CHAPTER 1: THE LITTLE GIRL

“Tap, tap, tap.”

"Huh, huh, huh, I think I can do it! I'll be safe for a while as long as they don't discover I escaped!" 

A young girl, about five or six years old, murmured to herself as she hurried through the forest, her bleeding feet treading on dry leaves, stones, and other unidentified objects. 

Despite the bleeding, the young girl showed no symptoms of discomfort, only worry and dread. It took her a long time to get down the mountain while running through the forest. And, without staying on the main road, the little girl took a certain path with certainty, and a smile could be seen on her meatless face. 

'Will she accept me if she sees me like this?' 

'I hope she doesn't chastise me or send me back there!' 

She prayed softly with her hands clasped as she made her uncertain journey. She came to a halt in the bushes not far from the road when she heard some familiar sounds. Her interest piqued; she hurriedly lay flat on the ground to avoid being seen. 

"Huhh, I hope they go quickly!" she grumbled to herself as she stroked her slender arm. 

"Vroom, vroom, vroom" 

A large car she didn't recognize drove by rapidly, and she saw it perfectly clearly. She didn't get up right away, preferring to remain on the ground to ensure that no one else was approaching. She rose from the ground once she no longer heard any noises of cars approaching. 

"At this rate, I'll be naked!" she complained as she examined her soiled self. 

The thin garments she was wearing were severely ripped, and some sections of them were unclean and had blood on them. A lot of thorn trees had hacked her while running through the forest, but it was all worth it. All of her sufferings will be worth it if she gets to see that person. 

The tiny girl continued her journey. Despite her hunger and exhaustion, she was determined to reach her target. She had only been there once before, but she recalled the route well. She wouldn't have risked her life to come out like this if the demons back home weren't growing too nasty. She didn't trust anyone else besides that individual. 

The world was full of vicious people, and she didn't want to fall into the hands of others. The little girl walked for over an hour and was soon nearing her destination.

However, as she got nearer to the destination, she got goosebumps that made her shudder with fear. Apart from that individual, the one thing she trusted the most was her instinct. 

When something like this happens, it always spells trouble, and this has saved her numerous times in the past. She took a careful look around and moved carefully toward that person's location.

This location was somewhat isolated, and her destination was well hidden in another forest. She grew up in the mountains and met this amazing lady who lived some distance away from her home but also in the woods.

Her home, though, was far better than the small girl's, and she desired a better life. 

That's why she escaped from the mountains to find the lady who offered her extra attention whenever they met. However, the little girl could sense that something was wrong and that if she wasn't careful, something bad would happen to her.

She lowered herself to the ground and carefully approached the cabin dwelling, following the instinct that had always helped and rescued her from harm since she was a child. 

"Paaaaaaaaaaaa paaaaaa." 

"Damn you, lady! Who does she think she is? Instead of providing the needed response, she tried to remain mysterious till the end!"

 "Haven't you already dealt with her? Let's burn this place and drive to that place. We need to get rid of the danger before it comes back to haunt the Madam!" 

The small girl shivered in terror as she stared at the two ferocious-looking men who appeared to be nasty individuals who had just left that person's residence. 

'What became of her?' 

‘Is she still alive?’ 

'I need to leave here!' 

She wasn't a moron. Despite her youth, she had seen and heard much too much for her to stay around in a dangerous place like this for too long. If she did, this place would become her final resting place, and she didn't want to meet her creator anytime soon. 

'I haven't yet dealt a blow to those folks. I'm not going to die here!' 

'I apologize, Godmother. These people are far too powerful for me, and I am a coward; I cannot save you!' 

The little girl realized that attempting to be a hero at this time would only get her killed, and she wasn't about to sacrifice herself for something like that. And, without alarming those ferocious men who were busy pouring gasoline all over the cabin, she crept back the way she came. 

And as soon as she was a safe distance away, she started running, and her destination was home.

She had no idea how far she had run. She had lost count of the number of times she had fallen to the ground, scraped her knees, and been injured. She only had one thought, and that was to flee for her life and return home before her parents discovered she had fled. They will undoubtedly punish her severely this time, but what difference will it make? 

Her Godmother was burned to death by those evil men. She didn't know the specifics, but the smoke was already in the sky when she left the forest. How could she be alive at this time? 

“Creak creak.”

“Hoot hoot.” 

She couldn't care less about the small animals hooting and making a racket in the forest. She had been in this jungle for years and had become more of a resident, not fearing anything. However, what she had witnessed today made her realize how naïve she was, and she was terrified. 

It took her less time to get back to her house, which was located in a valley between two mountains.

And when she approached where her house was, she noticed smoke before getting to the house, which she saw as a terrible omen. And something that made her tremble with fear as it reminded her of what she had seen earlier.

'They've come back! I'm doomed!' she thought nervously as she thought of her parents.

However, as she slowly made her way back home, she froze with fear when she spotted two familiar faces from a distance that she will never forget in this life for the rest of her life. 

"Just a bunch of useless people! How can they possibly lose her? We need to find her and get rid of her!”

Hearing this, the small girl had only one thought; 'I need to disappear, right now!' and she did.