Chapter 38 – Chapter 3: Cabin in the Storm – 1
I heard a sound in my dream.
Whoop-.
Whoop-. Whoop-.
It sounds like an injured wild boar breathing heavily.
Wild boar… ? Beast?
It’s dangerous if there are animals…
A thought occurred to me, and I barely lifted my heavy eyelids.
“Huh-. Whoop-.”
It was real.
Through my blurry vision, I saw a beast.
‘It’ was sitting on a rock a little distance away, catching its breath.
When your vision becomes a little clearer.
As soon as I realized its identity, I came to my senses.
“… ?!”
It was Uncle Posao.
I got goosebumps.
I thought he had completely shaken it off.
How did you follow me?
Uncle Posao’s appearance was even more miserable than before.
At first, my coat was so wet that I thought I had fallen into a stream somewhere.
But it turns out it was all sweat.
Even now, sweat was dripping from his neck and head.
… Ah. Hate. I really hate it.
I never thought it would follow me this far.
We need to widen the distance again from now on.
Sigh.
The moment you pull your knees up to raise your body.
“Ah.”
A big problem has occurred.
There was no force at all.
My ankles and calves became stiff, and I couldn’t move.
Uncle Posao heard the sound and turned around.
“Tia? “Are you awake?”
He tried to steady himself by holding on to a tree… This isn’t just a leg problem.
Even to the waist and back. It hurt like my whole body was going to break.
Just like when I first practiced holding a wooden sword.
I managed to get up, but my legs were shaking.
If the wind blows, it feels like it might collapse at any moment.
I took a careful step.
“Ugh!”
It hurts.
This feeling of tingling from the soles of your feet on the ground to your knees.
It’s definitely true. Your feet are swollen.
The man asked.
“Uh… Where are you going… ?”
“…”
One more step.
I walk with my teeth clenched.
In the end, you will feel better when you start walking again.
There is no time to lie down in pain in a place like this.
Stumble, wobble.
I started walking with trembling legs.
The steps were much more unstable and slower than yesterday.
“I need to get some rest! I’ve walked a lot now. If you overdo it like that…”
He keeps talking to me behind my back.
I didn’t want to hear it.
Even though I wanted to rest, I wanted to rest alone.
There was no time to stay like this.
You must go to Deseo as soon as possible and obtain Dienbus.
Truly.
I took a heavy step and raised my head.
“…”
Hwiooooo-.
The peak was visible.
Strangely, it seemed higher than yesterday.
Rough rocks that were hidden by fog were also visible.
I can’t do it with my shaky legs right now… It seemed like I couldn’t go up.
“T, Tia! Oh, it’s impossible to go up in that state… Let’s take a little rest…”
“-Don’t meddle.”
I don’t even want to hear it anymore.
I put my foot on a sloping rock to climb the peak.
That alone was hard enough to make me break into a cold sweat.
The man who was sitting got up.
“Tia…”
“Don’t follow me!”
I screamed without realizing it. And I immediately regretted it.
I should have saved my energy to scream.
He seems to be in such bad shape that he can’t just ignore that man.
“Tia is so worried about you… I saw it earlier… Well, it seems like there is a way back…”
“…”
“It might go back a little bit, but… Well, you don’t have to overdo it… How about that… ?”
Is there a way to bypass this peak?
Since the surrounding area was all cliffs and dead ends, I thought the only way was to this high peak.
However, Mr. Posao must have looked around the surrounding area and said that there was a way back.
“…”
I looked at the peak again.
I don’t want to admit it, but Uncle Posao was right.
I couldn’t go up in this condition.
My legs were strong enough to be fortunate enough to climb just one rock.
At the same time, I felt relieved.
Fortunately, there is a ‘way to go back.’
Uncle Posao pointed to the left.
“This way.”
She slowly lowered her foot from the rock.
You have to be cool-headed.
It will be much faster if you cross this peak, but you must also consider the load on your body.
If you fall here, you won’t be able to save Luca.
The village chief also said that.
It is said that it is wrong to do something that is motivated only.
It may take some time, but if we can return safely.
It is right to choose that path.
He turned his toes to the left and walked in the direction pointed.
“Wait for a sec… Noaa- I’ll show you the way!”
Even though I didn’t say anything, he took the lead on his own.
I left it alone.
Because I don’t know the way anyway, and I don’t want to get angry.
It wasn’t long before a slope that went around the cliff appeared.
It looked narrow from the outside, but if that guy could get in safely… It seemed wide enough.
As we entered the slope, Uncle Po Sao held out his hand.
“… Now, let’s catch it… ? You might fall…”
“No.”
“Wook. That… Okay…”
The man scratched his head.
I walked down the slope quietly like that.
How long did it take?
Grumbling-!
Fighting. Toad.
I thought it was cloudy from the moment I woke up.
It started to rain.
It’s broad daylight, but the sky is dark and full of dark clouds.
This way the sun sets faster.
Shoot!
The raindrops that fell once or twice soon became thicker.
It became a heavy rain and started pouring down.
“Ugh-. “It’s not going to rain, it’s going to rain a lot.”
The man got out of the slope and went under the big tree.
And he motioned for me to take shelter from the rain for a while, but I just ignored it.
Because I hated being close to that guy more than getting my clothes wet.
I just passed the tree.
The man shouted something again.
The rain was so heavy that I couldn’t even hear the muffled voices.
Wow-!!
Now the rain is pouring down so hard that the sight before my eyes looks pure white.
“…”
This wasn’t a shower.
It was a storm. It’s also very powerful.
Desperately, the sky was gray all the way to the end.
The hard ground became muddy, and water began to fill the boots.
The clothes were completely wet, and the skin was visible.
Rumbling!
Did it come riding the winds of winter?
The raindrops were very cold.
Each raindrop falling on my skin feels like being stabbed by an ice pick.
Whiooooo-!
And with the cold wind blowing, my whole body freezes.
My teeth chattered spontaneously.
“Ha…”
Cloudy breath comes out.
It’s cold.
When I hugged her with both arms, it was surprisingly cold.
It’s cold, like touching ice, not your body… I didn’t know?
“Tia!”
A man came running from behind, splashing muddy water.
“Tia! Oh, there’s a cabin… ! Let’s take shelter from the rain over there… !”
“Ha… Ha…”
She looked back.
It was blurry, but there was a building that looked like a ‘hut’ not far away.
I can’t believe I didn’t even see that.
Me… My field of vision has become very narrow.
Uncle Posao swallowed his saliva and asked.
“Shall we go?”
“…”
There was no way.
First, we had to avoid this cold rain and wind.
After nodding, the man went down to the cabin to see if anyone was there first.
After a while. He waved his arm widely at me, saying there was no one there.
I entered the cabin as if chased by wind and rain.
“Ha… Ha…”
The inside was shabby.
There were traces that people had once lived there, but the owner seemed to have been gone for a very long time.
There was a cloud of dust on the floor, spider webs were hanging all over the ceiling, and unknown insects could be seen crawling.
Although the weather is poor, I am just thankful that wind and rain do not enter.
“Whoa-. The house is a mess… Hehe…”
The man roughly dusted the floor with a mat hanging on the wall.
Then I went into the kitchen and looked at the oven.
I’m doing something while looking at things intently… I didn’t want to care.
“Ha…”
I sat down on the floor and took a deep breath.
Water drips from wet shirt and pants.
It’s too cold.
She was shivering, so I pulled her knees up to my chest and hugged her.
My clothes are damp and uncomfortable, so I want to take them off and dry them right away, but I can’t because there’s an uncle.
“Tia. Mo, how are you feeling?”
“…”
I feel dizzy.
As I close my eyes and rest my head on my knees, it feels like the whole world is spinning.
“You don’t look good… Where… “Where does it hurt?”
“… Ugh!”
The moment the man approached, ‘that smell’ hit me.
I was dizzy, but when I smelled the bad smell, I ended up nauseating.
“Tia… ?”
“Go away!”
I screamed with all my might.
My head feels hot.
“Because it stinks… Don’t come closer…”
“… Wow.”
The man looked down on her and walked away.
The only sounds are the sound of rain hitting the ceiling and the sound of water flowing from the eaves.
As I sit still, I gradually become drowsy.
I was barely able to maintain my faint consciousness when I suddenly heard a rustling sound.
She narrowed her eyes.
“… ?”
The man took off her coat and walked confidently into the storm.
Shoot-!!
And as the rain hits her whole body, she rubs herself.
His face didn’t seem to care at all even though there was thunder and lightning.
It was so shocking that I couldn’t even turn my head.
Like… It felt like a pig was wrapped around its neck.
“… “I’m crazy.”
That was all I could think of.
You can’t do such strange things without going crazy.
“…”
No way… I said, ‘It stinks.’
Are you washing yourself in rainwater?
Grumble-!
I even do laundry by wringing out wet clothes with all my might.
In a moment.
After showering and doing laundry, the man came home dripping with water.
Surprisingly, there was no longer that bad smell.
To be precise, I should say that the mold smell in this house has faded to the point where it has become stronger.
Fortunately, I was able to breathe a little easier.
The man spoke again.
“Tia.”
“…”
“I-I-I still smell?”
I buried my head and shook it desperately.
I feel like if I say it still stinks, I’ll jump into the rain again.
I shook my head because I didn’t want to see that ugly sight.
“No! Hehe. Well, I’m glad…”
The man hurriedly entered the kitchen.
I start working hard at something again.
Months! Months! Sak!
It was a passing sound at high speed.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the man gathering kindling in front of the furnace and rubbing bamboo together.
Are you trying to start a fire?
Starting a fire in this humid cabin was nearly impossible.
There is no need to say more if the kindling or bamboo is wet.
Months! Months! Sak!
The sound did not stop.
If you do that, your arm strength will be lost first,
The man continued to try without saying anything with a serious face.
… I’m tired.
The crunching sound becomes increasingly distant.
My eyes slowly closed.
* * *
“Tia.”
“…”
“Tia. Hey, wake up…”
I opened my eyes to the voice calling me.
It was already night.
The rain is falling steadily, as if the storm’s momentum has abated.
The inside of the house was dark, but strangely the kitchen glowed particularly brightly.
I could hear it soon.
Crack. Tak.
The sound of burning flames.
As soon as she sees that warm light, heat seeps into her chest.
Uncle Posao said proudly.
“I started a fire… Hehe. Oh, sit there…”
It was already moving.
As if possessed, I led my aching body and approached the beautifully burning flame.
I sat in front of the furnace.
Warm heat clings to your body and face.
It’s so cozy… I wanted to stay like this.
The man asked.
“… Hehe. Oh, how about it? “Isn’t it warm?”
“…”
“Get some rest. Me, I… “Don’t worry about it.”
I’m losing strength.
I closed my eyes again and fell into a deep sleep.
