Emma was overcome with fear and didn't dare question Ethan's decision to flee the haunted house and strange town. However, her physical fitness was no match for her brother's.

While Ethan bore the weight of the heaviest luggage, Emma was burdened by her own suitcase, which hampered her movements and made it more difficult to climb the small hill that led to the property. The freezing temperatures, her anxious state, the snowy conditions, and the limited oxygen supply added to her difficulties. However, her biggest obstacle was the treacherous ice.

Emma felt her feet slip, tried to get up holding on to the suitcase without much success, and after several stumbles she ended up lying on the snowy ground.

"Go on, Ethan!" she pleaded, as if offering herself as a sacrifice. "I'll catch up with you later, but if not, go on without me."

A strange memory flashed through her mind, like a déjà vu. She saw an image from years ago, when they were both eight years old, running through the woods tha