Nothing is given for free in this world.

He didn’t come. Now the snowstorm was unstoppable, and it had completely covered the only window that gave me a sense of the outside world. The number of rats squeaking beside me was unbearable, but that was the least of my worries compared to my pain.

I wondered if Rafar had noticed my disappearance or if his mother was right when she said he wouldn’t come after me. For a moment, I wished I were home, drinking a cup of tea with my mother in the late afternoon as my father returned from work. But that wasn’t reality, even if I somehow had a way back to my old life.

What awaited me would be a depressed mother, the absence of a father, and bills to pay. If there were any chance I had survived that accident, I’d be bedridden and very likely in a wheelchair. I couldn’t stop thinking that everything that happened was part of a greater plan for my life, as if my fate were to enter this new universe.

I blinked and saw a little girl sitting beside me. Even in her sleeveless dress, she didn’t seem cold, but she kept her head between her knees. After a moment, her face met mine. She wore an eyepatch, and her black bangs hung over it. Her eyes were a soft pink, and she smiled at me.

“Are you cold?” she asked.

“Y-yes…” I replied, or rather, tried to. My teeth were chattering, and my words barely conveyed what I wanted to say. “Very cold,” I added.

“You want to know if I’m cold, don’t you?” she asked, and I noticed a kind look in her eyes. “I don’t feel cold anymore. Not anymore. In fact, I don’t feel anything at all, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

A ghost! She had to be a ghost! She hadn’t been here when I arrived, so there was no other answer to who—or what—she was, except something supernatural.

“I’m here to help you. But I believe you already know I have no power to do that,” she said, passing her hand over mine. As expected, the little girl’s hand passed right through mine without my feeling anything. “I know a way to get out of here.”

“What guarantees you’re my ally?” I asked, still trembling and full of doubt. I couldn’t trust anyone, and everything I’d experienced so far was proof of that. The girl might have a kind look and be just a child, but the world is cruel, and I knew that.

“I’ve been in the same situation you’re in now,” she said, looking sadly down, as if lost in her own thoughts. “Come on, can you stand up?”

I had no escape route. Even though I didn’t like the idea and didn’t fully believe the girl’s words, she was my last hope of getting out of here, at least alive. If she was here, she probably had some connection to this place. That’s how ghosts work—or at least, that’s what I know about them.

I looked at my feet and saw they were free. I stood up with difficulty, and after stumbling, I managed to stay upright. An unbearable pain shot through my leg, and I realized it was broken. I kept my focus on following my new “helper’s” instructions, however dissatisfied I was with doing so.

“Now, let’s get near the door. The handle is broken and sharp; you can use it to cut the rope binding your hands.”

I followed her instructions, and sure enough, the handle was broken when I reached it. With effort, dragging my leg, I managed to get closer and successfully freed myself from the rope binding me. Now my hands were free. I rubbed them together and then blew on them. A faint mist appeared, showing that now they were warm enough for me to survive.

“And now?” I asked, looking around for the next step. I noticed that the little girl had been quiet the whole time, and when I turned to look at her, I saw that she was waiting for me.

“Now… it’s time to pay for the next hint,” she said, a grin stretching across her face. Her eye sparkled, as if her entire wicked plan were falling perfectly into place.

Of course that would happen! Nothing is given for free in this world.