Bailey, pretending not to hear old John's shouting, grinned, grabbed Britney's hair, and walked across the snowy river toward the carriage.

When the two arrived at the location of the carriage, they found that the carriage was still there, but the horse was gone.

Bailey threw Britney on the ground, climbed up to the riverbank, looked around, and found only a horseshoe print, which stretched into the distance, and there was no sign of the horse.

"It must have been some damn thief who stole the horse. Bailey scolded as he walked over and kicked Britney, "It's all because of you, stinky woman!"

Britney was curled up on the ground, covered in slush, her leg like it was broken, the pain and cold making her speechless, she closed her eyes and her breathing became weaker.

The horse had run away--- or had been stolen, the train had not been able to catch up, and it seemed that the wedding had to be postponed, and at this thought of this, Bailey was angry, he looked at the sky that was gradually darkening, looked back at Britney, and cursed loudly.

Britney's body was already weak, and after this toss, she was in pain and hunger, and she was so angry that she suddenly collapsed to the ground and passed out.

When Britney woke up, she found herself lying on a battered bed covered with a smudgeed, torn quilt with the rope gone.

It was a simple house, without a sound, the lights were dim, the walls were yellow, the paint on the windows was mottled and peeling, the corners were covered with cobwebs, and there were a few pieces of tattered furniture in the empty house.

Britney raised her head slightly, and saw a low table not far away, with two small stools next to it, and two plates resting on the table, which were leftovers, and the two wine bottles were empty, and they were placed on the ground haphazardly, and the air was filled with a strong smell of wine and vegetables.

Britney's mind cleared up a lot, and she lifted the covers and tried to get out of bed to figure out what the hell this was. She moved her legs, feeling a pain all over her body, and she didn't have any strength at all.

Britney gritted her teeth, held back the pain, lifted her legs and got out of bed, put on her shoes, straightened her hair and clothes, and looked back and forth, left and right, and there was only herself in the room.

She walked past the dining table in the middle of the house, came to the door, and gently pushed it open. She looked out, and it was pitch black, silent, like an inky lake, with only a few stars twinkling in the night sky.

Britney walked out of the room, still not hearing any sound, and wondered. Later, she walked along the house to the right, because there seemed to be a faint light.

Walking to the end of the house, she turned right and looked along the gable, about a few dozen meters away, there was a house with lights shining through, like fireflies.

Britney stood there, thinking for a moment, even if she escaped now, where would she go in the snowy wilderness, might as well figure things out, and maybe meet a good Samaritan.

She made up her mind, shuffled with heavy steps, step by step, and kept her eyes fixed on the house.

In the northwest corner of the open courtyard, the old and squat house stood alone, windowless, and the roof was covered with a green cloth of paint, covered with a layer of snow.

Closer to the house, the sounds of yelling, begging for mercy, and sobbing, and the occasional beating, reached her ears as if in a dream.

Britney slowed down, held her breath, and tiptoed over for fear of making a noise that would alarm the people in the room.

She stood on the steps of the doorway, listened with her ears pricked up, opened her eyes wide, and looked through the crack in the door, and she couldn't help but gasp.

An incandescent lamp hangs from the roof, emitting a dim glow. A man in his thirties, drunk, stood in the middle of the house, with a round black face, a hooked nose erect, fierce and greedy eyes, dressed in shabby overalls, his shoes stained with muddy water, a thick black cigar in his mouth, a horsewhip in his hand, pointing at the man opposite, and scolding.

Britney looked closely, and the man opposite was Bailey, who was tied to a wooden pillar, with his hands behind his back, his face was pale, his eyes were demented, and blood oozed from the corners of his mouth, all the way to the clothes on his chest, and his mouth was constantly begging for mercy.

"A good man spares his life, a good man spares his life. ”

"You think it's only you who is the smartest, wrong, old thing. The man took a puff of his cigarette, "Every winter, there are some people who don't know how to live and die, in order to take a shortcut, through the frozen river, how can it be so easy, I destroy the road up the embankment in the summer, haha, haha." ”

The man continued, "There is no one here within a radius of dozens of miles, so you can only come to me obediently, kneel in front of me, put things in my hands, and beg me to surround your dogs." ”

Bailey cautiously raised his head and glanced at the man, "God bless you, go around me." ”

"I never believed in God," said the man, pointing to his chest and arrogantly, "I only believed in myself." There are too many people in my hands, you are just a skinny chicken, without any oil and water!"

"The horses, the money, and the women are all yours, spare my dog's life." Bailey glanced at the dark horse next to him.

The man took a "puff", and the horsewhip continued to whipped Bailey's body, like hitting a cotton bale, "Old thing, these are not yours in the first place, especially that woman, you old and ugly toad!"

Britney shuddered, her heart pounding, and she realized who the woman they were talking about was.

Bailey had a few more blood marks on his face, and he was ** in pain, writhing all over, struggling.

"Let me go, hero, and I'll give you all the money. ”

"Let you go, and then, you run to the police, let them come and arrest me, you think beautifully. ”

"You're a kind man, you won't kill me, will you?" Bailey's eyes glistened with tears as he looked at the man with pity, and Britney saw his desire to survive on the brink of death.

"Haha, haha," the man laughed horribly, his voice echoing through the room, "kindness! ”

"I can do anything for me, as long as you don't kill me. Bailey let out a whimpering sob.

The man turned to look at the door, but did not speak.

Britney quickly flashed to the side and covered her mouth, not daring to breathe, lest he hear her movements.

Through the crack in the door, Britney saw the man drop his cigar on the floor, squeezed the butt of his cigarette with his foot up, and then, walking to the west wall of the room, where a sharp knife hung from it.

Britney was taken aback and trembling all over, she took a few steps back, hurried away, and walked towards the gate in the distance. As she turned to flee, Bailey's screams of pain and curses could be heard from inside the room, and then the sound grew quieter and quieter until it disappeared.

Britney ran to the door, pulled it open, and ran outside, despite the pain.

At the moment when she stepped out of the door, there was a "bang", only to feel that the world was spinning, Britney fell into a deep pit, and she lost consciousness again.