Chapter 64

I carefully cradled the bag of books in my arm. A small figure suddenly came running out of darkness and collided with me. A child? I immediately crouched down to check on the child. "Are you okay, little one?" I could only barely see the child's face in the dim light. She wore oversized and tattered clothes. Her skin was sallow, and her eyes were deeply sunken and hollow. Her hair was dry and yellowed like brittle straw. She just stared blankly at me despite being hit. Her eyes widened in fear because of the shock. Her entire body trembled as she propped herself up. She was frozen in place as if paralyzed and was too scared to move. She wouldn't respond to me no matter how much I asked. What a strange child. I glanced inside the bag to ensure the books were undamaged after checking that she had no visible injuries. I then realized the books weren't heavy enough to cause a concussion. After confirming everything was in good condition, I slung the bag over my left shoulder an