024 ┃ The Great City

"Are you sure it's this way?" Dawn asked skeptically.

Spud flipped the map, trying to scrutinize the path they were on in more detail.

"Yes, there's no doubt," the boy confirmed, walking forward confidently. His companion followed him.

In truth, he wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't want to say anything that might upset Dawn. Navigating through snow had proven to be much harder than he thought, and they had been on the move for well over the four hours he initially estimated. His friend hadn't said anything, but Spud could sense the tension in the air.

Now they were in a valley. The map had led them to traverse the countryside and circle a mountain for hours, so Spud just hoped his directions were correct.

While examining the map, twisting and turning it to see if he missed any turns, Dawn nudged him gently with her elbow. His surprised gasp caused Spud to look up quickly.

"What is it?" he asked. But when he looked ahead, he saw it.

A few kilometers away, they could see a massive city filled with snow-covered houses. It was at least a hundred times bigger than their village. At the center, situated on a large rock that elevated it well above the rest of the buildings, stood a majestic stone castle.

Spud's eyes widened, and his heart raced.

"We found it! The capital!" he exclaimed, thrilled. Suddenly, all the fatigue from walking for hours vanished, and he started running toward the city. "Come on, Dawn. Let's explore it."

The girl smiled at his enthusiasm and began to run after him.

"Wait up!"

While Spud hadn't expected to find the city brimming with welcoming people, what they discovered upon arrival was more than disappointing. Just like in their village, many of the houses were in ruins or on the verge of collapsing. Black stains covered many of the walls, and there were deep notches in the bricks of some houses. The only difference was that here the streets were paved, and there were many more buildings.

"Here too..." Spud sighed and his initial enthusiasm diminished. For some reason, he had thought this place would be different.

"Spud, look!" Dawn called from inside a building. Spud rushed to her, hoping she'd found something significant.

The girl had entered a massive tavern. In the past, it must've been a lively and bustling place, but now it was littered with skeletons and broken tables.

From behind the bar, Dawn held up two full bottles.

"It's alcohol!" she announced with a grin.

Spud looked at her, puzzled.

"I thought you'd found something important."

Dawn looked at the bottles and then at Spud.

"This is important. I finished the village's alcohol months ago," she mused. "Just for this, the trip was worth it."

"No way. But honestly, it doesn't seem like there's much more of interest here," Spud admitted, somewhat downhearted.

"Don't worry about that. I'll take a couple of bottles, and we'll drink together when we get back. You'll see, you'll feel better," Dawn said, now in high spirits.

"And on top of that, I'm stuck here with a drunkard," the boy complained.

"Hey!"

Both exited the bar with their small find. Despite the desolation, Spud couldn't help but think it was a beautiful sight. The city seemed to have received more snow than the village, as a thick layer blanketed the ground and roofs. The landscape harmonized with the prevailing silence.

"I'd like to investigate a bit more," Spud decided, trudging through the snow. "There's something odd about all this."

They continued searching for a few minutes until Spud found what he was looking for. A house, similar to the others, but almost perfectly preserved. The door was busted open, and there were signs of violence inside, but otherwise, it looked as if someone still lived there.

Inside, Spud found several skeletons. Oddly enough, he had become accustomed to seeing them and wasn't more surprised than if he had spotted any ordinary furniture. Most things in the house remained untouched. The kitchen held various utensils, books filled the shelves, and clothes hung in the closets. He even found a bag of coins hidden in a drawer.

After a while, he exited the house and sat in the snow. Dawn was waiting outside and watched him closely.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked curiously.

"I'm trying to make sense of all this, but it's very strange," Spud began. "Up to now, most of the skeletons we've found have been inside buildings. Moreover, there's still money and jewels in the houses. And not just here, in the village and the lakeside house too. Whatever killed these people took them so by surprise that they didn't even have a chance to escape."

"I see. Do you think it could've been a war or something?" Dawn asked, sitting next to him in the snow. Spud was so deep in thought he barely noticed.

"It's possible, but everywhere at the same time? That'd be very odd," Spud reasoned.

"So what do you think it could've been?" she inquired.

"I'm not sure yet. I think the most logical explanation is that it was the stalkers."

"Impossible. Only a couple appear each night. There aren't enough of them to have done something like this," she disagreed.

Spud lay back on the snow, exasperated.

"I know. It means there's something I'm missing," he admitted with a long sigh. "This is disappointing. I thought we were going to find something significant here, but it's just the same graveyard as the village. This trip has been pointless."

"Don't say that," Dawn interjected, lying beside him. "We've only just arrived. I'm sure there's plenty to see. Besides, I'm already impressed that you managed to lead us here with just that map."

Spud smiled, looking at his companion. They were close, and instead of feeling awkward, he felt at ease with her.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

Spud sat up, his motivation somewhat restored.

"To be honest, there's still one more place I'd like us to explore."

He directed his gaze to the city center. Above the rooftops, the towering rock upon which the castle stood loomed prominently.