Hearing the scream from outside, she couldn’t help but freeze in response. Despite her first instinct to scream in fright as well, various warnings she had received tonight were enough to make her cover her mouth to muffle any noises she may have let out. Looking around, she scans the room to ensure that there is no way anything is getting in, but realizing that the doorway was only covered with a cloth and not a proper door was of little comfort to her. As she looks over at the doorway, the cloth begins to rustle. Oh, no! Did the creature get in here? Did it manage to attack Nori? What if it's coming for me next? 

Despite her thoughts racing, she decided to stay quiet and fortunately for her, it was just Nori returning with the things he needed to bandage her foot. He entered quietly and didn’t make a single sound until he crouched down in front of her. 

“I should’ve warned you earlier, but noise attracts those creatures. Since the scream was so close, we need to be extremely careful not to be too loud. It was a good thing you’d covered your mouth. I would’ve been able to fight off the creature, but the last time I fought one, I’d sustained some serious injuries. It took months to heal completely.” Nori says as he cleans her feet. Continuing he says, “Normally, they don’t stay in one area for long and they are dependent on sound to hunt because they are blind so we are able to avoid them most of the time.”

Curiosity won over her fear and she decided to ask some of her questions, “You’ve told me a lot about these creatures, but what do you call them? And where are they during the day?”

Finishing up the bandage on one of her feet, he answers, “They are Nightwalkers and as you can guess from the name, only walk at night. The creatures are nocturnal so they simply sleep during the day. They like to stay in caves scattered throughout the mountain although we’ve been noticing a larger number of them coming down to the village.”

“Are there any other creatures that I should be aware of?” she asked. Despite her fear, she couldn’t help but want to know the types of creatures that she may encounter. 

“Yes, as you know, our enemies bring over various creatures, just as they brought you. They love to bring over any species that they see as potentially useful and if they can’t manipulate them or use them in the way they wanted, they are abandoned. There are mermaids, fairies, werewolves, vampires, dragons and many more. Most species are not outright hostile towards us, but any species under their control will destroy any people in their path.” 

“Most of those creatures, I have only heard of in fairy tales and myths.” she responds as he finishes bandaging her other foot. “Thank you.”

“No problem. We can talk more about everything tomorrow, you need to rest. Is there anything that I can get for you?”

“No, I’m okay. Good night.”

“Good night, you can come get me if you need anything. I am in the room next to yours.” Nori says as he quietly exits the room.

Deciding to get comfortable and try to rest as he asked, she was surprised at how comfortable this bed was. The furs and blankets were comfortable and warm. Although she had passed out twice today, it didn’t take long before she drifted off to sleep once again. 

Unfortunately her slumber didn’t last long, as she awoke to the sound of something crashing into a nearby building. Remembering his words, she covered her mouth instantly and quietly made her way into his room. Upon reaching his room, she found that he was already awake and peeking through a small window to look outside. Nori immediately put a finger up to his lips to signal for her to remain quiet and made his way over to her. 

As he got closer, he leaned down to her ear and murmured, “We want to continue to stay quiet. It seems that the creature has found something of interest in one of my neighbor’s houses and the creature is trying to make its way in. Our homes are built to withstand a few hits, but this creature seems to have gotten some help. It is best if we go into the basement tonight.”

Despite the serious mood, she couldn’t help but blush as he leaned down. His lips brushed her ear and he spoke in a low tone. She found herself wishing that this wasn’t a life or death situation, but followed him quietly as he turned away and motioned for her to follow. Thinking to herself she couldn’t believe her bad luck. Obviously I didn’t find myself in a romance novel like everyone else, I just had to be kidnapped and forced to survive in a literal jungle full of creatures who wanted to eat me. 

They reach an actual door made of brick and he carefully opens it making sure not to make any noise despite the fact that she was sure it was heavy. The open doorway reveals pitch black darkness beyond just the first few steps that she was able to see. As he looks over to her, she immediately realizes that he wants her to go first. Moving quietly she walks down the first few steps to give him room to enter the staircase as well and turns to watch him close the door. As he takes the time to lock the door, she couldn’t help but be surprised at his ability to do all of it in complete darkness. However, it didn’t take long before she realized that he probably learned how to do this out of necessity. 

“We should be okay to talk now, the basement is made to be mostly soundproof.” Nori says as she hears another lock click into place. 

“Do we have any light down here? I can’t exactly see very well in the dark.”

“No, you should be able to at least see the outlines of the staircases, and there’s a bed in the room at the bottom.” Nori says. She could hear his voice move closer and realized that he had finished the locks and was waiting behind her for her to go down the stairs.

“I can’t see anything.” she replies. Although she couldn’t see, she knew that he had gotten closer based on his scent and the fact that she could hear his breathing. She could feel a slight breeze so she knew he was moving beside her, but decided to stay still and see what he was doing. Despite their situation, she found herself wishing he would kiss her. Recognizing that she literally met him less than 24 hours ago, she knew she shouldn’t be this dependent on him, but she wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity. She may not have been brought into a romance novel, but she was going to make the best of what she had. With death so likely, she didn’t want to have any regrets when it happened. 

“Wow, you really can’t see anything.” he murmured from right next to her. 

His sentence broke her train of thought and she simply replied, “I told you, I can’t see anything. Do you mind helping me down the stairs?” As she asked this question, she simply expected him to give her a hand so she didn’t fall. Instead she found herself once again lifted into his arms as he carried her down the stairs. Once again, he carried her although she weighed nothing and once making it to the bottom he crouched down to place her on something soft. Most likely the bed he told her about earlier. As he moved away, she slid farther away on the bed until she hit the wall. Recognizing that he had only mentioned one bed, she decided to make room for him to join her as well. “We can share the bed, there’s plenty of room.”

Without any hesitation, he immediately answers, “No, we shouldn’t.”

Feeling rejected by his quick answer, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why not? There is one bed and it’s still the middle of the night. Neither of us got much sleep and I’d feel bad if you didn’t get any rest because of me.”

“It’s improper. Men and women do not share a bed unless they intend to spend the rest of their lives together and I truly doubt you’d want to be stuck with me.” he says. 

Although she wanted to reply that she’d like nothing more, she knew it wouldn’t convince him. Considering the vulnerability in his tone, she decided to learn more about him, instead of trying to convince him. “What exactly is so bad about you then? I haven’t seen you be anything but helpful since I’ve arrived.”

“I’m what the rest of the villagers call a loner. I do my job and retreat to my home where I spend most of my time alone. I… wasn’t always this way, but I don’t know that I can lose someone else.” he says as he looks down at the ground.

“Do you mind telling me more, or is it something you want to keep private?” She asks, wanting to reach out and offer him some comfort. 

“I’m sure if you don’t hear it from me, someone else will tell you anyway.” With a sigh, he continues, “I was married before. We were happy and expecting a child together. We had been best friends since we were children and we loved each other deeply. Unfortunately everything came crashing down as they were the first victims of the Nightwalkers. Despite my efforts trying to save her, I was unable to. For the first time in my life, I was alone and had no one to live for. The only thing that kept me going, was that she’d always asked me to be happy, for her. I’ve dedicated myself to saving others and have saved several families from going through the same heartbreak I did. We even learned how to fortify our houses and we haven’t lost a villager to them in a few years.” By the end of his sentence, she could hear a slight wobble in his voice and she was almost certain she heard a quiet sniffle. 

Crawling over to him, she didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. “You did the best you could’ve done and I know they would’ve been proud of you for everything you’ve done in their honor.” Although he’d said earlier that he wasn’t the emotional type, she guessed that he was referring to suppressing his emotions more than anything else and his reaction only proved her suspicion. As she held him, he began to cry. Before long, her shoulder was soaked with his tears. The two of them simply held onto each other as he let go of all of his pent up emotions. 

As he pulled away he quickly apologizes, “I’m so sorry. Your shoulder is probably soaked.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll dry just fine. I just want you to know that your story doesn’t make you any less of a man in my eyes. In fact, it is even more impressive to me that you allowed everything you’ve gone through to inspire you to work harder instead of giving up. That takes more strength than you realize.”

“Thank you, but you earthlings clearly view things differently to us here. I am older, I like to be alone, I am a warrior, and I have been married previously. All of these factors mean that I am less likely to be chosen to marry because everyone else wants to be sure that they have a husband who will come home to them for many years to come.”

With a giggle, she couldn’t help but agree. Many book characters have at least one of the traits that he listed and they find love easily, especially if they are as good looking as he is. “Earth is very different in that regard. People don’t hesitate to enter many temporary relationships, what we call dating, to find the one they want to be with for the rest of their lives.”

“Really, nobody considers it disrespectful to the one they choose to be with forever.”

“Not typically, some cultures do follow that line of thinking, but many cultures do not.”

“What about you?” he says with curiosity in his voice. 

Feeling happy that she was able to turn the mood around she replied, “I lived in a culture where dating was common. Despite that, I did remain single. Not as some sort of statement, but just because I was still searching for the right person.” Thinking back on her life on earth, she added, “I’m glad for that now, because making a life for myself here would be much harder if I had to give up on a boyfriend or husband on earth.”

He reached over to place a hand on hers and although she was surprised that he initiated the contact, she was happy that they seemed to be getting closer. “I am sorry that we can’t help you get back to Earth.”

“I’ve thought about it and I’m not sure that I’m as upset as I should be. I’ll miss some of the conveniences, but I’ve met people here that I feel I can connect with more than I ever did on Earth. It feels as though I’ve made it where I belong and I’m just getting started in life.” she confesses, honestly apparent in her voice.

“I’m glad you seem to be handling it well, but I think it’s best we get some sleep. You can take the bed and I’ll set up my sleeping bag to sleep in.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind taking the sleeping bag instead.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, get some rest.”

“Ok, goodnight.” she replies as she gets settled under the covers. This time, it took her much longer to fall asleep and she listened to the sound of his breathing until the rhythmic sound eventually pulled her to sleep.