"Dead Sea?"
"Hmmm, it's called a dead sea because of its uniqueness. The water is so salty that you can separate the salt from the seawater without boiling. Moreover, the depth of the sea is not much. So, no living creatures can live there. This photo is from two years ago when I went with my family to visit the wonder of God."
said the old man as he was flipping the album. He was excitingly showing Loki his family photos. When he felt lonely, he would open the album and remember his memories with his wife and beloved son. The son died for no good reason.
In other words, he was murdered with bitterness. In the hopeless world, the old man had no one left to say his own. He couldn't help but live in his memory. Loki understood it more or less. That's why he didn't say anything to him and just listen to his explanation.
*Slam*
*Knock*
A slamming sound was heard from the door simultaneously. It was loud and clear. Even the old man who is weak at the hearing could grasp it. He quickly averted his sights from the album laying the table to the door. He then quietly murmured, "Must..be the bear."
As Loki heard his whispering voice, his body shivered in fear.
"Bear...?" He asked to confirm what he heard.
The old man nodded as he stood up from the sofa that was next to Loki.
What the old man said might be true? After all, there's a forest near. There might be many wild animals. Only bears are brave enough to get into houses in day time.
Loki couldn't help but get up with him. Seeing Loki stood up with him, he said "Wait here, I'm coming."
Without wasting a minute, The old man rushed through his room that was upstairs. He was long gone. The slamming noise on the door didn't stop. More likely, it was increasing gradually.
Loki gulped and began breathing fast. He was in a position that could make anyone anxious.
But Loki felt like,
I couldn't stand here anymore. If that wooden door falls apart, I'm done for. and why isn't that old fart coming down? Did he run away leaving me behind?
All of a sudden, The noise stopped. Loki was dumbfounded and became curious about what happened. To find the reason, he slowly but surely moved onward. What he saw was something that he didn't expect in a million years.
The claws of the bear were stuck on the door. It was visible as the claws went through the door and made the door shrike. Seeing that utterly scary scene, Loki backed off several steps. He went in hiding behind the couch and hold the knife that was on the table in reflexive. He prepared his mind as the bear could break into the house any moment. Seconds passed by. The tension inside Loki was building up. He was constantly thinking about one thing, If only Jack was here, he could have easily killed that bear. But regretting the fact that he isn't here didn't change anything. Loki who is good at using the brain unlike Jack who only rely on brutal force had to do something unless he wanted to die.