Ten Steps With You

Chapter 16: Doors

It was still relatively dark outside when the two were greeted at the front entrance of the cafeteria by Oliver's uncle. 

"So how was Lubao?" 

"You wouldn't believe who we met," Oliver said. 

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"A small world, isn't it?" Oliver's uncle laughed. "Andrea? Really?"

"Well anyways," He continued. "Now that you're back, I have more hands in the kitchen again!"

"It must be nice having free labor." Oliver grinned, shutting the door to their room closed.

After unpacking and settling in, the two got on a video call with Albert and Miguel.

"We've already posted a few calls and digital fliers out," Albert said. "Although I doubt we can get another quick response, I guess we can try."

"With the whole folklore in mind, we have been researching recently and it seems there's another manuscript," Miguel said as he entered the frame.

"Manuscripts?" Summer pushed Oliver away, grabbing the phone.

"Yeah. The story is still somewhat the same but the ending is completely different in this one."

"Like how?"

"For starters, the manuscript seems to date about a few decades after the original. There is also no mention of any other couples or victims other than the main characters."

Miguel continued. "Mhm, apparently in this version of the story they draw some circle or whatever on a map. That's all we know right now, though."

"You don't know why a circle?" Oliver asked.

"No, we only read the summary. This version is like 10 times longer than the original text."

Albert waved a binder stacked to the brim with paper in front of the camera. "We'll be reading as fast as we can."

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"Good night, Oliver."

"Good night, Summer."

The two lay down quietly on their thin mattress slowly trying to drift to sleep.

"Hey Oliver," Summer nonchalantly said with her eyes still closed.

"Yeah?"

"I can't sleep."

"But I can. Good night."

Opening her eyes in disbelief, Summer is unexpectedly greeted by a new surrounding.

No longer were they inside their room. The two now lay on a concrete road in the middle of a dense and foggy forest.

The cold and moist air instantly clung to their clothes.

"Huy, Oliver," Summer nudged the sleeping boy on her side. "Look where we are."

He did not respond.

"This idiot..." Summer mumbled as she stood up.

Visibility in the area was hazy at best. A rustic smell of the dense winds clogged Summer's nose.

What's that?

Summer noticed a light at the end of the road.

Curious of where the light was coming from, Summer started to gradually walk up the street as the ground slowly deformed into the shape of a steep hill.