The village in the woods

It was a cold, starry night without a single cloud, which was notable for its enormous full moon. In the middle of the forest, there was a rather high stature boy, with black hair, which reached the neck. He also wore a red tape on its forehead, behind his hair. He had blue eyes, and a serious expression. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and brown long pants with four pockets, two on the sides and two more, in front of the quadriceps. He wore a pair of shoes, which were gray and black. He walked slowly, because he was exhausted. In addition, it was full of scratches and slightly wounded.
Walking in the middle of the darkness, he came to the edge of what seemed a precipice. Down there was a large lake, surrounded by mountains full of trees. He leaned on a tree, and while contemplating the reflection of the moon in the middle of the lake, he fell down on the ground.
When he woke up the next day, he was still feeling unwell, plus it was a really hot day, and, like the previous night, it was cloud-free. That day, for some reason, the sun heated especially, rather than the average summer day. The boy was very thirsty and hungry, plus he hadn't eaten anything for days.He approached the edge of the ravine, and was curious, but due to fatigue, he decided not getting down to the lake. Suddenly, he looked into the sky, and to his surprise, he saw a black smoke column. The fact that there was smoke meant there were people, too, or so he believed. So he headed to the village.
Once he got there, he was relieved to see the smoke was actually coming from a chimney of a house. There was nobody on the streets, so he decided to explore the village himself. What drew his attention, was the village in general, as all houses had the same style; stone walls and brick roofs, a window at the top right of the house, and a small balcony on the opposite side. Behind the village, there was a small mountain, which covered a part of the town from the wind.
He found a square in the center of the village, although it couldn't be called a center, as the distribution of the village was irregular. In the middle of the square, there was a large tree, so he decided to rest a little. When he was going to sit down, he collapsed on the ground and subsequently lost consciousness.
He woke up around the evening, and when he looked up, he saw two people planted in front of him. Specifically, a boy and a girl, who appeared to have his same age, about eighteen years. The girl, had long white hair, and she wore one ponytail, it had a very mild and warm expression, with very beautiful factions. She was dressed in a silk shirt and in a pair of trousers, both white. The most notable part of her dress, was a very thin black coat, which reached her heels.The coat sleeves reached her wrist, and she wore it untied. She wore quite simple black shoes. The boy wore a black uniform. In a long sleeve black jacket and pants. The jacket was simple, it didn't have any pockets but it had three vertical buttons on the neck. The trousers were also simple, but they had pockets. His hair was black, just like his clothes. He had brown eyes, and his look was intense and penetrating, plus it imposed respect.
Who are you? He asked the man.Totally baffled, he answered.-My name is Aka, what do you want? Answered the man.-My name is Hide, and she's Rie. Nice to meet you, he introduced himself. We don't want anything special, but we saw you here and you didn't look good, so we've been worried.-Nice to meet you, it is not common to see foreigners in the village. Said Rie.Grrr--- Made Aka's belly.-Looks like you're hungry, why don't you come home and eat something? Proposed Hide.-I will gladly accept. If it's not a problem, could you help me walk please? I don't feel very good. Asked Aka.-Of course! Said Rie.-You don't need to be so formal, you know. Added the girl. Though it didn't sound very authentic.Between Hide and Rie, they managed to get him up. Which exposed a bloodied wound at the height of the kidney.-Wow! That doesn't look good, you better go get the doctor. Told Rie to Hide witha tone of urgency.Are you sure you'll be able to manage him yourself? Asked Hide.Don't worry about me, and hurry. Replicated the girl.
With great effort, Aka and Rie arrived home, which was not far from the square.The interior of the house was rather rustic, made of wood, with the tiled floor and a chimney. There was also a table with chairs, which were made of wood as well as some cabinets. Then, Rie told that she would drive him to the guest room, so they went up the stairs, and they walked into the room. The room was quite simple. There was a light hanging from the ceiling and a window. There was also a desk with a chair and table light, plus one wardrobe at one vertex of the room. There was also a bed, which was ubicated at the opposite side of the closet, and had a small tablet right next to it. What surprised him the most was to see a painting, as there were not common in that area. The girl prepared his bed, gave him a wet towel, and recommended him sleep until Hide arrived with the doctor.By the way, my room is the door next to yours. And Hide's downstairs. Said Rie. After drinking a glass of water, Aka lay down in the bed, and, following the girl's advice, closed his eyes and slept.
When he opened his eyes there was a boy, which he didn't know, sitting in the chair of the room, while staring at him. He was dressed very simply, he wore a pair of black shorts, and a light blue shirt. His hair was blonde, and his eyes were blue.When Aka saw him, was scared, and did not react. The boy, who must have been about two or three years younger than him, suddenly stranded up and started asking questions.-Is it really alright for you to accept help of other strangers? Asked the boy sceptically.If you're not able to stand up for yourself, how can you aspire to be free? Started to say the young man, raising his tone a little and approaching his face, without stopping making eye contact with him.-After everything you did to us, do you really have the right to be helped? People like you are simply scum that shouldn't exist! Shouted the boy consumed by anger, while strangling him with his left hand. His eyes were truly filled with anger.Aah! Exclaimed Aka while doing a little bounce in his bed. He incorporated, and felt a cold sweat. He still didn't assimilated what just happened.
Rie quickly went upstairs, followed by Hide and the doctor.-Are you okay? What happened? Asked Hide.-Nothing. Answered Aka. I had a nightmare, that's all.Aka, this is the doctor who will heal your wounds. His name's Naoto, he's the best and only doctor of the town. Said Hide.The doctor was an elderly person, with gray hair and a large forehead, with beard and moustache, although neither of them were long. He was wearing a white coat which reached his feet, and a pair of brown shoes. He had a pendant on his neck, with one precious blue-colored gem. In his right hand, he wore a wooden stick.-Mr. Aka, please, show me the wound. Said the doctor. Then Aka pulled off his shirt and turned his back on the ceiling. Right after, he noticed two cold hands like snow going through his back. A-ah quietly complained Aka. But surprisingly, the doctor heard him, and removed his hands from his back.-Does it hurt? Asked the doctor.-Not that much, it's just a little bit annoying. Replied the boy.-Huh. Whispered the doctor, with slight contempt.
Naoto turned arround, and then addressed everyone in the room.-I'm very sorry, but I can't heal him with my current skills and equipment. If you two desire to heal him, your only option will be getting some help from have the modern city.-How many days do we have from here to the modern city, Rie? Said Hide.-I would say about three days, even though I'm not very familiaritzed with the modern city. Replied the girl. But can't you really do anything? She added.-I'm really sorry, I can't do more than applying first aid. Answered the doctor.Then, he then began to apply them.-Do you think you would be able to reach the modern city by foot, Aka? Asked Rie.-Wait, wait. What is the modern city? Asked Aka.-Don't tell me you don't know what the modern city is. Said Hide, with a tone of surprise.-When you're done, come down. I'm going to explain it. Said Rie. Then, followed by Hide, went downstairs.
Once the doctor had finished applying the first aids, Aka woke up from the bed, and, along with the doctor, went down the stairs. Once down, Rie approached one cabinet. From one of the drawers, she got a map, and then headed to the room's table.This one had three soup dishes, two hollows and a full one. Which indicated that the two them already had eaten dinner. The girl pulled away the empty dishes, and extended the map to the table. Come here and look. Said Rie. The map was a little old, and shape of the countinent was like an irregular circle. This one was divided into two parts, bottom left and top right, because a diagonal river separated them. The map did not show what was beyond that land.
-Well, the modern city is located here. Said Rie while pointing to the center-lower left terrain. We're around here more or less, while pointing the north from the left side as well. -Okay, got it. Said Aka. But I have a question. He added.-What is it? Answered Rie.-How are we going to cross these mountains by foot? Said Aka.-Huh? I'm surprised that someone who doesn't know what modern city is can read maps. Said Hide.-I learned it from a traveling salesman a while back, though he didn't mention anithing about a modern city. Said Aka.-We're going around them. Answered Rie. It's the fastest way.Woah, it's late. I'm leaving. Good luck on your journey. Said the doctor. Then, he closed the door and left.After that, Aka started eating the dinner.Well, indeed, it's late. The sooner we get to the modern city the better. So let's go to sleep. Said Hide.Yes. Aka and Rie agreed.Then, Rie and Hide went to their respective rooms, and he finished dinner.
Aka couldn't sleep. It was not unusual, as he had slept a huge amount of hours on the previous days.Luckily, there are still people who care about others. thought Aka.Though I wonder why when I'm talking, they seem annoyed.I feel dizzy. That was the next thing that passed through his head. He then fell asleep.
When he got up, he went down to the living room. There was no one. -Is someone in the house? Asked with a pretty loud scream. But he got no answer. Then he went to check the rooms, to confirm that there was nobody. But when he entered to Rie's room, saw a blood trail, and an open window. Aka touched the blood, which wasn't dry. So, worried, ran down the stairs, and opened the door. Then he started following the trail. The blood reached the forest, stopping at the beginning of a path, which led to the top of a mountain. There were traces of steps, so Aka climbed the mountain without hesitation.
The top of the mountain was flat, although it had some slope. There were trees around, and a clearing in the middle. At the highest point of the mountain, there was onerock that protruded a little from the ground, and from there, one could contemplate the lake and the town perfectly. Right above the rock, Rie was standing there. She had a gun in her right hand, and her coat waved in the wind. Aka was breathless, with his hands on his knees. Once he incorporated, Rie began laughing.-Ha ha ha, you look exhausted, Aka. She said with a mocking expression,There was incredible tension in the atmosphere, and he could even hear his own breathing.Aka was scared. But he was used to it. After all, he never had a normal life. Then, the girl pointed the gun to his head.
Chapter 1: End