I had been walking the entire day and I had a nagging feeling that I hadn't really come far. The fog was still thick and covered the mountains like a blanket that kept me from navigating through the valley I knew was there. Only short glimpses of blue sky broke through, but it wasn't enough to see the landmark Jared pointed out to me. And when I came to the same lake for the third time, I gave up. I shouted out my frustration and made a group of birds fly up from a nearby bush and watched them disappear into the distance together with my muffled echo. If only I could fly away and disappear with them. Instead I had wasted an entire day on walking in circles. So much time. So much energy. And I was already running low on both.

I wanted to cry, but I was empty. So empty that my body felt like a hollow shell. So I sunk to the ground like a sack of potatoes and didn't really care that my jeans got wet. And to top it all, it had started raining. Not a lot. Just billions and billions of miniature water droplets that covered everything like a cobweb, but without making it properly wet. Still, that was literally the drop that made me lose all hope of ever finding my way home. Maybe it was a sign? Maybe I wasn't supposed to find my way home? Where was home?

Chicago.

It could just be my imagination, but as for now it felt good to at least believe I had a home somewhere in Chicago. At least that's what my dream told me. However, it could be just that. A dream, and not a memory. And while I pondered about this, I pulled out the fishing line Jared gave me. I might as well try to get something to eat, while hoping the fog would suddenly disappear. Of course, it didn't. But at least I caught a fish. Problem was that I still couldn't light up a fire. And this time it wasn't only because of my lack of skills. I simply couldn't find anything dry enough to use as firewood.

I stared at the fish. It had stopped moving now. Only weak trembling in its muscles could be seen, similar to a shivering leaf in the breeze. And the tiny scales that covered its body was glistening in the rainbow's many colors. It would taste like sushi, right? I think I used to eat that before, although I wasn't sure. But my stomach was growling so loudly, and my hunger made my body ache, so eventually I grabbed the knife and scraped off as much of the scales as possible and cut a slice. Then I tried my best to ignore the taste and the strange texture of raw fish, while I chewed and swallowed.

If this was sushi, it was definitely not something I ate voluntarily!

I took a couple of slices more, just to stifle the worst hunger. But when my stomach churned and threatened to discharge the whole thing because of the disgusting taste, I threw the rest of the fish back into the water. Hopefully I would find some berries tomorrow. It was too late to search for that now since the darkness was already about to bury the day, and I knew I had another night with restlessness and anxiety ahead of me. It was best to find somewhere to seek shelter.

Like I did the night before, I searched for a large tree for protection against the weather and cold. Unfortunately, I had to go quite far into the forest to find one that was suitable, and I didn't like the forest. I preferred to stay out in the open terrain so I could be sure no one was sneaking up on me. The rain was worse now, and Jared's sweater weighed heavy on my shoulders because it was wet. And even though it was wool and still kept me somewhat warm, I was shivering from cold.

Feeling overwhelmingly sad and lonely, I curled up between the roots of an old oak tree with my arms wrapped around my body and let my bitterness float out as big, salty tears that ran down my cheeks. And the most depressing of it all was that you couldn't even see them because the rain washed them away soon after, like I wasn't allowed to break down and cry. But I did anyway.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the silence, and I jumped up, ready to run.

"You look cold."

It was the little girl again. She looked shy and twisted her torso a bit from side to side while she twirled her dress between her fingers.

"Y-yeah. I am," I stuttered. To say I was skeptical was a solid understatement. Even though she was a little girl and I doubted she would be able to harm me, there was something strange about her that I couldn't put my finger on. And just the fact that she was out in the wilderness alone, made me question if I was closer to civilization than I was aware of. Then there was Jared, who had pointed out what he thought was the shortest way, and I felt bewildered.

"You should come to my house. It's not far from here. You can stay there if you'd like."

Oh. Of course. Maybe she was visiting with her family and rented a cottage that normally was empty? That would explain why Jared forgot about it.

"Only for the night, I mean," she quickly added. "So you can dry your clothes and get some rest. I bet you're hungry, too."

I nodded slowly while I thought hard. The idea was extremely tempting, especially because the pain in my ribs and shoulder got worse from shivering all the time. Just having a roof over my head would feel like luxury now. And even though the girl irked me a bit, at least I wouldn't be alone with her since her family was there. Then maybe I managed to relax enough to sleep a few hours, too.

A cold hand grabbed mine, and the girl smiled as she started leading me down a narrow path that I'd obviously missed, even though I'd walked past the same place three times. It ended in a much wider one, almost big enough for a car. Shadows from the trees around us made it appear as though they were abnormally tall humans who were stretching their arms to catch us, but it was probably just my way too creative imagination. However, the girl wasn't, and she kept pulling my arm to make me move faster. She was probably just as cold as me and wanted to hurry into the warmth of the cottage, but I still had to ask.

"Why aren't you wearing more clothes?"

She didn't answer. It seemed like the closer we got to wherever their cottage was, the more she hurried, and now her naked feet were almost running through the woods, with me stumbling behind. Her hair glued itself around her neck and shoulders, the same way her light blue, faded dress clung to her body. For some reason she seemed unaffected by it, even though I knew she had to be cold. Probably colder than me.

The forest changed. I don't know how to describe it, or whether it was the darkness combined with the fog, but this part of the forest was deadly quiet. I knew there wasn't that much noise at night, but usually you heard the sound from owls hooting in the distance, battering wings and squealing from bats, or a deer or a fox that accidentally walked past because they didn't notice me in time. No. This silence was suffocating.

The grip around my hand tightened and I was about to freak out when I saw a small cabin with lights in the windows and smoke from the chimney. It looked idyllic and inviting, just like the kind you read about in fairy tales. I was a bit surprised, but mostly very relieved that she was telling the truth. I really was going to spend the night indoors. Still, there was something odd about it.

From a distance, the cabin looked just like other cottages. Small and cozy. However, it seemed like the closer we got, the more it aged and crumbled before my eyes, until it looked like a dilapidated and totally uninhabitable shed, with a drooping roof and broken windows. It was the gloomiest house I'd ever seen, and it was like a black hue or cloud surrounding it which was definitely not fog. Not a normal fog, anyway.

"Hurry up," the girl said, and it sounded like she was whispering just loud enough so I could hear her. And that's when I decided that it actually was better to stay out in the rain, alone and vulnerable, than following her into what was the true definition of a haunted house. My feet glued themselves to the ground and I simply couldn't run anymore. That was, until the girl started pulling my hand.

"We're waiting for you."

"We? Who are we?" I asked, even though I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to know the answer. This was all too surreal. I was beginning to believe it was a nightmare I soon would wake up from, and that I would find myself curled up against the old oak tree, just the way I fell asleep. Either that, or this girl who was pulling my hand right now really existed, and that it was only me over-analyzing the situation. That wouldn't be surprising at all because I'd found out that I seemed to do that a lot. But the most logical reason was that my brain was so exhausted that I'd started hallucinating.

"My family. My mom and dad, and my grandmother and siblings. I've got eleven brothers and sisters, you know," she explained and giggled when she saw the disbelief in my face.

"Eleven? Gosh, that's..."

Then it occurred to me how small the cottage was, and I found it strange that an entire family of fifteen was living in it. Oh, yes. This was definitely a dream because that was simply not possible. So, convinced that it was a nightmare and that I would wake up soon, I let the girl lead me inside. Then I could pretend to have shelter from the rain if only for a few minutes.

The door was difficult to open so the girl struggled to get a proper grip on the barely existent doorhandle, and I was about to help when she finally made it. The sound that followed gave me shivers all the way up to my hair roots. It sounded like the scream from a dying animal. That didn't stop the eager girl though, who pulled me inside and seemed really happy to have a visitor, and I noticed she was talking to someone. But the strange part was that I couldn't hear anyone answering, even though she obviously had an ongoing conversation that even seemed lively.

Suddenly I felt something stroke my leg, and I screamed. But the girl just giggled.

"Relax. It's just Ginger, our cat. He's usually nice."

Usually?

Then everything went scarily quiet. I couldn't hear the girl giggling and talking anymore, and the cat was gone. There were no sounds of movements or even people breathing, although if I'd heard breathing from strangers I couldn't see, I'd freak out even more.

"Hello?" I called out, but my voice was faint and fell to the ground without carrying through to anyone. Only the heaves and sighs from the floorboard under my feet when I took a step forward was heard.

"Little girl?"

I took another step and almost fell because I crashed into something that felt like a wooden chair. Luckily, I didn't lose my balance.

"Little girl? I forgot to ask for your name."

There was still a deafening silence.

"Hello? Are you there? Anyone? This isn't funny."

Finally I heard a sound. But it wasn't a good sound. It was the same scream from the hinges on the door that made my blood freeze. And before I managed to make out the direction so I could get out, it slammed shut with a loud thunder.

I was trapped.