Kapitel 1: Fateful Encounter

The grey sky was sullen; clouds grumpy.

The bare trees in the thinly packed forest stared at me like silent sentries.

No wind and no leaves were blowing. Silence dominated this forest. It sent a shiver down my spine.

Reluctantly, I threw my light backpack over my shoulder and made my way into the forest. Tightly clutching the straps of the backpack gave me some sense of not being alone.

One step after another, I slowly moved into the forest, trying my best to not make any sound. I avoided the dried, bladder-brown leaves on the ground and only set my feet on soil.

Carefully my feet moved between the leaves, not making a single sound - one step after another.

Suddenly something sharp stabbed into the side of my neck. It dug its sharp claw slowly into my flesh, forcing a tearing pain into my body.

Suppressing the urge in my heart to cry out and alarm others, I gritted my teeth with gnashing noises. I dodged to the side, drew my knife, and stared at my foe.

Nothing. There was nothing.

My heart calmed down; the beating against my rib cage became softer. Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I stared at the tree before me in a daze.

A broken tree branch defiled with my blood on its tip erected proudly from the old tree. No living soul was to be seen. Only the black crows sat in the trees, crying in their horrifying voices.

With the faint smell of my blood in the air and the noisy crows, I had to move - and that fast. I put the knife back into its sheath and ran as fast as I could, ignoring the burning pain at my neck.

The eerie trees flashed by my vision and noiseless I moved even further away from that spot.

"Rooargh!" A distant howl scratched at my ears and startled my tense nerves.

'They are here.'

With no time to lose, I continued my sprint and ran as far away from them as I could. Huffing and puffing, my breath got weaker and fainter.

My lungs had now the same burning sensation as the wound at my neck. But I had to fight against it – sprinting further and further.

Seconds bled into hours and night-time arrived.

A casket-black veil of darkness hung over the starless sky. The darkness in the bare forest made it hard to see anything. I could see neither my hands nor feet. There was only a single dot of light shining in the distance, glowing bright in this darkness like a firefly.

'Are there people?'

I clutched the shirt near my heart and took deep breaths, extinguishing the burning sensation in my dry lungs. The only burning sensations left were the ones on my neck and calves.

*growl~~*

'I'm hungry.'

The smell of baked apples came from the light and assaulted my nostrils, caressing and seducing my nose with its scent. Loudly I swallowed my saliva and licked my lips in desire.

It was truly the smell which enticed me: the freshness of the apples, as if they were plucked on a sunny day after a long day at work; the faint aroma of cinnamon, giving the smell a spicy note; and a wispy fragrance of caramel, giving the smell the finishing touch.

Slowly gliding my hands along the rough bark of the trees, I made my way to the source of the light.

Leaving the eerie forest, I came out at a clearing in which's middle stood a slightly wrecked farmhouse. Creaking noises echoed from it, giving me a sense of danger. It was surrounded by tall grass that reached to my hips, swaying to and fro.

The light shining through the windows and the ash-grey smoke rising from the chimney clearly indicated that someone was living there.

Normally I would avoid people as much as possible; they always got me into trouble. But this time it was me who was in trouble. I had nothing to eat and drink in days; my strength was fading with each day. If I would go another day without food and water, I would definitely die.

Weakly I drew my knife and brushed the tall grass with it to the side, sneaking closer to the house emitting the heavenly fragrance. Each step was taken with caution, trying not to alarm the inhabitants of the house.

Arriving at the veranda of the farmhouse, the smell of baked apples lied dense in the air and was mouth-watering. It was accompanied by a melodious voice, humming a lullaby.

'A girl?'

My curiosity was peeked and I couldn't help myself from sneaking a glance through the dusty window.

A girl in her early twenties stood before the stove. Swirls of cinnamon-brown hair flowed over her right shoulder. Her dreamy, galaxy-blue eyes were fixated at the pot standing on the stove, decorated by pencil-thin eyebrows.

A kind smile was formed on her kiss-inspiring, red lips, humming the soothing lullaby. With her glossy skin and slender body, she seemed like a healthy person, living a calm live here.

'I'm not dreaming, right?'

I couldn't believe my eyes. It had to be weeks since I saw another person. Crouching nearer to the dusty window, I tried to get a better view of the inside; my nose nearly touched the glass.

*achoo*

I sneezed. Panic shot into me and my heart started to race, beating against my chest. I held my breath and pressed myself against the wall, hiding from the view of the window.

"Who is there?!" cried the girl.

"I have a weapon and I will use it if necessary," she warned me.

In my dilemma I didn't know what I should do. Should I pretend to not be there? No, that's not possible. What other than a human can make a sneezing sound? In addition, my empty tummy and dry lungs begged me to seek refuge here.

Giving in to my desires and logic, I raised my arms and stood up, showing myself in front of the window.

The gentle-looking girl held me at gunpoint with a handgun; it looked like a Desert Eagle. Her hands holding the gun were shivering in fright and her eyebrows were knitted. It was clearly her first time pointing a gun at a person.