Ch.4 New dangers and the Cabin

 Oliver sat down against a tree, and Amelia did the same. They quietly stared at the lime-colored sky.

 "I'm starving, and my throat hurts. This sucks. At least it's better than being dead. Why does this fog keep changing colors?"

 Something in the corner of his eye caught Oliver's attention, and he looked into the distance. Two shadows in the fog were rapidly approaching. He jumped to his feet, fearing an assault by two demons. A short moment later, he realized that they weren't demons but two figures riding bicycles.

 "Hey!" Oliver shouted, waving his arms to get their attention as they drew closer.

 "Get the fuck out the way bitch!" 

 "Fuck off!" 

 "Which way is the town!?" Oliver yelled.

 'Assholes.'

 Oliver looked back at Amelia, still staring at the clouds, when he suddenly heard a scream.

 "AAAAAAA, LET ME- 'SNAP'" The sound of a man screaming before abruptly cutting off came in the direction of the bicyclists. 

 "GEORGE! WHAT THE HELL IS-" In the distance, Oliver could barely make out a figure being lifted into the air as another figure seemed half-absorbed into the ground. Looking closely, they are being held up by long, skinny appendages from the ground.

 Oliver grew pale as terror gripped his heart, and he broke out into a cold sweat.

 'That's not a demon. That's just a monster!'

 He quickly grabs Amelias' hand and runs in the opposite direction, the same direction the two men came from. Amelia seemed unfazed by this monstrosity; her eyes seemed glazed over, with little focus on her surroundings. She struggled running with Oliver pulling her along, so Oliver released her hand. He was relieved when Amelia kept running without slowing down. However, after several seconds, Amelia tripped, and Oliver stopped and returned to her.

 "Are you okay? Can you stand?" Oliver asked, and Amelia shook her head furiously as she sniffled. 

 "I need you to get on my back," Oliver replied sternly.

 Oliver crouched down with his back to her, and she was able to climb on. Oliver ran as fast as he could carrying her and didn't stop until the dirt road became paved. Oliver was heavily exhausted but had no regrets, having survived another dangerous encounter. His body craved food, water, and rest, but he continued to walk after letting Amelia down. After a few minutes of walking, they could soon see the figure of a house.

 "Amelia, look!" he exclaimed. "It's a house!"

 As he approached the home, his excitement was quenched as fear took over.

 'What if a monster or demon is inside? We would be delivering ourselves for dinner.'

 All was quiet as they approached the house, and as they got closer, Amelia stopped walking.

 "What's wrong?" Oliver asked her.

 Amelia shook her head firmly.

 "It's okay," he reassured. "You can hide, and I'll go look."

 He quietly walked up the path to the house, and with every step he took, he saw in greater detail how run down the home was.

 'What the hell. Is this entire place rotting? How long has this place been abandoned? We can't stay here.'

 The house was ancient, so Oliver didn't care to risk searching it for food or water. When Oliver re-traced his steps and went where he had left Amelia,

 "Amelia? Where did you go?"

 Oliver looked around precisely where he left her but grew concerned when he couldn't find her.

 "Amelia?"

 Oliver's search was met with silence, instilling fear inside him. He suddenly heard a figure rustling in the foliage and flinched in fright, barely holding a gasp. Appearing distressed, Amelia walked out of the greenery and hugged Oliver.

 "It's okay. You're safe."

 He gave her a comforting hug and felt her shivering as she held on tighter. 

 "Did you see or hear something?"

 She shook her head while still hugging Oliver.

 'Was she scared of being alone? It was still our best option, and I'll probably have to do it again.'

 "We need to keep walking. It's not safe outside."

 It took her another minute to loosen her grip. Amelia held his hand, and they kept walking in the same direction. Every few minutes, they came across several houses. However, they all looked unsafe and uninhabitable. Some of them were old and run-down or had clear signs of violence. Oliver treaded carefully past these houses, as one may contain a demon or monster. 

 It had been many hours since Oliver escaped the train, and the lowering sun and many trees blocking the sunlight felt ominous. Oliver knew that if he couldn't find a place before it got completely dark, he would have no choice but to keep looking in the dark or try his chances with one of the other houses he had already passed.

 'We can't continue like this. I need to check the next house we find.'

 They almost missed the next house as it only appeared down a connected gravel driveway where a large mass that could potentially be a house was discernible.

 "Amelia, I need you to hide again. Can you do that for me?"

 Amelia looked on the verge of tears but gripped his hand harder and nodded.

 "Good. I'll be back soon."

 After Oliver made sure she hid between some trees, he left Amilia and steadily approached the house. Oliver gently walked as if walking on broken glass instead of gravel.

 As he treads down the long driveway, he can make more of the features through the fog before it turns black, and even though the mist glows, Oliver feels as if he has gone blind. It was a color he had never seen appear, and the tingling sensation he usually feels was utterly absent. To Oliver, the ominous fog felt like it had a will of its own and wanted to suffocate him. Shortly after, the mist changed to light gold, and it felt like a heavy burden was released from his shoulders. The strange turn of events left Oliver confused when the fog changed to an ordinary blue. He put his thoughts to the back of his head and focused back on the situation at hand. He closed the distance and realized it was not exactly a house but a rustic-looking cabin. It's a slightly elevated cabin with one floor, possibly some attic space. The right side has an old chimney with protruding bricks. The long driveway ends beside the house with a red and rusty pickup truck.

 His heart furiously beat as he approached the hopefully empty cabin. It's an old cabin that does put its age on display. However, it's still one of the best-looking places they've encountered. He stepped onto the porch as it creaked under his feet and stood beside the doorway with his back to the wall. He spent the next few minutes trying to listen to anything that might be inside. After deciding that further listening would be pointless, he slowly opened the door. His hand made contact with the rusty metal handle, causing static electricity to zap his hand. He wasn't hurt but froze as his heart jumped in surprise. 

 'Amelia is waiting for me. I need to get it together.'

 Shaking it off, he slowly enters the cabin, and the old wood floor creaks with every step. He pauses, his heart gripped by fear of the unknown. He grits his teeth and advances into the cabin.

 'I probably would have been attacked if anything was here, but I must check everything. We only have one life after all.' 

 Oliver slowly went through every room, reassuring himself of the safety of this cabin.

 'Only one bedroom was being used, and the bed was too small for two people. A few dirty dishes are in the sink, and a truck is in the driveway, so someone is living here. If he's not here, then where is he? Did he leave in another car or become a demon?'

 Oliver takes a deep breath and releases the tension he has carried. He leaves the cabin and shuts the door. He returns to find Amelia hasn't moved an inch, her eyes red and cheeks wet with tears.

 "It's okay. I'm back. The cabin is safe. Can you walk?"

 Amelia shook her head as she cried into her arms. Amelia was sitting on the ground, with her knees touching her forehead. Oliver hooked one arm around her, another under her legs, and carried her into the cabin. He locked the door behind them and shoved the nearby heavy wooden cabinet against the front door.