Darkness. Only the faint glow of my smartphone cut through the void, revealing a tiny piece of the endless black. The light trembled because my hand was shaking. I had no idea how I ended up here. The last thing I remembered was opening my eyes and finding the world wrapped in pitch-black silence, without a sense of direction.
Carefully, I began to walk, feeling my way through the space. The floor was cold against my bare feet, rough and cluttered. Now and then, something crunched beneath me — shards of glass, maybe, or splintered wood. Judging by the walls around me, I guessed I was inside a house. But it was so silent, so empty, as if no one had lived here for years.
My steps froze when the beam of my light fell on a dark red smear on the floor. I crouched, bringing the glow closer. The liquid was glossy, thick, still wet. The longer I stared, the clearer it became — blood. The stain stretched forward in a crooked trail, as if something had been dragged across the room. My chest tightened. My breath caught.
Before I could collect myself, a woman's scream split the air.
"Aaaaaaaaaahh!!"
It rang sharp and shrill, echoing through every corner of the house. My entire body went rigid. Goosebumps shot down my arms, cold sweat poured from my skin. My breathing turned ragged, my lungs refusing to work, my heart pounding so violently it felt like it might rip out of my chest. Panicking, I swung the light in every direction. But all I saw were grimy walls and strange, shifting shadows.
The silence returned, heavier than before, pressing against me like a weight. I felt like the house itself was watching me, every corner hiding unseen eyes. I didn't dare blink. My body stayed tense, alert.
But the bloodstains kept pulling me forward, as if daring me to follow. Fear gnawed at my insides, but my curiosity was stronger. Step by cautious step, I followed the trail.
It led to a staircase. Blood still dripped down its wooden steps, fresh and dark. I swallowed hard, holding my breath as I climbed, one creaking step at a time.
At the top, the stench of iron grew thicker, almost choking, making my stomach twist. The floor above was worse — smeared with blood as if someone had tried to paint the walls with it. There was no doubt anymore. Something horrible had happened here.
From a room with its door half-open, I heard a sound. Not a human voice — a wet, revolting noise, like raw meat being squeezed or torn apart. The sound made the hair on my neck stand on end. The bloody trail ended right at that door.
Every instinct told me to run, but my curiosity dragged me closer. Slowly, silently, I reached for the door and pushed.
Creak.
The beam of my phone cut through the darkness — and my entire body froze.
Two figures stood inside.
The first was tall, vaguely human-shaped, but with a pair of twisted horns growing from its head. Its entire body was wrapped in a suffocating black mist that even my light couldn't pierce.
The second figure was a woman, maybe twenty-seven, but lifeless. A thick piece of wood jutted through her chest, pinning her to the wall like a macabre display. Her stomach had been ripped open, the contents spilling out onto the floor — and the horned creature was feasting on them.
My blood felt like ice. My knees trembled, my breath caught in my throat, bile rising in my stomach. The creature stopped chewing. Slowly, it turned toward me.
Its eyes glowed a searing, hellish red.
Terror exploded through me, and I spun on my heel. I ran as hard as I could.
I sprinted for the staircase, lungs burning, but froze in place at the top step.
The creature was already there — standing at the bottom, staring straight at me with those blazing red eyes.
"W-what the hell… what is that?!" my mind screamed.
Without thinking, I bolted back toward the upper floor, sweeping my light frantically across every shadow, every corner. My shirt was soaked with sweat, my hair sticking to my face, my eyes stinging from refusing to blink.
Then — silence.
A suffocating stillness pressed in around me, making my heartbeat roar louder in my ears. I held my breath, throat tight, terrified even to swallow.
And then—
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Rapid footsteps thundered behind me. I spun around.
The shadowed figure burst into view, charging straight toward me.
"Aaaahhh!!"
I bolted for the stairs — but instead of running down them, I leapt.
Thud!
Pain shot through my body as I hit the ground hard, but somehow I forced myself back to my feet. The creature was no longer at the stairs. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it float down silently, as if it could fly, gliding toward me like a nightmare given shape.
I ran.
I crashed through broken furniture, splintered chairs, shattered glass cutting at my feet, but I didn't stop. The only thought in my head was Run. Run. RUN!
But this house felt endless.
Finally, I spotted a door at the far end of the room, hanging ajar. Beyond it — darkness, but a different kind, the outside night waiting for me.
"An exit!"
Hope flared, and I sprinted with everything I had left.
But as the beam of my light landed on the doorway, my heart plummeted.
The creature was already there, standing just beyond the threshold. Waiting.
I froze, legs buckling beneath me.
"No… no, this is just a dream… it has to be a dream…"
Too late. Its black claws shot forward, wrapping around my throat.
Crack!
My feet left the floor. I kicked and struggled, gasping for air. Its face was barely visible, swallowed in shadow, but I could see its smile — wide and cruel. My strength bled away, my vision swam. Then, with inhuman strength, it flung me aside. I hit the wall hard, crashing to the ground.
The creature stalked toward me, slow and deliberate. I couldn't move. My whole body screamed with pain. I hated this feeling — this helplessness.
But before the darkness took me, I saw another black figure appear beside me… and everything went black.
---
"Brother… wake up…"
Thump!
I jolted upright, gasping. My whole body was trembling. Chest heaving, I glanced around.
My bedroom.
I let out a shaky breath.
"It was… just a dream…"
But then my heart lurched.
The voice — the girl's voice that had woken me — there was no one else in the room.
"Keinaya…" I whispered.
The voice sounded exactly like my little sister's. But instead of joy, a hollow ache gripped me.
"Nay… I miss you so much…"
My chest tightened, regret flooding me.
Three years ago, Keinaya vanished without a trace. I searched everywhere, chased every lead, but every single one ended in a dead end. Even the police eventually gave up.
My name is Yifan. I used to live here with Keinaya, in this house on the edge of Veil City. The city's name always sounded strange to me. The elders said Veil wasn't its true name — the real name was forbidden to speak. I never thought too hard about it. It didn't seem to matter.
That morning, the last day I saw her, Keinaya told me she was going to visit her friend Viona in Sewujiwo, the neighboring town. It wasn't far. I didn't worry.
But she never came home.
I went to Viona's house. I still remember how she looked that day — pretty, dressed in a skimpy top and a short skirt, not unlike Keinaya's style. But when I asked her about my sister, she seemed confused. She said Keinaya had gone home earlier that afternoon. She even helped me search for her. But we found nothing.
My parents returned from out of town to help. But after months of fruitless searching, they gave up and left again for work, leaving me alone.
I let out a long breath and turned to look at the small table by my bed. My phone read 9:00 a.m. College was still on break, giving me more time — time to search for Keinaya.
I got up, ready to shower, when a knocking sound froze me.
Tok! Tok! Tok!
I turned toward the front door, frowning. Visitors at this hour were rare.
"Who is it?" I called out.
"Delivery," came a voice from outside.
I sighed in relief. Just a courier. The dream still had my nerves frayed.
I had ordered two matching shirts a few days ago — one for me, one for Keinaya. My hope was simple: that one day, somehow, we'd wear them together again. That was why I had to keep searching.
I opened the door. The courier smiled and handed me the package.
"Thanks, man."
"No problem," he said with a grin. He glanced at the package.
"Couple shirts, huh? For your girlfriend?"
I gave a faint smile. "No. For me and my sister."
"Ah, that's sweet…" His tone suddenly turned serious. "Better keep her safe. Things aren't exactly safe these days."
I blinked. "What do you mean?"
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"You know… the massacre, three years ago, in the next town? Don't tell me you've never heard. Ever since then, everyone's been on edge. They never caught whoever did it."
My body went cold. Memories slammed into me.
That night. The blood-soaked night three years ago. The very same day Keinaya vanished.
I had been there — at Sewujiwo — and I saw it. Blood everywhere, the stench of death so thick it was hard to breathe. Corpses littered the streets, some torn apart.
And one memory burned more vividly than the rest.
I saw a girl's body lying at the edge of the road.
She wore a revealing top, her skirt short. Her body was untouched, unbruised, except —
Her stomach had been ripped open, her insides spilling out.
Exactly like what I had just seen in my dream.
And when I saw her face, shock swallowed me whole.
It was Viona!
The same girl I had searched for Keinaya with earlier that day.
The image was so clear in my mind that it made my body shake. Her face — still beautiful — but her abdomen… gone. The townspeople gathered, some vomiting, some taking videos with their phones.
And I stood there, frozen.
What was happening in that town? Why did Viona end up like that?
Half the population was said to have been slaughtered that night. No one knew the truth of what happened. Some said it was a group of black-cloaked cultists. Others whispered of something far stranger — that the culprit was a girl, said to be a demon, who had escaped into the forbidden forest nearby.
"Sir? Sir?"
The courier's voice snapped me back.
"Oh — yeah. Sorry. What is it?"
"I've got other deliveries to make." He revved his motorcycle.
"Right. Thanks again. Drive safe."
He nodded and left.
I stood in the doorway, my skin still crawling.
The memories of three years ago were carved too deep to fade.
I stepped back inside, clutching the package and my resolve.