Bodyguard, Reluctantly Yours || ONC2022

Chapter 10

[Present]

The soft thumps that the beast's paws made against the wet ground of the reserve sent shivers through my spine. Staying absolutely still, I closed my eyes. 

The way Junjun had looked at me when he had told me his wish: having the freedom to choose the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, came to my mind. 

He was so young and had so much to live for; if anyone should become a meal today, better me than him. I was his bodyguard, after all. He was mine to take care of. 

I caught sight of the beast's humongous paws from the corner of my eye. They were an inch from my face. 

I cursed myself for losing the gun just moments before laying eyes on the thing that was probably going to eat me for dinner any second now and contemplated my chance of surviving if I went up against it right the fuck now. 

'Take it from me, Zhao Laoshi, your chances of surviving are Less than zero percent. Just stay where you are and pretend to be dead.' The Bastard instructed sternly without losing a heartbeat. 

'Heartbeats...how many did I have left?' I wondered woefully before reminding myself that I was here for Junjun. 

Then, looking within, I called on my courage and summoned my determination.

I was the best baobiao in Ysichuan, and now was my time to shine! 

Without moving too many muscles, I reached inside my pocket. Grabbing my stun gun, I took a deep breath. Convinced that if I aimed correctly, I could land a blow on the beast's jaw and take it down, I rose up like a phoenix would, from its ashes. 

I hit nada. Well, not exactly. I hit the air. 

I was sure it was right next to me moments ago. Where could it go in a blink of an eye!? 

"Zhao ge..." A soft voice- barely over a whisper- called me from somewhere close. Very close. 

"Junjun!?" I whispered back, "Where are you?"

Silence. 

Avoiding moving too quickly, just in case the beast was still around, I crouched down. I waited for a few seconds to make sure that we were indeed alone before shining light on the corpses around me before I started crawling in the general direction from where I had heard Junjun's voice. 

Blood and gore, I was used to, but the prospect of finding my charge with his throat ripped out and at death's door was something I was not prepared for. I swallowed the bile threatening to escape from its cage, aka my throat, and inched towards the possibly naked motionless body just ahead of me. 

However, just when I was about to push it out of the way, it moved and groaned. It was a man, and he was alive. His entire body looked like it had been dragged through the mud; his face wasn't any better either. 

I patted his head and then his shoulder, trying to wake him up and check him for injuries. Other than looking like crap, he seemed uninjured...at least on the outside. When he didn't respond, I turned him around. He groaned again, murmured something inaudible, and passed out for good. 

Poor fucker; I hoped that getting naked and wandering around in this place was the worst of his problems because any other possibility would be terrifying.

"Hey," I tried one last time, and when he continued holding his peace, I moved him out of the way and recommenced my search for the boy. 

Ten minutes and a hundred frustrated, disappointed sights and grunts later, I still hadn't found the idol.