Chapter 5
"Stick with me," David said.
He yanked the keys from the ignition and carelessly tossed them into the grass.
The car that had been with us for three years was simply abandoned out here in the wild.
David headed into the trees first. I trudged after him, lugging my heavy pack.
There was not a single trail in sight. We forced our way through weeds and thorns that came up to our waists.
The trees were towering, their dense canopy blocking out the sky.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering flecks of light across the forest floor.
The light in the woods was dim, giving the place an eerie vibe.
We walked for what felt like forever, and I was at my limit.
My legs felt like they were filled with lead.
"David, I... I can't go any further." I leaned against a tree, panting hard, trying to catch my breath.
David stopped and turned back to look at me.
He was pale, too, sweat streaming down his forehead.
But he didn't rush me.
He simply took a bottle of water out of his pack and handed it to me.
"Drink some water and take a break," David said softly.
I grabbed the bottle and took a few big gulps.
The icy water rushed down my throat, giving me a bit of relief.
We slumped down against the tree trunk, catching our breath as we rested.
"David," I called out, looking at him. "Did you... already know this day would come?"
He went quiet. He fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.
It was the first time I'd ever seen him smoke.
He lit one up and took a deep drag. Then he slowly blew out a smoke ring. The smoke made his face hard to read.
"Julia," David finally said. "Back in college, I was part of a special project team.
"It was totally off-the-books, all about investigating unknown phenomena.
"We ended up uncovering something... nobody was ever supposed to find. Some ancient 'rules'."
His voice was distant, like he was telling someone else's story.
He continued, "After that, the project was abruptly terminated.
"All the files were destroyed, and we were ordered to erase everything from our memories.
"We signed non-disclosure agreements and swore to never speak of it again, for the rest of our lives.
"I thought it was the end of it.
"I thought I could settle down, get married, have kids, and live out my days like everyone else."
He let out a bitter laugh. "But I was dead wrong.
"Those things... They never really went away.
"Once you know the rules, you're trapped by them forever.
"It's like a curse."
He couldn't go on. He just took long, hard drags from his cigarette.
As I watched him suffer like that, my chest tightened with sympathy.
I was starting to get it.
He wasn't running from a person or an organization.
He was trying to escape a curse.
A curse woven from rules, something invisible and untouchable.
And those neighbors who died in our building were the casualties of breaking those rules.
We rested for about ten minutes, and then we set off again.
This time, I kept quiet about being tired.
Because I knew that every second we stopped, that invisible curse was right on our heels, waiting to catch up.
We kept trudging for another two hours.
The daylight was fading, and the woods grew darker.
Just when I was about to lose all hope, David pointed ahead.
"We've arrived," David said.
I looked in the direction he was pointing.
Deep in the woods, I could just make out the outline of a small cabin.
It was a simple, rundown little cabin.
It looked like it had been around forever.
The wood on the walls was weathered to a dark brown from years of wind and sun.
Moss had even started creeping across the roof.
It was sitting there, all by itself, hidden away in the depths of the woods.
It was like a spot the world had forgotten, tucked away and left behind.
David walked up to the cabin and fished a rusty key out of his pocket.
He jammed it into the lock and twisted. A loud, grating creak echoed out.
Then the door creaked open. A wave of stale, musty air washed over us.
We stepped inside.
The cabin was sparsely furnished. There was only a wooden bed, a table, and two chairs.
Everything was coated in a thick layer of dust. Spiderwebs clung to the corners.
Nobody had been here in forever.
David set his pack down and walked over to the window. The window was tiny and covered in dust.
He managed to force it open a sliver.
The evening light slipped in through the gap, along with some fresh air.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"My safe house," David replied. "Back in college, everyone in our inner circle built one of these, in case things ever went really bad.
"Never thought I'd actually have to use it."
He sounded a little bitter.
I walked over to the bed and brushed off the dust with my hand.
The wooden bed was hard as a board, but for me, dead tired as I was, it was pure heaven.
I tossed my pack onto the floor and flopped onto the bed.
I was so wiped out that I didn't want to move a muscle.