashing over.
Hearing a voice calling her name, Anne’s heart thumped with hope. "Help," she cried, using every ounce of her strength to shove against the man pinning her down. But he was too strong, his grip too unforgiving.
Suddenly, a dark figure lunged toward them. Before Anne could process what was happening, her attacker was ripped away from her, yanked off with a force so brutal that he tumbled backward with a choked grunt.
Anne gasped, scrambling back against the rough earth. Her fingers dug into the dirt as she watched, wide-eyed, the scene unfolding before her.
’Augustine,’ Anne mumbled inwardly, relief crashing over her in waves.