The Red Rose

Chapter XXXIV

It didn't take long to reach my destination. I was already at the foot of the hill, and it seemed it had rained here too. I checked all my belongings to make sure nothing had fallen out.

"Ah, son of a bitch!" I exclaimed when I realized I didn't have the earpiece to contact Juanpi, remembering that the guard had thrown it away while trying to grab me.

I moved around the forest and through some streets, but I didn't seem to sense anything; everything was too quiet. I walked down the middle of the street and passed by what looked like a hotel, or rather a retreat area. They were Catholics, as I could hear them practicing Gregorian chants.

I felt the urge to enter and passed through the main gate, which was a long fence where cars normally passed. A German shepherd dog observed me and stood up, walked towards me, and licked my hand, making a kind of whimpering sound. I also noticed they had chickens and even a turkey, but I decided not to disturb anyone and continued on my way.

Following the small avenue in the darkness of night, I saw how on my left, houses were being replaced by forests, and I could see a deer with its fawn, looking at me, then jumping and returning to the depths of the forest. Looking towards the entrance of the forest, which seemed dark, I decided to take that path.

The trees seemed to grow in a way that enveloped me, and everything had a tone between green and reddish. The ground was muddy, as it had just rained, but that didn't stop my progress.

"It's quiet, too quiet. I can't sense absolutely anything," I thought with frustration.

Following the directions on the map I took from Carmilla, I walked and looked around. The forest was dark, and I could only hear the branches moving and the wind blowing, along with the breeze that serpentined through the branches, touching my face.

"How can she lend herself to another weirdo's fetishes? Selling herself just to feed? Maybe she was always like this and enjoyed that life, she never changed, she simply doesn't kill anymore, of course, if she has enough weirdos who love those things."

I took a breath and said:

"I can't change others, but I can decide what to do about it."

While I still had that bizarre image, which brought back painful memories when I saw her in the Victorian era with Laura (who turned out to be feeding and who knows what other things she did while poor Laura slept), I realized that I was already leaving the forest route.

I saw several stacked logs, probably for wood, and came across a very small cemetery, which caused me unease due to the desperate situation I was in.

"I pray that my father is still alive," I murmured as I looked at the crucifix behind me, where there was a small parking lot.

I had gone a bit off route, so I took out the map again and reviewed Erik's notes. I had to go up the hill where the cemetery was located and then, upon descending, I would come across a place where I had to dig to find a tunnel, so I followed the instructions, compared the map with the terrain, and began to dig.

It was deep, but I finally reached what seemed to be a kind of wooden cover, and when I was about to open it, something collapsed underneath, and I fell perhaps kilometers underground. When I hit the bottom, the rest came down with me, and I managed to dodge the debris by moving to the side.

It was dark, really dark, even for my senses. The walls were made of worn brick, and the air was heavy. I could catch the horrendous smell of mold in my nose. I took my flashlight and realized it was damaged, increasing my desperation.

"I'll find you, Dad, I swear to God," I murmured as I used my sense of touch to see what I could find after my flashlight flickered until it finally died.