LiL THE HEEL

The winter was brutal and merciless. It was so cold that you couldn't even stick your nose outside the door. Bundled up from head to toe, the girl trudged through the snowy forest, clutching a heavy axe in one hand and pulling a wooden sled with the other. She needed to gather firewood, because the house wouldn't heat itself.
In the thicket, she froze in horror: fresh blood stains were red on the white snow. Dropping the axe, she rushed forward. Lying in the snow was a man of about twenty-eight years old, with disheveled red hair and freckles on his pale face.
“Hey, are you okay?” she whispered.
The bullet pierced his chest, but only grazed it. Neil wanted to snap back, but the girl didn't let him. Leaning on him with her whole body, she dragged him onto the sled and dragged him home.
In the warmth, she warmed him up, fed him, and carefully removed the bullet. The man endured the pain only by watching her.
—That's it. You better not move for a couple of days. I'll make the bed in the living room.
She was about to leave, but his hoarse voice stopped her:
-You didn't even ask my name...
—What's more important to me is that the man is still alive. But if you want, tell me.
-Nile.
Several days passed. He lived with her, recovering, and tried to help around the house, despite the prohibitions. During this time, they became a little closer, but Neil kept silent about the past.
One evening the truth finally came out.
-So you're... a killer?
He just nodded silently.
Soon the past caught up with him. Footprints of people who had been circling around for a long time, looking for him, appeared in the snow near the house.
Enemies found him even here. But for the first time, Neil wasn't afraid for himself. He was afraid for the girl who had saved his life and become his only weakness and reason to continue living.
Full text in TGC @kshhellxx