Chapter 48: Just a Dream?
The girl named Little Star seemed to see something trustworthy in William, so she allowed him to stay with her, despite him being a complete stranger.
They sat across from each other in the dim light of the shelter, the glow from a small lantern casting soft shadows on the walls. For a while, they simply talked. William introduced himself properly, and she did the same, explaining that her name wasn't actually Little Star, but that's what her father used to call her. Her real name had faded from memory over time.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, reaching into a small metal box where she kept her supplies.
William shook his head gently. "Thank you, but I can't take your food. It looks like you barely have enough for yourself."
She gave him a tired but genuine smile. "It's okay. I don't eat much. I'm used to it."
He nodded, appreciating the offer but still refusing. After talking a bit more, they decided to venture outside again to explore and hopefully find something useful. The forest loomed ahead, dark and twisted, its trees towering like silent sentinels. Gnarled branches clawed at the air, and the fog hung low, curling around their ankles like smoke.
As they made their way toward the old farmhouse they had encountered before, the crunch of dried leaves beneath their feet echoed unnaturally loud. The path was barely visible, swallowed by nature's slow reclamation of the land.
"I've never been this far out," Little Star admitted, glancing warily around. "I usually stay near the woods. I only found this place by accident today."
"It doesn't look like anyone's lived here for a long time," William muttered, studying the farmhouse's cracked windows and ivy-covered walls.
She nodded. "It's strange. Things only come alive when the blood moon is out. When it's gone, everything goes quiet again."
William looked up at the sky. No moon. No sun. Only a pale, ambient glow that came from nowhere and everywhere.