Nav

When he opens his eyes, sitting in his car, Sergey can’t understand where he’s ended up: behind him is an endless field, on one side—an impenetrable forest, on the other—a river, and right in front of him—a small village that is nothing like a place that’s inhabited. And yet, someone lives there…

Sergey tries to figure out how he got here and what this place is, but everything around him says that there’s no life here—and that this place, in fact, doesn’t really exist either, because Nav is the refuge of the lost, of cursed souls, a dwelling of нечисть, and a shelter for those for whom there is no longer any place in the world of the living.

But Sergey is still alive, and he wants to know why he ended up among the dead, how he can get home, and whether he should even return.

Every day, Sergey meets the inhabitants of Nav, desperately hoping to find someone who will help him, but each time he understands more and more clearly that there is no way back—and that those surrounding him can only ensure that his earthly journey is cut short sooner.

The first part of the two-volume series “Nav”.