Kat had gotten exhausted from walking and was now dragging her feet. It had gotten really late, and she still hadn't found her way back. Each step she took felt heavier than the last. "Pull yourself together, woman, there's no way you're spending the night in the woods," she muttered. "Deep breaths, you just have to find a familiar route. Sigh... Yeah, I can do that." Kat breathed out.
Despite her attempts at self-motivation, she still felt frustrated and helpless. Every rustle of leaves and distant sound seemed to amplify her uneasiness. "It's okay, Katherine, you're safe," she continued to sweet-talk herself.
Then, just as she was mustering the courage to press on, a rustling sound behind her broke the silence. "Lance?" Kat called out hopefully, turning around in anticipation. But to her dismay, there was nothing there but the rustling leaves and the eerie silence of the forest. "Great," she muttered, frustrated. "Just what I needed."
Kat was getting more annoyed and frustrated, having been walking for what felt like hours. She had been feeling a sense of being watched for some time now, but she was urging herself it was only her paranoia getting to her. "Seriously, what is going on?" she muttered to herself, her unease mounting with each passing moment. Now she really wanted out of this place. A part of her wished she had just stayed back and come to the lake house the next morning instead.
Kat hadn't taken more than a few steps forward when she heard another rustling sound, this time closer than before. But she had no intention of turning around to check this time and quickened her pace. However, she then froze. "Young lady," a voice pierced the silence from behind her, causing Kat's heart to skip a beat and her body to freeze in place. 'What the...'.
Slowly, she turned around to face the source of the voice, locking eyes with an old lady. A chill ran down Kat's spine, and she felt too wary of the lady to blink. Her grip on the handle of her suitcase tightened instinctively, and she observed the old lady.
She looked like any other old lady, but there was something strange about her. She had a pallid, ghostly-like complexion and piercing blue eyes that instantly reminded Kat of the dog she had encountered earlier. But what unsettled Kat the most was the aura the old lady emitted. She couldn't quite grasp what it was, but she had never felt anything like it before. The old lady's aura left Kat feeling wary and cautious.
Kat continued to observe the old lady silently, noticing the way she stood tall and thin, her hunched posture adding to her eerie presence. Her dress was old-fashioned, with intricate lace trims and a high collar that exuded an antique charm. The fabric rustled softly with each movement. Her gray hair was neatly styled, adding to the timeless elegance of her appearance.
The old lady smiled at Kat, a warm smile that sent shivers down her spine. 'Oh God, I'm so creeped out,' Kat thought. 'Hell no! No normal old woman would be in this part of the woods at this time of night.' She didn't want to know what the old lady was doing there. The first chance she got, she was going to bolt.
Kat's legs felt frozen in place, despite her mind screaming at them to move. 'Legs, this isn't the right time to play games. Please move,' she pleaded with herself. She felt a sense of dread wash over her. "Shhhh, just calm down, breathe, Kat, breathe," she murmured, trying to calm her nerves.
The air around them seemed to grow colder, as if the forest itself was alive with darkness. Kat broke into a cold sweat when she heard the lady's raspy voice speak. "Do not be frightened, dear." Her reassurance didn't help Kat one bit. "There is every need to be frightened," Kat whispered, her voice barely audible.
"It's time you went home, Katherina," the old lady said. Kat's legs finally moved, as if they had found their motivation. But then she realized the old lady knew her name. "How... how do you know my name!?" she asked, panic gripping her. She scanned her surroundings frantically, searching for any sign of someone else. 'Could this old lady be a fan? What the hell am I thinking, Kat? How could that even be possible?' she thought, her eyes darting from side to side.
The old lady only smiled at her question and replied, "You need not worry about that, dear. You have a lot more ahead of you," taking two steps forward towards her. Kat instantly took two steps back. "Wh... what do you think you are doing?" she questioned, her words breaking, alarmed by the old lady's sudden action.
Though Kat was frightened by the woman, she still couldn't allow herself to be cornered in this manner. She tried to keep her voice stern as she threatened the old lady, intending to scare her off.
Kat didn't bother waiting for her response. She already understood she had to be tricky to get away. She turned, feigning concern, and gestured behind the old lady. "Who's that?" she pointed, and as she expected, the old lady turned to look. Without waiting another second, Kat bolted. As she ran, she didn't bother to look back, knowing that even if the old lady were to run after her, there was no way her old legs could catch up to her.
After running with her suitcases dragging behind her, Kat stopped to catch her breath when she felt she had put a good distance between her and the old lady. Looking back, she saw no trace of her. Kat let out a breath of relief, deciding to continue running to make sure she put enough distance between them. Nothing in the world could have prepared Kat for what was about to happen.
Just as she turned her gaze forward, she was greeted with the most frightening sight - the old woman stood just two steps away from her. "Jesus Christ!!" Kat screamed. Her voice echoed through the woods, causing the birds that nested on the nearest trees to fly away as the sound of the birds filled the sorrowing air.
Kat's mind struggled to process anything. But before she could react, the old lady blocked her path with an unsettling smile on her face, sending panic coursing through her. Despite her desperate attempts to flee, it was as if the old lady possessed some dark and mysterious power that held her captive.
Kat turned the other way, intent on running, but the next thing she knew, like a gust of wind, the old lady was right in front of her again. It didn't make any sense. Kat was startled and stumbled backward, her feet tangling in her haste. She tripped on a tree stem and fell onto her bottom, her suitcase slipping from her grasp.
The old lady gazed at her with an unreadable expression, her eyes glinting in the dim light. Kat's heart raced as she tried scrambled to her feet, her mind racing with questions. 'How did the old lady move so quickly? And why was she smiling at me with such an unnerving intensity?'
As the old lady moved closer, Kat felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, causing her to sway unsteadily on the ground. She tried to push herself up, but her strength failed her, and she collapsed back down, her vision growing even more distorted.
Through her blurry sight, Kat could see the old lady morphing and changing before her eyes. The wrinkled face and hunched figure transformed into that of a tall, ethereal woman with radiant beauty. She now glowed like the sun in the dark woods, casting a warm light over Kat.
As the figure approached, Kat strained to make out her features, her mind struggling to comprehend the transformation before her. She managed to muster the strength to speak, her voice barely a whisper as she gazed up at the transformed figure before her. With a mix of fear and curiosity in her voice, she rasped, "Who are you?"
The words escaped her lips almost involuntarily, a question born out of confusion and desperation as she struggled to make sense of the surreal situation she was in. "What is going on? I feel so dizzy. What are you doing to me?" she weakly asked the transformed woman once again, "Who are you?"
The woman responded enigmatically, "You would know soon enough, my dear." Despite her distorted state, Kat could hear her voice crystal clear; it sounded nothing like the old raspy voice she portrayed earlier. It was sweet and smooth, her tone elegant, sounding like a melody used to lure children to sleep.
The cryptic reply sent more questions Katharina's way, leaving her with more questions than answers. Undeterred, she pressed on with another question, her voice trembling with fear and anticipation, "What do you want from me?" The old lady's response was equally unsettling, "You. It will all begin to make sense to you when the time comes."
With those ominous words hanging in the air, Kat felt a wave of dread wash over her as she realized that her fate was inextricably linked to this mysterious figure before her. And as darkness closed in around her, she could only pray that she would soon understand the truth behind the woman's cryptic words.
Kat's mind raced back to the night her mother and Nathan perished in front of her eyes, the feeling of being powerless and helpless overwhelming her once again. "Mum, Nathan, I will meet you both soon. I love you," she whispered to herself, tears streaming down her face as she prepared to reunite with her family. The woman began to move towards her, her goddess-like figure looming larger with each step. Kat's heart raced as the woman bent down in front of her, her glowing hand reaching out to graze Kat's cheek. 'She feels so warm and comfortable. I wouldn't mind dying by this hand,' Kat thought, her vision blurring as her consciousness slipped away.
Kat's thoughts drifted away as she heard the woman's voice, a melodic whisper in the chaos of her mind. "Until we meet again, Katharina," the haunting echo of her words lingered in the air as Kat succumbed to darkness and fell into a deep slumber.
The first light of dawn crept over the horizon, its golden rays reaching out across the land. The early morning sun rose higher, casting long shadows and painting the sky in hues of pink and orange. As the light hit the entrance hall of the castle, its warm glow illuminated the stone walls and floors, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Kat's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she was greeted by the murmurs and whispers of people nearby. A crowd had formed around her, their voices buzzing with curiosity and speculation. "Who's that?" a young lady asked. "Where did she come from?" another voice chimed in. A maid in a uniform whispered, "Such strange clothes, and so revealing too."
Gathering her strength, Kat finally opened her eyes fully, adjusting to the brightness of her surroundings. As she tried to gather her bearings, she was met with the sight of a small crowd of people staring at her, their whispers floating through the air like ghostly echoes.
Some of the people gathered around her murmured in hushed tones, their voices tinged with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "Who is she?" one voice whispered, barely audible. "What in the world is she wearing?" another voice chimed in, laden with intrigue and confusion.
Confused, Kat opened her mouth to speak, but a yawn escaped her lips instead. She put her hand forward to hush her yawning, and her drowsy voice cut through the whispers. "Who are you people, and where am I?"
A man stepped forward, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "We should be the ones asking the questions here, lady," he said, his tone dripping with arrogance. "And who are you?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow.
He kept enough distance between them both. His arms still crossed in front of his chest, and he huffed. "I'm Nobleman Herrington, a court man of the king," his demeanor carrying arrogance and pride as he spoke, his eyes narrowed at Kat as if she were a mere insect he could squash beneath his feet.