The darkness threatened to swallow whole the mont the trapdoor slamd shut above. For a second, I stood suspended in nothing.
But then...
It all turned blue.
The Spectral Glasses flickered softly to life, and the underground tunnel erged around . Stone walls pressed in from all sides, arm's length in width. The air was dense, and each breath felt clustered.
I could still see.
That was the good news.
The bad news...
The temperature had dropped even further.
I could see my breath curling in front of , fogging the lenses with each breath. The cold was deeper here, and I was practically shivering at this point.
'W-why is it so cold?'
"Whe... W-where is this?"
Jamie's voice reached from nearby, and I turned to see him standing not far from , his selfie-stick held in front alongside his flashlight, which was currently turned off.
I thought for a mont before removing the glasses.
Only then did the darkness truly swallow .
But at the sa ti, the cold faded, and I finally felt like I could breathe again.
"...I don't know." My voice echoed quietly. We were in so sort of tunnel, but I had no clue where it led.
But if there was one thing I was sure about, it was that this place gave the creeps.
"How does this place make sense? Chat, are you seeing this?"
Jamie moved the selfie-stick around, finally turning on the flashlight and waving it across the surroundings.
Despite the situation we were in, his strear mode was in full swing.
"...This makes no sense at all. Where are we? How co nobody discovered this place before? Did you all... notice the statue? It was fake. But I'm sure it wasn't like this before. There's sothing... sinister about the situation. And... And..."
His face paled after he recalled sothing. However, he quickly shut his mouth as his head flicked up.
My head similarly flicked up.
Rattle~
Both of us felt it.
...The subtle rattling that was coming from above.
I imdiately felt my skin crawl as I paused for a mont.
Then—
'Run!'
Jamie was the first to rush, moving deeper into the strange tunnel as I followed from behind.
Whoever the people from above were, they were clearly the ones responsible for this tunnel. They were also not so other group that happened to be exploring the sa place at the sa ti.
...The screams from before.
I felt the sheer terror and horror in them.
But who were they?
'Could they be related to the little girl in so way?'
I didn't know. But I wasn't sticking around to find out. The only goal right now was to reach the end of the tunnel and find the exit.
Our footsteps echoed loudly through the tunnel, Jamie's flashlight bouncing ahead.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The footsteps from behind returned, and I slowed down. I couldn't afford to make any noise anymore.
Jamie also understood this as he slowed down as well. Thinking the sa thing, we both removed our shoes.
I held my breath and looked behind at the sa ti.
Darkness.
'Let's go.'
Jamie was the first one to move, and I followed closely behind.
We no longer made any noise as we ran, and as we ran forward, sothing soon caught our eye.
"....!?"
A faint orange light.
I imdiately grew alard, and the sa was true for Jamie as his steps slowed, but as the steps behind us drew nearer, we had no other choice but to continue.
Thump! Thump!
The orange light grew nearer with every step we took, expanding ahead of us like a slow-burning fla. As we moved closer, a mounting sense of dread crept in, tightening around my chest. Then, through the glow, a room began to take shape, and the breath completely left my body.
'Stop...'
I ca to a full stop right as we drew closer to the room, and swallowed nervously.
Jamie was the sa, his breath heavy.
Anxiety shot through as the steps behind continued to draw closer, adding a mounting pressure.
I was just about to move when Jamie extended his hand to stop and moved the selfie stick forward.
I instantly understood what he was trying to show as I glanced at the display on Jamie's phone. The cara panned forward, revealing a fairly large room bathed in the flickering glow of candlelight. The dim flas cast long shadows across the space, the source of the warm orange hue.
In the center of the room lay a casket, surrounded by a ring of chairs arranged in so sort of pattern. A red symbol, etched directly into the ground, circled the setup like so kind of ritual seal.
There were more chairs scattered near the edges, along with a few tables and a cabinet pushed off to the side.
I drew a cold breath at the sight, the stuffy air filling my lungs.
"...There's no one," Jamie whispered, pulling the selfie stick back while his voice grew grim. "There's also no exit in sight."
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
His head flicked up the mont he heard the heavy sound of the steps behind, and his face paled.
'Go!'
With no other choice, the two of us entered the room, hastily looking around before settling our gazes onto the large cabinet that seed to be large enough to fit several people.
We slipped inside, closing the door behind us.
"Haa... Haa..."
Our breathing echoed inside the cramped space. The only light ca from the narrow crack between the doors.
Through it, we watched a group in white robes enter.
".....!"
Jamie stiffened as bloodied bodies were dragged in behind them.
I felt my stomach twist.
"Have you found any other people?"
A muffled voice echoed through the confines of the small room as the people in white gathered around the coffin, tossing the two people on the floor.
I stared at them, feeling my mouth grow dry.
Are they alive...? Or...
I couldn't tell.
"I am unsure, but we should continue with the ceremony. We have five more days until it's completed. I've waited long enough for this day."
I paused upon hearing the words.
Five more days?
Wasn't this the exact ti when the quest would end? That wasn't a coincidence, was it?
"Yes, let's begin. If any intruders arrive, we will quickly dispose of them."
The people in white moved toward the coffin, each step slow and tense. They slowly lifted the lid, and as it creaked open, a sudden chill filled the air.
Inside lay the body of a young girl.
'That's...!'
I clamped my mouth the mont I caught sight of the body within the coffin, the very hair on my body rising as I felt Jamie's breath grow more ragged, his entire body tensing as he hastily took out his phone, typing incredibly fast.
He was probably calling for help.
...But I didn't think it mattered for now. The chat was seeing what we were seeing. Surely one of them thought of calling the police, or whatever was supposed to co to help.
I leaned closer into the crack, trying to peer into the distant body, and as I looked at it, my expression nearly crumbled.
That...
'That's without a doubt the body of the young girl in the painting.'
I could even see the rope marks on her neck.
Even though it was clear that she was dead, her body appeared extrely well preserved. I felt my lips tremble at the sight.
Holding onto my breath, I leaned closer into the crack.
I wanted to get a better look at the corpse.
But just as I moved closer...
"....!?"
An eye stared back at .
User Comments
0 comments from readers