Chapter 168

168 In An Unfamiliar Place With Strangers

Somehow, she found herself in an unfamiliar area. Kalea had been waiting at the bus stop for almost two hours, but there was no sign of the public transportation. Not even a single vehicle passed by. While the sky was getting darker with clouds, it looked like it was going to rain soon. After getting off the train, Kalea was looking for a place where she could stay for a while. However, because she was too engrossed, Kalea forgot herself until she was actually in a place where there were not many people.

Kalea pulled her suitcase, giving up on waiting for the bus. She had to go to the houses of the people who might be kind enough to accept her shelter even if it was only for one night. Her hazel eyes saw only large trees and bushes. Leaves scattered on the ground, making the sound of the leaves Kalea stepped on. There was no sound other than that and the wind was blowing quite strong. Kalea tightened her jacket, she kept thinking positively and tried to stay calm even though she was the only one there. Maybe after she passed through this tree-lined road, there was a beautiful remote village at the end.

Bruk!

“Shh, ah,” Kalea winces in pain, she holding her ankle that had tripped on a tree root. Her energy was drained from this long journey. She sighed heavily, looking up at the darkening sky that made the surrounding atmosphere even more chilling. Kalea could not lie if she was getting scared. She did not have the courage to go back to where she started, but she could not stay there.

Kalea tried to stand back up but her legs would not cooperate. She gasped in surprise when she heard the sound of leaves rustling not far from her. With slow movements, Kalea turned her head to the origin of the sound. Holding the suitcase tightly, Kalea’s heart was beating fast with fear. What if what was behind the bushes was a wild animal? Or even a bad person?

She did not care about ghosts because real living things were more scary and dangerous!

Kalea picked up a small knife that she kept in her bag. She was always on guard because no one knew when she was in danger and that small weapon might be useful in the current situation. With trembling hands, Kalea held the knife.

“Who’s there?!” Kalea shouted in a tone of voice that trembled with fear. However, there was suddenly no sound from the bushes.

Kalea frowned, confused. Was it just a harmless little animal? Kalea was curious but she did not dare to check.

.....

Shortly after that, someone came out of the bushes. Kalea was silent looking at the figure, whether she should be a little calm or not because it was not certain whether this person was a dangerous person or not. Kalea still had to be vigilant.

The figure was a man with scarlet hair and emerald-colored eyes and was now staring at Kalea in confusion. The man’s footsteps began to get closer making Kalea wary of what the man would do to her.

“Are you alright?” the man asked as he squatted in front of Kalea, his faint eyes with a large body and slightly dark skin made Kalea unable to think positively.

This man must be dangerous!

Kalea tightened her knife, those sharp emerald eyes now glancing at the object Kalea was holding. Until he finally realized that Kalea must be thinking all kinds of things about him.

“Oh, sorry! I’m not a bad person! I just went to the city to deliver some goods,” the man explained. However, Kalea still could not fully believe it.

“Why are you in those bushes?” she asked.

“Ah... that, I saw a cat earlier but when I chased it, it disappeared somewhere.”

Kalea’s brow furrowed even more, what kind of ridiculous excuse was that? How could Kalea believe that?!

“I mean it, Miss. I’m a resident of the village at the other end, are you planning to go there too?” The scarlet man’s gaze was now focused on Kalea’s sprained ankle. “Is your ankle injured?”

“I’m fine. I tripped over a tree root,” Kalea replied briefly, holding her ankle. “So there’s a village around here?”

“That’s right. It’s a bit far from the city and vehicles don’t often pass through here. I can take you there, is there someone you want to meet?”

Kalea shook her head without answering anything else. However, the man seemed to already know what happened to Kalea.

“The weather is getting cloudy, it’s going to rain soon. Would you like to spend the night at my house? Don’t worry, I have no bad intentions!” the man said clumsily and kept trying to convince Kalea that he was a good person.

“How do I get there? By walking?” Kalea asked, confused. She not seeing any vehicle that the man in front of her might have brought.

“Can you still walk? Actually, my friend brought the car home. But don’t worry, the village is not that far from here,” the man replied as he helped Kalea back to her feet.

Kalea still found it hard to believe this man’s words. How could he be left behind by his friend just to chase a cat? How ridiculous! However, Kalea had no choice but to accept his help. Her body was already very tired and she wanted to rest immediately.

“Ah, I’ll keep the suitcase,” Kalea said, not allowing the stranger to take over her suitcase. The man did not insist, just smiled understandingly. Kalea also refused the man’s help who wanted to help carry her.

After about fifteen minutes, they finally exited the tree-lined road. Now Kalea could see a village that was far from what she had imagined. The village looked very beautiful, the houses were mostly made of wood, randomly arranged but comfortable to the eye. The wide expanse of grass and the many gardens of various fruits and vegetables that surround some of the houses. There was also a large lake in the center of the grass. Kalea saw an old man putting his livestock into the pen as the sky was getting darker.

The man with dark red hair invited Kalea into a house that seemed to be his residence.

“I’m really not a bad person, Miss. Inside this house is my sister. If you still don’t believe me, I’ll call my friend who brought my car back,” the man said, trying to convince Kalea.

“Kai! I left your car in the garage. Eh? Who’s the woman beside you?” A man approached the two of them. Looking at his friend and Kalea in turn.

“Owen, I was just about to call you. Hey, am I a bad person?” Kai asked suddenly making Owen blink in confusion.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I met this woman and it seems she’s still not convinced I’m a good person,” Kai continued to explain. Owen slowly understood, he was watching Kalea closely, while Kalea was one more person she suspected now.

“Miss, take it easy. This man is the kindest creature on earth. I don’t know the details of what happened, but he’s very trustworthy,” Owen said patting Kai’s shoulder. “If he does anything strange, Kai will be paraded around by the other villagers because he’s so famous in this village,” he continued with a wide smile.

Kalea turned to look at Kai, her wall of suspicion softening a little. Maybe this man was not a bad person after all, she also felt a little guilty for being so suspicious when Kai had been so helpful.

“Alright, I’ll trust a little.”

“A little?”

“Great, my name is Owen, if there’s anything you can ask me for a favor too,” Owen said as he extended his hand to Kalea.

“Kalea,” Kalea replied hesitantly accepting the hand. Meanwhile, Kai just stared at them in turn, even he who had been with Kalea from the beginning only knew her name.