“Hannah, are we sure this is the right place?”
It was a sweltering summer day in 1964. Five friends had gathered near the dormitory at Red Lake Campground, exhausted after a long day of activities. Patrick, Hannah’s boyfriend, seemed especially worn out. He tugged at his collar to fan himself and discreetly checked his armpits for sweat stains.
Beneath the merciless midday sun, Hannah knelt on the ground. Her blonde hair was braided beneath a straw hat, and her eyes, magnified behind round spectacles, examined an unusual stone with intense curiosity.
The heat was becoming unbearable. At last, Patrick lost patience and nudged her ankle with the toe of his shoe.
“Hannah, we’ve been doing this for hours. Can’t we call it a day? We’re at a lake, for God’s sake. Let’s go swimming or something.”
Sam, whose crush on Hannah was hardly a secret, immediately sprang to her defense.
“Come on, Patrick. Give her a chance. Hannah might be on the verge of discovering something incredible—something that could change the course of human history.”
Patrick irritably slapped Sam’s hand aside. He hated how casually his pudgy friend spoke to Hannah.
He was already beginning to regret the entire camping trip. Why were they wasting their time staring at rocks when they could have been cooling off in the lake?
His gaze drifted toward Suu, a long-haired brunette with an air of mystery about her.
She had been watching the exchange from a short distance away. When their eyes met, she smiled, and Patrick felt as though a cool breeze had passed over him.
Suu was undeniably beautiful. Her full red lips and slightly crooked nose only added to her charm.
Patrick’s throat went dry, and he swallowed.
It had nothing to do with the heat.
Hannah might have been his girlfriend, but that did little to stop him from being drawn to Suu.
As though she had read his thoughts, Suu approached him, letting her arms fall loosely to her sides. She pulled a plastic bottle from her bag and gave it a little shake.
“Hey, Patrick. You look thirsty.”
Patrick glanced at her bag and abruptly remembered that he had left all his things back at the dormitory.
“Uh, yeah. I suppose I am.”
He managed a sheepish smile. The prospect of spending a little time alone with Suu suddenly seemed extremely appealing.
Suu merely smiled back, as though she knew exactly what was going through his mind.
“What do you mean, you suppose?”
“Give me a break. I’ve spent the entire morning following Hannah around while she hunts for some weird rock.”
He brushed the damp strands of light-brown hair from his forehead and put on an exaggerated pout. Suu burst out laughing and pointed toward Hannah.
“Hold on a little longer. I’ll share it with you once Hannah’s finished.”
“Oh, come on!”
Unfortunately for Patrick, Suu was every bit as devoted to Hannah’s investigation as Sam was. Both of them were convinced that the old records Hannah had discovered in the library would lead them to some form of contact with extraterrestrial life.
Patrick thought the whole thing was complete nonsense.
He rolled his eyes and kicked a stone into the clear pond to vent his frustration. Even Campbell, who was napping a short distance away, was beginning to irritate him.
“Look, I hate to break it to you,” Patrick muttered, “but at the rate Hannah’s going, we’ll be old and gray before she finds anything. And Suu, if you keep this up, I’ll die of thirst before I get a sip of that damned drink.”
Suu’s laughter rang out among the rustling leaves and birdsong. She clutched her stomach, grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh, Patrick,” she said, amusement dripping from every word. “Just wait. This drink is something special.”
For emphasis, she shook the bottle once more.
Patrick gulped.
Now that he looked more closely, he realized the liquid inside was not clear at all. It was cloudy and pale, almost milky.
“Ah! I’ve got it! I know what to call it now!”
Hannah’s triumphant cry rang through the air.
She sprang to her feet, her bright yellow gingham dress fluttering in the gentle breeze. She was barefoot, blades of green grass poking up between her toes.
Patrick broke into a broad grin as she approached.
A memory flashed through his mind, carrying him back to Hannah’s hometown, where people had laughingly crushed grapes beneath their bare feet.
Under the blazing sun, Hannah opened her mouth wide.
Between her gleaming white teeth was a piece of succulent, ruby-red flesh.
“Bon appétit!”
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆
Present Day
A short while earlier, at Hamon Campsite, Christina was running for her life.
“Hang in there, Airi,” she urged.
“Uh... yeah.”
Airi barely managed the reply before her face twisted in pain and a low groan escaped her lips.
The monster’s attack had left injuries across her stomach and waist, but those were not the only problem. Although William had caught her before she struck the ground, her right knee had swollen badly. A dark-purple bruise spread across it, leaving her unable to walk without assistance.
William supported her from the other side, though he was in considerable pain himself. Airi’s knee had slammed into his collarbone when he caught her, and every step sent a sharp ache shooting up the side of his neck.
But stopping was not an option.
The thought of being caught and crushed by the unknown creature drove them onward.
Christina clenched her jaw and tightened her grip around Airi’s arm. Her eyes swept over the darkness as she tried to determine whether they were even moving in the right direction.
They had fled without taking a lantern. In the blackness of the forest, there was no way to be certain.
“Are we even going the right way?” she muttered.
She tried to keep her voice steady, unwilling to frighten Airi and William any more than they already were. But the bitter night wind cutting across her face made it difficult to remain calm.
Despite her injuries, Airi craned her neck and looked around, trying to help.
All she could see was the dense forest surrounding them on every side.
It took her a moment to gather enough strength to speak.
“Willy. Tina,” she rasped. “You two should go on without me. Ugh, I can’t believe I’m saying something so cliché. I never thought I’d pull a Bobby.”
She attempted a joke to lighten the mood, but it fell flat.
The tension was too great, and Christina and William were far too worried about her to laugh.
William tightened his hold on Airi.
“Don’t say that,” he whispered firmly. “I’ll protect you.”
“Exactly,” Christina added, emotion thickening her voice. “We’re not abandoning an injured friend. Stop talking nonsense.”
The whisper of leaves overhead nearly concealed the quiet sound of her sniffling.
Airi shook her head.
She had never considered herself particularly clever, but she knew when practicality mattered. Right now, she was only slowing down her beloved friends—and her boyfriend.
“Listen, Willy. Christina,” she said, forcing strength into her voice. “I’m not trying to act brave. We need to contact the outside world as soon as possible. And that monster...”
She hesitated.
“We don’t know much about it, but remember what Seojun said? I know he says some pretty bizarre things sometimes.”
An image of Seojun surfaced in her mind: his pale, expressionless face and the way he always kept a certain distance from everyone else.
They were not especially close. Most of their conversations consisted of Seojun making some strange or outrageous remark.
And yet, when the monster had seized her and lifted her helplessly into the air, it had been Seojun’s voice that cut through the chaos.
Perhaps it was because the night had been so still, or because they had been so close to the water. Whatever the reason, Seojun had not needed to raise his voice. His weary tone had reached her with perfect clarity.
Airi gently tapped Christina’s shoulder.
“Maybe I only feel this way because he saved my life, but I think we should take what Seojun said seriously. You understand what I mean, don’t you, Tina? If there really is a murderer out there, we’re in serious trouble.”
Moving through the forest while supporting an injured person was excruciatingly slow.
Airi pointed toward a large dead tree. Its coarse bark was covered in damp moss, and the earthy smell tickled her nose.
“Leave me here.”
“But, Airi...”
“Trust me. I’m not giving up on life or anything. Think about it. That monster was enormous, right? It’ll have trouble moving through a forest this dense.”
It was little more than wishful thinking.
The creature could probably have knocked down trees twice the size of their supposed shelter without slowing down.
Even so, Airi managed a cheeky grin.
“Willy, go get the others. I’ll wait here.”
She dropped onto the ground, doing her best to conceal her exhaustion, then raised her voice theatrically.
“Man, I’m completely wiped out! Seriously, I can’t take another step. My feet are killing me!”
“Airi...”
Christina wiped her face with her sleeve, leaving her soft cheeks flushed from the rough fabric.
Then, without warning, she raised her head.
The tears were gone from her eyes.
She drew a deep breath and slapped William firmly on the back.
“William, you know what you have to do, right?”
“Mm.”
William met her gaze.
Without hesitation, he slipped one arm beneath Airi’s back and the other beneath her knees, lifting her effortlessly from the ground.
Airi yelped as she suddenly found herself in the air.
Her eyes immediately darted toward William’s ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) injured collarbone, and alarm spread across her face.
“Willy! What the hell are you doing? You’re hurt! Christina, tell him to put me down!”
“No. I’m not going to stop him.”
“What?”
Christina held Airi’s gaze. Her voice was calm, but there was iron beneath every word.
“Listen to me, Airi. I’m not leaving anyone behind. We’re all getting out of this damned campsite together. And that includes Seojun. Understood?”
Had Seojun been there to witness the scene, he would probably have applauded until his hands hurt, loudly praising Christina as the true female protagonist.
Although being counted among her friends might have made him mildly uncomfortable, he would most likely have caused a brief commotion before retreating behind her.
But Seojun was not there.
Christina, Airi, and William had no choice but to keep moving.
Christina scanned their surroundings with renewed focus. Any clue that might guide them was invaluable. Without one, they could wander in circles until the monster found them.
Then her eyes widened.
“There! Let’s go that way.”
William and Airi followed her gaze.
Beyond the thick wall of trees, they could just make out the uppermost part of a building.
It was the dormitory.
The place had a dark history and was no longer in use, but it stood on the highest ground in Hamon Campsite. From there, they might be able to survey the surrounding area.
Given their limited options, the building seemed to be in reasonably sound condition.
“Didn’t they say someone was firing crossbows from up there?” Airi muttered, her face tightening. “It’s probably Brass. God, it’s insane that we’re actually hoping to find him.”
Christina did not contradict her. She merely gave a slight shrug.
“It would be nice if we had another choice.”
“Airi, if you’re worried, I can go ahead and check the dormitory first.”
William turned his head as he spoke, his jaw tense.
Airi reached up and gently guided his face back toward hers.
Their eyes met, filled with tenderness.
She brushed her fingertips across his rough lips, then rested her forehead against the curve of his chin.
“What are you talking about, Willy?” she murmured, her playful tone unable to conceal the depth of her affection. “We’re a package deal. Don’t even think about doing anything dangerous on your own.”
William’s throat tightened.
“Airi...”
“Oh, my Willy!”
“All right. Let’s keep moving.”
Christina cut in before Airi and William could disappear completely into their own little world.
Then she turned and led them onward.