(Continued)
Right after dawn broke and the team woke from their sleep, they immediately left the house, beginning to walk through the alleys and destroyed buildings everywhere, trying to avoid any direct encounter with any non-human creature.
After a period of walking, they reached the end of the city.
Where the houses stopped appearing, replaced by a vast road filled with snow, leafless trees, and destroyed cars.
Ethan took one last look at the dead city, focusing on its destroyed features, with a childish face full of curiosity, and a question in his mind that left him puzzled.
How was the city before it became like this?
But he ignored the matter after they moved a little away from it, and occupied his mind with only one thing: searching for a suitable goal for himself.
Meanwhile, Jenny turned towards Joseph with a look of surprise on her face, as if she had just remembered something, calling out to him, "Joseph."
Joseph turned towards her with tired eyes before replying, "What?"
Jenny continued, "I wanted to ask you about this earlier, but I forgot. Now that we have enough time to talk, I wanted to ask you about that night."
Joseph raised his eyebrow in surprise, saying, "Huh? Which night?"
Jenny replied, "One night, in the middle of the night, I found you walking alone in the village, which really surprised me back then. So I followed you, and while following you... well, I found you with one of those creatures, and it seemed to me like you were talking to it about something. So please, explain to us what happened that night."
Nicholas spoke, reinforcing Jenny's words, without turning to them, "Oh yes, I was with you too... I intended to ask you about that, but she beat me to it."
A mixture of humor and indifference appeared on Joseph's features before he answered them, saying, "First, you scoundrels, what are you even doing in the middle of the night? Second, you fools, that creature is a messenger between villages. We tell it the message we want to send, and it will repeat it upon reaching the target village. I went out in the middle of the night and wasted my peaceful sleep because that Marcus woke me up and asked me to send a message to Willowood village to inform them of our arrival in advance... Rest your minds now."
Jenny replied to him with a kind of curiosity and surprise, "But, why didn't anyone tell us about this beforehand?"
Joseph replied to her, turning his gaze forward, "Why would they even tell you? Everyone is busy with their own things."
Jenny replied to him with a kind of embarrassment, averting her eyes from him, "Oh... yes, that's logical."
They continued walking after that, until the city's features completely disappeared from their sight, spending their time talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves, which made them not feel the length of the journey.
After two hours of walking.
Thirst and hunger began to show on the travelers' faces.
Joseph spoke wearily, "Nicholas, wateeeer..."
Nicholas replied, "I only have a little canned food. As for water, there isn't any at the moment... but I know a river near here. I always used it."
Joseph replied to him with skeptical eyes, "Near, huh? It must be another two hours away."
Nicholas laughed at him for a few seconds before continuing his speech sarcastically, "No need to say that, we are already close. Not much is left."
Joseph answered him, patience having run out, "Just give me your damn lighter to start a fire and melt the snow. Better than dying of thirst on the way."
Nicholas replied to him with angry sarcasm, "And how will you start the fire, smart guy? With your ass? Just be patient and shut us up."
Joseph answered him with a sarcastic smile on his face, putting his hand on his chin, "Hmmmmm, actually a good idea, hehehe."
Suddenly, Nicholas stopped in his place, and everyone else stopped silently after him.
Jenny took a few steps towards Nicholas, with signs of worry on her face, saying, "What's the problem? Is there something?"
But as soon as she approached him, she was surprised by a frozen glacial river, stretching as far as the eye could see, as if it had no end.
Nicholas then spoke in a quiet tone, "Hmm, it seems we have indeed arrived, but I didn't notice because of the snow."
Joseph then said in a sarcastic tone mixed with nervousness, "Wow, the river is frozen too. It seems we really have to burn our asses to get water."
Nicholas replied to him irritably, "The only thing that will burn is your ass."
A mischievous laugh appeared on Joseph's face before he continued, "Hahaha, relax man, I'm just joking."
Jenny put her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter, while looking at Joseph with a laughing face.
Nicholas took a deep breath and then said, "Just be quiet and follow me."
Then he turned and started walking, along the same path following the glacial river.
Joseph said, annoyance clear in his tone, "Let's rest a little, man. My throat has become brittle from so much thirst."
Nicholas replied to him in a quiet tone, "Don't worry, we are close... closer than you think."
The other put his hand on his face nervously and impatiently before answering him, "You've been saying this since the start of the journey, and it's clear we haven't gotten any closer."
Nicholas raised his middle finger and pointed it towards Joseph without turning to him or replying, before putting his arm back in his pocket and continuing to walk as if nothing happened, which angered Joseph.
The sun was hidden by clouds, the wind was blowing around, and our heroes' feet were sunk in the snow, walking on an unknown journey without knowing what this snowy road held for them.
And before Joseph started complaining as usual, Jenny spoke in a tone with a kind of shock, "Look over there!"
For everyone to see something resembling wreckage, broken and shattered wooden structures, which seemed to have been houses at some point.
They approached the place more and more, until they entered the heart of the area.
The place was a group of destroyed huts, some of which were erased to the point of being just wreckage, while others managed to remain standing in their usual form.
Covered in white snow that tried to erase the tragic story of this place.
Jenny felt a mixture of surprise and anxiety, then said in a worried tone, "It seems this place was attacked by those creatures."
Nicholas replied to her, with a mixture of seriousness and sadness on his face, as if he had recalled intimate memories of this place, "Yes... This village was once a thriving place full of life. Despite the harshness of the world back then, they managed to coexist and achieve security and happiness for everyone... Do you see all this? It wasn't done by zombies, nor a monster, or any of those creatures... but something worse."
Jenny replied to him in a tone with surprise in its folds and a kind of sadness towards the villagers, "So who did this?"
Nicholas replied to her directly in a tone full of hatred and loathing, "The Katoran, those fallen ones. They killed everyone, destroyed the huts and farms, and yet their bloodthirst is still unquenched... They captured and enslaved everyone who survived this massacre, and treated them and their children like animals, as if they were just worthless creatures... And that's why I swore I wouldn't rest until I take revenge, not just for me, but for every person harmed by the evil and brutality of those creatures."
After hearing Nicholas's words, a mixture of emotions stirred in her heart, represented by sadness and pity, so she asked him despite knowing the answer to her question, "So this is the reason you came all this way here... Revenge."
Nicholas shook his head firmly, before starting to walk quietly forward, through the snow and wreckage, turning from time to time to the burned houses, with a severe ache in his heart for the owners of this land.
Meanwhile, Ethan and Jenny followed him, with pity and sadness in their eyes, for both Nicholas and his people.
While Joseph was walking around the place, gathering wood scattered here and there.
After 5 minutes of walking, Nicholas suddenly stopped in his place, with a petrified face carrying sorrow and sadness in its folds.
So both Jenny and Ethan stopped beside him, looking at the same place he was looking at.
They found a wide land, full of the whiteness of snow, implanted with wooden stakes of various shapes, some black in color, some broken, some long and some short, as if they were withered flowers grown on dead land.
Jenny looked towards Nicholas in confusion, asking him, "You visited this place, right? So can you explain why these wooden stakes are implanted here like this?"
Nicholas sighed in sorrow before replying to her, "I think it's clear enough... They are the graves of those who died in the Katoran attack."
Jenny replied to him with another question, "Graves? What is that?"
Nicholas turned to her with a mixture of surprise and disbelief, "Are you joking with me? Who doesn't know what graves are?"
Jenny averted her gaze to the ground with a kind of tension and embarrassment before replying to him, "Oh.. uh. Well, as you know, I haven't talked to many humans in my life except my father, so excuse me if my question seems stupid to you."
The other took a deep breath before replying to her, "A grave is the place where we bury our dead, and that is considered respect for them and their bodies... and also to prevent the smell of the corpse from spreading in the area... As I told you before, the Katoran are a group of sick people, so of course they didn't bury the bodies of those they killed. But when I escaped from them and found this place for the first time, I couldn't leave their bodies to rot like that, so I buried everyone in this place, and used the wood from the houses I found them in to decorate their graves..."
Jenny and Ethan looked at the cemetery again, but not with a look of surprise or disinterest, but with a look that showed the feelings of sadness and pity forming in their hearts.
And amidst this sad atmosphere, Joseph shouted at them from afar nervously, "Stay there until you turn into snow statues or what? Come quickly!"
Upon their arrival, they found Joseph had gathered a bunch of wood and lit a huge fire in them, enough to burn a whole horse, under the astonishment and shock drawn on everyone's faces.
Nicholas asked him with a mixture of shock and surprise, "How did you manage to light the fire? I'm the only one who has a lighter here!"
Joseph replied to him with a cunning smile on his face, "Yes, you are the only one who has a lighter, but you didn't notice that your dear lighter was stolen by me."
A slight, worried smile formed on Nicholas's face, and he sat directly in front of Joseph and the others.
Although they were far from the fire, its power was enough to transfer its warmth to their completely cold bodies.
Suddenly, Joseph extended an earthen cup full of water towards Nicholas, saying, "Want a drink?"
Nicholas took the cup, then started drinking from it quietly at varying intervals, with relaxation on his face contradicting the anxiety and anger rooted in his heart.
Joseph spoke, saying in a happy tone after finishing his cup, "Ahhhhhhh, finally some refreshment. Luckily, cups are scattered around."
Nicholas replied to him in a weak voice, "Yes..."
Silence prevailed in the place for a brief period of time; none of them had anything to say. All they wanted was to relax a little.
Nicholas reached for his torn backpack and took out some canned food, throwing it quietly in front of the others.
Each of them took their can, then started eating quietly, making chewing sounds from their mouths full of food.
Except for Nicholas, who remained sitting in his place with empty hands placed on his knees gathered together, lost in his own thoughts.
Jenny raised her head after noticing his strange silence, swallowed what was in her mouth with difficulty, and said in a cautious tone, "Why aren't you eating?... You are the one who needs food the most now."
He replied to her in a quiet tone, "I'm not hungry."
Joseph and Ethan exchanged brief glances, then Joseph shrugged his shoulders indifferently and continued devouring his food, while expressions of suspicion and worry appeared on Jenny's face, so she then said in a tone tinged with anxiety, "Is there a problem?"
Nicholas took a deep breath and put his hand on his forehead before starting to speak in a tone with a kind of regret, "We don't have much left and we will reach the Katoran's place. The distance between us and them is only two hours on foot... To shorten it for you, from this point it is not necessary for you to follow me. You have been exposed to enough danger by coming with me, and you have no relation to my problem anyway, so I want you to stay here while I go to them alone. The place is safe, far from those creatures. I lived here for a while and nothing bad happened to me, so no need to worry."
A heavy silence fell among the four; no one dared to interrupt him as he finished his words, as if the fire in front of them had died down for a moment, leaving behind a pure coldness that seeped into all their chests.
Jenny muttered, with a slight tremble in her tone, "You want to leave us here?... Alone?"
Nicholas didn't raise his head, he kept staring at the ground while answering in a quiet tone, "It's better than you coming with me. The Katoran have no morals or mercy. The moment they capture you, they will kill you in the most horrible ways... even worse than that..."
Joseph chuckled laughing despite the seriousness of the situation, then said in a sarcastic tone, "Seems like a good idea to me. Staying alone, in the middle of a destroyed village, with the cold trying to kill us manfully. The funny problem is that you were the one who forced me to come with you."
Jenny replied to him, trying to defend Nicholas, "B.But he has a convincing reason for doing that at least... his family was killed by those Katoran and you want him to stay sitting in his place without doing anything?... He needed you, Joseph, he had no choice but that."
Joseph took a deep breath, then started scratching his head in annoyance and said in a normal tone but with annoyance deep within, "Forget it, it's too late to withdraw anyway."
Suddenly, during their conversation, a strange sound began to creep into their ears, which made them all fall silent, focusing on the sound with anxiety filling their hearts.
Joseph whispered in a cautious voice, "Do you hear what I hear?"
Jenny replied to him in an almost inaudible voice, "Yes."
While Ethan just shook his head yes.
Nicholas reached for his gun before turning towards the source of the sound, while thinking, "This sounds like Jesse's car... Could it be him? Or someone else?"
Nicholas didn't take much time thinking; he rushed directly towards the sound with cautious and quick steps.
The sound led Nicholas through the wreckage of the destroyed village and the snow scattered around, towards the frozen river.
And the sound of the car got louder and louder the closer Nicholas got to the source.
Nicholas stopped directly and hid behind one of the walls that were still standing despite their erosion over time.
He peeked part of his eyes over the wall.
To notice a white car that looked old, its wheels of different shapes, and rust surrounding it in various places.
And next to it were two men, both wearing a wide red winter shirt with woolen edges and chains of bones. One of them had thick black hair, with narrow brown eyes, a small nose, and tired features, holding a metal sword in his arm.
The other had short red hair, with eyes of the same color, one of them white with a wound resembling burns around it, a small nose, and serious features, holding an iron axe in his hand, while hitting the snow in the river trying to get water, while talking to his other companion.
But the thing shared between them and the strangest was that both of them had a strange symbol on their bodies.
A circle with a dot in the middle, imprinted on their bodies like burns on the skin.
One drawn on the first one's neck.
And the second drawn on the other's hand.
The moment Nicholas saw those symbols, his grip tightened on the gun, and expressions of anger began to form on his face, after realizing the truth about the two men standing in front of him.
"And after all these years, I finally meet you, scum of the earth... The Katoran."
At the same time, the rest of his friends had reached his location.
Jenny waved to Nicholas to get his attention and inform them of the problem.
But the other paid no attention to her; he didn't even bother to look at her, for there were two prey his eyes were watching.
"One of them has a long sword, while the other has an axe. The distance between us is the width of the river, which is a good gap between us. The redhead moves a lot, so shooting him would be somewhat risky. The other is almost stationary, so the chance of killing him would be better by far... The most important thing is what happens after I kill him... Will the second one run away, or try to take revenge... It doesn't matter, in both cases I will kill him."
Nicholas raised his gun towards the first one, targeting his head precisely, with a steady body, and eyes inflamed with hatred. He placed his finger on the trigger, pressing it as fast as he could.
The bullet shot out of the gun's muzzle at a crazy speed, towards the Katoran's head in a few seconds, easily piercing his skull, creating a medium-sized hole in the middle of his head.
Blood seeped out, and the Katoran fell to the ground dead.
Which terrified his other companion.
He gripped his axe tightly, with expressions of anxiety and tension on his face, then quickly ran behind the car.
Nicholas lowered his gun quietly, and feelings of satisfaction and happiness began to seep into his veins. He let out a light sigh, while raising his face towards the sky, emitting a slight mist due to the cold, and on his face were signs of relief and satisfaction.
Jenny quickly approached Nicholas, asking him in a worried tone, "What's here? Did you kill the monster?"
Nicholas lowered his head quietly and with a slight smile on his face, he replied to her, "Yes, I got rid of the monster, but one remains."
He passed by piles of wreckage lying in front of him, heading towards the car.
The Katoran man peeked lightly through the car, to find Nicholas approaching him quietly. His face wasn't clear to him, but he knew he was the cause of his companion's death.
Expressions of anxiety and fear appeared on his features as he spoke internally, his heart full of hatred, "This damn monkey killed Jernas. He has a gun, so I won't have a chance against him. And the car key is with the other, but he's dead now. Damn it."
Suddenly, the Katoran spotted something that planted a glimmer of hope in his heart. The car key was fallen near him.
Which increased his hope, saying in his mind, "Jernas, you bastard, even after death you're still useful."
The man lay on the ground and stretched his hand under the car, grabbing the car key. Then, as fast as he could, he got into the car and tried to start it.
He took a quick glance at Nicholas, terrified to find him closer than he should be, just a few steps away from reaching him.
And anger dominated his features.
The man moved the car key quickly. The engine sound ran for a few seconds, then he turned it again, and the engine roared with a strong sound, starting the car completely.
A mixture of joy and hatred appeared on his features. Then he immediately moved the car forward, intending to run over Nicholas to death.
Time froze for a short moment, between the roar of the engine and the sound of snow crunching under the tires...
Nicholas didn't retreat a single step. He stared at the front of the car speeding towards him with eyes filled with anger and defiance.
Both Jenny and Joseph screamed at the same moment.
"Nicholaaaaas!!"
"Get away from the car, you idiot!!"
As soon as the car got close enough to him, he jumped directly to his right, avoiding it, causing it to pass by him.
The man gritted his teeth in anger while looking at Nicholas from the car mirrors, with bitterness filling his heart.
He tried to turn around and come back towards him, but the frozen river beneath him hindered his control of the car. He tried to turn it right and left, but the car kept sliding randomly.
He pressed the brakes with all his might, making the tires screech beneath him as they uselessly rubbed against the ice.
He immediately crashed into the destroyed huts, smashing everything in his path, causing the wood to collapse over the front of the car.
The vehicle shook violently before stopping suddenly. The sound of shattering glass echoed the collision throughout the abandoned village.
The Katoran's body jolted inside the car from the force of the impact. His head hit the steering wheel hard, then he raised it with difficulty, his eyes almost closed from the shock. He started breathing hysterically, and pain never left his worn-out body, while making sounds of pain and suffering.
He put his hand on his head because of the pain, surprised by a strange warmth on his hand.
He slowly lowered his trembling hand to his sight, to be surprised by blood filling his palm, planting a feeling of fear and terror deep within him.
He removed the seatbelt and opened the car door, then stood up, barely on his feet, while holding his bleeding head, with nausea clear in his movements.
He started walking in a zigzag manner, trying to escape the place before being caught.
But he fell to the ground from the shock and accumulation of injuries.
But his will to live was stronger than all this. He got to his feet despite losing his strength and started dragging himself forcefully to walk despite the injuries.
But life doesn't always go as planned.
(A gunshot)
The man fell to the ground, holding his leg that was pierced by the bullet. He let out a short, muffled scream of pain, while writhing on the snow contaminated with spots of warm blood.
Heavy footsteps approached from behind him, planting terror and dread in his heart.
He quickly turned around with a pale and haggard face, to find Nicholas above him, looking at him with features full of contempt and inferiority, holding his gun nervously.
The Katoran's body trembled, and he crawled a few inches backward, looking at his doom with frozen eyes, while his teeth chattered, not from the cold of the snow, but from feeling death approaching.
Nicholas leaned on his knee, while pressing the muzzle of his gun into the middle of the Katoran's forehead. The man then spoke in an angry tone, trying to hide the fear that permeated him, "I didn't expect there would still be survivors of you, you monke_"
And before he could finish his speech, he received a strong punch in the middle of his face, which immediately broke his nose. The man immediately grabbed it from the intensity of the pain, and at the same time, Nicholas spoke with a mixture of pure hatred and mockery, "Ohhh, Fargr, no need to worry, there's no one here but me. How could animals like you leave the place in peace anyway? Oh! How could I forget you so quickly, Fargr? It's me, Nicholas!"
Upon hearing his name, Fargr's eyes widened in astonishment and terror, and he stopped moaning as if Nicholas's name had ignited his forgotten memory.
Nicholas continued his speech, "What despicable days they were, you know. When we were young, you loved hurting my family, remember? To the point that I still suffer because of this damn blind eye (long sigh). And here you are, your entire fate in my hands..."
Nicholas let out a short, sarcastic laugh, then in one moment, he put his foot on the wound in Fargr's leg, pressing on it forcefully, making him scream in pain.
And at the same time, he began to speak in a tone full of disgust and hatred towards him, "Do you feel this pain? Do you see how burning it is? How painful? All of this doesn't compare, not even for a moment, to the burning I felt daily all these years towards you. The psychological pain of knowing that my mother and friends are suffering in your wretched forts."
And with every word he said, he increased the pressure on his wound, making the man's screams more and more intense.
And at the same time, the rest of the team watched the scene in silence.
Jenny with a pale face, terrified by the horror of the sight.
And Joseph with a shocked face covered in anxiety and tension.
And Ethan with a mixture of curiosity and a kind of fear from the cruelty of the sight.
Nicholas bent to the ground and picked up a small, sharp-ended wooden stake, smaller than a finger.
He looked at it for a moment, then returned his gaze to Fargr, and in a matter of seconds.
Nicholas pounced on him and forced his eyes open, then directly plunged the stake into Fargr's right eye.
Implanting twigs of pain and torment in it, leaving him screaming with all his might, putting his hands over his eyes, while writhing under Nicholas's feet, and his hands desperately trying to remove the stake.
Nicholas stood over him, looking at him with eyes devoid of pity, as if the fires in his heart were slowly being extinguished by seeing him suffer.
To say to him in a sarcastic tone, "Oh look at yourself, we are similar now! Both of us don't have two eyes."
Fargr gasped a high, choked gasp of pain, while putting his hand on his injured eye and blood seeped out from under his hand, then he screamed in a hoarse voice full of pain and hatred, "You won't get away with this! You won't get away with this! They will notice my disappearance and come here sooner or later. They will skin you alive, cut you to pieces, burn your skin and bones, and turn you into food for your fellow animals! You damn bastard."
Suddenly, Nicholas shoved his gun into the Katoran's mouth, inserting it directly into his throat, leaving him choking in utter despair and humiliation. Then he said to him with a mixture of madness and nervousness, "No need to worry, I will go to them myself. There's no need for them to come. And I will make sure, I will make sure that I kill them all in the most horrible ways. I will burn your homes, separate your flesh from your bones, leave you suffering under the weight of the cold, naked, tied up, helpless to do anything but pray for your death (heavy inhalation). And your good luck is that you won't be alive to see any of this."
Then he immediately pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced his throat, and his blood exploded in the place, not just as a disfigured corpse, but as the beginning of Nicholas's grand plan.
Nicholas slowly pulled the gun from the corpse's mouth, looking at it with a gaze of contempt.
He turned his gaze towards the car in front of him, then started walking towards it as if nothing happened. He opened the half-closed door and got inside, then tried to start it, but he didn't know how to operate it since he had never driven a car before.
He quickly got out of the car and shouted towards the others, "Does anyone know how this thing works?"
They remained silent for a while with hesitant eyes, before Joseph replied, saying, "Luckily for you, I'm here, man."
He approached the car and started it lightly, so the others began to get inside.
But before they left, Nicholas approached Joseph, who was inside the car, brought his face close to the window, and said in a cold tone, "Try to get the car out for now. I'll go get some things and come back."
Joseph remained silent for a few seconds before nodding in agreement.
As soon as Nicholas left, the other started driving backward, trying to get away from the place. He struggled a little because of the snow but managed to overcome it as quickly as possible.
He crossed the frozen river with difficulty, while the sound of the engine mixed with the echo of their exhausted breathing and their heavy, tense breaths.
A heavy silence fell over the car; no one dared to say a single word.
Jenny's eyes were full of worry, and a kind of fear and discomfort loomed over her heart.
Meanwhile, Ethan was looking out the window with a calm face, enjoying the view of the snow. At the same time, he was thinking about the killed Katoran, wondering what they had done to Nicholas to make him reach this stage.
As for Joseph, he was leaning back in the seat comfortably, closing his eyes, trying to use these few moments of peace for rest.
After half an hour of being in the car, Ethan spotted Nicholas coming from afar, carrying a large white bag on his back, full of things.
As soon as he reached the car, he quietly opened the trunk, to find it full of large water bottles. He was surprised for a few moments but just threw them out and placed his bag in their place, closing it immediately.
Nicholas sat in the front seat next to Joseph, exhaling his cold breaths that turned into mist in the frozen air.
Joseph looked towards Nicholas out of the corner of his eye, asking him quietly, "So where do we go now?"
The other replied in a serious tone, "The Katoran settlement, of course."
The white car set off deep into the road, its tire tracks gradually fading behind it, while in the distance... the fortress awaited Nicholas's coming fire.
(In the village center)
Jesse was sitting in one of the chairs, gathering his hands together, looking at the floor beneath him, with feelings of disturbance and tension dominating his heart.
He remained silent, not uttering a word, while his right foot shook nervously, as if he was waiting for someone to arrive.
Suddenly, Mera entered the place. Jesse immediately greeted her with his question in a worried tone as he raised his gaze towards her, "Did you find them?"
Mera took a light breath before replying to him, her features pale from exhaustion and worry, "Sorry, but we haven't found any trace of them yet. We sent a group of volunteers to search for them in various places within a 1-kilometer radius, but we didn't find a single trace of them."
Jesse put his hands on his face in despair and anger after hearing Mera's words.
Mera approached him a little and sat in another chair beside him, then started patting his back, trying to comfort him while at the same time not knowing what to say.
Suddenly, Jesse spoke, his hands still covering his face, "Didn't you find any footprints in the snow?"
Mera replied to him quietly, "No... the snow must have erased them..."
Unexpectedly, Jesse kicked his foot forcefully, revealing the left half of his face, which was filled with feelings of anxiety and sadness.
Saying inside his troubled mind, "Damn it! I wish I had stayed with them that night. I could have prevented this from happening. Can't I do a single thing right? Ethan, if anything happens to you, I will never forgive myself as long as I live. So I hope with all my heart that you are safe."
(The End)