Jody felt the sun's heat on her skin when she woke up. She slowly opened her lids as she noticed the blue sky and clouds. Jody raised her hand, believing she could almost reach the sky. Her forehead furrowed in pain. When Jody touched it, she felt a cut. She looked away as she remembered what had happened. Her whole body trembled with fear. Jody was still in the river, half of her body submerged in water and her hair tied to a tree branch, which saved her from being swept away by the water. Jody had difficulty pulling her hair from the tree branches, so she had to break the tree branch to get out of it. Despite the aching body, she swam closer to the rocky part. Jody immediately left the water.
"Aw!"
Jody saw a rip in her pants and a wound on the side, showing she was asleep and clinging to sharp rocks or tree branches. Jody turned around. In the distance, she heard voices. Jody hurriedly walked towards the noises. But when she arrived, the group of people was quite far away. Jody tried to scream but couldn't make out noise on her lips. Jody's voice was hoarse because she was soaking in the river's cold water. Jody walked, climbed the concrete stairs to the road, and noticed the crowd. She could feel her whole body shaking as she inhaled the frigid air. As she reached the top, she hugged herself and reached the top a few seconds later. The road is devoid of cars and people. Next to it was a cottage, which she quickly approached. They posted a closed sign on the door, along with a flyer.
Rivendell Town Park
Jody turned around. "This is Rivendell?"
Jody hugged herself as she sat outside the hut. She had to find a place to stay because it was getting dark. Jody went back downstairs and approached the cabin on the side of the road. She tried to open the door, but it locked, so she sat by the side and hugged herself.
------
Jody is in a hurry because that creature is chasing her. She sees how it murdered her parents. Her father yelled at her. It urged her to flee, which she did until that creature could get close to her. Jody covered her face with her arms in front of her. Her scream was so loud that it caused her to wake up.
Jody opened her eyes, panting. She did not know it was dawn at that moment. Jody was also hungry and thought of returning to the cottage upstairs near the road, assuming someone was there. But when she saw nothing, she was disappointed. The door remains locked. Jody turned around when she heard the oncoming vehicle.
The car stopped in front of her, and a man exited the vehicle. He was a tall, muscular man with a scar on his face. Jody's body trembled at the thought of the man approaching her, but he just passed in front of her and opened the passenger seat door of the car. A man in his eighties got out of the vehicle.
Jody feels like she will have a heart attack when their eyes hit. He has a rough appearance, heavy brows, and a scar in one eye, and it isn't very comforting to look at it. It seemed like he was going to devour her alive. Jody remembered the creature which had murdered her parents.
"Please don't hurt me. I got lost and came across it. Please don't hurt me." Jody cried as she said this. Her body shook with fear, but she was stunned when the older man put the towel behind her.
Jody glanced at the older man and his companion. "Looks like you got lost here. Your clothes seemed ripped, and you have wounds. What place are you from?" the old man asked.
Jody explained, "I'm from the city."
"City? For a city dweller, this location is too far to visit," the old man said.
Jody was restless. The older man looked at her, then motioned for the man with him to come over. The man nodded, then stepped back and picked up the phone.
"Do not be afraid; I'm not a bad person. You can trust me; if you do, I will treat your wound and change your clothes," said the old man. Jody was holding her stomach when it suddenly rang. She was hungry, and her stomach knew that. A gentle smile older man gave. "I'll make sure you eat too."
Jody focused her gaze on the older man's companion. He approached the older man and whispered to him. The older man shifted his gaze to Jody.
"Did you have a chance to be involved in a recent highway accident?" the old man asked.
Jody gave a shocked expression. "Last day?" The news shocked Jody.
She could not believe that a day had passed since the incident. Jody's eyes widened as she couldn't stop crying.
"Don't cry," the old man said. "Come with me, and I will watch over you."
The older man touched her shoulder and gave her a worried look.
-------
On their way, Jody told the older man what had happened to her family. She expected the older man and his companion to laugh or make a comment, but they did not.
"Do you believe me?" Jody asked.
"I believe in you," said the old man. "This place is Rivendell, anyway."
Jody frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You're from the city and know nothing about Rivendell," the old man explained. "Rivendell is a fascinating place."
Jody frowned. "Why do you return to Rivendell after living in the city for so long?"
"My dad says there's a pretty good job waiting for him here, and my mom says they have friends here," Jody said.
The older man took a deep breath. "They seem to have difficulty persuading you to come here to Rivendell. This town is, as you can see, quite small. And, based on your story, your parents will have difficulty finding a high-paying job here. If they become employees here, we will pay them less than half of what they would compensate in the city." Glendir said.
Jody gave the man a sour expression. "You mean they lied to me?"
"As I already stated, they must have found it difficult to persuade you to live here," said Glendir.
Jodi peered out the window. A wooded area still surrounded them. "Yeah, that's true. I don't like to live here, but my father he's so persuasive because he worries about me," said Jody.
"Worried about you?" Glendir asked.
Jody responded with a quick nod. "I've been unwell for months, and my parents believe it would be best if we moved to Rivendell, their hometown."
"So you're sick?" Glendir asked.
"Yes, and no," Jody said. "I simply have symptoms, and there is no good explanation for what disease I have."
Glendir stared at Jody. "You seem healthy to me."
"Anyway, Sir, the thing I saw," Jody explained. "What is that gigantic creature that caused our accident? It's the first time I've seen anything like it, and it's terrifying."
"As I have said, Rivendell is a fascinating town," Glendir said. "You're referring to a weredragon."
"What the heck is a weredragon?" Jody asked, frowning.
**
My Mythical Fate, written by shentiments, is only available on Webnovel.