The Fugitive's Touch

CHAPTER 6 : FIGHT

CHAPTER 6 : FIGHT

Rey sat with his back against the cold cave wall. His breathing was steady, but his mind remained alert. In the pitch-black darkness, only the sound of the prisoners’ breathing could be heard. They were still trying to calm themselves after running endlessly all day.

His eyes snapped open. He didn’t move, but he could feel the tension in the air. Some of the other prisoners who were still awake exchanged wary glances.

The tattooed man standing guard at the cave entrance gestured with his hand.

“Someone’s coming,” he whispered.

Everyone held their breath. Footsteps grew clearer. Then, from behind the trees, four men in black uniforms appeared, flashlights in hand.

Police.

Beside them, two guard dogs let out low whimpers, sniffing the air.

Rey remained still, but he knew in his heart they couldn’t avoid a fight. In their current condition, running again was out of the question.

One of the officers spoke in a firm voice.

“Come out of the cave with your hands up! There’s nowhere left to run!”

The prisoners exchanged looks. No one moved.

The officer took a step forward. “We know you’re in there. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be!”

At that moment, the tattooed man whispered to Rey, “Should we attack?”

Rey stayed silent for a moment, then finally gave a slow nod. “Do it.”

Without warning, the ten prisoners lunged forward. They moved quickly, charging at the officers, who were caught off guard by the sudden attack.

In seconds, chaos erupted.

One of the officers tried to raise his gun, but a prisoner struck him first. A hard punch landed on his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The guard dogs barked furiously, lunging at a scrawny man. He screamed as sharp teeth sank into his arm, but the tattooed man smashed a large rock against the dog’s head, making it collapse, unmoving.

The fight was brutal. The prisoners had the advantage in numbers, but the officers were better trained. One officer managed to stab a prisoner in the shoulder with a knife, but before he could strike again, the tattooed man landed a heavy blow to his neck, knocking him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Rey stood at the cave entrance, watching the battle with calm eyes. He didn’t need to step in. His men were handling it well.

Minutes later, it was over. The four officers lay lifeless on the ground, and the two guard dogs no longer moved.

But victory didn’t come without sacrifice. One of the prisoners, a bald man, sat down, grimacing.

“My arm… damn… my arm’s broken,” he groaned.

He clutched his left arm, which bent unnaturally. Blood trickled from his torn skin, a result of the brutal fight.

The tattooed man frowned. “It’s bad. We need to wrap it up.”

Rey finally stepped forward. He crouched in front of the injured man, staring at his mangled arm.

“I’ll fix it,” he said.

The bald man looked at him doubtfully. “You can heal it?”

“I don’t know. But we don’t have any other options.”

Rey reached out and placed his fingers over the wound.

Immediately, something strange happened.

Heat flowed from his fingertips, seeping into the man’s skin. Everyone held their breath as they watched. The gaping wound slowly closed. The broken bone shifted back into place, as if being mended by an invisible force.

The bald man’s eyes widened in shock. “What the hell…?”

A few seconds later, the pain completely vanished. He moved his arm, then stared at Rey, his face filled with disbelief.

“It’s… it’s healed!”

The other prisoners stepped back slightly, looking at Rey as if he were something unnatural.

“What just happened?” the tattooed man asked.

Rey himself had no answer. His hand was still raised, his fingers appearing completely normal.

He already knew his touch could paralyze opponents and soften solid objects. But healing wounds? That was new.

Everyone remained silent in shock.

Finally, the tattooed man patted Rey’s shoulder. “We need to get back inside before more cops show up.”

Without another word, they returned to the cave, leaving the officers’ bodies behind.

That night, Rey sat in the corner of the cave, staring at his fingers.

“What the hell is happening to me?” he muttered.

—-

The night inside the cave was eerily quiet. The prisoners sat around a small fire they had built to keep warm. Some were still panting, trying to recover from the intense fight.

But among them, one man remained silent, lost in thought.

Rey.

He stared at his fingers, which looked completely normal, even though they had just done something impossible minutes ago.

Healing a severe wound with a single touch?

He never imagined he could do something like that. Until now, he had only known that his fingers could paralyze people and soften hard objects like the prison bars. But healing someone…? That was new.

The tattooed man, who had now become Rey’s right-hand man, finally spoke up.

“So… you really can heal people, huh?” he asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Rey remained silent. He had no definite answer.

“I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “It just happened.”

The tattooed man nodded slowly, then turned to the bald man, who had fully recovered.

“Do you feel… different after being healed?” he asked.

The bald man moved his arm several times. He even clenched his fist and rotated his wrist to test it.

“I feel… perfectly fine,” he replied. “Nothing weird.”

The tattooed man nodded again, but his expression remained uncertain.

“This… is unbelievable,” he murmured. “It doesn’t make any sense. But we all saw it with our own eyes.”

Rey exhaled. He looked at the tattooed man with sharp eyes.

“I want to keep this a secret,” he said firmly.

The tattooed man raised an eyebrow. “Keep it a secret? Why? This could be a huge advantage for us.”

“That’s exactly why,” Rey replied. “If the outside world finds out I have this ability, I’ll never be left alone. I’ll be hunted. By the police, by secret organizations, maybe even by people who want to exploit me for their own gain.”

The cave fell into silence.

Rey was right. A power like this couldn’t be revealed so carelessly. The world would never let him live in peace if they knew.

“I get it,” the tattooed man finally said. “We won’t tell anyone.”

The other prisoners nodded in agreement. They knew Rey was the only reason they had escaped prison and survived this long. If he wanted something, they wouldn’t oppose him.

The night grew colder. The wind blew through the cave entrance, carrying the scent of damp earth and leaves. Some of the prisoners eventually fell asleep, exhausted.

But Rey remained awake.

He couldn’t sleep.

His mind kept replaying what had happened, trying to make sense of it.

The old man in the infirmary…

Was this all connected to him?

Was the light that old man had breathed into him the source of this power?

Rey closed his eyes, trying to recall the old man’s face.

A man with deep, mysterious eyes…

Who was he?

And why had he given this power to Rey?

Rey let out a long breath. He felt like he had only scratched the surface of something much bigger.

A mystery that remained unsolved.

Suddenly, he heard quiet footsteps beside him.

Rey opened his eyes and saw the tattooed man sitting down next to him.

“You’re still awake?” the man asked.

Rey shook his head. “I can’t sleep.”

The tattooed man nodded slowly. He seemed restless too.

“I want to ask you something,” he said.

Rey turned to him. “What?”

“After this… what’s your plan?”

Rey was silent for a moment before answering.

“We’ll stay in the forest for now,” he said. “We need a safe place before we can think further.”

The tattooed man nodded.

“And after that?”

Rey looked at him deeply.

“I’m going to find my family’s killer.”

The tattooed man fell silent. He had heard Rey’s story about being falsely imprisoned. He knew there was something bigger behind it all.

“I’ll help you,” he finally said.

Rey studied him for a moment, then gave a slow nod.

He didn’t know if he could fully trust this man yet, but for now, he needed all the help he could get.

The night grew darker. Rey finally lay down on the cave floor, trying to rest, even though his mind was still filled with unanswered questions.

Outside the cave, the wind whispered softly, carrying the scent of the wild forest.

Rey stared at the cave ceiling, his eyes sharp.

He knew this was just the beginning.

And he was ready for whatever came next.