Chapter 18: Chapter 18: "Do Not Enter"

'...Wh–what... was I just saying?' I wondered, feeling a disorienting sense of confusion.

Strangely enough, I found myself unable to recall what had just transpired in the past few seconds. The faces of the party were frozen and pale, their expressions mirroring my own confusion.

"Uhh... guys. Are you o..." I began, but my attention was abruptly diverted by the sudden rustling of bushes nearby. The entire group tensed up, our gazes fixed on the source of the disturbance.

After a few tense moments, a small dog emerged from the bushes, head first.

"Eeh!?!" we all exclaimed in unison.

The dog had brown and white fur, with one side of its face brown and the other side white. Its left ear was bent, while the right one stood up straight. It barked happily and wagged its tail as it approached us.

The description of this dog matched exactly with that of...

"Muffin!" we exclaimed simultaneously, relief flooding through us.

Lia exclaimed as she cuddled the dog, which had jumped into her hands.

"Ah! We finally found him."

"Or more like, he found us," Kyle voiced exactly what I had been thinking. As for the rest of us, we stood there dumbstruck, a mix of relief and bewilderment washing over us.

***

We finally found Muffin, the lost dog, and made the decision to return home.

However, the mood wasn't as upbeat as one would expect, considering we had accomplished our goal. No one said a word, not about the altercation between Leon and me or anything else. We all walked back in silence, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken tension. Only the sound of our footsteps and the evening forest filled the air.

I noticed Lia shifting her gaze between Leon and me, but like the others, I chose to ignore it.

Of everyone present, I felt like I was bearing the weight of the atmosphere the most. Considering what had transpired, which I still wasn't entirely sure of.

'...I think I might have messed up.'

Despite being on the receiving end of the punches...

I looked down at my hands, and a strange thought slithered its way into my mind.

'Maybe... maybe I'm not human?'

I reached up and gently touched my face. No soreness or bruises. No pain at all.

The dog, which had made itself comfortable in Lia's hands, suddenly perked up. Its ears stood straight, and it barked in a specific direction.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Muffin jumped out of Lia's arms and swiftly dashed into the forest. Instinctively, at the same time, I followed suit.

"Eh? Muffin, where are you… Reo, you too?"

Lia's voice quickly faded behind me into the rustling of trees as I ran after the dog. My body seemed to move on its own, perhaps just to escape the oppressive mood.

Chasing Muffin, I had no idea where it was leading me or even where I was. Jumping over logs and ducking under branches at short intervals, Muffin's small and nimble form made him especially easy to lose sight of. Yet, I had to catch up.

We passed a creek and made it to the other side. The view of the forest raced past me in a blur. For a moment, I wondered if the others had come after us, or if they could even keep up.

After a while of running through the forest, I came to a sudden halt. Before me loomed an old gate—not a wooden or stone gate, but one made of metal wire, akin to those found in correctional facilities back on Earth.

The gate stood tall, towering over me, with vines and plants coiling around it. Mostly rusted, it seemed to have been there for many years. I never expected to encounter something like this in this world.

Judging by its appearance, the gate had been in place for quite some time. As I glanced sideways, it seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Surveying my surroundings, I attempted to gauge where I might be. Surrounded by trees and leaves, it was clear I was still within the forest.

"??"

I hadn't noticed earlier, but the forest had suddenly fallen silent. Too silent, even more than a graveyard. The air and atmosphere had shifted completely, taking on a disturbing and unsettling quality that I couldn't quite describe.

There was an eerie feeling to it all. The air hung still and stagnant, unmoving in any direction. No sounds could be heard, not even the rustling of trees or the chirping of birds—only the shifting and snapping of twigs under my feet.

The trees in this area were larger, thicker, and oddly shaped, adding to the unsettling aura of the forest. Their leaves were duller and less vibrant than before, eerily still and devoid of any movement or sound.

The canopies were much thicker here, barely allowing any light to pass through. It felt as though my sense of time had been disrupted.

As I took in my strange new surroundings, I noticed a sign hanging on the gate. It read, "Do not enter," with a skull face adorned with horns. It was quite convincing.

The forest had transformed completely in just a few moments. Perhaps I had ventured too deep?

"Reo!"

A voice from behind startled me, and I turned to see Don approaching, followed by the others. They seemed out of breath but had managed to keep up.

"Haa...haa...w-where is..." Don tried to speak, but was too winded to finish his sentence.

"Where's Muffin?" Don asked, breathless.

"Oh, right! Muffin. I was chasing that darn dog and ended up here. I totally forgot," I realized.

"He's over there!" Kyle pointed beyond the wire gate. Muffin had somehow made it to the other side.

"C'mon, you guys," Don urged the rest of us, heading toward an opening in the wall without noticing the "Do not enter" sign with a skull face.

With mixed thoughts and feelings, I followed reluctantly behind the others. After reaching the other side, we continued our chase with Muffin. Further in, we discovered a cave where the stubborn dog had run into.

"Of course it had to be a cave," I muttered to myself.

We all stood at the entrance of the cave, which exuded an eerie aura. Each of us wore an anxious expression, uncertain about venturing further. My internal alarms were screaming at me just from being near the entrance. Going into this cave seemed like a terrible idea, and I instinctively felt that nothing good would come of it.

"L…let's go get Muffin," Don said, his voice trembling with every word, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as us. Despite the ominous feeling in the air, no one objected, and we all followed him into the darkness of the cave. And with that, our little adventure took a turn for the worse.

***

Authors' Note:

Add to your collections, and see you guys tomorrow.

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