Davion didn't know how much time had passed since he had started walking again. It certainly felt like a long time, but with the heavy fog around him, it was hard to say. Maybe if he had a working phone or watch, he could find out. Unfortunately, he had neither.

  A noise stopped him in his tracks.

  What was that?

  He anxiously scanned the area for the source, but he couldn't see anything because of the dense fog. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, threatening to burst out of his chest. Davion clutched the basket close to his body as his eyes continued to dart around. He didn't dare to move from his spot, his legs quivering in fear.

  Was it a person or something else?

  While he hoped it was the former—he didn't care who it was as long as it wasn't the huntsman—something told him it was likely the latter. After all, he hadn't bumped into another person since he separated from his friends unless he counted the huntsman.

  If it wasn't a person, then what could it be? Could the dog have returned?

  For a brief moment, he felt a rush of hope surge through him at the thought. However, reality soon came crashing down.

  After several minutes of looking around, he still didn't see any signs of the dog anywhere. He strained his ears trying to catch the sound again, but it was silent except for his breathing.

  Where is it? I don't see the dog anywhere. Was I wrong about it being the dog?

  If the dog had really returned, it would have shown itself already. There was no need for it to hide in the fog. It wasn't like he would hit the dog for leaving no matter how upset he was. He wasn't even angry. Davion would just be happy to see it come back. He didn't want to be alone.

  Davion stared a bit longer into the fog before daring to take a step forward. When nothing happened, he took another step. Seeing and hearing nothing, he continued to move at a slow pace. He observed his surroundings, ready to react at any given moment. After walking for a bit, he felt the tension in his body ease a bit.

  It was hard to stay cautious when nothing jumped at him from out of the fog.

  But if it wasn't the dog, then what was it? What had made the sound?

  He had nothing to go on other than that brief noise. Without any other clues, he was beginning to think that his mind was just playing tricks on him.

  I don't know which is worse. Going crazy or having something stalking me in the fog.

  Suddenly, he heard a sound and instantly stared wide-eyed in the direction it had come from. Unlike before, the sound repeated several times in quick succession. It echoed loudly, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

  The worst part was that it sounded like it was coming towards him.

  Davion frantically searched the area for a place to hide. The shadowy figure was coming closer, and his knuckles turned white from the grip on his basket. Unable to find anything, he turned on his heel, ready to make a break for it.

  That's when he heard someone say, "Oh, my back. I'm really too old for this."

  His jaw dropped slightly as he took a moment to really look at the shadowy figure. Upon a second glance, he realized that the figure did look like a hunched person and dared to walk towards it. When he got close enough, he saw it was an old woman tapping the ground with a cane.

  The sound he had been hearing was the cane.

  "Oh, I shouldn't be running around outside in my old age. When I find that silly girl, I'll give her a good talking to," the old woman said, seemingly unaware of Davion's presence.

  Studying the dark glasses the old woman was wearing, Davion wondered if she was blind.

  She continued to walk towards him and said, "Oh, I hope she's safe. It's so dangerous out here. A young girl like her should be at home."

  When it became clear to him that the old woman was going to walk into him, he blurted out, "Watch out."

  The old woman stopped in her tracks, lifting her head up slightly. Her eyes seemed to peer through her dark glasses and into his soul, making him swallow. He unconsciously took a step back out of wanting to avoid bumping into her and fear.

  "Oh, hello, is there someone there?" the old woman called out.

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  "Hello," he said tentatively after a moment's hesitation and studied her.

  "Oh, I didn't expect someone so young. This is completely unexpected."

  How does she know I'm a kid?

  Since she was blind, she shouldn't be able to know he was a kid.

  Was it a lucky guess, or was she really not blind?

  It was hard for him to say. She did look up after he had warned her to watch out, but it could just be that she noticed where the sound was coming from. The old woman hadn't reacted to his presence either until after he spoke up. Unless she had been purposely ignoring him earlier, she hadn't seen him there because she was blind.

  "Oh, dear, I hope he didn't leave already," the old woman muttered to herself.

  He snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm here."

  "Oh, good. I was afraid you left. You suddenly went quiet."

  "Sorry, ma'am."

  "Oh, no need to apologize. Just call me Grandma."

  Isn't it weird to ask a random kid to call you Grandma?

  "What are you doing out here, Grandma?" Davion asked. "It's dangerous to be alone outside."

  She simply waved his words off with her cane. "Oh, I should be the one saying that. A young child like you shouldn't wander alone. Where are your parents?"

  Davion hesitated.

  Even though the old woman didn't seem dangerous, he still remembered the warnings about stranger danger and didn't want to tell her too much. He also didn't forget how strange her appearance was. Ever since he got separated from his friends and got trapped in this strange fog, he had only encountered the huge dog and huntsman. An old woman showing up out of nowhere was highly suspicious.

  This isn't some kind of trick, is it? She's not going to suddenly pull out a knife and lunge at me, right?

  He eyed her warily. The old woman smiled cheerfully at him, completely unaware of his thoughts.

  Well, he was sure she wouldn't try anything with him, especially since she was blind. If it was really dangerous, he could just make a break for it. She wouldn't be able to catch up to him.

  "I'm a bit lost," Davion admitted while keeping his distance.

  "Oh, dear. That's terrible," the old woman said, raising one hand to her mouth. "I would love to help, but as you can see, I'm not as young as I used to be."

  Davion politely didn't say anything.

  Pointing out that he could see that she was old and blind would be rude, and he didn't want to tempt fate in case she really was dangerous. Davion didn't want her coming after him with a vengeance.

  "Oh, how I miss my younger years. It only seemed like yesterday that I would run down the streets without a care in the world," the old woman said, her voice taking on a dreamy tone.

  He stared.

  She says oh a lot.

  Without fail, she somehow managed to use the word oh every time she opened her mouth. Normally, he wouldn't notice something like that, but it was hard to miss such a quirk when talking to her.

  The old woman snapped out of her daydream and said, "Oh, enough about me. I doubt you want to listen to an old lady talk about her youth. You must be anxious to get back to your parents. Do you remember where you last saw them?"

  Davion carefully thought about his answer.

  Should he tell her the truth or lie?

  He felt pretty confident now that she really meant him no harm even if her appearance was strange. She really seemed like a genial old woman.

  After some hesitation, he said, "At the hospital."

  "Oh, the hospital you say?" the old woman asked as she tilted her head to one side.

  "Yes, ma'am?"

  "Oh, I'm afraid I don't know where that is. I really can't help you there."

  "It's okay, ma'am."

  "Oh, I told you. You don't need to be all formal with this little old lady. Just call me Grandma."

  "Yes, Grandma."

  "Oh, you're quite an obedient child. I'm sure your parents just adore you. It reminds me of my own grandchild."

  Seeing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, he was eager to leave. However, leaving the old woman by herself didn't sit right with him. Between the two of them, she was obviously the one in the most danger. If the huntsman stumbled upon her and decided she was dangerous, she wouldn't be able to get away. Even without the huntsman, under normal circumstances, letting a blind old woman wander around on her own was wrong.

  "Oh," the old woman abruptly said, startling Davion out of his thoughts. "I kept you long enough. You should run along now and find your parents. Be sure to stay safe."

  "What about you?" he asked.

  "Oh, you don't have to worry about me. I can manage fine on my own."

  Despite how confident she sounded, he was reluctant to leave.

  Davion glanced around at their surroundings before whispering conspiratively to her, "I met a very scary man earlier. He was wielding an ax. I managed to get away, but he's still out there."

  Unlike what he expected, she calmly said, "Oh, is that so."

  Why isn't she worried or scared? There's a crazy ax-wielding huntsman out here. Shouldn't she at least be a bit panicked?

  "We should travel together just to be safe," Davion said.

  "Oh, there's no need. You shouldn't let this old lady hold you up. My old bones would just slow you down."

  "I can't just leave you alone."

  "Oh, you're so considerate, but you don't need to trouble yourself with me. No one's interested in an old lady like me. I'll be fine. You go on ahead."

  He stared as the stubborn old woman waved him off, refusing to go along with him.

  It felt wrong to leave the old woman alone, but he couldn't exactly force her if she didn't want to go with him. Davion wasn't going to drag her along, which he wouldn't be able to do in the first place. He wasn't strong enough for that. Even if he was, he didn't think she would let him without putting up a fight.

  Davion eyed her cane warily, imagining how she would use it as a weapon if he dared to try anything with her.

  Yeah, I probably should keep my distance. I don't want to get whacked by her cane. I just wish she weren't so stubborn. It's not safe, but maybe it's better this way. If the huntsman finds us, I don't know what I'll be able to do.

  He could barely help himself, much less the old woman. The last time he came across danger, he barely escaped in one piece. If they bumped into the huntsman, he wouldn't be able to do anything against him. The best Davion would be able to do was maybe bide some time for the old woman to run away, but he doubted she would be able to get far.

  Just thinking about having another encounter with the huntsman sent shivers down his spine. "Are you really sure, Grandma?"

  "Oh, I'm sure," the old woman said, nodding her head. "I don't want to hold you back. Besides, I can act as a distraction if the scary man shows up to give you time to escape."