The Lost Soul (English Version)

CHAPTER 02

Rayna had been driving for about three hours. The clock read 11:34 in the morning. Just like the branches of the trees, the road was covered in snow. The cold wasn't unbearable, but she felt its presence every time she picked up the map and felt her fingers go numb. She did it more times than she could count.

The compass pointed east, just as Rayna wanted. She remembered how difficult it had been to learn those cardinal points, among the countless ways of survival that her father had taught her when she was little. She became interested more quickly than she had imagined.

She looked at the point outside the window. According to the map, the woman would have to leave the road and enter the forest to reach her destination. This new information made her suspicious. She knew of countless cases of murder that happened in those places, what were the chances of surviving until she reached the other side? She didn't even want to think about it.

Rayna parked the car near the trees. She didn't want to just leave it there, but it had to be done.

“Don't let anyone drive you, huh? Or your mother will be upset”. said the woman, stroking the steering wheel. She opened her backpack. She went through flashlights, supplies, and pepper spray, until she pulled out her pocket knife from the bottom and put it in her pocket.

She was afraid. Afraid he was getting into trouble. At the same time, she wanted to keep going. If she turned around, she would punish herself for her cowardice every night. 

When she opened the car door, she shuddered as the wind cut through her overcoat like a thousand-needle gust. She wrapped her arms around herself.

Come on, Rayna, you've been looking for this

She looked at the vehicle one last time and drove off into the forest.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ♤♡♤ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The further she went, the more insecure the woman became. Whenever she felt watched, she looked around carefully, but found nothing out of the ordinary. She was alone in the midst of the winter storm, and she prayed for that. Halfway along the path, Rayna came across a piece of log in the snow. Now she clutched it in her hands as if she depended on the wood to live — and indeed she did.

She timed herself as soon as she got out of the car, also taking care to make marks on the trees with her pocket knife, just to make sure she made it back to the road.

“I've just passed this tree”, she whispered “If I carry on like this, I'm going to get lost in this place forever”.

Rayna continued walking, feeling the snow crunch under his boots. She couldn't give up, not now that he was so close. When she got close to a branch twisted to the ground, she saw a shadow a few meters away.

Her heart skipped a beat. She looked around quickly, but without moving. When she turned back, she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was just a lamppost.

She ran through the metal pole. That only meant she was close to civilization. She was getting close. She finally was. Her heavy breathing prevented her from hearing growls and branches breaking behind her. When she saw the sky lighten in the distance, she threw herself out of the forest. She looked up, panting. There was nothing, absolutely nothing. Why did she think she was being chased?
 
Rayna stared ahead with her mouth open. The castle loomed behind the village in the mist. Few people circulated among the wooden houses, alienated by the unexpected visit. The woman didn't know what to think. It looked like an ordinary village, but what kind of connection did it have with her father? There was only one way to find out.

Descending the mountain, she arrived behind a church. As soon as she stepped out, she was greeted by murmurs and judgmental looks. She gripped her backpack tighter, walking more slowly. The village seemed stuck in the 1980s or so. Only wooden fences separated the houses from the stone path. Women wore dresses that covered them from wrist to neck. A real trip back in time to ancient Europe.