"Almost to the surface."
"Never coming back here."
"Stop, you'll jinx it."
Escaping the morgue by sacrificing the chainsaw, I retrace my steps to the surface. Unlocking that shortcut door was a smart move—reached the stairs quickly. As I climb, a beautiful singing voice echoes. Humming?
"…Who's that?"
"Oh, great. Creepy. Let's take out the singer!"
"No way. Someone singing like that can't be bad."
"Huh!? P-Pretty singing? Y-You think so… ehehe."
"Why're you blushing?"
Evelyn turns away, hand on her head, clearly embarrassed. A storm-calling eternal five-year-old or what? She snaps back, flailing and pleading.
"I'm serious, kill the singer! Who sings so casually in a place like this? Not normal… definitely not normal!"
"Evelyn, what's wrong? You're acting weird. Why the panic?"
"Panic's right! This is the 47th—"
"Forty-seven? I like Hitman, played it, but I'm no Agent 47, master of everything but assassination."
"Why'd you rephrase it!? And in Japanese!?"
"How do you know that game?"
"It doesn't matter! I'm better than you at it! …Never played, though."
"???"
Evelyn's nonsense makes me tilt my head. What's she on about?
"Seriously, let's end this. If we don't, it'll get worse."
"Worse? My wife tried to kill me, I might've killed her, lost an arm and leg, got kidnapped here, ate weird stew or whatever, dealt with a bearded maniac's driving school from hell, fought monsters, played tag with said maniac, had a chainsaw deathmatch… how's it get worse?"
"It's bad now, but it'll get worse."
"Like what?"
"Like getting stung by a bug this big."
Evelyn gestures a bug the size of her face. I grimace—I hate bugs, especially winged ones. But her eyes are dead serious.
"Why? I've got the front door key, I can escape. Why'd I get attacked?"
"You can't escape. Hell keeps going. Open the door, you're still trapped in the yard."
"Huh? If there's a barrier, I'll blast through. Got a shotgun."
"You won't get out! Just do it!"
"Uh, yes ma'am."
The singing stops. The singer noticed me. Evelyn and I exchange glances; she silently gives a "GO" signal. Handgun ready, I cautiously climb. An unexpected figure awaits.
"You were… singing?"
"…"
An old woman stares silently. I lower my gun. Evelyn says kill, but what could this lady do?
"This a mistake or what?"
"Molded, Ethan! Behind her!"
"Got it, kill it."
Evelyn points past the woman. I aim, and she glares, startled.
"Why does everyone hate me…?"
"Huh?"
She mumbles, and a black stain spreads on the wall, spawning Molded. I shoot one's head, kick another back. When I look, the old woman's gone.
"Tch, she escaped. Making you hesitate with the gun's unfair."
"What was that…?"
"Oh, brave hero, I bear cruel news."
"What, an RPG church now?"
"Your harsh fate is sealed."
"Seriously?"
Getting stung by bugs? No thanks… But who was that woman?
Through the scorpion door to the hall, I slot the last Cerberus relief, and the lock clicks open. Opening it, I get what Evelyn meant.
"Iron bars, of all things… That note said they let something loose in the yard but caught it…"
"Exactly."
"What are you, a master thief's grandkid?"
Still, it's a big yard. A courtyard? Beyond the iron gate is an old wooden mansion—guest house, maybe? To the left, a barn-like ruin. In the center, a trailer.
"What's this at the barn entrance?"
"Creepy machine. Ignore it, meet Zoe."
"Right, maybe in the trailer?"
"Probably? No way she's in that."
"Could be a hidden room…"
I open the trailer door to a normal, lived-in space. Bird cages, weird stuff, but whatever.
"Water? Nice, I'm parched."
"Drinking without asking? Thief."
"I'll apologize later."
I chug a bottle from the desk. Revived…!
"It's summer, and no water's been hell…"
"That's why you're so cranky."
"Sweat's unreal."
"Wait, that's—"
I wipe my face with a nearby cloth. Feels… stiff?
"Oh no."
"What?" I look at the cloth. A bra. I rub my eyes. Still a bra. A woman's, not a cow's.
"Fwah!?"
"Pervert! Eek!?"
I yell, Evelyn jeers, so I fling the bra at her. It passes through, but she writhes, freaking out. Guess she's used to her hands but not new sensations.
"Take that, Ethan!"
"Haha, serves you right!"
"What's all this noise in my house?"
"'Huh?'"
I turn. A short-haired woman in light clothes stands at the entrance, holding a creepy mummified thing. Her voice is familiar from the phone.
"You Zoe?"
"…Yeah. Nice to meet you, Ethan Winters. I'm Zoe Baker. Their daughter, their sister."
She smiles.
"You did it. First to make it out. Three years waiting… Really, so long…"
"That's, uh…"
"Sorry…"
Three years. Long time. Why's Evelyn apologizing? Guilt for dying and leaving her alone?
"It's fine, no pity needed. I want to fix this situation."
"You had a request, right? What is it? Will it get us out?"
"Yeah. Listen, Ethan. There's a dock with a boat on the river to escape. But we can't yet."
"Why?"
"Our family, you—our bodies are tainted. Until we cleanse it, we're stuck. She's watching."
"Who's 'she'?"
"Evelyn."
Wah-wah-wah!
"Oi, Evelyn, quiet down."
What Happened This Time
Evelyn cleverly provokes the old woman, making her see Ethan as a threat, but she escapes.
Stressed, Evelyn confesses something, but Ethan's clueless.
Zoe fully trusts Ethan after he attacks the old woman, returning with the "head."
Loved trying those special tags! Thought they were manga-only, but Hameln's wild.
Hope you enjoy the next part! Feedback, typos, or ratings super appreciated—more feedback, faster I write!