The asphalt that night shimmered faintly with leftover dew. Streetlights stretched across Kevin's windshield, forming long streaks of light sliced intermittently by the slow sweep of the wipers.
The old sedan's engine roared unevenly. The speedometer needle trembled at a number far too high.
Kevin gripped the steering wheel too tightly.
His hands were slick with sweat.
In the passenger seat, Elias Solstice sat upright, his body rigid. The collar of his jacket stood slightly raised, brushed by the cool air from the vents.
His eyes stared straight ahead.
Too straight.
Too still.
The silence was heavy.
At last, Elias exhaled once, quietly.
"It seems…" his voice was low, faintly hoarse from restrained adrenaline, "…that officer was probably just a vagrant wearing a stolen uniform."
Kevin shot him a quick glance, his expression fractured between anger and fear.
"Don't joke about that, Lis!" his voice rose. "That was a Skinwalker! You saw it yourself, didn't you? That smile? That wasn't a human smile!"
The car suddenly swerved slightly.
The brake lights of the vehicle ahead loomed larger at alarming speed.
"Kevin!"
Elias braced the dashboard with his left hand, his body pitching forward.
"Stop!"
Kevin slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched softly. Their car halted just meters from the vehicle ahead.
Elias tried to steady his breathing.
"Kevin! Don't speed!"
Kevin's breaths came fast.
"Yeah… yeah…" he muttered, swallowing. "I just… I just wanted to get out of that area quickly."
He wiped his face with one hand, then gripped the wheel again.
"I'll drop you off at home. Block B-5, right?"
"Yeah," Elias answered at last. Short.
The car moved again. Slower this time.
The engine steadied. The wind brushed against the car's body like a long sigh.
Kevin attempted a weak laugh.
"We're… we're really insane, huh? Livestreaming in that abandoned mall. At this hour."
Elias turned slightly, his gaze sharp but not angry.
"You were the one who suggested it."
Kevin smiled awkwardly.
"True…"
Silence again.
Too silent.
Elias leaned his head back against the seat, staring at the car's ceiling.
(That smile. The officer stood too still. No blinking. That wasn't a myth.)
He bit the inside of his cheek.
(But that doesn't automatically mean it was a Skinwalker.)
He was rational. He had to stay rational.
A motorcycle roared past on the right, its light flashing by.
Kevin swallowed again.
"Lis…"
"Hm."
"If that wasn't human… then all those missing-person reports—"
"Kevin."
Elias's tone cut in. Calm. Firm.
"Don't draw conclusions while we're still alive and don't have evidence."
Kevin fell silent.
Outside, a road sign read:Block B – 1 km
The car turned slowly.
---
In the trunk.
Dark.
Cramped.
The scent of old carpet and cold metal.
A man dressed in red lay with his eyes open.
They were dark crimson.
Not glowing.
But too dense.
He did not move.
He only listened.
The engine's vibration echoed like a distant heartbeat.
Elias's voice. Kevin's voice.
"Block B-5…"
The man's lips curved faintly.
In the darkness, his teeth were barely visible.
(Oh… the house in Block B-5. Isn't that house currently being entered by Division 3?)
He slowly closed his eyes.
(He's going to be surprised.)
Kevin's car slowed gradually before stopping in front of the gate at Block B-5.
The engine remained on for a few seconds, its vibration subtle. The headlights washed over the iron fence, which appeared duller than usual. No light shone from the windows. No shadows moved behind the curtains.
Just a dark house.
Kevin turned off the engine. The sounds of the night grew louder—crickets near the drain, a faint breeze brushing leaves, and the soft hum of electricity from a streetlamp.
Kevin leaned forward, staring at the house with raised brows.
"Why are your lights off?" he asked quietly, half-joking but uneasy. "It's so quiet… like a haunted house."
Elias Solstice did not answer immediately.
He sat upright, his left hand resting on his thigh, fingers unconsciously pressing into the fabric of his black trousers. His dark eyes observed the completely dark second-floor window.
He exhaled once.
"Oh… that's because after midnight, the lights are usually turned off. Everyone's asleep." His voice was flat, rational. "Relax. I have a spare key."
Kevin nodded slowly. "Oh… I see."
He glanced at the rearview mirror out of habit. The streetlight reflected two faint silhouettes on the sidewalk behind the car—two people walking side by side, too slowly for this hour.
Kevin squinted.
"Hm…"
Elias had already opened the door. Night air brushed his cool face.
"I'm heading in."
"Right. Be careful, Elias."
The door closed softly. Kevin pressed the gas pedal, the car pulling away until its taillights disappeared around the corner.
And Elias stood alone.
He adjusted the strap of his sling bag. His long black coat shifted gently as he walked. The soles of his boots barely made a sound against the asphalt.
The house was… too quiet.
(Probably just my imagination.)
He did not quicken his pace.
The gate was unlocked. He pushed it gently. The hinge creaked.
When he reached the porch, he halted mid-step.
The front door was slightly open.
A narrow gap.
From inside… came sounds.
Faint conversation.
And… low groaning.
Elias's breath stopped for a fraction of a second.
(Lights off. Door unlocked. Voices inside. This is extremely dangerous.)
He glanced right, then left. Small garden. Flower pots. A broom. Nothing heavy.
He moved along the wall, searching for something that could serve as a weapon.
Nothing.
He exhaled again. Longer this time.
His hand slipped into his coat pocket. He pulled out his phone—a slim device with a dull metal casing. The screen was dark.
He pressed the power button.
Nothing.
His brow furrowed slightly.
(It was fully charged earlier.)
He pressed it again. No response.
He exhaled.
"This is probably just a prank…" he muttered softly, more as a logical test than belief.
His hand touched the door.
He pushed it.
The door opened slowly, the sound of wood scraping against the floor echoing in the silence.
The smell—
Metallic. Damp.
And something rotten.
The living room was dark. Only thin moonlight filtered through a window.
On the floor—
Four bodies.
Lying unnaturally.
Elias froze.
His eyes slowly adjusted.
His mother. His father. His younger brother.
And…
His younger sister.
Blood spread across the floor like a pool of shadow.
In the center of the room stood two figures.
One wore a long dark-purple coat. Hair cascading down. In his right hand, he held a katana reflecting pale light.
The other wore a dark-green jacket. Slightly hunched. His face stained red.
Both… were eating.
Wet chewing sounds.
Elias made no sound.
Did not scream.
Only his eyes widened slightly.
(This isn't real. This can't be real.)
The one in the green jacket turned first. His eyes narrowed.
"Oh?" he said lightly. "Food."
The one in the purple coat turned halfway, still chewing.
"I'll consume him," the green-jacketed one said casually.
His hand rose.
His skin trembled.
And from between his fingers emerged long, black claws, glistening wet.
He charged.
Fast.
The floor creaked beneath his steps.
Elias stood still.
His body rigid, but his eyes calculated distance.
(Three steps. Leap. Right angle.)
The claw slashed—
Suddenly—
A sharp, high-pitched frequency pierced the air like metal scraping glass.
The man in green screamed and stopped, clutching his ears.
"AAARGH!"
Elias turned.
The sound came from… his phone.
The screen was now lit, flickering with bluish-white light. From its small speaker emitted an unnatural frequency.
(What is this…?)
The attacker staggered.
Without thinking, Elias moved.
He lunged forward.
His body slammed into the man's chest, knocking him to the floor.
The man panicked. His eyes wild.
"He must be from the extermination organization!"
The one in the purple coat snorted softly, shaking his head. "You fool. He's not even holding a weapon."
He extended his hand toward one of the corpses.
Something shifted beneath his sleeve.
A thick, slick, black leech.
It slithered across the floor.
And entered Elias's younger sister's body.
Elias stood frozen.
His sister… moved.
Her fingers twitched.
Her eyes opened slowly.
No wound. No blood.
She rose gradually, her head tilting left.
"I like this body…" her voice was different. Deeper. Colder. "I feel young again."
Elias's breath caught.
(That's not her anymore.)
He grabbed something beside him—an old umbrella leaning against the wall.
He gripped it tightly.
"Don't bring the dead back to life!" His voice was low, faintly trembling.
He struck.
The umbrella swung toward the one in the purple coat.
Clang!
The katana deflected it effortlessly. The umbrella flew from Elias's hand.
The purple-coated figure moved to counte
Suddenly—
A gleaming sickle shot in from the darkness beyond the window.
It embedded into his sister's shoulder.
The body staggered.
The man in purple cursed softly. "Damn."
"Let's go, Bian!" shouted the one in green.
They fled through the back door, carrying Elias's injured sister's body.
A man wearing a round hat and gray jacket dashed in through the entrance, passing Elias without stopping.
His steps were light.
Focused.
He pursued them toward the back of the house.
Silence returned.
Elias stood in the center of the living room.
Among four bodies.
The smell of blood.
Retreating footsteps.
His mind blank.
(This is not a myth.)
Soft footsteps sounded behind him.
A woman with short brown hair, dressed in neat formal attire, stood in the doorway.
Her face was firm, but her eyes were gentle.
She approached slowly.
"You're safe now," she said softly.