Amy tried to get out of the room, but the door was locked from the outside. "I can't stay here like this. I have to try my best to get out, or I might never see him again," she said to herself. She kept trying and trying until she heard a voice from outside.
"Looks like a little angel needs some treats?" said a middle-aged man, laughing softly.
"Wait, is this...?" she murmured.
The door opened, and what she saw was enough to break her completely.
[Scene fades to darkness again]
[Next scene: Xin and Kaila still looking for a nearby store or house to get help]
"Sis, I'm tired right now. Can we sit for a moment?" Xin asked.
"Huh? Are you tired already? You were the one saying monsters are going to come soon and we need to move fast. Now you're tired?" Kaila replied annoyingly.
"We've been walking for an hour now. Is this ever going to end? I'm sure we're going in the wrong direction again."
"Come on, don't quit here, okay? We have to keep moving. I'm sure we're not going the wrong direction. At least, not this time," she replied with a little smile.
"Yeah, that's why we're lost in the first place."
"What?"
"Nope, nothing. Let's go."
Xin and Kaila started walking again, looking for help. It was already 2 p.m., and the weather was getting rainy. They stopped at a place called "Palton," according to a signboard they found.
"Wait, is this the only signboard we have here?" Xin asked.
"Hmm, it seems to be. But it's weird to have only one in the whole forest."
"Hey, sis, look! There's a small shop here. We're saved..." Xin said, his face lighting up with relief.
They both entered the shop. It was old and broken, with unfinished furniture, shattered windows, and a solitary counter.
"Anybody here?" Xin shouted.
"Hey, you don't have to shout so loud. It's clear no one is here. There's literally nothing here that can be sold..." Kaila said.
Suddenly, a random guy walked in with a small shopping bag in his hand. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He looked normal and honest.
"Hello, can I help you guys with something?" he asked.
"Uhmm, yeah, we were lost and needed some directions," Kaila replied nervously.
"Oh, no worries. This is my grandma's shop, and I help her here. Do you need a map or something?" he offered.
"Actually..." Kaila began, but Xin interrupted.
"We need to go back home. Can you show us how to get to the main spot? We have maps, so we don't need one."
"Oh, okay. You can come with me, and I'll drop you off at the main spot. I have a jeep outside," the guy said.
"That's awesome, man. I can't wait to go back home..." Xin exclaimed.
Suddenly, heavy rain started outside. The rainy clouds covered the sunlight, and it became completely dark. They all looked outside, realizing they couldn't leave until the rain stopped.
"I think it's not good for us to go right now. It's raining heavily, and it's very risky to move in the dark, especially in a forest area like this," the guy said.
"Well, I guess we have no choice but to wait for the rain to stop. What do you say, Xin?" Kaila asked.
"Fuck this. I'm not going to get home today," Xin grumbled.
"Yeah, bro, I have to go back home too. But stay until the rain stops," the guy said.
"Do you have any place to sit or any extra room?" Kaila asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you. You guys can go back to the extra room my grandma uses when she gets too tired. I also use it sometimes."
"Okay. Xin, let's rest there for a while until the rain stops. Um, mister, can I know your name?" Kaila asked.
"I'm Andy," he said, smiling.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kaila, and this is my younger brother Xin."
They went to the extra room and put down their bags. Both Kaila and Xin were stressed. The room was very small, with one small bed, a dim light, and a tiny window.
"Sis, I just feel unsafe here. The guy looks creepy, and it's kind of suspicious," Xin said.
"We're here for a temporary time only. Once the rain stops, we'll get out of here. Stop being a wimp," Kaila replied.
"Well, if you say it's safe, I'll take a nap here for a while," Xin said.
"Hmm, take a rest. I need to talk more about this place with Andy. You stay here and call me if you need anything. I'll be outside, okay?" Kaila said.
"Yeah, yeah."
Kaila closed the door of the extra room and went to talk with Andy about the place. Andy was cleaning up. Kaila approached him and said, "Hey, um, Andy. Are you free to talk?"
"Yeah, Kaila. Do you need anything?" Andy asked.
"Well, I wanted to know more about this place. Can you tell me what happened to all the tourist spots and other areas?" Kaila asked.
"Sure, wait a minute. Let me finish this work quickly, and I'll get back to you."
Kaila sat on a chair near Andy, waiting for him to finish. She was worried about getting home safely and wanted to ensure her brother was safe.
"Alright, the work is mostly done," Andy said, sitting next to Kaila.
"Yeah, tell me, Kaila, what do you want to know? But first, tell me how you guys ended up in this risky forest. You know the age restrictions here, right?" Andy asked.
"Yeah, no worries. My brother and I both have age permission. I'm 20, so it's not a big deal for me," Kaila said.
"What about your brother?"
"He just turned 18," Kaila replied, smiling.
"Okay, that's nice. I can tell you about this place and everything. So what happened is..."
Suddenly, running footsteps could be heard from outside, accompanied by disturbing, scary screams. Both Andy and Kaila were shocked and terrified.
"What's that?" Kaila asked, shaking.
"Oh no. Not today," Andy said, equally terrified.
Before Kaila could say anything, she saw a giant humanoid creature looking back at them from outside with a disturbing smile.
[Scene fades to darkness again]
[Next scene: Amy running away, trying her best to find the highway in the deep forest.]
She heard footsteps behind her, with someone shouting, "Get back here, you little bitch," louder and louder every second.
She didn't know what to do.
"They know it all," she said to herself.