Rustling Sounds

If it came to that, he was willing to sacrifice his own life to help her escape. Charles let out a bitter chuckle. At that moment, he heard rustling sounds emanating from the bushes behind him. It was likely some animals foraging for food or perhaps even the Scarlet Ants returning. Unable to move, Charles closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. Unexpectedly, he heard Samuel's voice from above, "What happened? How did you get injured like this?" Opening his eyes, Charles saw a familiar face and breathed a sigh of relief. He warned, "Quickly, let's get out of here. There are s lot of ants in this place, so many that they can devour a person, and their bites are poisonous." "What about Zoey? Is she okay?" Samuel inquired. Charles closed his eyes once again and replied with three words, "She's not hurt." He chose not to mention the rest of the ordeal and had no desire to relive it. Samuel bent down, helping Charles to his feet, and asked, "Can you walk?" Charles nodded weakly but appeared o