Chapter 102. Into the Red Forest

Anastasia POV

The car ride is laden with tension, an invisible current of unspoken feelings and unresolved grievances hanging in the air like a shadow. As we progress, the road begins to narrow, the asphalt giving way to a bumpy dirt track. The trees along the path become denser, their tall and ancient trunks forming a sort of green tunnel. Finally, we reach the border of the Red Forest, where the road for the car simply ends, swallowed by the impenetrable wall of vegetation before us. The forest's edge is almost an impenetrable wall, a barrier of trees and shrubs so dense it seems impassable, meant to keep any curious visitors out and all the dangerous creatures within.

The afternoon light is already starting to fade, the shadows stretching on the ground, and it is as if inside the Red Forest the sun is not allowed to enter. The tree canopies are so thick that they barely allow sunlight to penetrate, casting a permanent twilight over the forest floor. Ethan parks t