A barren land, a red sky, ground empty of life filled with dead trees and skeletal remains of small animals. In this harsh environment Jenny was sitting outside playing with the soil and shaping it into different forms under the scorching sun rays.
The door opened for her father to exit with a tired face. The father looked toward her for expressions of anger to appear on his face.
He went toward her and picked her up quickly then headed inside the house while saying in an angry tone "What are you doing I told you that you are sick with fever you must not play at this time."
After they entered the father placed her on one of the beds and covered her then brought a bucket full of water. And he grabbed a blue towel that was in front of him and began dipping the towel in the water and placed it on Jenny's head. To then keep looking toward her with eyes full of worry and sadness. He placed his hand on her cheek to notice that her temperature is high for expressions of annoyance and worry to appear on his face.
"Damn*%% her temperature has increased this is bad this is bad this is bad if only I had kept an eye on her earlier."
Jenny looked toward her father with her innocent tired face then said to him in a tired tone "Why are you sad father?"
A light smile appeared on his face then he said in a gentle tone "I am not sad I am just a bit tired."
She replied to him "Alright that is good for I do not like seeing you sad because that makes me sad as well." The father gently pinched her cheeks then said in a gentle tone "I will also be sad if you were sad." The father stood up from his place and headed toward one of the ruined wooden cabinets then brought a cup full of a green liquid filled with herbs.
He returned to Jenny's bed and placed his hand behind her head and raised it a little.
Then he made her drink a little of it. After she finished Jenny stuck out her tongue then said in a complaining tone "The taste of this soup is extremely bad."
He replied to her "Yes but you must drink it so that you heal and become in good health."
The father placed the cup on one of the tables. Then he kissed his daughter's cheek and said to her "Alright you must sleep now so that your health improves good night."
The father headed toward the exit door and after he placed his hand on the handle Jenny said to him in a tired tone "Father."
He turned toward her and replied to her in an affectionate tone "What is it my little one."
She replied to him "Do not go I do not want to stay alone."
Expressions of sadness and annoyance appeared on his face as if he remembered something.
He headed toward his daughter's bed and sat in front of her. When Jenny found that her father was with her she felt relief and closed her eyes to fall asleep then said in a low voice "Good night father."
The father kept looking toward her with eyes full of sadness. He closed his eyes then said while patting Jenny's head in a sad tone "Do not worry I will never leave you."
Jenny opened her eyes slowly to find herself on a pile of straw.
She got up slowly and began looking around while saying in a tired voice "W-where am I?"
For Nicholas to reply to her "You finally woke up."
Jenny cast a look at the place around her.
To find herself on the cart next to a coffin, while Ethan was unconscious on the second cart.
Darkness covered the ground, and only the light of the lanterns they took with them remained.
Forming two small circles of light around them.
While the darkness kept hiding everything outside the range of the circle, which created a feeling of tightness and worry in Jenny's chest.
"Scary..."
Nicholas said in a calm tone "Marcus, I do not think I need to explain that we are exposed, we are the only light present in the place."
Marcus replied to him calmly "Do not worry we will extinguish the torches the moment we reach the danger zone."
Nicholas replied in surprise "And how will you know when we reached the danger zone? I can barely see the ground under my feet."
Marcus "Do not worry everything will be fine."
Upon hearing these words expressions of worry drew on his features "Sure this bastard will lead us to doom."
40 minutes passed while they remained in the same state, walking carefully ignorant of what exists behind the darkness.
Suddenly Marcus stopped moving for Nicholas to follow him afterward.
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He turned toward him in surprise saying worriedly "What happened?"
Marcus signaled him to be silent then whispered to him "Extinguish the lights."
Nicholas sighed in worry to signal Jenny to do that.
The lights were cut, and nothing remained except the darkness.....
Suddenly Nicholas felt a strange liquid pouring on him.
And at the same time Marcus whispered "Do not make any sound, or utter any letter, I know what is going through your mind but listen carefully to what I say to you, advance forward, do not turn and do not make any reaction that attracts attention, even if you collide with something continue advancing, they cannot see you in the darkness, nor distinguish you by smell at the current time, and do not stop until you find yourself surrounded by grass of the same height as you."
Upon Nicholas hearing these instructions he realized immediately that what will come after that will be dangerous.
Marcus stopped pouring the liquid on Nicholas to do the same thing to the rest of the group.
"Advance."
For both of them to begin advancing forward with slow and careful steps, their breaths almost the only sound that fills the darkness.
Nicholas's heart was squeezed by fear and worry from the unknown.
As for Jenny she was curled up on herself with closed eyes, with a body trembling from terror.
They continued in the same state for 10 minutes.
Suddenly, everyone's ears picked up the sounds of dozens of footsteps echoing around them from various spots.
Nicholas swallowed quietly, his steps became more careful, and his grip tightened on the cart handle.
The sounds of their steps mixed with the rest, and the darkness covered their presence for them to blend with the darkness.
The minutes passed heavy as lead. One of the sounds approached very close... very very close. Nicholas was able to hear a rough, intermittent breathing, as if its owner was suffering from wounds in his throat. An extremely pungent smell reached them, the smell of rotten meat and old blood.
He continued advancing trying to force himself to ignore the situation, but he felt as if he collided with some entity, a human entity...
In that moment he felt as if his heart was about to stop.
His body was screaming at him to flee, but his mind was aware of the consequences of that.
The collision was light, but enough to freeze his blood. Something solid, cold, resembling a human shoulder...
But it did not move.
It did not make a sound.
It did not breathe.
He clung to the cart then began directing himself slowly away from it, and at the same time making sure that he did not change the path.
His mind was creating the worst imaginations of what exists behind the darkness, imagining a rotten corpse standing for days, or a creature waiting for one of them to move to pounce on him.
He imagined a cold hand extending suddenly and grabbing his neck.
Every step he took was a battle between his instinct that screams to flee and his mind that knows that any mistake will be their end.
Jenny in the back, did not move an inch, only curled up waiting for everything to end well.
But her hopes vanished the moment she heard a sound near her.
A light friction sound on wood planted terror in her heart.
To then feel something wrapping its arms around her which made the situation worse.
Two thin and cold arms like death, wrapping lightly around her.
She did not dare to scream, she did not dare to move, she did not dare to do anything.
All she could do was freeze like a lifeless statue.
Her heart beating madly, and sweat pouring from her without stopping.
"Aaa___aaaa, go away, go away, go away, go away, go away, go away...."
To suddenly feel something heavy around her shoulders, as if someone was standing on her.
"Why is this happening to me now...."
The cart collided with something, for the weight to disappear suddenly and a sound of earthen collision to be heard from nearby.
Jenny relaxed a little but her terror from the place remained the same.
They continued in the same state for a duration reaching half an hour.
Nicholas felt as if he was walking on an endless empty path.
The footsteps stopped...
For Nicholas to freeze in his place, sweat pouring from his forehead, and the terror almost exploding his heart.
"What happened now?, why did these damn** stop like this!"
He moved his eyes in the darkness to notice a glimmer of light in a relatively distant area from them.
A faint light cutting continuously in a suspicious manner.
The moment it appeared, violent running sounds were heard everywhere mixed with savage growls.
Nicholas could not control his nerves to leave the cart quickly and quietly and hide under it quickly.
"Damn** it does not matter what happened, remaining in the open like this is a form of madness!"
His ears hear only the sounds of the running feet, and the ground under him is shaking without stopping.
"Let us hope the matter ends well."
One minute
4 minutes
10 minutes
15 minutes
"The steps moved away, I think it is the appropriate time to exit."
He extended his arms feeling the surroundings around him until he grabbed the cart handles.
To begin dragging it slowly and carefully forward.
His eyes watching the light from afar.
"Was that intentional? Or is he just an unlucky fool... it is not important the important thing is to advance as long as I have the chance."
After covering several meters, he felt a strange texture in front of him.
A soft texture like grass, but it was able to cover his entire body.
"Finally I reached the intended destination."
To make his way inside the grass for a period of time before stopping.
He sighed deeply then said inside himself "Now what?"
...
...
...
He whispered "Oh there you are."
Nicholas's body trembled from terror to turn quickly toward the source of the sound whispering in an angry tone "Marcus you ******* ***** *******."
Marcus replied to him while tying something on his arm "Shut up and follow me."
Nicholas "And how can I see you in this darkness you smart one?"
Marcus "I tied a rope to your wrist it will inform you of my location and where I move."
Nicholas sighed in regret to whisper to himself "When will this torment end."
For everyone to begin penetrating deeper inside the grass.
Nicholas whispering curiously "Marcus."
Marcus whispering calmly "What."
Nicholas "Were you the one who distracted them with the light?"
Marcus "No."
Nicholas "Then who did that?"
Marcus "And how would I know?"
Nicholas "Alright how do you know that the path you are taking is the correct one inside the darkness?"
Marcus "I have my ways."
Nicholas "Teach me those ways."
Marcus "They are not taught in one night."
Nicholas "Come on man."
Marcus "Shut up we have already arrived."
Nicholas looked around, but he was met with the same darkness.
"There is noth—"
To suddenly feel the disappearance of the grass, and his eyes catch the first lights of this place.
"Wrong, there is something."
They found themselves in a somewhat large circle empty of grass.
Filled with modest tents in its various spots.
Places for hanging clothes, similar camps.
And a faint blue light barely illuminating what is around it illuminating small parts of the place.
And dozens of people, some injured, and the others wearing medical clothes entering and exiting from one tent to another.
To be continued...