CHAPTER 2

"At the end of this town, there is a big forest that no one has tried to enter. At the beginning of the forest you can see the house."

I now look up at the large trees in front of me. This is probably what the old man is saying. This is the end of the town.

I followed the direction he said. It’s stamped on my brain so I’m sure I won’t get lost. 

I saw in my peripheral vision the house that the old man had defined. I walked towards it while feeling my surroundings. I have my guard up.

Even though I ignored the old man's last instructions, I still couldn't help but be observant. It is unlikely that what the old man is saying is true, in my estimation it is half the town is jungle. I also noticed that the town was surrounded by large trees.

I opened the broken door and looked inside. I nodded to myself seeing the situation inside the house. When you look outside you will think it is really ruined, but when you’ll look inside the house is at is good condition. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, indeed.

It seems like a long time since someone lived here. I sneezed slightly due to the dust that spread after I closed the door. I dropped the bag on the wooden floor and put my hands on my waist. I have a lot of cleaning to do.

Before I started I circled the whole house first. The living room, dining area and kitchen are adjoining. There are even things here that are old and dusty. 

I looked at the rusty faucet and turned it on. The water line is still working and still clean. I looked at the ceiling and looked to see if there was a bulb in it. I saw two. My eyes found the switch and tried to turn on the light. No electricity.

After I went around the living room, I looked for a bath and toilet. I opened two doors and I think one is a bedroom while the other one is a small library. 

Arriving at the third door I saw the toilet.  It look like a bath also because it has a lot of space, it also has a bucket. 

Because I was still tired from the trip, I decided to rest before cleaning. I shook the dusty couch and took a thick jacket from my bag to make a cover. 

I slept all afternoon due to being very tired but I did not realize it was night. I just woke up to an unfamiliar voice calling my name.

“Sierra…”

I get up and turn around in the dark. I don’t see anything. I grabbed my lighter and turned it on. I moved my hand around while holding the lighter. I'm alone. I just sighed and glanced at my watch, it was seven o'clock in the evening. 

My stomach is grumbling, I have to go out and look for a store that is still open to buy food. I was a bit far away but I still went out and went to the town center. I will starve if I stay there, because I also did not eat lunch earlier.

I put on my jacket and put on its hood before going out. I use the lighter so I have a little light while walking on the dark road. I'm not afraid to walk alone, no matter how creepy the place is. I am not a scared cat.

When I arrived at the center almost all the shops were closed. Fortunately, I found something that was about to close, so I quickly approached, causing the old lady to stop.

“Can I still buy?” I whispered.

The old woman recedes. She looked scared of me so I took off the hood of my jacket so she could see my face clearly.

“Do you have canned foods? I will also buy three kilos of rice.” My voice is calm yet a little bit husky due to the cold breeze of the night air.

She blinked multiple times. I waited patiently for her to process what was happening. It is understandable that people in this town is not used to tourists. When she finally regained her compisition she hurriedly readied my order. 

I also bought gas and lamp so that I could have a light and an extra lighter just in case I suddenly run out of it

She handed it to me once she finished. When I gave the payment and after saying thank you, I would have left but the woman stopped me. 

“You're a foreigner, aren't you?” She asked me. I nodded without hesitation. It's no wonder people already know that there are foreigners here because they just know each other.

“Where are you staying now?” 

I frowned and faced her. “Why?”

“My guess is that you will stay in the old house at the end of this town.” I remained silent. “Now I am warning you, don’t even think about of staying there.”

“Why? What's in that house?”

 “The problem is not the house, but the forest behind it.”

This old woman is the second person that warned me. But as before, I ignored it and just thanked the woman. I went home with my groceries. I lighted the lamp and cover it with glass cover to keep it from the wind.

Since I was still cleaning the kitchen utensils here I first had to eat without rice. I just used my tupperware. 

After I ate I went out to the back of the house to get some air. I looked up at the sky and stared at the moon coming out from behind the clouds.

When I was still in the convent, I was not able to go out at this time of night. We have a curfew there that is being followed and whoever disobeys he will get punishment from Mother Superior.

Even though I was able to sneak in without anyone noticing me, I still chose to follow the policy

I really want to see the moon. As a child I used to peek out my bedroom window every night before going to bed. Sometimes I even sit on the window to climb on the roof of the house. 

When my parents are still alive, mama always scolds me for what I do while papa laughs at me and messes up my hair. 

“Stop tolerating your child!”  often hear from mama.

We had a happy life then, quiet and airy. But everything changed when I lost the two most important people in my life.

“Sierra…”

I stopped. I turned around. I'm sure I heard the voice calling me earlier. I thought it was just my imagination but it happened again.

“Who’s there?”

“Sierra…”

Annoyed I turned my lighter to have a little light. “Who is that?! How did you find out my name?!”

No response. I kept looking for the voice until I heard a crackle. I easily turned to my side and lit the plants.

I did not see anything. I would have ignored that but I was stunned when from the darkness a pair of eyes suddenly appeared. I was frozen from where I was standing, starring at the yellowish eyes that’s looking at me like a prey.