The Ninth Bride (Samantha and Finley)

Chapter 364 What's There to Be Afraid Of?

What was there to be afraid of?

Elain didn't even hesitate before agreeing. "Sure, I'm willing to search with you, Samantha. The only question is, would you be willing?"

Wanting to get things over with quickly and head home, Samantha nodded. "Yes."

"Well, since you are okay with it, come along," Elain declared, effortlessly taking control of the situation.

Samantha followed without a second thought, doing exactly as Elain directed. However, just as they were about to leave, a nearby officer raised his voice to stop them. "You two can't go alone. What if you run into danger? It's better if everyone sticks together."

Both Samantha and Elain understood that the officer meant well. However, they also knew that if everyone stayed grouped up, there was no telling how long it would take to gather all the body parts.

Samantha, hoping to convince the officer, tried reasoning with him. "Officer, this forest is massive. If we don't split up, it will take us ages to find all the parts. Plus, I've taken self-defense classes, so there's no need to worry about Elain and me. I'm confident I can protect her if we do face danger."Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Despite her assurances, the officer was still unwilling to let them go on their own. In the end, with no other choice, Samantha challenged the officer to a fight, proving her ability to defend herself. Only then did he reluctantly allow them to continue on their own. Once Samantha and Elain departed, the officer organized the rest of the group to begin their grim search for the body parts.

Time slipped away, and soon, two hours had passed.

When Finley finally arrived at the forest, an eerie silence hung in the air. He took out his phone, trying repeatedly to call Samantha, but the forest's poor reception only gave him the frustrating sound of calls not going through. Anxiety gnawed at him as he surveyed the dim surroundings. Following the faint footprints on the forest floor, he began to track them.

"Sam..." he called out, his voice echoing as he pressed forward, hoping to hear a response. The sky was beginning to darken, and now and then the sound of crows cawing cut through the oppressive quiet of the woods. Thick foliage blocked out the last of the sunlight, leaving the forest shrouded in early evening gloom.

After Samantha and Elain split off from the others, they managed to locate a body part.

The further they went, the more they strayed from the group. Soon, Samantha realized they had ventured far too deep into the forest. She lifted her hand, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Chapter 364 What's There to Be Afraid Of?

"Elain, it's getting late. We should head back and regroup with the others. Otherwise, the officer's going to get worried."

Elain listened, then cast a glance toward a cave not far from where they stood. "Samantha, do you think there might be body parts in that cave?"

"I don't know,"

"Should we check?"

Samantha couldn't help but notice how bold Elain seemed.

Though she wasn't timid herself and wasn't easily scared, the growing darkness made her uneasy. If they didn't return to the officer soon, she was worried about them becoming anxious-especially Finley. What if something unexpected happened, like a ripple effect from her rebirth? Could the killer be lurking somewhere in the woods right now? That murderer was supposed to be incredibly dangerous.

Even if she could fight, there was no guarantee she wouldn't get hurt. And, thinking it over carefully, it seemed much wiser to return before something went wrong.

"Elain, I really think we should..."