Armageddon 2309 (The W-files)

Chapter 26

As Rio rode back to the forest, his mind buzzed with the revelations from Mrs. Kagiso's AD. He didn't need the transit system to guide him; the route to the forest was etched in his memory. Yet, despite his familiarity with the path, a sense of foreboding crept over him as he ventured deeper into the woods.

The trees loomed overhead, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance in the dim light filtering through the canopy.

As he reached the clearing where Mr. Alkis had been attacked, Rio's senses were on high alert. He scanned the area, looking for any signs of movement or disturbance. The ground showed signs of struggle, confirming Mr. Alkis's account of the attack.

The forest lay eerily quiet, devoid of the usual sounds of life. It was as if the very air was synthetic, lacking the natural symphony of birds chirping and insects buzzing. Rio cautiously approached the cottage he had discovered on his previous visit, his senses alert for any sign of danger.

As he pushed open the door, he was greeted by an empty room. The furniture and medical equipment that had been there before were gone, leaving behind only empty space. It was as if everything he had seen earlier had been nothing but a mirage, a trick of the light in the dim forest.

Rio's heart sank. He had been so sure that he was on the right track, that he was close to unraveling the mystery that had brought him here. But now, faced with an empty cottage, he felt a sense of defeat creeping over him.

As Rio searched the area around the cottage, he noticed a faint trail leading deeper into the forest. The trail was barely visible, as if someone had tried to conceal it, but Rio's sharp eyes caught the subtle signs of disturbance in the underbrush.

Following the trail, Rio soon found himself in a small clearing. In the center of the clearing stood a strange, ancient-looking tree.

As Rio searched through the forest, he came across another cottage, nearly identical to the first. However, like the first cottage, this one had also been cleared out, leaving no trace of its previous occupant. The only sign that someone had been there was the embers still warm in the fireplace, suggesting that whoever had lived there had only recently left.

Undeterred, Rio continued to search the forest, uncovering five more cottages, all of which had been similarly cleared out. It was as if someone had been living in them but had hastily vacated, leaving no clue as to where they had gone.

As night fell, Rio realized he would need to find a place to rest. He couldn't continue searching in the darkness, especially not in this strange and eerie forest.

As night descended upon the forest, a blanket of darkness enveloped the strange cottages, casting long shadows that danced eerily in the moonlight. The air was still, devoid of the usual sounds of nature, creating an unsettling silence that hung heavily in the air.

Rio sat by a dying campfire, the only source of light and warmth in the vast darkness of the forest. The embers crackled softly, casting flickering shadows that seemed to play tricks on his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, that unseen eyes were following his every move.

The forest seemed to come alive with the sounds of the night – the rustling of leaves, the hooting of owls, and the distant howling of wolves. But beneath these familiar sounds, there was an underlying sense of foreboding, as if the forest itself was hiding secrets, waiting to be discovered.

As Rio was on the verge of surrendering to sleep in the forest, distant muffled conversations startled him. He immediately extinguished the campfire to avoid giving away his position. The night had been unproductive; his tireless search had yielded nothing. It seemed increasingly likely that Batho and the inhabitants of the cottages were intentionally hiding from him.