"You've dislocated your knee cap. Hold the phone."
The man gently touched the wound and made a basic analysis based on how the bone was slightly protruding out of place.
Under these conditions, Veronica did not argue with Matthew as she obediently took the phone and shone the light on her knee.
She then saw the man lift her leg up gently before he tilted his head a bit to look at her and say, "It might be a bit painful. I'll count to three and then
join it back."
"Alright."
Taking a deep breath, Veronica gripped her hands tightly while her heart was beating all over the place.
She feared feeling pain very much, so she was afraid that she might trash around in pain when Matthew set her bones back.
"One..."
"Two..."
"Argh! F*ck! Matthew, didn't you say you would count to three?! Why did you do it at two?!"
Shouting in pain, Veronica slapped Matthew's shoulder and pinched it tightly as the sensation made her breathe in deeply.
"Try moving it and see if everything is fine."
Matthew, who was facing the woman's sudden outburst, did not seem to mind her screaming as he was more concerned about her wound.
Lifting her leg, Veronica moved it a bit to find it was working just fine, so she immediately stood up and walked around. Except for the pain from the torn skin hurting a bit, she found that everything was functioning normally.
"I can walk just fine now. Thanks."
She smiled at Matthew before focusing her attention on the dark basement they were in, making her smile vanish and replaced with a sigh. "What kind of place is this? There isn't even a signal. We'll have to find a way out, otherwise we'll soon be... Ah!"
Spinning the phone around the basement, Veronica saw a skeleton in a corner, causing her to scream out loud.
Even though she was a brave woman, in this basement with unknown dangers ahead of them, she had not fully prepared herself and was frightened by the sight.
"What's wrong?"
Then, Matthew ran to her before looking toward the direction where her flashlight was pointing only to find a body lying in the corner.
"The bones lay flat on the floor with no signs of people touching them. There are also black stains all around the skeleton, which look to be the remains of the body when it decomposed."
Matthew closed in and analyzed the body.
As soon as he said that, Veronica added, "That means that this person didn't die a long time ago, seeing how their clothes are still intact. It looks like the women's uniform which the servants in your house wear."
"I heard from Grandma around a year ago that a female servant went missing from the house. Back then, we all thought that she had escaped. Because she was an orphan, we had no relatives of hers that we could contact. Even though we made a police report, we still couldn't find her, so we forgot about it as time went on." "She's an orphan? That is too pitiful."
Veronica, who recomposed herself, only felt pity for such a girl to disappear without a trace.
Standing in front of the body, she bowed three times. "Don't worry. When we get out eventually, we will be sure to bring you out too."
Although this was just a small act, it made Matthew feel that Veronica was a truly kind woman.
She really is pure, honest, and kind.
Holding her hand, he said, "Let's go and find the exit as quickly as we can. Otherwise, we would die here too. You should switch your phone off for now to preserve its batteries for emergency use."
Veronica felt a surge of warmth travel through her cold hands as a sudden reassurance calmed her nervous heart.
She did not resist him holding her, knowing that they could meet with danger or activate some trap at any moment. That was why it was the safest choice to keep holding hands and continue forward.
"Alright."
Nodding, she then switched her phone off.
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