5| Not Cinderella's Horse Carriage

A pair of flashing lights that Rain thought was a car turned out to be a very luxurious horse-drawn carriage. Rain was speechless. She stood there like a statue and didn't know what to do.

"Miss," said a voice. "Come on up!" expressed the same voice.

Rain didn't know the man was sitting at the front of the carriage. Previously Rain had not seen anyone there.

"I'm Randall, the driver will take you to your destination."

Randall sat in the front with a hooded cloak covering him from head to toe. He didn't look at Rain at all. His gaze is straight ahead.

Randall's voice was profound. Suddenly the carriage door opened without anyone touching it.

Rain still stood where she was and didn't move at all.

"This must be a mistake. I'm sure this carriage is waiting for someone else, not me!" she said in her heart.

"Sorry, Mr. Randall, you seem to have the wrong person," Rain said hesitantly, holding back disappointment.

"You're Rain Orwell, aren't you?"

Rain stuttered when her full name was clearly stated.

"Y-yes that's my name. But, I made a promise to someone here. I'm sure that person will be here soon, maybe?"

"I was sent by the head of the Dauntess household to pick up Miss Rain Orwell at Westlake Station tonight."

This time Rain really made her jaw drop. There was no mistaking it; this horse-drawn carriage would pick her up for a job interview. Believe it or not, the reality is so in front of her eyes.

Rain climbed into the carriage pulled by the two large black horses without hesitation.

"It's like a dream. I feel like I'm a Cinderella in this modern era. It's amazing, it's like attending a royal festival," thought Rain. "Well maybe this is the only vehicle access to Darkwood? Because two people I met at the station, said there is no public transportation going to Darkwood. This horse-drawn carriage is so cool, my gosh!"

The horse-drawn carriage was moving very fast. However, Rain didn't feel any shock at all. The carriage springs are designed to dampen vibrations, and the seats are very comfortable. The paved road they walked on seemed as smooth as a red carpet.

Along the way, Rain couldn't see any scenery outside the carriage window other than the forest vegetation on either side, which was shrouded by thick fog. There was no sound other than the horseshoe hooves and the carriage's front bell, which kept ringing as the carriage went.

As time went on, Rain felt like she was being cradled. She didn't even feel the friction between the wagon wheels and the asphalt.

A shadowy figure in the mist shot into a human face and whispered into Randall's ear. The carriage driver nodded while glancing left and right.

From within the darkness of the Darkwood forest, several pairs of bright red eyes appeared. The longer the time, the more eyes that appear. The creatures were running after the carriage. They tried to surround her from all directions.

Randall stomped on the reins to make the horse go faster. A giant red-eyed black wolf figure leapt in front of the carriage. He tried to pounce on the leg of one of the horses.

Randall swung his whip at the wolf.

Flash!

A flash of flame from the whip grabbed the wolf and ignited it. Their number is increasing.

Randall and the guards of darkness had no choice. They shrouded the entire section of the chariot with fog. Slowly the wheels began to lift, likewise with the four legs of each horse.

Without Rain realizing it, the horse-drawn carriage was floating in the air. All the chariot wheels and the horse did not touch the asphalt. There were many creatures around the carriage and behind the carriage in the form of black shadows that accompanied her journey.

Rain's eyes could not see all that. Along the way, all she saw was fog. Randall kept control of his carriage, avoiding the wolves' attacks.

Rain could only see Randall's black coat fluttering from where she was sitting in the carriage. Unbeknownst to Rain, Randall had turned into a faceless black shadow under the skin.

"Is the Dauntess residence still very far away? How long will it take us to arrive?"

Rain can't wait to recharge her cellphone battery.

"I'm sure we'll get there before sunrise, Miss. Hold on tight because I'm going to increase the speed of this horse-drawn carriage."

Rain screeched softly. She had never ridden a horse-drawn carriage before. But she also couldn't believe that riding a horse-drawn carriage would be this shocking. It was like riding a roller coaster. Rain's stomach was stirred, and her body floated in the air.

"My head hurts," Rain muttered. "Was it too long on the trip?"

She dropped her bag under the seat. From inside the bag that had the zipper slightly open, a black furry figure appeared, which had been following Rain from the start.

The moment Rain realized something was moving at her feet, the creature instantly disappeared into black smoke.

"I'm jetlagged and I'm starting to hallucinate, gee."

The carriage seemed to fall down with a shocking thump sensation about an hour later. Rain gasped. She only realized if she fell asleep for a few minutes.

The fog around the road they were walking began to disperse. The sun started to shine on the east side and slipped through the expanses of the pine forest.

Rain rubbed her eyes and gaped. "We're on the mountain? Are we going to the top of the mountain?"

Rain's lips rounded as she stared at the view of the ravine on the steep left side. The road before them continued to wind and was unbelievably beautiful.

"We'll be here," Randall said.

Rain sat up straight and examined her face in the small mirror she carried everywhere. Her eyes were black from exhaustion. Her face was pale, and her hair was very tangled.

"Jeez, do you have time for me to clean up before the interview?" She panicked.

Randall didn't respond. He was behind schedule. He continued to control the pace of his horse.               

"Are the Dauntess really that rich? They even own a horse-drawn carriage like this instead of a Lamborghini or a Ferrari."

The carriage stopped in front of a dense forest. Until there Rain began to realize.

"Wait, this is the forest!" she screamed. "Are you going to trick me? You want to kidnap me?"

Rain looks for her cell phone, but it's been a long time running out of battery.

"Unlucky!"

Randall remained silent and continued to ignore Rain.

"Crazy, what is this place?" Rain screamed as soon as she glanced out the window and saw a very dense forest canopy.

In front of them was a pair of big, old trees entwined with branches. Somehow between the two trees suddenly appeared an old and high iron fence.

Rain rubbed her eyes. She was sure there wasn't a fence there. The iron railings opened, and the horse-drawn carriage started moving again. Rain looked back. She kept her eyes on the self-closing iron fence.

The horse-drawn carriage went back a few meters. Once again, Rain saw the oddity.

Behind the rows of dense trees and seemingly endless paths, Rain saw a black shadow towering in the distance.

"Stop, Sir!" Rain shouted at Randall.

The horse-drawn carriage suddenly stopped. But Randall remained seated and didn't look back.

"Did something happen, Miss?"

"Did you see something big and black in the distance?"

"Yes of course I saw it."

"So it's not…?"

"That's what we're aiming for, Miss. Hold on because our time is up. The sun is getting too high. We have to get there or she'll be mad!"