Chapter 17 Chapter 16

Thankfully, they made it to the next safe house well before the sun went down.Another stone house, and Dylan wonders if it's his "masterpiece" again, almost all safe houses are the same. Is this what my concept of refuge and home looks like?She thought carefully about where Bai Ji might have connected the two together. The apartment she and Joan lived in (no, they used to live in) was a red sandstone building surrounded by identical buildings.Before her grandmother died, she lived in a lonely place in the suburbs, but it was also a modern log cabin, with a beautiful garden outside the house, dotted with some strange stone lions and dwarves.Other than that, she couldn't think of any other place that felt like home.

Except—oh, yes—her dad had mentioned his place on the phone once.He said it was an old-fashioned stone house, just big enough for him and his dog named Anna.Is the house in front of her the same as the stone house in her imagination?Maybe her subconscious wanted her to see something she was looking forward to seeing, but couldn't get what she wanted. Sometimes, she would imagine the door opening and a man coming out. In her imagination, he was handsome, strong, kind and kind.She couldn't help laughing at the thought, and realized that was all she had imagined about her father.She had never seen a picture of her father, and couldn't really recall what he looked like before he left.Shaking her head, she pushed all these thoughts aside and followed Tristan to the front door.

The house, although slightly run-down, feels cozy and comforting, like coming home after a long and difficult journey.The front door was made of hard oak, still strong despite the weather.The windows had been exposed to the harsh Scottish weather for a long time, and had accumulated a layer of dust and grime on the outside.Although the paint was peeling, the wooden window frames still looked intact.There is no exquisite garden here, but a path is paved in front of the door.Some weeds have quietly drilled out of the cracks in the ground, but they haven't completely occupied the ground yet.

Tristan led the way into the room, and the feeling of warmth and comfort continued. The cabin had none of the long-abandoned, untidy look of the others.Dylan wondered, could it be that he has become more and more comfortable in the wasteland?At one end of the room was a bed, next to a table with a large half-burnt candle, and a battered chest of drawers on the table.There are tables and chairs in the middle of the room, in front of the fireplace.At the other end of the room was a small kitchen with a chipped, dirty sink.Dylan stepped forward to watch, looking at the old-fashioned faucets, wondering if they still work now.There was still a layer of mud on her jeans.Before all this stupidity happened, she went back to the apartment and changed into a gray smock.Now the hood of the clothes has been stained with stains, and there are some small torn holes.She doesn't even want to think about what "respect" she looks like at this time

up. Although the pipes were rusted and the sink was covered with sludge, Dylan looked forward to it when he unscrewed the cold water pipe.At first nothing came out of the pipe, and she frowned, feeling a little disappointed.But then there was a creaking sound from under the sink, and she stepped back cautiously, as a jet of brown water spewed from the pipe.The water bounced against the wall of the tank, and if Dylan hadn't jumped back two steps in time, he would have been splashed with dirty water again.After a few seconds of spraying, the water began to level off and become a clear-looking trickle.

"Great," Dylan said, counting on this being the first shower in as many days.She washed her face with water and shivered from the shock of the ice water. She scooped up the water playfully, and turned around to surprise Tristan.But she stopped suddenly, and the water fell on the slate floor along her loosened fingers, splashing everywhere.The house was empty. "Tristan!" she yelled, panic in her voice.The door was open, and though there was still light, night was fast approaching.Does she dare to venture out?But she couldn't be alone anymore.Thinking of this, she immediately made up her mind and began to walk forward resolutely, just in time to bump into Tristan who appeared at the door.

"What's wrong?" He asked innocently. "Where have you been?" Dylan asked, relief turning to anger. "I'm just outside." He looked at her slapped face and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." "I'm just... just worried," she murmured, feeling a little silly.She turned around, pointed to the sink behind her and said, "The faucet here works." Tristan gave a knowing smile, and looked at the half-open door. "Twenty minutes before dark, I'll go outside for a while to give you some privacy. I'm right by the front door," he assured. "You can talk to me anytime you want." He smiled reassuringly , go out the door.She wandered to the door, peeped out, and saw him sitting on a rock.

He glanced up and saw her looking at him. "You can close the door if you want. But even if you want to leave it open, I promise not to peek." He blinked, and Dylan was embarrassed. Dylan closed the door angrily, but opened it again on second thought.She was impatient to take a good bath, but at the thought of taking a shower with the door open, and there was someone outside, she stood there restless again, it was too uncomfortable.Then she thought of closing the door and being alone in the room, the fear of being abandoned was still fresh in her memory, and even thinking about it made her heart beat wildly with fear.So she decided to open the door slightly to block his triumphant smile, just in case.

She glanced uneasily at the door, then undressed and washed quickly with a small bar of soap she found in the sink.The cold in the room was freezing, and she thought about asking Tristan to come back and start the fire, but she knew that when the fire was done, it would be dark and they would all have to stay inside for safety.She gritted her teeth so that her teeth would not chatter, and tried to wash as quickly and thoroughly as possible.After taking a shower, she had to put on her dirty clothes again.Dylan wrinkled his nose as he pulled on his muddy jeans.She had just pulled the T-shirt over her head when Tristan knocked on the door.Even though the T-shirt was baggy and not see through at all, she grabbed the gray coat and hurriedly pulled it on, zipping it up to her chin.

"Is it over?" he asked, peeking in through the crack of the door. "It's getting dark." "Okay," she murmured. He walked in quickly and closed the door tightly, "I'll light the fire." Dylan nodded gratefully.She had just taken a cold shower and was still shivering.Once again it took him an incredible amount of time before the flames shot up from the fireplace.He stood up and looked at her carefully. "How is the bath? Is it more comfortable?" She nodded, "However, I really want to change clothes." She sighed. Tristan smiled and went to the chest of drawers, "There are some clothes here, but I don't know if they fit. But we can try it. If you want, you can wash your clothes here too." He said Throw her a T-shirt and some sweatpants.The clothes and pants are a bit big, but she is still very willing to wash her dirty clothes.

"No panties, though," he added. Dylan thought about it carefully and made up his mind, as long as he had clean clothes to wear, it was worth not wearing underwear for a night.She was about to start changing, but it was dark enough to invite Tristan outside.She twisted her feet back and forth, clutching her dress to her chest.Tristan also saw her embarrassment. "I'll stand over there," he said, crossing the room to stand by the sink, "you can change by the window." He looked away from her, to the small kitchen window look out.Dylan hurried to the bed, cast a quick glance at Tristan to make sure he was indeed looking in the other direction, and then hurriedly undressed as fast as he could. Tristan was still steadfastly staring at the glass, but the darkness outside and the fire-lit interior turned the glass into a mirror.He could see Dylan take off his coat first, then his T-shirt.Her skin was smooth and fair, her shoulders were strong, her waist was narrow and slender.When she shook off her jeans, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to be as gentlemanly as possible. He counted slowly to thirty in his head—each count was exactly one breath—and when he opened his eyes again, she was standing there in the too baggy dress, staring into his eyes. back.He turned his head and smiled at her. "Pretty," he commented. She blushed and tugged on the T-shirt.Not wearing a bra made her feel very embarrassed, and she folded her arms to protect her chest, which seemed like an extra layer of protection. "Do you want me to help with the laundry?" He offered to apply. Dylan's eyes widened, humiliated at the thought of letting him peek into his dirty panties.Why, oh why?Why didn't I die wearing a full set of beautiful Victoria's Secret lingerie? "No, I can do it myself," she replied.Dylan grabbed the pile of dirty clothes off the bed and hugged them tightly as she walked across the room, trying to hide her bra and panties among the pile.She dropped them on the counter and spent five minutes first cleaning the sink with an old scouring pad to remove the sludge, then unrolling the rusted sink chain and plugging it tightly.She turned the two faucets to the maximum at the same time, but the water flowing out of the "hot water pipe" was still extremely cold, and the water flow from the two faucets was only a trickle. Looks like I'll have to wait a while to fill the sink.Dylan stood by the table for a moment, but the heat from the fireplace drew her into the middle of the room.Tristan was already settled in a chair, leaning back comfortably, with his feet still on a small stool.Dylan found a chair and sat down too, with his feet on the edge and his knees against his chest.She folded her arms around her legs and watched Tristan.Now it's time to tell the rest of the story. "That..." Her voice was very soft. He looked at her, "What?" "Tell me the rest, Tristan." The tone of her mention of his name made him slightly excited: "What happened after you were dragged down by them?" He kept his eyes on the fire as he answered.Dylan had the feeling that he wasn't really looking at the fire, but that his mind was going back to the monsters outside. "It's pitch black." He began to tell his story, his voice low like a hypnotist.Dylan was quickly enthralled, picturing the images in his head as he described, "They were dragging me across the ground, I couldn't breathe, there was dirt in my mouth and nose. If I didn't If I knew the situation, I thought I was going to die. It went on like this for a long time, and I kept falling deeper and deeper into the ground. My body rubbed against the gravel and stones, but the demons still pulled me down together. Finally , their sharp claws began to slash and slash at me again, laughing wildly with excitement, and swooped down on me, so I twisted and rolled in the air. Then I hit something, something hard. The impact Makes me feel like every bone in my body is shattered. Of course, it's just how I feel, but the pain is so painful that I can't move. The pain... I have never experienced it before. The demons surrounded me, but But I can't protect myself." Tristan stopped suddenly and turned to look at the kitchen, "The water in the sink is almost overflowing." He needed a break, to stop and gather his thoughts.This incident made him very perplexed, for he had never been caught before, and he had never been defeated by the devil.He had told Dylan that protecting the soul was a priority, and that was certainly true, but only to a certain extent.Self-preservation often prevails, and so sometimes the soul is seized by the devil.But this soul in front of him is too special.Even if he sacrificed himself, he still wanted to ensure her safety. Those pains were nothing compared to this. "Oh." Dylan was so attracted by his words and eyes just now that he completely forgot about the trickle that was slowly filling the sink.She jumped off the chair in a hurry and screwed the rusty faucet tight with great effort.She dipped the soap in the ice water, then rubbed it vigorously between her palms, trying to get some decent lather before the bar lost its smoothness and cracked in her hands.Immediately afterwards, she grabbed the clothes and soaked them in the water. While the clothes were absorbing water, she bounced back and sat down opposite Tristan, looking at him expectantly.He smiled lightly. Isn't this how parents feel when they tell their children bedtime stories?It's just that his story is likely to give people nightmares. "How did you escape?" she asked. He smiled and said, "It's all up to you." "What?" Dylan looked at him in horror. "You need me, and that's what brought me back. I... I didn't know this was going to happen - it never happened before - but you were calling me. I heard it, I heard yours Calling. When I wake up again, I'll be in Taniguchi. You saved me, Dylan." He gazed at her with warm eyes filled with wonder. Dylan opened his mouth wide, too surprised to speak for a moment. An image immediately appeared in her mind - sitting on the floor in fear, leaning against the closed door, crying Tristan's name. Was it her act that saved Tristan?It's just crazy, it's incredible.However, then she thought about the strange things that happened in the past few days. It was obvious that things that did not conform to the laws of the real world could happen here. "But why did it take so long?" Dylan muttered, "I've been waiting for you all day." "I'm sorry," he whispered softly, "I returned to the entrance at the other end of the valley. I..." He changed the subject uncomfortably, "I walked a little slowly, and it took me a day to get to you." "It's good to see you, it's horrible to be alone. And..." Dylan said, blushing suddenly, turning his eyes away from him, and staring at the fire, "Wherever you are, I I was afraid that they would hurt you. They really did kill you." She reached out to touch his bruised face, but he avoided it. "We've got to get your clothes out of the water, or they won't be dry anytime soon," he said.Dylan quickly drew his arms back, letting them hang over his lap.She looked down at her knees, her face burning and her heart aching.Tristan saw her embarrassment and the pain of rejection, and felt a pang of regret.He opened his mouth to say something reassuring, but Dylan had already run away and circled to the sink.She struggled to scrub the stains on her clothes, trying to hide the shame in her heart.Luckily, the work in hand allowed her to take her eyes off him, so she wrung the clothes slowly, as if trying to wring out every drop of water. "Let me hang the laundry for you." Tristan lingered behind her, and his sudden remark made Dylan jump, and the bra in his hand fell to the stone floor.He bent down to pick it up, but she snatched it away. "Thanks, but I can do it," she whispered, sidling past him.There is no drying rack in the house.Dylan turned the chair so that its back was facing the fire, and draped the clothes over the back and arms to dry.She tried hard to find a safe, inconspicuous place to hang her panties, but finally had to give up the idea.Now this place can at least guarantee that they will dry, which is not satisfactory.Now the chairs are taken up by clothes, so there is no place to sit but the bed.Tristan was already lounging there, looking at her with a strange expression on his face. In fact, he was wrestling with his conscience.Dylan was a child, really a baby compared to him, and his feelings for her were abnormal, wrong.As her protector, if he acted according to his own feelings, he would be taking advantage of her fragility.But he lived in this world, but he never experienced anything, never grew up, is he really that old?And what is age to a soul whose thinking and perception remain eternal?He was sure that she also had a crush on him, and he felt that he could read it from her eyes.But he could also be misjudging, and the concern she showed for him could simply be a reluctance to bear the fear of being alone.Her trust in him might just be out of helplessness—does she have any other choice?Her closeness to him, the way she tried to touch him, might be nothing more than the feeling a child turns to an adult for comfort when he is frightened.But he couldn't be sure either. In the end, they also had to face an important fact-he couldn't go to the destination with her.He must leave her alone where the wasteland meets hell, or, more precisely, she will have to leave him.If she really had a crush on herself, it would be cruel to give her now something that would soon be taken back.He didn't want her to go through this cruelty, he couldn't be emotional.He looked at her, saw her blue eyes looking at him too, those eyes were now as dark and deep as the forest, and he felt his throat constrict.He is only her guide and protector, nothing else.Still, he could comfort her, that was as much as he allowed himself to do.He smiled at her and held out his arm. Dylan shyly walked over to the bed and curled up beside him.He caressed her arm absently, and Dylan felt a throbbing in his heart.She dropped her head on his shoulder and smiled to herself.Everything around her was chaotic and dangerous, she almost lost everything about herself, but right here, she suddenly felt... Consummation, how could this be possible?