Immediately, he felt a cold hand touch him, and he fainted without warning. Luca witnessed everything, but to his surprise, his assumptions had been wrong—far beyond his imagination. He had thought it was a ghost disguised as his friends. But the moment he heard his friend's voice, he quickly stood up, only for a hand to drag him back and clamp over his mouth.
He froze, certain death had finally come for him. A shiver raced down his spine. But when he turned his head, he saw it was Alex, who quickly shushed him before he could scream. They hurried toward Drew and Andy, grabbing Andy's hand, making him stumble backward. Andy had been the one who reached for Drew and touched his hand, but to everyone's shock, Drew collapsed and fainted just as Linet rushed to close the door that had been left wide open moments ago.
"Am I alive?" Drew asked, his tiny eyes barely opening.
"No, you're dead. Now you're on a journey to get buried. Rest in peace, idiot," Luca retorted, a small chuckle escaping his lips.
"No, no, no! Bring me back to life! I don't want to see Saturn yet—drag me out of the hole, drag me out of the coffin, please!" Drew cried, kicking his arms and legs in panic.
"Don't be stupid, man. Do you know how long you've been dead?" Andy asked, walking in with a bowl of hot soup. Alex, Linet, and Lyn were downstairs discussing something serious.
"Dead? But I'm talking right now… or was I—"
"Yes, idiot, you were already gone. We even cut your… pe—pe*** for a little sacrifice," Luca muttered, winking at Andy, who looked just as surprised.
"Whaaaat? You cut my thing—my only precious thing in this body?! Oh no, I am dead for sure. This must be my soul wandering! My sweet thing… you mean I'll never taste that—"
"Hehe! Look who's been duped now! What a silly face you're making! We tricked—"
"Who's 'we', moron? You tricked him. Not me," Andy cut in with a pout.
"Jeez! You hypocrite—you told me to trick him a moment ago, and now you're abandoning me?" Luca snapped.
"Hah! Now look who's being fooled—the same guy who was laughing like a hyena two minutes ago," Drew said, surprising them with his sudden outburst. "Anyway… what time is it?"
"It's time for both of you to go home. I want to rest after last night," Luca mumbled, collapsing onto the bed.
"Huh… yeah, about last night… I—I saw something like a ghooo… ghooo—"
"Ghooo… ghooo? Are you a stammerer now?" Luca mocked, imitating him. "I said I need a nap. It'll be dark soon—before the ghost appears."
"I guess I'm staying. It's already dark, and my mom won't look for me anyway," Drew said, sipping his soup.
"I—I think I'm staying too. My dad traveled, and I'll be bored if I leave. Plus I'm not going outside alone. The ghost might be waiting for me—near the graveyard, even."
"Whatever. Do what you like," Luca muttered, already drifting to sleep.
---
Downstairs, Alex exhaled heavily. "So… what do you think is the real reason behind all this creepy stuff?"
"I don't have a strong reason, but I guess something here is cursed or—"
"Just stop," Alex interrupted. "Let's not think about why this thing is haunting us. We need to find Vicky. Maybe it got him and dumped his body somewhere."
"That's what you're suggesting?" Alex asked with annoyance.
"No… I'm suggesting we call the police. We need an investigation."
"Lyn, you know how the police work. They won't take us seriously without evidence. Some won't even move without a bribe."
"And what's the big deal? Can't you see we are—"
"The big deal is—we're dealing with a ghost or whatever it is. Not a cobra or a lion. That thing is terrifying. I saw it change into its real form. I have no idea where Vicky's body is."
"So you think he's dead? Just like that?" Lyn asked, trembling.
"Calm down. Maybe he's hiding somewhere. Or maybe… maybe his soul is wandering nearby. Or maybe he's trapped inside that mirror. I'm just guessing—don't take me seriously," Linet muttered, embarrassed by her own words.
"Wait… you mean that thing was waiting for someone to touch the mirror so it could be freed?" Alex asked, an idea forming in his mind. Suddenly, the pieces made sense—the strange noises, the desperate energy coming from the mirror, the way it reacted.
"Was that thing burning inside the mirror? No… I need to look into this deeper. I'll talk to Mama and Papa," Lyn said quickly, hurrying toward the stairs.
She realized she had not seen her parents since yesterday, even though chaos had erupted around the house. As she climbed the stairs, her heartbeat quickened for reasons she couldn't explain.
She stood silently at their door, listening. Nothing. Not a single sound. The room felt as silent as if no one had lived there for days.
"Papa? Mama? Are you still sleeping? Dinner is ready… we're all waiting for you," she called softly, her fingers trembling against the doorknob.
Before she could knock again, the door creaked open on its own, darkness swallowing the space inside. She reached for the switch, her trembling fingers brushing the wall. Light burst into the room.
One glance was enough—her heart nearly stopped.
A scream tore from her throat, shaking the entire house.
"Paaaa! Maaaa!" she cried.
On the wall, written in thick, dark blood, were the chilling words:
"I AM BACK."