Unravel

Chapter 9

Cassandra got dressed up into a more wary outfit. She wore some black pants, a beige shirt and a bulletproof vest on it. She didn't want to get killed.

She was glad she had gotten that stuff with her. Inside her bag, she had a gun. Yes, she had gotten a gun from her house, just in case. It was loaded and she even had some extra bullets. She didn't want to harm people, but she didn't want to die either.

Cassandra took a deep breath, making sure she had all defense stuff in her bag. She drank water lastly and stepped out of her room. It was 11:30 and she was ready to face these dangerous people. She knew it was a trap, an attempt to probably kill her.

But even if she didn't go, they'd probably find her still.

She stepped out of the hostel and huffed, knowing she let her bicycle in that damn forest. The address was far, another forest.

The sun was shining in the sky and the temperatures were boiling. The vest made its job to get her sweat, but she ignored it.

She thought to use the bus, but didn't want to get packed up with people. Better to walk it off, she decided. The address was far, but she could manage.

She started to walk through the roads, occasionally glancing at her map. The sun was harsh on her skin and she wished she had brought a hat. Her heart pounded fast, her stomach twisted in knots. Every time a stranger passed by, she tensed up, ready to draw her gun.

But after an hour of walking, the forest finally came into view. The trees were tall and at least, it wasn't much dense. A few restaurants were on the sides of the road. She didn't know why they chose that place. After all, there were people, even if they were fewer.

Cassandra found a bench and sat on it, catching her breath. Her legs were killing her. She took out her map and checked the remaining distance. It wasn't much. Another thirty minutes, she guessed. She stood up, stretched, and started to walk again, this time more slowly.

The trees grew thicker around her, and she glanced around warily, feeling as if the trees were watching her, plotting against her.

She had never been much careful before. Her heart was still racing in a mix of fear and adrenaline. She kept her satchel close, her hand inside it, holding the gun.

Then, it seemed like she reached the destination. It was like the one in the map.

She was there.

She gripped her satched tightly and glanced around, her eyebrows furrowing. Her throat felt tight, maybe from lack of water or uncertainty.

She didn't know what to do, should she speak? Say something?

The more she stayed, the more anxious she became. She didn't want to be scared, but it was like she had gotten inside the wolf's den. The birds on the trees were crows or ravens, although she could only hear their sounds, not see them at all.

And then, she noticed something. The trees had a weird symbol painted on them. She approached more and saw it was something written in red. It read 'follow the trial'.  The symbol was a circle with a dot inside.

"How weird," Cassandra muttered after she saw other trees with the same symbol. So, she was supposed to follow their trial. It was a trap, she knew. But she came here, no she couldn't just turn back.

She followed the trial and the trees grew less greenery. Their branches appeared thin and the leaves were rare. There was still grass but it seemed like it was slowly disappearing. Finally, it turned almost like a dessert. She looked at her map, but saw nothing like this place.

"What the...." she muttered, her patience hanging thin. What was going on? Why weren't they showing themselves?

"Cassandra Roth."