Mom of Missing Boy Finds His Glove in Forest near Barbed Wire Marked 'Danger Zone' – Story of the Day

Olga, a widow desperately searching for her son, finds his glove near the forbidden zone in a forest. Knowing she can't take the law's help, Olga must enter the prohibited area…but will she succeed in finding her boy?

It happened in Eastern Europe in 1988. Amidst the desolation left by a nuclear disaster, 36-year-old Olga desperately searched the forest for her son. He had vanished a few days ago, which was yet another tragedy for her since losing her husband.

As she walked through the forest, memories flooded Olga's mind. She vividly recalled her last conversation with her son, Sasha...

"Mom? Why are you sad? What happened?" Sasha asked, dropping his school bag and approaching her.

Olga motioned for him to sit down. "I need to talk to you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Then she took a deep breath, bracing herself for the difficult conversation.

"Sasha, I have some bad news…" she started, looking into his eyes. She told him she was diagnosed with a severe illness that needed urgent and expensive surgery. "But I don't have the money for it," she added.

"Dad left us some savings, right?" Sasha asked, his face pale.

"I used that money for your university fund, Sasha. I wanted to secure your future."

Sasha's reaction was immediate and intense. He stood up abruptly, knocking his chair to the floor. "You did what? How could you use that money without telling me?" he shouted at her.

"I'll go to the restricted zone," he declared. "I'll find Dad's hidden treasures there, and we can pay for your surgery. I know it's in the forbidden zone. Dad told me about it."

Olga asked him not to do that, but he didn't listen. After their argument, he went to his room and slammed the door shut.

***

Olga shuddered at the thought of her son venturing into this dangerous land. The very thought of him facing the dangers of the exclusion zone, with its radiation and lawless marauders, was unbearable.

Olga continued her search through the forest, her eyes scanning the ground for any clue that could lead her to Sasha. Suddenly, she spotted a glove, a splash of red against the green and brown of the forest ground.

The glove was unmistakably Sasha's, with the tear on the thumb she had meant to mend. It lay just inches from the barbed wire fence with the stark sign reading "DANGER ZONE!"

Olga's heart sank. Sasha had gone into the very place she had feared most. She knew she couldn't bring the police here because if they found Sasha here, he would be arrested. In a moment of desperation, Olga noticed a hole under the fence.

Without thinking twice, she knelt down and squeezed through the hole, entering the desolate wasteland of the restricted area. The air was heavier here, the silence more profound. She treaded cautiously through the dense forest.

Olga knew her destination: an abandoned hospital in the city's heart, where her late husband had hidden his stash. But the path was fraught with danger. The treacherous terrain and heavy military presence made it a daunting task.

As she ventured on, the familiar sights of the forest seemed alien and menacing. Suddenly, she heard voices drifting through the trees – the low, gruff voices of the military.

Her heart skipped a beat as she froze, her mind racing. She knew she had to avoid being seen, so she crouched low and scanned the thickets for any sign of danger.

The voices grew louder, and Olga could now make out snippets of conversation. She realized she was dangerously close to a patrol. Every instinct told her to turn back, but she couldn't. Her son's life depended on her reaching that hospital.

With her heart pounding, she inched forward, trying to move as silently as possible. The voices seemed to be coming from just ahead, to her right. She knew she had to avoid them at all costs.

Peering cautiously from the underbrush, Olga saw the roadblock looming large before her. Soldiers milled around. Olga was terrified. Getting past this checkpoint unnoticed seemed impossible.

The roadblock was just one of many, and with military patrols regularly sweeping the area, another roadblock stood every few hundred meters. Olga's thoughts returned to her husband's tales of the exclusion zone. Then, her eyes fell on a small hatch embedded in the road.

It was partially obscured by debris but unmistakable to someone who knew what to look for. Such a hatch, her husband had mentioned, led to the underground sewer system – a network that plunderers and burglars frequently used as a covert entry point into the city. Her husband was one of them, too.

Olga knew what she had to do. She had to go through the sewers. It was a dangerous path, filled with unknown dangers, but it was her only chance to reach Sasha and bring him home.

Hidden in the bushes, Olga waited with bated breath. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as she observed the soldiers, their laughter and chatter momentarily diverting their attention from their guard duties as a truck with military supplies arrived. This was her opportunity.

With the grace of a shadow, Olga crept towards the sewer hatch, her heart pounding. But just as she lifted the cover, a shout pierced the air, "Stranger! An outsider!"

Adrenaline surged through Olga's veins. She quickly jumped into the sewer and pulled the hatch shut behind her. But the soldiers were after her. She sprinted through the dimly lit sewer tunnel, her heart racing.

Suddenly, a shot rang out, shattering the silence and sending chills down her spine. Fear gripped her, but she pressed on, driven by the unwavering need to find her son.

Then, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead. Olga surged forward, turning down another tunnel, the soldiers' shouts growing faint behind her. And it was then she stumbled upon a small recess in the tunnel wall.

Holding her breath, Olga squeezed herself into it as the soldiers passed by. As the sounds of pursuit faded, a wave of relief washed over her. She waited until the silence was absolute, then emerged from her hiding place, determined to continue her search for Sasha.

The night had fallen, cloaking the abandoned city in an eerie darkness. Olga emerged from the sewer hatch, the desolate landscape stretching before her. She shivered, not just from the cold but from the overwhelming sense of isolation. The buildings stood like skeletal remains, their dark windows reflecting the emptiness within them. Fear gnawed at her, but she knew she couldn't afford to dwell on it.

With a determined stride, Olga headed towards the nearest building, her footsteps swallowed by the overgrown weeds that choked the streets. She pushed open the creaking door to the building's entrance and headed to the sixth story. The higher the floor, the safer, she reasoned.

As she stepped through an abandoned apartment, she found herself surrounded by eerie silence. Dishes lay in the sink, a sponge still damp beside them. A doll's house with miniature furniture in disarray sat on the floor in the children's room.

"I wonder what happened to the family that lived here," she lamented.

Olga lay down on the dusty bed. She must've dozed off for a few minutes when she heard the front door creaking open. Three armed men entered, but not in uniforms. Olga instantly knew they were poor people, perhaps plunderers or small-time thieves, like her husband.

"Don't be afraid," one of them said.

But as one of them stepped closer, his intentions became clear. The last thing Olga felt was the cold, hard impact of the gun against her head before everything went black.

Olga woke up in a dark basement. Her son, Sasha, was holding her gently.

"Mom, can you hear me?" Sasha asked, his voice filled with emotion.

"What…what happened?" she whispered, her head throbbing in pain.

"They found me," he said disappointedly. "I was so close to the hospital. Only 300 meters away. They knew about Dad's vault. Most likely, they want to kill us."

Suddenly, a man with a bandage over one eye entered the room. It was Victor, a feared figure in the marauding world. Olga knew him all too well.

Victor was also her husband's alleged murderer.

"Victor, please, let my son go," Olga pleaded.

"I don't think so, Olga. He knows too much! Besides, the boy will want revenge when he grows up. Why not just kill him now?"

"I know where the stash is!" she blurted out. "I'll take you there if you promise to let us go."

This was the only way to save Sasha.

Victor narrowed his eyes. "Okay," he said. "But if you lie, you and the boy are dead."

Olga nodded, her mind racing. She had a risky plan that might save their lives.

Olga led Victor, his guards, and Sasha through the deserted city to the abandoned hospital's basement.

"Where is the stash?" Victor's voice echoed in the space.

Olga pointed to the gap in the floor. "It's hidden within the hospital's foundation," she said. "Sasha and I can go together and get the treasure."

But Victor refused. "Uh-uh," he approached her and held her back, turning to face Sasha. "You go in there, boy. Alone!" he ordered. "And yeah, don't test my patience. Your mother is still here with me. I don't stand to lose anything. Can't say the same about you."

Sasha, his face pale but resolute, met Olga's gaze. They exchanged a silent understanding, a mother's love mingling with a son's bravery. With a final nod, Sasha allowed himself to be led towards the ominous gap, disappearing into the darkness below. Since Sasha didn't know where exactly the treasure was, Olga guided him.

"Sasha, do you see the tunnel entrance?" Her voice echoed through the cavernous space.

"Yes, I see it," Sasha's muffled voice appeared.

"Follow it for about 10 meters. You'll find a box on the right. That's where it is," she instructed, her voice resonating through the vastness.

"Okay, I understand," Sasha responded, his voice fading with distance.

Olga watched Sasha disappear into the darkness of the dug tunnel. Then, glancing around the room, her gaze fell on a small, inconspicuous button installed by her late husband near the gap.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered all her strength and shouted with all the love of a mother, "I love you, Sasha! Never come back here!" And pressed the button.

A deafening explosion ripped through the basement, the shockwave throwing them back against the wall. Dust and debris rained down, engulfing them in a choking cloud.

Deep within the tunnel, Sasha felt the tremors and heard the thunderous roars that shook the earth. Panic surged through him, but then, understanding dawned. His mother had made the ultimate sacrifice for his freedom.

The tunnel eventually led him to the sewer system, a hidden passage that offered him a path to freedom. As he emerged into the green embrace of the forest, the fresh air filled his lungs with a sense of hope and renewal.

He looked back at the dark opening of the sewer, a silent farewell to his past. He carried the weight of his parents' sacrifices within him, but he knew he had to move forward.

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