The gold coins fell out of the velvet purse as soon as he pulled at its string. Glittering eyes stared at the precious bounty in shock. His luck had finally turned! He could stop his life of thievery on the highway and lead a respectable life. “Help, help me…” the faint whisper belonged to the woman he thought he had murdered. Their eyes held. “Wha..what’s happened? Where am I? Who are you?” Just as he reached for the dagger, she whispered in fright, “Who am I?”…

He froze, the dagger hovering in the air. Confusion washed over him. The woman looked fragile, her clothes tattered, a faint trace of blood still staining her cheek.

“I… I don’t know,” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. “I remember darkness, and then you. Please, just help me.”

His heart raced. The last thing he recalled was a struggle, the flash of her knife, and then nothing. Guilt gnawed at him, but so did a creeping sense of danger.

“Why are you here?” he demanded, trying to sound authoritative despite his unease. “What do you remember?”

She shook her head slowly. “Just flashes. I was lost… and then you.”

He took a step back, torn between the thrill of his newfound fortune and the fear that she could expose him. Yet, a strange connection bound them, forged in shared chaos.

“Maybe we can help each other,” he suggested cautiously. “I need to disappear, and you… you might need protection.”

Her eyes widened. “You think I’ll betray you?”

“I don’t know who you are,” he shot back. “But you’re the last person I expected to see alive.”

A long silence stretched between them. The coins glimmered on the ground, a reminder of his former life, but as he looked at her—vulnerable yet resilient—he realized something deeper was at stake.

“Let’s get out of here,” he finally said, extending a hand. “We need to figure this out together.”

She hesitated but then took his hand, the warmth of her grip igniting something he thought he’d lost.

As they moved through the shadows, the night wrapped around them, carrying secrets that would either bind them together or tear them apart. The world outside was filled with...