As the others joked among themselves, William couldn’t take his eyes off Airi. A faint trace of regret crossed his face, as though he wished he had joined the conversation sooner.
He silently scolded himself.
Seojun noticed and let out a quiet sigh amid the group’s casual chatter.
“Anyway, let’s stop imagining such creepy things.”
Christina shuddered and rubbed the goosebumps from her arm.
The building Seojun had called the “mountain lodge” stood not far from their cabins. Still massaging her arm, Christina glanced toward Johan.
“Richard wasn’t a bad kid when he was younger. I don’t know how he ended up mixed up with such awful people. Don’t you agree, Johan?”
Johan gave his childhood friend a conflicted look.
Only moments ago, Christina had been talking about smashing the once-innocent Richard over the head with barbecue tongs.
In the end, Johan merely shrugged and gently patted Seojun’s slumped back.
“People change. Besides, I doubt even Mrs. Silver could have predicted how badly Richard would react to having a younger brother.”
“That...”
The mention of Richard’s brother plunged the cabin into a cold silence.
Even the usually talkative Bobby seemed to have nothing to say.
Everyone knew about Henry Silver, Richard’s younger brother, and the bizarre circumstances surrounding his birth.
Even Seojun, who had not been born in Wraithwood Warren, knew about him.
Seojun’s eyelids trembled.
His thoughts drifted back to the first day he had arrived in Wraithwood Warren.
Six-year-old Seojun had been locked inside his room in their new house, clutching a teddy bear nearly as large as he was.
“Welcome to Wraithwood Warren.”
He wished he could erase those echoing words from his mind.
How wonderful would it be if he could crack open his still-small skull, remove his brain, and wash away that haunting welcome?
But all young Seojun could do was bury his face in the teddy bear’s soft belly and cry.
Sob...
Curled up on the bed, he wept without end.
Despite his extreme distress, Seojun’s parents assumed he was merely struggling to adjust to his new surroundings.
Fortunately, while Seojun suffered alone in his room, several visitors came to welcome the new family to the neighborhood.
Among them was a young Richard, holding his mother’s hand.
Mrs. Silver had brought a homemade cake and was said to be an exceptionally kind woman.
Seojun did not come downstairs to greet them that day.
Instead, he quietly watched from the second-floor window as Richard and Mrs. Silver walked home.
Mrs. Silver’s slender figure moved at an unhurried pace, and she smiled warmly down at her son.
It had been a memorable day.
Four-year-old Christina, with her pale, chubby cheeks, met six-year-old Seojun at the lowest point of his young life.
He encountered kind neighbors.
And he saw a meteor shower.
But the following day, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the peace of Wraithwood Warren.
Mrs. Silver’s stomach had swollen grotesquely overnight, as though she had swallowed a star.
“It caused quite a scandal. They even performed a paternity test, didn’t they?”
Bobby’s casual voice dragged Seojun back to the present.
There were no shooting stars inside the dim mountain cabin.
Nor was there a mature-looking little boy waiting to comfort him.
Bobby soon began gossiping confidently about the neighbors.
“Henry doesn’t look anything like Richard. Richard is the spitting image of Mr. Silver.”
In truth, the Silver family’s ‘Henry Birth Incident’ was so infamous that it could hardly be considered a secret.
The paternity test had also confirmed that Henry was indeed the biological child of Mr. and Mrs. Silver.
Rumors still circulated about Henry’s supposed ability to levitate, predict which side a card would land on, and make his eyes glow eerily in the dark.
At least his parentage, however, was beyond dispute.
Born under mysterious circumstances, Henry possessed an oddly vacant, otherworldly personality that sharply contrasted with the relatively normal Richard.
Whether because of that or for some other reason, Richard had always kept his younger brother at a distance.
Airi frowned in irritation.
“Is Richard still whining about his younger brother at his age? The fact that he surrounds himself with immature brats says enough about him.”
“That’s true.”
Johan agreed solemnly.
Whatever faint bond they had shared in childhood had long since vanished, lighter and more fleeting than fallen autumn leaves.
William, another outsider to Wraithwood Warren, spoke cautiously.
“I had no idea anything like that had happened.”
“It happened before Willy moved to Wraithwood Warren,” Airi replied. “Wow, when exactly was that?”
Her eyes widened as she counted the years.
“It’s already been more than fourteen years.”
Astonishment filled her voice.
At the same time, a chill crept through Seojun.
Fourteen years.
He had been trapped in this damned low-budget movie for fourteen years.
And what had he gained during all that time?
The ability to arrange convenience-store products.
The ability to drive a truck.
And the ability to wear contact lenses.
I need to escape soon.
Seojun cast Johan a nervous glance.
Johan noticed and gave him a reassuring smile.
Unable to withstand the brightness of his expression, Seojun awkwardly smiled back.
This unexpected affection stirred an unfamiliar fear inside him.
Still, it was difficult to question someone upon whom his immediate survival might depend.
Whether Seojun was listening or not, Airi continued admiring the town’s peculiar history.
“For such a small, remote place, this town has experienced a ridiculous number of strange events. Sometimes it feels like more things happen here than in a major city.”
“Exactly!” Bobby exclaimed. “Wraithwood Warren is full of incredible stories. There’s Hannah O’Lantern, the legendary director Joe Rumpelstiltskin, the famous actor Dolly Lee, and even the Guinea Pig legend!”
“Could you stop casually mentioning someone else’s grandmother, Bobby?”
Christina’s voice turned cold.
Normally, Bobby might have responded with some clever remark.
But after being reprimanded in front of Seojun, he immediately fell silent.
Seeing Bobby’s dejected face, Christina pressed a hand to her forehead. Fatigue showed clearly in her eyes.
“And what is this ‘Guinea Pig legend’? You made that up. It’s just an exaggerated story about Cynthia’s guinea pig outrunning a car.”
“But Christina, that really is incredible!”
Bobby thumped his chest indignantly.
Seojun was curious too, but unlike Bobby, he possessed some sense of tact.
“Enough already,” Christina said. “I still prefer the peace and quiet of Wraithwood Warren to a big city. How could anyone feel safe in places like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago?”
She shivered.
“Remember all those child-abduction cases when we were young? Terrifying. Compared to that, this place feels much safer.”
“......”
Seojun remained silent.
In a town inhabited by gas-mask-wearing serial killers and flesh-eating monsters, he found it difficult not to respond to the female protagonist’s declaration.
Johan suddenly reached toward Seojun, who had begun to tremble.
He carefully avoided every injured area.
For someone so large and imposing, Johan’s touch was unexpectedly gentle.
Seojun had just begun to relax when Bobby, apparently incapable of staying quiet for long, voiced his disagreement.
“No, Christina! Wraithwood Warren is every bit as dangerous as a major city!”
“Really, Bobby?” Christina asked. “Would you prefer an actual murderer to appear right now?”
There was a reason people called reckless courage a bluff.
Bobby deflated like a punctured balloon.
Johan looked at him gravely.
“You need to learn when and where to speak, Bobby.”
“Wait, Johan.”
William, who was usually quiet, drew everyone’s attention with his low voice.
He looked unusually troubled.
“My cellphone isn’t receiving any signal.”
He raised the phone.
The screen displayed nothing but empty signal bars.
Christina quickly searched her pocket and pulled out her own cellphone.
A moment later, dismay crossed her face.
“What’s going on? It worked perfectly earlier today.”
“I can’t open any apps or access social media,” Airi said, rapidly tapping her screen. “There’s no internet connection at all.”
Nothing loaded.
Calls failed as well.
The realization that they had been cut off from the outside world brought down an even heavier silence than before.
The tension inside the cabin became almost suffocating.
Trying once again to lighten the mood, Airi tugged at William’s sleeve.
“Haha... maybe reception is just bad because we’re in the forest. There’s a telephone at the guardhouse, right?”
Christina nodded and shoved her useless phone into her back pocket.
“Right. I made the reservation by phone, so there must be one somewhere on the grounds.”
“Then it’s settled!” Airi said, forcing cheer into her wavering voice. “We’ll all go together.”
“Airi, I’ll protect you.”
“Ah, Willy!”
The two exchanged sweet smiles.
Meanwhile, Seojun considered their situation.
Gas Mask is the campground’s chef...
As long as we avoid him, we should be safe, right?
And the more people there are, the less likely I am to become his next target.
While Seojun sorted through his thoughts, he felt a gentle touch against his hand.
Johan was examining it closely.
“Uh... Johan, it’s fine now. You already bandaged it.”
“I was actually going to give you these gloves, but they might be uncomfortable over the injury.”
“Gloves?”
Instead of answering, Johan glanced toward the contents scattered from his bag.
Seojun noticed an unopened pair of latex gloves among them.
He wore gloves frequently himself, but finding them inside Johan’s bag seemed strange.
“You’re one of those germ freaks, aren’t you?” Bobby sneered. “You think all of us are filthy!”
Before Seojun could question Johan, Bobby had already inserted himself into the conversation.
Annoyed, Seojun answered honestly.
“No, Bobby. I simply don’t want to touch you.”
Bobby’s cheeks flushed crimson as he prepared a furious response.
Then a sudden thud sounded from the roof.
Everyone fell silent.
“......”
They exchanged uneasy glances.
Johan, who had been kneeling beside the bed, slowly raised his head toward the ceiling.
The roof was opaque, leaving him unable to see what had landed above them.
The air inside the cabin thickened with dread.
Airi was the first to move.
She shifted her legs awkwardly, attempting to shake off her fear.
“It’s probably nothing. Maybe an owl dropped dead or something.”
“Airi, don’t!”
Christina whispered urgently.
But Airi was already moving.
Because she stood nearest to the door, she reacted before anyone could stop her.
Releasing William’s hand, she stiffly pulled the door open.
A cold night breeze swept into the cabin.
The wind should have felt refreshing.
Instead, it sent a chill through everyone inside.
There was nothing outside.
“What?”
Airi stepped beyond the threshold and looked around.
Then she turned back toward the others with a nervous smile.
“See? There’s nothing—huh?”
Something wet struck her eyelashes.
The liquid blurred her vision.
Airi wiped it away.
A foul-smelling stain smeared across her fingers.
Drip.
Drip.
More liquid fell from above.
It did not smell like rainwater.
The stench was so revolting that Airi’s face twisted in disgust.
She looked toward Seojun, who remained slumped on the bed, visibly exhausted.
But it was not the Seojun of the present that she saw.
A memory surfaced.
The scorching midday sun.
Seojun’s ominous words, incomprehensible at the time.
Blood falling from a cloudless sky.
Airi instinctively looked up.
A corpse lay across the cabin roof.
Only its lower half remained visible, as though the body had been violently severed at the waist.
Blood gushed from the torn flesh.
Some of it splattered directly into Airi’s open mouth.
“Aaaah!”
Her piercing scream ripped through the night.
Before the cry had even faded, the precariously balanced lower half slid from the roof.
It struck the ground at Airi’s feet with a sickening thud.
The nauseating stench of blood and exposed flesh rose around her.