Duskwood Legends [English Version]

Let the show begin.

"In three hundred meters, turn slightly to the right at the crossroad." The female voice of the navigator suddenly bursts in, dampening the silence created inside the vehicle's cabin.

"Jake, you should turn soon." I affirm, pointing to the road before our eyes. "Here, I think..." I lower my gaze, staring intently at the screen of the phone; I hold it tightly in my hands, resting on my lap. I unplugged it from the phone holder as soon as we took the wrong road for the first time.

Well, we have chosen a place that is so hidden and hard to reach, that we are having a hard time finding it.

It makes me laugh.

Fortunately, we are still early; all thanks to Jake and his heavy foot always pressed on the accelerator, as if he was glued to it. I've seen my life pass me by, like in a movie, just a couple of times.

"Uhm, you mean right here?" He slows down, slamming on the brake and subsequently downshifting the gear. "Are you sure this is the right direction?" Since it's still about fifty meters to the route indicated by the navigator, he raises his palm in midair; he extends his arm to me to claim the phone. I quickly hand it to him, moving my upper body closer so I can see the display as well. "Mhm, let's try this." He mutters hesitantly, still steering right and turning onto the small dirt road.

"You don't sound very convinced too." I chuckle, trying to play it down, as soon as the path continues downhill. The forest gets thicker and the road rougher as we continue; large roots branch off the ground, making the ride wobbly, as if we were going over repeated bumps.

I place my face against the window glass, observing the conifers that surround the entire area. Nothing else can be discerned but an endless succession of fir trees and pines, surrounded by dry shrubs and broken trunks; or birch trees, with their tall canopies stretching toward the sky. The ends of the branches seem to touch and embrace each other, creating a kind of impenetrable roof. Sure enough, during the day, very little light manages to enter and brighten the undergrowth; intertwining with each other they create a kind of tunnel, leading into the heart of the forest.

Well, given the situation we are in, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it: a tunnel that leads straight to hell.

I shudder at every turn. The car's headlights, which illuminate the forest in the distance for a few seconds, produce strange alternations of light and shadow; the mind plays tricks, sometimes. It must be said that, the state I find myself in, that is, gripped by anxiety over the imminent break-in, certainly does not help me stay clear-headed. Out of the corner of my eye, I seem to constantly see dark figures in the trees, hidden in the bush.

Ahhh, okay, just breathe and stay calm!

"It's quite creepy in the woods at night..." I mutter, turning my gaze toward Jake; his eyes are narrowed into two slits, intent on looking at the path straight ahead.

I can see a barely sketched smile appear on his lips, dimly lit by the glare of the high beams. "I agree." He states, briefly turning his face in my direction; a sly expression has taken the place of the smirk from before. "Who knows, maybe it's haunted."

Would you like to scare me by any chance, Jake?

"And if so, who you gonna call?" I try to keep a straight face as I quote a joke we wrote in chat. It was during the time when the man without a face's trail was taking hold; a legend that later became reality.

"The Ghostbusters? Hehe." He asks rhetorically, bursting out laughing. He intertwines my fingers with his, grabbing my hand to bring it over his lap.

Well, I thought I was playing the part of the swagger excellently in Jake's eyes, but I must have been wrong. He sensed my fear immediately; and taking me by the hand, with the intention of calming me down, is irrefutable proof of that.