บท 183: Lost And Found

[Johan's POV]

The soles of his feet burned from running on the rough asphalt road. He didn't know which part of the village he was, but Johan made sure to imprint landmarks to his memory so he wouldn't completely get lost. At best, he could just retrace his steps back. That was, if he still had a place to come back to.

Johan slowed down and gasped for breath. He had run past a school, a church, a village plaza. He had run past several residential houses until he made another turn, and now he's in the middle of a road between wide rice plantations. Further ahead of him was a passage with towering trees that looked like a tunnel to a dark territory.

When the heat of the sun became unbearable, Johan stopped under the shade of the nearest tree he passed by and collapsed on his knees. He leaned against the trunk, panting.