Chapter 2: The Forbidden Forest

“RUN, Lotte. Save yourself. Don’t worry about us. Please… live for us.”

Those words echoed endlessly in Lotte’s mind as she sprinted along the dark path toward the destination her father had pointed her to.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision. She had nearly stumbled several times, her feet barely keeping up with her frantic pace as sobs threatened to choke her.

She wanted to slap herself, to wake herself from what had to be a horrible nightmare. She refused to believe what she had seen. She refused to accept that her mother and younger sister were lying lifeless on the floor while her father was barely clinging to life.

She didn’t want to leave him behind. Whose daughter would willingly abandon her father in danger, especially when there was still a chance he could survive? Every part of her wanted to stay, to help him, to find a way to save her family, but she hadn’t been given that choice.

Before she could even escape their house, the murderer had spotted her. Now, the very person who had destroyed her family was hunting her down.

“Help! Please, someone help me!” she screamed at the top of her lungs as she continued running, desperately hoping that one of their neighbors would hear her cries.

She couldn’t understand why anyone would want to kill her family. As far as she knew, her parents had never made enemies. They had raised her and Lilly to treat everyone with kindness, to remain humble, and never to judge anyone without knowing their story. Even their neighbors had always been kind to them.

So why? Why would anyone do this to her family? Who could possibly hate them enough to slaughter them in their own home?

She might have found the answer if she had simply turned around to look at the person chasing her. But her father’s final instructions kept ringing in her ears.

Don’t ever look back.

She didn’t understand why he had been so adamant about it, but she was too terrified to disobey him.

And there was something else she couldn’t stop wondering about. Why had her father told her to go to the Forbidden Forest instead of the police station? Everyone knew the stories about that place. They said no one who entered the forest ever came back. Why would he send her somewhere even more dangerous when the police might have been able to protect her?

Perhaps it was the exhaustion from her sleepless nights and nearly thirty hours of duty catching up with her, but Lotte could feel her legs growing heavier with every step. Her pace gradually slowed, while the footsteps behind her grew louder.

She couldn’t hear anything else from her pursuer. No heavy breathing, no angry shouts, and not even the sound of someone struggling to keep up with her.

Yet somehow, she could feel the rage, the bloodlust, and the overwhelming desire to kill—to kill her.

She had no idea how long they had been playing this terrifying game of cat and mouse, but her heart lurched when she finally spotted the dark silhouette of the Forbidden Forest ahead.

Dad, why did you send me here?

If the murderer followed her inside, wouldn’t she be putting herself at an even greater disadvantage? The trees stood so close together that navigating through them would be difficult, especially in the dark. The thick roots and tangled undergrowth would only make it harder to escape.

For a moment, she hesitated. Should she head toward the nearest police station instead? Or should she trust her father’s instructions and enter the forest?

Her mind screamed at her to turn away, but she squeezed her tear-filled eyes shut and forced herself to keep moving.

She would trust her father. He must have had a reason for sending her there. Whatever it was, she knew one thing for certain: her father would never deliberately lead her into danger.

With that thought, she crossed the boundary of the Forbidden Forest.

Just as she had feared, running became much more difficult. Massive roots twisted across the ground, threatening to trip her with every step. Low-hanging branches whipped against her face and snagged her clothes, scratching her exposed skin, but she couldn’t afford to stop.

She ignored the stinging pain of the scratches and pushed forward, desperately searching for a clear path through the darkness.

Using the back of her hand, she wiped away the tears streaming down her face. Instead of clearing her skin, however, she only smeared the blood of her family across her cheek. She stared at the crimson stain for a fleeting moment before forcing herself to look ahead.

“I need to live…” she whispered, drawing strength from the faces of the people she loved most.

Her mother’s gentle smile. Lilly’s innocent laughter. Her father’s warm embrace. The memories hurt so much that she almost wished she could forget them, but she couldn’t. They were the only things keeping her going.

A fresh wave of guilt washed over her as she remembered something her mother had told her the day before.

“Don’t go to the hospital tomorrow, Lotte. You’ve been working too much lately. Take a day off and spend some time with us, okay? It’s your father’s birthday soon, after all.”

But she had refused. The hospital needed extra hands, and she had convinced herself that her family would understand. She had promised to make it up to them on her father’s birthday, assuring her mother that they would have the whole day together.

She had thought there would always be another day. Another chance to hug her mother. Another chance to play with Lilly. Another chance to celebrate her father’s birthday. But now there might never be another chance.

I’m sorry, Mommy. I’m sorry, Lilly.

Her chest tightened painfully as she struggled to hold back another sob.

I’m sorry, Dad.

For the first time since entering the forest, Lotte dared to glance over her shoulder. Her feet continued carrying her forward, but her head slowly turned as she tried to catch a glimpse of the person hunting her.

Her eyes widened because… there was no one behind her. Only the darkness between the trees, yet the footsteps continued.

What the fuck?

Her pace faltered as she stared into the empty path behind her. She could still hear the unmistakable crunch of dry leaves, as though someone were walking directly toward her, but there was nobody there.

A chill crawled down her spine. She turned forward again, her heart hammering against her ribs, and tried to run faster, but it was too late.

Something suddenly seized her by the throat. Before she could even scream, her feet lifted off the ground. An invisible force tightened around her neck, hoisting her into the air as effortlessly as though she weighed nothing.

Lotte clawed desperately at her throat, her fingers grasping at nothing but empty air. Her face flushed red as she struggled to breathe. Her legs kicked wildly, searching for something—anything—to push against, but there was nothing beneath her feet.

“W-Who are you?” she choked out, thrashing against the unseen grip.

Her vision began to blur. Every desperate attempt to draw in air yielded almost nothing, and panic threatened to overwhelm her.

Then a voice answered. “I was ordered to wipe out all of you…”

The voice was unlike anything she had ever heard. It was distorted and unnaturally hollow, making it impossible to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.

Lotte’s eyes widened in terror. “W-Who?” she managed to rasp.

The invisible grip tightened. Pain shot through her neck, and she felt as though the hand squeezing her throat could snap it at any moment.

She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her lungs burned. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, growing weaker and more erratic as darkness crept into the edges of her vision.

And then, as her strength began to fade, memories of her family started flashing through her mind.

I don’t want to die…

A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. But before it could roll down her cheek, an unfamiliar surge of energy suddenly coursed through her veins.

The next thing she knew, her body came crashing down onto the ground.

She landed hard on the dry leaves, coughing and gasping for air as though she had just been dragged back from the brink of death. Her eyes flew open, and she instinctively clutched her throat, desperately sucking in lungfuls of air.

For a few seconds, she could do nothing but breathe. She was alive. Somehow, she was still alive.

Her entire body trembled as she slowly sat up and scrambled backward, her eyes frantically searching the darkness for the person who had tried to kill her, but what she saw made her freeze.

The surroundings were different.

The trees that had once crowded the narrow path, their tangled branches constantly obstructing her way, were now standing much farther apart. The ground beneath her was covered in dry leaves, and the path ahead looked nothing like the one she had been running along moments ago.

Lotte stared at the unfamiliar surroundings, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

Where am I?

Had she somehow wandered deeper into the forest without realizing it? But how? She could barely remember anything after the invisible hand had closed around her throat.

She swallowed painfully and strained to listen, but she heard nothing. Not a single footstep. Not even the faint rustling of leaves that might have betrayed the presence of her pursuer.

Her gaze darted between the trees as she fought to remain alert, but exhaustion was quickly catching up with her. After hours of running, barely sleeping, and enduring the terror of watching her family die, she had nothing left to give.

Her eyelids grew heavier with every passing second.

“No… I can’t…” she murmured, trying to force herself to stand.

But her body refused to obey. Her arms gave way, and she collapsed onto the dry leaves.

As darkness slowly swallowed her vision, one final thought crossed her mind.

Dad… I’m sorry…

And then, at last, Lotte lost consciousness.