Chapter 2

When I woke up,I looked around with a frown until I remembered where I was. The woman was gone from her spot and the house felt calm. Where could she be? My body felt better than it did when I first arrived here. Well fed and fully rested. I was ready to continue my search into the next village and hopefully find a trace of my younger sister. But I wanted to thank the woman for being kind and feeding me. She also allowed me to have some rest on her couch.

In this dangerous times,she has done something like that for me,a total stranger. I heard a loud thumping coming from underneath the house. It was a low sound, and then it grew louder like someone was violently hitting something. Was there an attack? Did the woman get attacked? No way!

They would have seen me on the couch and attacked me too. I followed the sound,drawing deeper into the house when the noise stopped. A hidden door on the floor, a foot ahead opened and the woman came out.she had an unreadable look in her eyes as she stared at me.

“I heard some noise”

“I was hitting on nail down there” she wiped her hands on her dress.

“You want to be on your way now?”

I nodded.

“Thank for your help”

She shrugged.

“Your clothes are in tatters. Would you like to charge out of them?”

I looked down at my badly ruined clothes. It would be too much to take from the lady.

“It’s fine. I’ll mange”

“You attract a lot of attention dressed like that. Just take the clothes and go. It’s not like I have any use of them” she snapped snd disappeared behind a door

She returned a few moment later with a handful of dresses, and a bag pack. She tossed the dresses at me and disappeared with the bag. I looked through the dresses. And finally I settle on the oldest of them.

“Is that what you want” she asked suddenly and I jumped in fright since I didn’t know she was there watching me.

“It’s perfect for traveling”

She huffed and grabbed the rest, stuffing them into the bag and shutting it tightly. She lifted it and pushed the bags into my arms.

“What..”

“You are traveling,you’ll need food and clothes. I noticed you are empty handed. No one will be kind enough to let you into their homes”

“But this is too much”

“I bake and bake all day but I have nobody to Share my meal with. I’ll throw it away anyways. So it’s best if someone who needs it takes it. And the dresses have been in her box since that day”

Her?the girl in the pictures?

“My daughter owned them. She passed away some year back. You can keep them. No one will ever wear it again. And there are few coins there. Use it to get a wagon and go far away from here. It’s for the better”

I was moved by her kind gesture and i dropped the bag, hugging her tightly. She pushed me away uncomfortably and turned away.

“I’m not a good person. I only did that because I felt if I do some good in my life,the heavens will forgive me and stop punishing me. But I also know that’s not possible. I’ll keep suffering every day for what I’ve done. Until I die”

I didn’t believe the she wasn’t a good person. There was nothing that could be said to me that’ll make me believe other wise. The other self acclaimed good people would have turned me away without a second thought if I showed up at their homes wanting bread with no penny.

“Just leave before it becomes dark. Don’t move at night either. It’s very dangerous around here”

I nodded.

“Thank you” I said again and I turned around.

The bag was an extra weight but it didn’t matter so much when I knew that it contained necessities to keep me alive. And when I found Juliana too. We would have something to eat.

I walked down through the village. It was darker now and everyone seemed to be hurrying off some where. Nobody pays me any attention as I walked through the village and disappeared into the woods.

Days passed and there was still no sign of Juliana anywhere. I was running out of supplies that I had been given by the old lady. I tried to eat only little portions because I had hopes on finding her but the food was starting to go bad and I didn’t want it to waste.

I had gone through three villages now and I was currently in the fourth, buying some food that would take me through the next few days. I was seated in an inn, watching people interact and walk by.

“The wolves are at it again” I heard a man yell and it perked my interest

“Shhhh…what the fuck is wrong with you” another yelled.

“What? Why do I have to be silent about it? Why do we have to fear those monsters. They come to our lands, kill and take our women while we hide”

“We are no match for them”

“Until when will we keep saying that? We have a supposed treaty that they do not respect. We have a foolish king” the man was tackled to the ground by two burly men and his arm was restrained behind him. The second man placed a heavy knee on his back, pinning him down until he stopped moving and they dragged him out of the inn.

“Damn him. He keeps causing trouble in my inn” the woman said as she dropped the bowl in front of me.

“Wait a moment” her gaze flickered to me.

“Your money”

I slipped a few coins into her hand with an extra one. She counted it and her face relaxed.

“What do you want?”

“Who was that man?”

“Oh….to me. He thinks he is a brave man but he’s just foolish” her voice dropped down to a whisper.

“The king’s lackeys are everywhere, listening and waiting for anyone to speak against the king and they’ll be taken away. Homer has already been punished four times since the previous week”

“But what he said about the wolves…..”

“Shhh….you just never say anything about the wolves child. Nothing at all, not even a whisper. The walls have ears”

I frowned.

“Even when they murder?”

This was unbelievable. The wolves killed our king and we had to stay silent?

“You must not be from around here child. Not a word means not a word. Not even a breath of it. You had best be on your way before you put me into any trouble” the woman said and walked away muttering under her breath.

I packed my food and stepped out of the inn. The sun was going to sleep and it was only a couples of hours away until night fall. I needed to be on my way if i was to find a good a good place to sleep in the woods. As I walked further away from the inn. I notice something strange. Someone was coming after me.

Who could it be? Why were they following me? I had never had this kind of situation before? Was I just being paranoid? I walked faster noticing a sharp turn and took it, placing my self against the nearest wall and clutching my knife. As I expected, a cloaked figure turned too and I sprung, placing my knife against their neck.

“Relax. I’ll not hurt you” he held his hands up.

“Take off your cover”

He pulled the cloak from his head and I got a glimpse of his face. I didn’t know who he was.

“Why are you following me?”

“I over heard your conversation with the lady from the inn”

“Liar” I snapped at him.

There was no one around any table. They was no way he could have heard that. I pushed my knife harder against his neck.

“Fine. I paid her a few coins to know what you discussed with her”

“Why?” I snapped feeling on edge.

Surely,he didn’t pay to know the conversation she had with others.

“You weren’t from around here and I was curious. You want to know about the wolves?”

“No” I pulled away from him but I didn’t let down my guard.

“I can help you. I know a lot about them. I can even sneak to in to one of their packs.”

“No stay away from me or I’ll slit your throat”

I just wanted to find my sister. I walked with my back until he was out of my sight and then I took off in a rush. That small threat wouldn’t deter him. There was something about that man. I didn't want him close to me or knowing where I had gone. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, deeper and deeper into the woods. There was no trail unlike the other times in the woods. I had an eerie feeling as I ran but I didn’t stop my legs until I found a good space far away from that man.

I pushed harder until I lost my footing and tumbled down a steep hill. I landed with a thud but picked myself up. In the next moment two scary men appeared. I reached for my knife. Where am I? Who are these people. “

How did you end up on the red sun pack” one asked in a gravelly voice and I turned blue.