Facade of Love (Yvette Scott and Idris Young)
Chapter 291

Chapter 291 Running into Trouble

I nodded with determination, helping Charlie push through the thick underbrush that lay ahead. The path was a real challenge, tangled with dense shrubs and littered with sharp thorns that made every step a battle.

Charlie, nursing an already injured leg, winced with pain at each accidental scrape.

To prevent any further damage to his leg, I led the way, hacking through the branches. He called out to me with concern in his voice, "Yvette, don't use your hands on those thorns. Use this."

I glanced back to see him snapping off a long branch and could not help but smile. "I should've grabbed some sturdy ones back when we left the forest..." Mid-sentence, I caught sight of something slithering on the right side of Charlie's neck. My heart skipped a beat as I realized what it was.

Charlie, noticing my sudden silence, turned his head towards me.

"Freeze!" I gasped, my whole body tensing up.

He halted, a crease forming between his brows. Thankfully, he listened and stayed still, his body tensing as he asked, "What's going on?"

My eyes were glued to the black snake on his right side, my heart pounding out of my chest. I managed to choke out, "There's a..."

I did not get to finish. The snake struck at Charlie's neck, and without a second thought, I grabbed the serpent by its slick, black body.

The feel of its slimy skin made my flesh crawl. A sudden pain in my wrist made me let go instantly.

The sting made me suck in a breath, and instinctively, I stumbled back, "Shit!"

Charlie's reflexes were lightning-fast. He swung the stick in his hand at the black snake I had just tossed aside. With a solid whack to the head, the snake bolted into the densest part of the brambles. Charlie reached out to grab it, but the bush was a fortress of thorns, and his hands were no match for the slithering escape artist. He ended up with nothing but a hand full of cuts, bleeding like crazy. I shouted at him, my skin breaking out in goosebumps, "Forget it, Charlie! Those thorns will tear you up. Don't hurt yourself more."

He scowled, knowing I was right, and let it go. He spun around, concern etched on his face." You okay?" he asked.

I shook my head, glancing down at my throbbing wrist. Out of nowhere, Charlie grabbed my wrist. His face went from cool to full-on alarm mode. "You've been bitten," he said, eyes locked on mine.

A strange warmth spread across my wrist. I blinked in surprise as he... was he sucking the wound? Being this close to him weirded me out.

I tried to pull away, only then noticing the black blood he spat out. I was frozen, my mind racing. A regular snake bite was one thing, but a venomous one? We were in the middle of Chapter 291 Running into Trouble

nowhere, and with Charlie hurt, if we could not replace help or antivenom soon, I was in big trouble.

2/2

However, Charlie was already one step ahead. He stripped off his shirt and used it to tie off my arm tightly. "We've got to replace help, fast," he said, all business. I just nodded, feeling the bite mark pulse with a mix of green, purple, and swelling. Was it my imagination, or was my heart racing and my breath shortening?

Charlie was practically dragging me along, rushing so much that the thorny bushes had scratched him up pretty badly. His arms were the worst, streaked with blood, especially since he had given me his jacket for protection. My vision was getting fuzzy, and with a raspy voice, I managed to say, "Mr. Yates, you're hurt."

11

He spun around, his expression shifting from concern to alarm, his eyes narrowing. "Yvette, are you okay?" Although I tried to smile and show him I was fine, it was a weak attempt. I'm... I'm okay..."

The words barely left my lips before my head started spinning, and I would have hit the ground if Charlie had not caught me.

Dizziness and nausea overwhelmed me, my legs turned to jelly, and my stomach churned- that snake bite was doing a number on me.

Charlie was holding me up, looking ghostly pale himself. "Mr. Yates, go get help," I urged him. "I'll wait here."