Water poured into the laundromat.
Gurgle, gurgle.
I stepped back to avoid the water seeping through the gaps in the glass door. But there was no place to hide in the unmanned laundromat. Only a few washing machines were running on all sides.
'Damn it.'
"This way, sir!"
I immediately stepped up onto a washing machine. At the same time, Section Chief Lee Jaheon climbed onto the one next to it. But that was it.
'Where do we go now?'
I scanned the high, small window on the left wall. It had bars, but if Lee Jaheon tried, he could probably rip it o—
♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
"..."
A faint, resounding melody echoed in my ears as the sound of rushing water filled the room.
I recognized the tune.
It was the theme song for the Cheerful Theme Park.
♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
The water that filled the laundromat coalesced into a massive form. A dragon in the park mascot costume.
Found you.
Suddenly, a voice emanated from the seemingly mindless water mass before me, sounding like it came from the other end of a phone line. The vibrations traveled through the water…
Found you.
Cold sweat dripped down my back as I stared at the black streams and masses of water occupying the laundromat.
'How did it recognize me?'
I had taken off my mask and was wearing a hat and a face mask…
Kidnapper.
'…It recognized Section Chief Lee Jaheon!'
The black water mass raised a forelimb and pointed at the lizard standing on the washing machine beside me.
"I am not."
Kidnapper.
"I am not."
Are you guys just gonna do this forever or what…!
No, that might be a relief. Honestly, it wouldn't have been surprising if this water mass suddenly unleashed some creepypasta ability! I still hadn't forgotten the torrent that had surged and swallowed the alley, sweeping away my phone in its madness.
'…I'm not even sure if brute force exorcism would work on water.'
"..."
Huu.
If words could get through, at least.
Bad...
"I am not a kidnapper."
I took off my face mask and put on my deer mask again. Then, I rolled up my sleeve to reveal the tattoo.
: Socius :
Trying to appear as calm as possible, I met the water lump dragon's gaze. "Mr. Mascot, were you looking for me by any chance?"
The water mass wavered.
And then—
Goodchild!
Its voice became clearer.
"Yes, it's good to meet you too…"
I gestured to Section Chief Lee Jaheon not to come down, then carefully climbed down from the top of the washing machine myself. 'Ugh.'
The water sloshed around my feet, but aside from the theme park melody becoming a little clearer, no other bizarre symptoms appeared. 'Alright.'
I can do this.
I approached the water mass…
Le t 's g o
A vibration emanated from my tattoo. It seemed to resonate with the figure before me.
The dragon's forelimb moved closer…
Playmore
I held my breath.
"I'm sorry."
Then gently pushed its forelimb away.
"I'm not a child anymore, so I can't stay in the theme park. I have work to do."
Silence.
'I'm fucking terrified, fuck.'
But I endured and calmly spoke while meeting the dragon's gaze.
"Even so, when I want to have fun or spend time at a great waterpark, I'll make sure to visit you."
I raised my wrist to show the tattoo.
"That's why you gave me this, right? So I can come whenever I want."
The water mass nodded slowly.
"Thank you. …But, um, I'm not sure I know how to get to the Cheerful Theme Park."
At work, the method to enter the theme park involved a board game, and the structure of the park varied with each game.
'If I could avoid that, it might actually be safer.'
It would be better to revisit a place I'd already been.
"What if I accidentally end up at a different theme park without you? Is there a way to prevent that?"
I t 's o k a y
"…Even if I go to another theme park, it's fine?"
I t 's o k a y
"..."
Strange.
'Would replaying that board game change anything?'
Well, if that was the case…
Promise
Hoo.
I suppressed my trembling and extended my hand to the water mass. "Yes. I promise."
I hooked my pinky around the water's.
The clammy sensation sent shivers down my spine, but nothing else happened…
...
After releasing our pinky-lock, the water mass pressed a claw to my tattoo. It seemed to be checking its attachment, and soon, satisfied, it withdrew its forelimb.
At that moment—
Fwik.
The laundromat door burst open under water pressure, and something flew in, landing atop the water mass's forelimb.
A small, black, rectangular object.
My broken phone.
I t 's y o u r s .
"..."
With trembling hands, I picked up my phone.
"…Thank you. I was worried I'd lost it."
Goodchild
The water mass's form crumbled.
Promise
The water receded.
And, as if the video were being rewound, it flowed back out through the gaps in the laundromat…
Srrrrrk.
The water receded from the alley in reverse.
In no time, the alley became eerily quiet, with no traces of water left behind.
Inside the laundromat, where black water had once filled the space, only a few chocolate bars, printed with my likeness, were left scattered like golden flakes.
"..."
I survived.
"Huuuuu…"
I collapsed onto the spot.
– Good heavens, Friend! Did you really promise to visit that second-rate theme park again?
'Yes.'
Honestly, I couldn't even imagine what might have happened if I'd refused to promise.
'They might have ripped out my organs and hired me as the second version of the Blue Dragon mascot.'
At least I avoided that.
With a membership, I'd be treated as a guest there. That was better than being dragged there or dealing with unpredictable outcomes. My mind raced.
'Should I talk to the company and schedule a board game run?'
Judging by the interval… I'd probably have to go within six months. 'In the meantime, I'll prepare items and gear.'
Alright.
What mattered was that I got through this ordeal. I got up on shaky legs, stifling a sigh.
'If I knew this was gonna happen, I wouldn't have run earlier…!'
But honestly, who in their right mind would've stayed and tried to calmly negotiate instead of running away in that situation?
'I'd bet a gold bar on nobody.'
Huu.
Just then, Lee Jaheon casually hopped down from the washing machine behind me.
I asked without thinking.
"Squad Leader. If I hadn't stepped up earlier, would you have tried to obliter… I mean, eliminate that water mass?"
"Yes."
"..."
As expected.
The timing had been perfect, and if I'd stood there frozen at the stationery store, things would've gone disastrously wrong.
'Guess running away back then was the right call.'
Should I laugh or cry about this?
But let's focus.
'We're still trapped in this alley.'
The only upside was that I had come up with a potential way to escape. "Squad Leader."
I dusted off the hem of my suit and stood before the laundromat's glass door.
"I've thought of an escape method. …If a few conditions are met, it might be possible to try it, even in this Death Lane alley."
"Understood."
"Yes. And the first condition is…"
I scanned the shops along the alley.
The object the stationery store owner had used to make their call—the one that had put us in this mess.
"A telephone."
A little while later.
Clink—
We entered a shop in the shadowed alley, its windows emitting a surprisingly cozy glow.
By coincidence, it was the same shop where my colleagues had enjoyed their shopping spree earlier.
True to its sign, 'Handmade Knitting', the shop displayed cozy sweaters, socks, and scarves—but mixed in were odd, tattered, and… damp… fibers. 'Ugh.'
I tried to ignore those as I examined the shop's layout.
After hours of dodging the stationery store owner's wrath and exploring countless shops in the alley, I finally found what I was looking for. 'There it is!'
Another door.
On the wall opposite the one I had entered, a large door stood. It was bigger than the one I'd just come through, which meant… 'That must be the main entrance.'
And beyond it lay an unknown street, not part of Death Lane's alleys… This was what the often referred to as 'subsequently marked as missing'.
Occasionally, a door on the opposite side of a Death Lane shop would be discovered. Entering it was strongly discouraged.
※ To date, no return records exist.
The fear evoked by the question, Where do explorers who stray from the path go? is met only with the chilling answer, We do not know. The terror of vanishing.
'Huu.'
I quickly averted my eyes to avoid glimpsing the neon sign beyond the frosted glass door.
Meanwhile, Lee Jaheon was scrutinizing the socks, selecting one confirmed to be safe. I took it to the counter.
"Hello."
The shopkeeper, knitting with six hands, glanced at me through their primitive glasses.
Once again, I subtly kept my gaze on their sweater instead of their face. I casually handed over the socks and spoke.
"Please ring this up. Oh, and may I use your telephone for a quick call?"
Without stopping there, I casually placed a few extra coins on the counter. ...
The elderly Death Lane shopkeeper picked up their analog telephone and handed it to me.
"...Thank you."
Huuuu.
'With this, I've secured all the conditions.'
1- A telephone.
2- A door leading out, away from the alley.
And…
3- A means of transport.
I examined the rotary dial of the old phone.
Of course, dialing a real-world number on a Death Lane phone wouldn't guarantee a connection.
There were sporadic records of calls that seemed to connect, but they always twisted bizarrely, as befitting a ghost story.
Sometimes someone would impersonate a relative and burst out laughing when caught, or the line would connect to a family holding a funeral for the caller due to warped time.
'Horrifying.'
So, what I intended wasn't a call for help.
'If anything… it's the opposite.'
I raised my finger and clumsily spun the rotary dial.
666666 4444 8282
The number made no logical sense, and ordinarily, the call wouldn't even ring…
Brrr… click.
Incredibly, it connected.
[...]
I steeled myself against the sound of the other party's breathing and spoke as calmly as possible.
"Hello. Is this the taxi company? I'd like to request a cab."
[Location confirmed.]
A husky voice responded, polite yet faintly mocking and condescending.
[Please state your desired time of service.]
"I'd like it to arrive right now."
[Please state your destination.]
"…Exit 1 of Seoul Station."
[Understood. Dispatching a driver…]
I moved the receiver away from my ear briefly.
A few seconds later—
[Your ride has been dispatched. Have a safe trip.]
Click…
Beep-beep-beep.
The call ended automatically.
"…Thank you."
I returned the phone to the shopkeeper with a polite bow and handed the bag of socks to Lee Jaheon, concealing my trembling hands. 'Huu.'
Done.
As one might guess, that was no ordinary taxi service.
A mysterious taxi number that transcends time and space. 'It's a ghost story…!'
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Hellfare Taxi]
: A ghost story featured in
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-C-8282
A taxi ghost story that appears when called at night using a specific number.
Anyone who rides this taxi would be cursed without fail.
========================
There's no normal way out of Death Lane anymore.
In that case…
'I'll leave, even if it's through another ghost story.'
A few seconds later, a faint honk sounded beyond the shop's main door.
Honk, honk—
"..."
The taxi had arrived.