Chapter 4

I dragged my suitcase behind me as I left the villa.

The weather in Gaturnia was rather unpredictable. It had been incredibly foggy earlier, but now, dark clouds hung low in the sky while howling winds stirred to life.

A typhoon warning popped up on my phone.

I stood by the roadside, about to hail a taxi to the airport, when I suddenly remembered something.

Mom's urn was still in the trunk of the wedding car.

The original plan had been for us to go straight to the airport after the wedding and catch a flight to Frostia.

However, I had gotten out of the car partway through the journey, and the driver had left it in the parking lot at the wedding venue on top of Mt. Harlow.

I immediately hailed a taxi and rushed toward Mt. Harlow.

Outside the taxi, the wind was growing stronger. The raging speeds sent the raindrops lashing against the windows like stones.

Partway up the mountain, the taxi driver absolutely refused to continue further.

"Sir, a mudslide warning has been issued for the area up ahead. The authorities are liable to seal off the roads at any moment, so I won't go in and risk my life no matter how much you pay me!"

Left without a choice, I could only get out of the taxi and brave the storm as I made my way to the parking lot at the top of the mountain on foot.

Without the voice recordings from that old phone to guide me, I found it difficult to navigate the complex web of roads that crisscrossed the mountain. The fact that visibility was limited due to the torrential rain only worsened things.

Hence, I could only rely on my memory as I stumbled through the mud.

Eventually, my phone battery dropped to 10%. It was only then that I discovered that the portable charger I usually carried with me in my bag was missing.

I distinctly remembered that, before I had left the villa, George had pretended to be helpful as he handed me my bag.

At that moment, I received a message from Winona.

"What the hell are you doing at Mt. Harlow? Didn't you receive the warnings? Do you have to pick this time to act up?"

I replied with a voice message. "Winona, I can't see very well in this weather, so I can't find where the parking lot is."

My voice trembled as I spoke, while the wind howled loudly in the background.

There was no response from Winona for two whole minutes before she finally answered me. "Just stay put where you are and wait. George just left to buy something and is also lost at the foot of the mountain. I'll go pick him up first, then head over to you right after."

I stared at the words on my phone screen as I leaned back against the cold rock face behind me.

The place George had gone off to buy things from was only a few hundred feet from the villa and within the safe zone.

Meanwhile, above me, the sirens were still wailing loudly, urging the nearby people to evacuate immediately.

She had clearly received my location, yet I didn't see any sign of her even after half an hour had passed. By then, my phone battery had dropped to a meager 3%.

Just then, a new message appeared in the wedding group chat.

George had sent a photo of himself. Winona's coat was draped over his shoulders as he sat in the front passenger seat in her SUV, cradling a hot cup of coffee in his hands.

The attached caption was, "How lucky of me to have you by my side during the typhoon."

Subsequently, George sent me a private message.

"Simon, Winona says that you'll have to find your way on your own eventually. She's too exhausted today, so we're heading back first. You watch out for yourself, okay?"

I gazed through the pouring rain, down at the highway that wound around the mountain.

A pair of familiar headlights flared to life at a crossroads in the distance. Then, it turned right around and sped down the mountain without any hesitation.

It wasn't that she couldn't find me. She had simply chosen not to come at all.

With shaking fingers, I tapped into my chat window with Dad and sent out what would likely be my last message.

"Dad, I might have taken the wrong road again."

My phone screen flickered once before going dark completely.

In the distance, a low rumbling began.

That was the sound of a mudslide, with trees being uprooted and swept down the mountainside alongside rolling, tumbling rocks. The roar grew louder as the mudslide drew closer to where I stood.

Just as I thought this was the end for me, my phone screen suddenly lit up. With the last bit of battery remaining, I managed to receive one final message.

"Don't be afraid. Stand right there and don't move. I'm coming to get you, son."

In the next second, my phone died, for real this time.

The rumbling of the mudslide had grown into a thunderous roar as it drew closer. In the darkness, I shut my eyes and thought, "Winona Sinclair, there's no future for us anymore."