— Night Drive in the Fog —
After the engine turned over, I gave Jasper a brief rundown of why we were making this trip.
He hummed, fingers tapping on his thigh.
"Interesting... feels like I've heard something similar before."
A pause, then his eyes lit up.
"Right—I read a story online. Workers in Florida dug up a giant serpent while building a road, and Some people online claimed it was a kind of 'heavenly trial,' that the serpent had ascended on the spot."
"A heavenly trial?" Before I could react, Clara leaned closer from beside me, her eyes glinting in the dim cabin light. "Rhan, what's a heavenly trial?"
Clara seemed more attuned to anything that hinted at the supernatural.
Before I could explain, Jasper launched into the story. He said it happened in 2023, on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Road crews unearthed a serpent dozens of meters long, nearly a hundred kilograms. It was shedding its skin when they found it. Strangely, the clear sky had suddenly darkened, thunder roared, and a downpour began.
The serpent struggled in the rain, slowly sloughing off its old skin to reveal its full body. Then it raised its head, flicking its tongue into the rain as if tasting the water.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck it directly—but instead of being torn apart, the serpent emitted a blinding light. It lifted its head even higher, as if welcoming the celestial strike. After the third lightning bolt, it soared into the air and vanished into the churning clouds.
"Is that true?" Clara's eyes were wide.
"Should be," Jasper said, less than certain. "It's from the 'Zero Boundary Archive' on Patreon. That site collects all sorts of bizarre incidents."
Clara turned to me. I nodded. "There are many similar records in history. Remember—anything that gets recorded, even if it sounds like a legend, might have really happened once. Whatever it was," I said, "there are things in nature we don't fully understand. Best to treat them with some respect."
She nodded, only half understanding.
Outside the window, a fine drizzle began to fall. After nightfall, a thick fog surged onto the highway from all sides, visibility dropping to twenty meters. We had no choice but to take the nearest exit.
Michael glanced in the rearview mirror. "Let's stop in the town up ahead. Driving in this weather is too dangerous."
No one objected. Soon, the outline of a hillside town emerged from the mist. The rain-soaked streets were empty; streetlamps bled hazy yellow halos into the thick fog.
Silence, night fog, deserted streets—it was straight out of a horror film. Of course, this was just an ordinary town. At least on the surface.
---
— The Unsettling Inn —
The town had only two inns. We chose the slightly better-looking one. Pushing open the glass door, we found a gaunt, long-haired man slouched at the front desk, gaming with unkempt hair, muttering curses under his breath.
He glanced up at us lazily. "Need a room?" His gaze swept over Clara and lingered there, predatory and unblinking.
Just as Michael reached for his wallet, I raised a hand to stop him. "Let's try the other place."
Though confused, the others followed me back outside. The man smirked and returned to his screen.
"Why?" Jasper asked after a few steps.
"Cameras in the rooms."
They all halted.
"How do you know?"
"His phone screen was showing live footage from the rooms—right next to the computer."
Jasper caught on instantly. "Even in a place like this?"
"Especially in a place like this," I said coldly. "Business is slow, guests are rare. They film for their own... enjoyment, then sell the footage."
"Heh, Rhan, you seem to know a lot about this," Jasper teased.
I shot him a glare. Truth was, I'd just read a news article days before—a girl stumbled upon an intimate video of herself online, reported it, and found out she'd been secretly filmed at a remote motel with her boyfriend. The owner had sold it for a few thousand.
The second inn was even shabbier and more out of the way. Just as I reached for the door, a middle-aged couple hurried through the rain toward us. The woman's voice trembled. "Excuse me... have you seen a little girl? About ten, in a red dress..."
She was soaked to the bone, eyes red-rimmed. We shook our heads.
The man cut in sharply. "Why ask them? They're outsiders, they wouldn't know!" He grabbed his wife's arm, his voice low but clear. "I told you not to let her go out alone! With all the strange things happening in town lately, and you still—"
I wanted to ask more, but they were already arguing their way back into the fog.
The lobby was dimly lit. The front desk was just a simple wooden counter—no computer in sight. An old CRT TV on the opposite wall fuzzed with static. A young man with an unfocused gaze sat behind the counter. When we entered, he just grinned at us, silent.
Jasper leaned close to my ear. "This place... alright?"
"We'll see."
"Hey, we need rooms!" Jasper called out, louder.
The young man kept staring at us sideways. When his gaze landed on Clara, his grin widened—a string of drool slid down his chin.
"Is he... not all there?" Jasper muttered under his breath.
Right then, the curtain to the back room parted. A tall, lean man in a leather jacket stepped out, wiping his hands. "Sorry, just finishing dinner."
Before he finished speaking, the young man suddenly stood up, pointing rigidly at Clara. "Sis... sis..." Saliva trailed from his lips, glistening under the dull light.
Clara flinched back, pressing against my shoulder.
The innkeeper's face tightened. He grabbed his son's arm, shot him a fierce look, then turned to us with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, so sorry. He's... not all there." He tapped his own temple. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"It's fine," Clara whispered behind me.
"You folks need rooms?" the man asked.
Michael looked at me. I gave a nearly imperceptible nod—only two inns in town. We had no choice.
"Yes, rooms," Michael said. "Four, please."
"Wait," I cut in. "Three is enough."
Jasper immediately sidled over, grinning. "You and me can share, Rhan—good to talk things over tonight, right?"
"No." I kept my eyes on Michael. "Clara and I will take a double."
The words fell like a stone into still water. Jasper stared at me, disbelief written all over his face. Clara's head snapped up, the tips of her ears turning pink.
I gave her a slight tug and repeated to Michael, "A double."
"Ah," Michael said, understanding dawning. His eyes flicked between us before he turned back to the innkeeper. "One double, two singles then."
While checking us in, the man made small talk—where we were from, where we were headed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the simple-minded son still sitting in the corner, head tilted, his gaze glued to Clara. A thin string of drool slid down his chin, soaking into the front of his shirt.
The wooden stairs groaned under our weight. On the second-floor hallway, Clara moved closer, her voice barely audible. "Rhan... is this place really safe?"
"Safer than the other one," I murmured. "No cameras, at least."
"But that boy... he keeps staring. What if he... tonight..."
"Relax," Jasper said from ahead, hauling his luggage. He glanced back with a smirk. "You're with Rhan. Not even a mosquito could get near you."
Clara flushed and fell silent.
The third floor felt colder than below. Stepping into the corridor, a chill crept up from my ankles—not like air conditioning, but a damp, seeping cold, as if it bled from the walls themselves.
Before splitting up, I suggested, "Let's make a group chat. Easier to stay in touch."
The rooms were basic but functional: TV, hot water, AC. For a remote town like this, it was decent enough.
Once inside our room, the door shut, Clara immediately grabbed my sleeve. "Are there... cameras here?"
"No," I said, scanning the room. "But something feels off."
"Off?" She glanced around nervously. "Is it... haunted?"
"Not a ghost." I paused. "Something else. We'll see."
My phone vibrated—the group was set up. Jasper and Michael chimed in almost instantly.
What's up, Rhan? Something wrong with this place?
Did you find something?
I typed three words and sent them: Supernatural residue.
The sharpest reaction came from Clara beside me. She gasped, clutching my arm. "You mean...!"
I raised a finger to my lips, signaling quiet, then typed in the group: Stay alert tonight. This inn isn't right. Michael, how far are we from the destination?
He replied quickly: About 100 km. Hour and a half, maybe two by car.
Alright, rest up for now.
Shouldn't we do something, Rhan?
Not yet. I'll message if anything happens. Don't worry. Get some sleep.
Setting the phone down, I found Clara staring at me, her eyes wide with unease. I patted her shoulder. "Just residual energy. Doesn't mean there's actually a supernatural entity here. Might just be something that passed through, left a trace." I sat on the edge of the bed, forcing a casual tone. "Try to sleep."
She bit her lip and said nothing more. In the dim room, the fear in her eyes stood out with painful clarity.