My System has a Glitch

Ingrid carefully made her way through the bridge. She got high up on a tall tree and from vantage point she could see William slumped over on a branch.

He looked lifeless and even from that distance, she could see the effects of the venom on him. His whole body looked gray and the closer she got the more dreadful he looked.

She pulled out her tracker and to her surprise it showed only a single dot, indicating there was only one person around her.

They've left him, she thought, then it dawned on her that they could still be there and they could be that single dot on the tracker because William could be dead.

'What do I do?'

Ingrid calmed herself and slowed her breathing, then she dashed in running from tree tops to tree tops to snake infested tree tops still she got close enough to william.

She looked at him for a moment and waited for a sign, the moment seemed to stretch to infinity and then she saw his chest heave and she knew he was still alive.

She jumped down and landed right beside him and held onto the body of the tree so she wouldn't slip off. When she was stable enough she let go of the tree and squatted down beside him.

His face was covered with black lines that branched out like trees. She could see a faint foam residue on the side of his mouth, how he was still alive was a total wonder.

'It's a good thing the old man was collecting herbs, I would have never made it on time.'

She placed her hand on William's chest and by her intent she transferred the antivenom her guide had brewed from the herbs directly into his body.

[ANTIDOTE, ADMINISTERED SUCCESSFULLY]

[BOOST×1 TRANSFERRED SUCCESSFULLY]

She waited a moment and watched as the black lines on his face began to reside.

' it's working!' She thought as the color began to return to his face but still his breathing still lagged and she hadn't seen his chest expand or compress for a while.

Ingrid grew worried, she placed her ear on his chest and his heart beat was so faint it scared her.

'I've got to shock him awake! Enough boost should do it.'

She placed her hand on his chest again and when she was about to use her intent a leaf fell down from the tree, it fell straight down and it had a perfectly cut hole right at the centre of it.

She panicked and looked up to see aan with large dark glasses looking down at her from up in the branches she quickly got up and balled her fist, ready to defend William but the man laughed and said,

"Dont worry, I won't hurt him at least not on the state he's in and, he helped me pick out these glasses. So I guess I owe him one."

She could sense a sinister nature to this man and was already thinking of an exit strategy but she quickly realized she was backed into a corner, back in with no chance to escape, she couldn't save them both.

"I won't hurt him, he said. I promise I won't, it's you, we should be worried about."

Maybe Nod or the old man was on their way, maybe all she had to do was stall long enough for any one of them to get here or at least till an opening materialized.

Why couldn't I see you on the tracker! She said defiantly.

The man chuckled and said, so you do have a tracker. it's quite simple really I just stood up there and waited for you to show up.

He points up with his index finger.

Haven't you figured it out yet? Come on say it! You're smarter than that, I know you are, now say it.

She thought it over or at least pretended to, but in reality she had figured out the flaw in her tracker the exact moment she saw him.

She stalled for as long as she could and when she sensed his patience was running low she said, "I think I understand and correct me if I'm wrong on this, I'm not usually great at this thinking stuff….."

Again she was trying to stall for time

"…..but I think you made sure you were standing directly above him so the dots in the tracker would overlap on each other and I wouldn't be able to tell them apart."

He smiled and scratched the edge of his left ear then he said, "you get ten points, so I'm not gonna kill you until you hit zero again but then again, you did waste a couple trying to stall me."

She gasped.

Lets see, how many does that make it? One, two? Seven? No, that's not correct.

He looked down at his hands and was seriously counting down the points he had just given her with his fingers. He balled both fists and said, sorry kid, it looks like you're out.

He smiled and walked closer to her, she moved a step back and found herself pressed against the tree with nowhere left to go. She balled her fists and set her eyes on his hands, waiting for him to make his move.

She kept a fierce look but still the man remained calm. He took a step forward and got even closer to her but then he felt something, something tight around his ankles.

He looked down and saw William's hand gripping his ankles, almost strangling the life out of it.

Do you mind? he said to William. We were in the middle of something.

Immediately she saw his eyes were off her, she seized the moment and threw a fast blow aimed at the side of his head.

Pow!!

He stopped her blow with his bare hands, wrapping his scars around her smooth skin and all without even looking as he still had his eyes on William.

"You see what I mean William? Now she's starting without."

He tightened his grip on her hand and she squeezed her face as tried her best to stay tough.

"Let her go!" William said in a groggly sick voice. His vision was still a bit blurred and his throat dry, but the booster burned in his chest like rocket fuel—just enough to make one final move.

The man smiled and said, you're not quite there yet William,rest easy. I promise I'll leave whatever bit of her I can.

"I said let her go!" William tightened his grip on the man's ankles as the booster rate increased. The man twitched his lip, that this was an unusual amount of strength for some in his condition.

Ingrid tried to punch him again and this time he let go of her hand and grabbed her throat before her blow even got close enough to him. He slammed her against the tree.

"I said let go!" William tried to pull him back but he was still lying on his back and was in quite an unstable position.

The man kicked his leg free of Williams grip and William gasped as he saw the bottom of his shoe coming directly at his face.

William had been holding back a surge of vomit ever since he woke up but now he didn't need to anymore as his throat was pressed shut by the man's foot.

The man let out a weary sigh and said in a low voice, "you know I think I understand why you're all so damn difficult . Could it be that you don't want to die?"

Bang!

They all heard gunfire and Ingrid saw a flurry of blood gush out of his arm. With her arms free and his arm now injured, she seized the moment and tried to break his hold on her by knocking his injured arm away.

She raised her hand and swung them down as hard as she could on his arm, they were like two hammers crashing down on a single nail but still he didn't budge, in fact he tightened his grip.

"Took you long enough!" he yelled. "I wondered when you'd take the shot!"

He turned and looked directly at where the shot had come from and he said to Ingrid, "you're really pushing it sister, try hard enough and your total points might just go in the negatives. You wouldn't want to imagine what that's like."

"That was a warning shot!" An old voice cried from the tree tops. "Leave them or I'll put one through your skull."

He looked at Ingrid and said, I'm empty handed, I can't leave empty handed, you've got to give me something, maybe a kiss or maybe you're tracker. You decide.

She gritted her teeth and kept her defiantly look then he smiled as he knew this was the last the resolve of someone utterly beaten.

[BOOSTER ×4 Max rate×10]

Williams' leg shot up and wrapped around him. He moved so fast the man couldn't react on time, he just laughed as William spun himself off the tree taking the man down with him.

"No!" Ingrid cried as she watched him fall down towards the snakes.