GDTEA Chapter 91

Rain

Whoooosh—.

Even though it was daytime, the sky covered entirely with dark clouds was gloomy and dim. The raindrops that seemed like they would fall briefly became thick sheets of rain in an instant, pouring down.

‘It hasn’t been that long since it snowed, yet rain like this…’

The cloudy weather had continued for several days, so she had been hoping it wouldn’t happen.

‘I’ll have no choice but to stay here today.’

It didn’t seem like torrential rain that would last long, but it also wasn’t rain that would stop soon either.

Fortunately, as soon as the rain started, Sharti took shelter in the cave with Ren, so she was able to avoid getting her clothes wet at least.

Sharti shook off her troubled feelings and examined the inside of the cave. The cave they had luckily found had more space inside than expected. There was enough room for two people to lie down with their legs stretched out.

‘Hmm, but I’m still uneasy… It would be better to dig around the front of the cave, right?’

Already around the cave, the snow was melting in the rainwater and muddy water was starting to pool. There was a slight slope so it was fine for now, but if left as is, there could be the misfortune of water rising into the cave.

Sharti took off her precious fur coat and rummaged through her bag to pull out and put on her robe.

“Ren, I think this front…”

Sharti, who had even firmly grasped a shovel, turned to look at Ren.

Normally, Ren would have examined the inside of the cave before her, but he stood motionless with a hardened face.

“Ren?”

In the dark and narrow cave, it was difficult to read the expression on Ren’s shadowed face.

Sharti approached Ren with worried eyes.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

Ren was grimacing as if enduring something unbearable.

Sharti first wiped away with her sleeve the moisture on his cheek—whether raindrops or cold sweat, she couldn’t tell.

At Sharti’s touch, Ren slowly closed his eyes, then opened them and exhaled.

“I’m fine now, Sha.”

Even his forced smile was stiffly hardened.

Sharti’s face also became serious as she noticed there was some problem.

‘His body temperature is cool too.’

Whether because of the rain, his body temperature had dropped, and overall Ren’s atmosphere had sunk.

“You don’t have a fever… Are you feeling chills or anything?”

“Not really.”

Certainly, if it were cold symptoms, he had been perfectly fine as usual until this morning, until they found the cave.

“Maybe it’s because being in here reminds me of the past.”

Ren smiled weakly and belatedly examined the inside of the cave. Ren, who let out a heavy breath, grasped Sharti’s hand that had been checking his temperature and went deeper into the cave.

Sharti glanced at Ren’s hand, which was gripping with excessive force. The way his body was unnecessarily tense seemed like he was on guard against something and extremely nervous.

‘It seems Ren doesn’t know why either.’

Since she knew that asking if he was okay would only result in repeated answers of being fine, Sharti kept her mouth shut.

Instead, she had him sit at the very back of the cave first.

“Sit here.”

“What are you trying to do?”

Whether his field of vision had narrowed, Ren belatedly noticed that Sharti had taken off her fur coat and put on her robe. Ren, who confirmed the shovel in her hand as well, stood up again.

“I’ll do it too.”

“I told you to sit. You’re not feeling well.”

“Sha, if you’re trying to do it alone, it’s not work that would strain your body that much, is it?”

Even though his physical condition wasn’t good, his stubbornness remained the same.

Sharti let out a deep sigh and handed Ren a shovel as well.

“But you have to dig inside the cave. I’ll go outside.”

“When it’s raining like that, where are you going…”

“Don’t like it?”

Sharti smiled brightly while fiddling with a small pouch in front of him.

It meant that if he didn’t like this or that, she would make it so he couldn’t do anything.

Ren firmly closed his mouth.

In a situation where he was feeling something wrong with his body, any more stubbornness would be unreasonable.

“…But make sure to use the umbrella.”

Ren handed over the umbrella, sending out his dissatisfaction with a sigh.

She wanted to yield the umbrella to Ren as well, but there was no time to continue the argument at length.

Sharti covered her head and face with her hood, left her bag deep in the cave, and went outside.

Whoooosh—.

Facing the torrential rain pouring down as if a hole had been punched in the sky, Sharti diligently dug the ground around the cave. Even while doing so, worried that Ren might come outside, she checked on him from time to time.

‘He definitely doesn’t look well.’

Even reaching his arm outside the cave seemed difficult for him.

This was unlike Ren, who had never shown a single sign of fatigue until now.

Sharti, who had been digging the ground with all her might, suddenly realized the cause.

‘It’s because of me.’

Sharti, who had firmly planted the shovel in the ground, bit her lip tightly.

‘After sleeping outdoors in the cold and carrying me while moving during the day, how much fatigue must have accumulated.’

Since he hadn’t been able to properly relieve the accumulated fatigue, it was clear that it had burdened his body.

Not knowing this, Sharti, who had been carried by Ren and traveled comfortably for three whole days, felt guilty.

‘What should I do, I gave all the medicine for physical ailments and cold medicine to the village.’

Because she had given all the medicine she had to Sedipia Village, the only things in her bag now were anesthetic powder and sleeping powder.

Haa. She blew out her breath to warm her cold insides.

And why was the rain pouring like this? Whether the rain continued like this or stopped, the temperature would drop sharply at night.

‘What if he even develops a fever?’

Sharti glanced around the cave.

Although it was difficult to secure visibility because of the torrential rain, thanks to the rain, the snow had melted quite a bit and the grass was clearly visible.

She would have to check the ground one by one, but she could distinguish between medicinal herbs and weeds.

Sharti sneakily observed Ren inside the cave.

‘Ren will object again.’

The ingredients needed for medicine for physical ailments or fever reducers could be sufficiently obtained even on a winter mountain.

However, naturally, Ren would never allow the dangerous act of wandering around the mountain looking for medicinal herbs in a situation where torrential rain was falling.

‘He doesn’t seem likely to understand either.’

Given Ren’s personality, he would probably just blame himself.

‘…Can’t be helped.’

Sharti rubbed her stiff arms and stood up in the torrential rain.

Along the path she had dug, the rainwater didn’t pool but flowed toward the bushes. Since there was a slope, it would serve as a temporary measure.

Sharti, who hurried back to the cave, first took off her damp robe.

“Sha, I’m sorry. I said I’d help but…”

Ren handed her a towel and bowed his head as if ashamed.

His complexion was still poor. It seemed the fatigue was gradually worsening.

“No. I know you tried. And the person who should be sorry is me.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

Instead of answering, Sharti looked at Ren with pitying eyes.

“I feel like I didn’t pay attention. You must be tired, so it would be better to rest early today.”

Sharti evaded his gaze, vaguely mumbling to the puzzled Ren.

Even if she told Ren the cause of his fatigue, he would definitely deny it. She was upset at his foolish consideration.

“Ren, lie down here.”

“You lie down first.”

“You say I’m your master, but you really don’t listen.”

“……”

When Sharti herself used the title “master,” Ren promptly lay down on the blanket. As if it was quite uncomfortable to lie alone and look up at Sharti, he shifted his body.

Sharti lightly cleared her throat and took out a water bottle from the bundle of luggage.

“Drink this and get a good sleep.”

After mixing in a small amount of sleeping powder and shaking it, she held out the water bottle to Ren. He reluctantly accepted the water bottle.

To not drink it and endure would be difficult, as even Ren himself felt his body gradually becoming heavier. It would be better to borrow the power of sleeping medicine to sleep and wake up.

By then, wouldn’t the irritating sound of rain also decrease?

“Then I’ll keep watch at night.”

“Okay. I’ll wake you when I get sleepy.”

At Sharti’s words, Ren let out a big breath. He slightly raised his upper body and emptied the entire water bottle. A bitter taste remained on the tip of his tongue then disappeared. He lay back down again, trying to ignore the nerve-grating sound of rain.

Looking up at the damp cave wall, Ren slowly closed and opened his dry eyes.

“…Sha—.”

“Hm?”

Ren turned his head to look up at Sharti.

His teal eyes in the darkness were rippling deeply.

“I think I’ll fall asleep faster if you give me a lap pillow like before.”

“……!”

When the “before” he was referring to came to mind, heat rushed to Sharti’s face.

With her reddened face, Sharti glared at Ren while neatly folding the fur coat.

“Sleep well.”

A fluffy fur pillow was completed.

Sharti wasn’t one to fall for such a transparent trick.

Ren chuckled and this time moved his arm to show his palm to her.

“How about a hand then?”

At his plain tone, Sharti wiggled her fingers then grasped his hand.

“…Well, if it’s just a hand.”

Ren tightly held Sharti’s coldly cooled hand and closed his eyes.

If he just held this small hand, it seemed like nightmares, endlessly gloomy feelings, everything would be okay.

—As long as he held Sharti’s hand, everything was okay.

****

His body was heavy.

The sound of rain was echoing in his ears.

Had his body gotten wet from that rain?

Like cotton soaked in water, his body was so heavy he couldn’t even open his eyes.

It’s a nightmare.

The resonance reaching his ears gave him chills.

He finally opened his eyes.

Darkness.

There was only endless darkness.

Without a boundary between sky and earth, only darkness filled everything.

Whoooosh—.

As expected, the sound of rain could be heard.

He tilted his head back, but no rain fell.

Only the sound of rain without form could be heard.

‘What is this?’

While looking around here and there, he discovered something in the place filled only with darkness.

His legs moved.

And he saw it.

‘People?’

People were gathered in a crowd.

The sight of people’s backs swarming like a swarm of ants was eerie.

Whoooosh—.

Run away.

It was the moment he stepped back to run away.

Splash—.

Swoosh.

Swoosh.

Swoosh.

Swoosh.

Swoosh.

All the pitch-black people simultaneously turned their heads.

On their pitch-black faces, only eerie mouths were visible.

The corners of their mouths rose grotesquely.

‘I can’t get caught.’

His legs moved before his thoughts.

He ran madly from the black hands reaching out.

But the darkness continued endlessly, and no matter how much he ran, the black hands got closer and closer.

Catch him.

Catch him.

Catch him.

And the moment he was caught by the black hand, his body was pierced through.

‘…Huh?’

He was stabbed, stabbed again, and continuously stabbed.

Holes began to form one by one in his body.

‘Save… save me…!’

The moment he tried to make a sound in the darkness, a black hand covered his mouth.

In fear that his jaw would be broken right then and there, he grabbed the black hand.

‘…A child?’

It was the small hand of a young child.

At that moment, the mouth of the black person opened wide and laughed.

The black person kindly raised one finger to point around.

‘…….’

There were corpses.

One, two, countless corpses were sprawled at his feet.

Before he knew it, red was filling the surroundings instead of darkness.

‘…Blood?’

Simultaneously with the words he muttered unconsciously, only one fully grown adult stood there alone.

Standing on the red liquid rippling on the floor.

Whoooosh—.

Had red rain fallen?

Then countless mouths formed on the red liquid and burst into laughter toward him.

It was the moment he covered his ears at the maddeningly insane laughter.

{Is it good that you’ve forgotten everything?}

“…Gasp!”

The moment his eyes snapped open, the breath he had been holding burst out.

Ren abruptly sat up, clutched his chest, and gasped out rough breaths.

Whoooosh—.

Ren, who sharply turned his head, looked outside the cave with a face that had turned pale.

His vision spun.