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Alex Winter
5:12 pm, Sunday, July 9th, 2023
'What? '
Alex tried to speak. Tried to move. He couldn't. It was as though he'd become a passive observer, his vision locked onto the road ahead, like a camera amidst the surrounding trees. The world around him moved, but he couldn't.
Two cars sped away from town on his left, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. The sense of paralysis had him questioning the reality of it all.
'What is this? Some sort of dream? '
His body remained unresponsive, but his thoughts raced on. As the first car passed, time seemed to stretch, reminiscent of his first entry into town. A white SUV came into view, driven by a woman in the front seat. Red, bushy hair and amber skin made her identity clear - it was the missing Cherie Moussie. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was driving in what appeared to be blood-stained pajamas. Her car darted down the road like a bullet.
'What the hell is this vision? What is happening?'
In this surreal state, Alex's vision felt superhuman. He could discern every detail of her face, her expressions etched in his memory. He watched in horror as her car was pursued by a black truck, its hood slamming into her bumper. She screamed, pure terror etched across her features, and with determination, she pressed her foot to the accelerator, increasing the distance between her and the truck. But just when she seemed to be vanishing from sight, an extraordinary and horrific event unfolded.
Flames burst out as her car exploded and threw itself into the air.
The truck screeched to a halt, the falling inferno nearly landing on its hood.
A man jumped out of the truck, wearing nothing but black clothing and a mask. An object in his hands clattered to the floor as he trembled.
'Wasn't he chasing her? If this is how she died, how does nobody know she isn't....missing?'
Dark fog clouded Alex's mind. Just as he thought he wouldn't stop spinning, another vision took shape.
Now a beach and the ocean could be seen. The lighthouse at the edge of town stood like a solitary sentinel on the empty sands. Atop the staircase leading to the lighthouse, a woman stood at the door. It was the same one that had blown up. It was Cherie.
'What are you trying to tell me here, Asmo? Why does any of this matter?'
In a fleeting moment, the scene darkened to obsidian, and in the darkness, he caught a glimpse of Scarlett. It was an enigmatic, cryptic message, but he understood that she held the key to unraveling the mysteries concealed within this surreal vision.
------------------------
Alex's heart raced as he blinked, his hand trembling inches from the ticket vendor. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. In this precarious moment, he grappled with the overwhelming uncertainty of his situation. "What am I supposed to do now?" He muttered under his breath.
Asmo's sign in his hands had changed.
If you try to leave as that woman had, you will die. Do not. Find Scarlett.
A primal urge to defy this ominous message surged within him. Every fiber of his being screamed for escape, no matter how irrational it seemed. But a nagging suspicion gnawed at him, suggesting that there might be a kernel of truth in Asmo's words. It had seemed like a threat at first. It was a warning. Trying to leave town would end with him dead. But Cherie wasn't. That drew him back to the myth Rinoa had told him about.
The Undead.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
It was ridiculous. Nonsense. An old kids story. Alex shook his head in disbelief, but then, reluctantly, he nodded. "No matter how much I hate it, I don't have a choice..."
6:31 pm, Sunday, July 9th, 2023
Alex embarked on a lonely, desolate walk through the quiet town. His mind swirled with questions and fears, overshadowing any potential excitement that an adventure might hold. He passed by the hotel and descended the stone steps to the desolate beach.
Standing before the lighthouse, an inexplicable pull tugged at him. He knew that Scarlett was inside. "Scarlett! I'm coming up!" His voice echoed into the void, dissipating into the howling wind, much like his hope.
But there was no response. No sign that what he had witnessed had any basis in reality. Trembling with trepidation, he faced the crashing waves, their thunderous roar challenging him to take the next step. With a deep breath, he set his backpack down on the sandy shore, casting a wary glance back at the street. Satisfied that no one had followed him, he tightened his grip on the Beretta, which remained a constant companion in his jacket. Each step on the sandy staircase sent a crunch echoing through the quiet night, as he ventured toward the lighthouse, his heart pounding with an intensity matched only by the storm brewing within him.
The lighthouse loomed above Alex, an imposing structure that seemed to pierce the very heavens. He stood before the aged wooden door that led inside, its surface battered and worn, the surrounding marble marred by time's relentless passage.
His grip tightened on the grimy metal handle, and with a loud, haunting creak, the door swung open. A frigid chill emanated from within, sending shivers down his spine. The oppressive darkness inside seemed almost suffocating. He yearned to hear any sign of life, a whisper, a whimper, something to assure him that the woman he sought was still alive.
As Alex clicked off the safety of his gun and flicked on his lighter, he couldn't help but think, There's too many places she can hide. I hate this...
He stood at the threshold, lighter casting eerie shadows, and what little light remained revealed only the beginning of a seemingly endless staircase, devoid of windows to guide his way. With narrowed eyes, he steeled himself and took the first steps into the abyss.
Ascending the stairs, he noticed a wall on his left, and another door came into view. Another room, another potential hiding place...
BOOM!
The door behind him slammed shut with thunderous finality. Alex spun around, his pistol trained on the ominous darkness behind him. The door's lock clicked closed on its own, and a menacing shadow took shape on its surface. It grew taller and taller, morphing into a thin, towering figure with a grotesquely disfigured head, adorned with menacing horns.
Alex's thoughts raced, envisioning the horrors that this apparition might foretell. The shadow grew larger as heavy footsteps echoed in the inky blackness, closing in on him.
He's not going to let me walk up like a normal person, is he? Alex cursed under his breath and sprinted up the stairs, the ominous footfalls gaining on him with each frenetic step. His injured leg threatened to give out any second. He refused to to stop.
His heart hammered in his chest as he struggled to maintain his pace, avoiding glancing at the seemingly bottomless chasm to his left. It was a terrifying plunge with nothing to grasp if he were to fall. The malevolent presence behind him was relentless, its oppressive aura driving him onward.
Moments away from the door at the top, he summoned the last reserves of his strength and slammed his shoulder into it. The door burst open, and he spun around, the gun aimed squarely at the intruder.
Standing just inches from the gun's muzzle was Asmo. Alex's breath came in ragged gasps, but the dark figure remained motionless, save for its malevolent yellow eyes that bore into him. Trembling uncontrollably, Alex recoiled as if stung by a scorpion, his whole body quivering.
Light burst into the room, revealing the nightmarish figure in all its grotesque detail, before it disintegrated into a cloud of dust, leaving Alex standing there, bewildered and breathless.
Alex turned, covering his eyes from the piercing sunset. He flinched as a pained cry came ahead.
Blood spattered as a woman stabbed down violently into a man's chest.
"Milk and sugar, huh? Sweet little niceties, you say? No one messes with my black love potion and gets away with it!!" she hissed, twisting it deeper.
He squealed like an animal, his body shaking and quivering like a withered puppet. Whatever he was trying to say was gargled in a mouth full of shattered teeth.
She giggled, tearing the dagger into his throat. Alex tried to get a better look when she kicked the helpless victim off the railing. The blood dripped off her arm as she stood still. "I see you've grown well acquainted with Asmodeus.~" She turned around, her features masked by the shadow of the sun. Even as she stepped forward, her snowy blonde hair blew with the breeze.
"Scarlett," Alex said, her name leaving a vile, bitter taste that never left his tongue every time he had to say it. "Of course I can't come looking for you without seeing something distasteful. What the hell did that guy do to you? He wasn't at the house, was he?"
"I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon, but it's always a pleasant surprise!~ As for this one... You just don't tamper with one's beloved coffee with sweet things. It ruins everything!" she whined, cleaning her dagger with a cloth. "Unfortunately this is more paperwork for me at the office... Goodness."
"You killed him just for that? How the hell are you a cop? No one's ever found you out?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
She shrugged. "I've killed for less, my sweet. To everyone's surprise, including mine, I am a tad bit good at my job. You know I'm very proficient at finding someone when I want to... My handiwork in cleaning speaks for itself back home, I'm sure you remember."
He remembered how all the damage of their fight was completely cleaned like it never happened back in the bedroom. The wall fixed, the room polished. Anyone could be slaughtered, and the next day it may as well have been a bad dream. Scarlett let out a harsh laugh. "And as it turns out, people don't seem to care all that much if they go missing in this town."
"That's gotta' be a lie. Why would they bother putting missing posters around town for that woman Cherie then? Just for show?"
"Of sorts... People who die don't usually just pop up out of nowhere. No one expected her to suddenly start walking. To be fair, no one knows she died in the first place. Except us.~"
Alex sighed. "So it's true then. Cherie is Undead. But how is that possible?"
There was a pause. She twitched and a cold breeze shifted in the room. "...It appears it's time we had another little chat. Wouldn't you say, my dear sweet Alex?~" Scarlett's voice rang, her arms stretched out for him. Just as Alex could see her face clearly, the doors to the outer railing closed and the light faded.