Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Get out.”

Gripping the car door, Fran stared at Ray, her tone more resolute than ever.

”What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ray wasn’t a pushover either. He immediately shot back with an icy glare.

”This is Cartman’s car. I don’t know what kind of secret the two of you share, but I’m not giving up on Jessica this easily.”

”Right now, I’m taking his car back up The Mountain... You can either come with me, or get out.”

...

Caught off guard by Fran’s sudden burst of courage, Ray, who was now the center of attention, thought for a moment before finally stepping out of the car and moving aside.

”Suit yourself.”

It was obvious he had absolutely no desire to go back.”Do you know how to drive?”

Having successfully commandeered the vehicle, Fran kept her hand pressed against the door as she turned to look at Fu Qian.

”You don’t know how to drive?”

Fu Qian looked at her in surprise.

”No.”

’You don’t even know how, yet you put on such a show!’

Looking at this courageous girl, Fu Qian shook his head.

”Could I ask you to drive me up there? I want to look for Jessica one last time. I just won’t be able to accept it otherwise.”

Fran looked at him pleadingly.

”I know this whole string of events has been terrifying, but it’s okay. You don’t have to go inside later; you can just wait for me outside.”

”No matter the outcome, we’ll head back before dark.”

That sounded reasonable.

Fu Qian cast a glance at Ray, who stood nearby wearing the expression of someone waiting for a good show.

”Alright.”

”Thank you!”

Seeing Fu Qian agree, Fran instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was obvious that making this decision hadn’t been easy for her, either.

’You’re welcome, because even if you weren’t going, I would have gone back anyway,’ Fu Qian thought to himself.

It was the truth. Fu Qian’s intuition told him that even if that ”mysterious killer” really was his target, Lasik, there was no way he would just walk right into a trap.

Keeping an eye on Ray was practically meaningless.

As things stood, much of what was happening seemed faintly connected to the ancestral home on The Mountain. Even if he wasn’t trying to find someone, it was entirely worth exploring again.

However, Fu Qian was still somewhat surprised that Fran had taken the initiative to suggest going back.

He had to admit, when it mattered most, this girl possessed far more courage than the others.

Jones was evidently a bit surprised too, but having someone volunteer to help search when they currently had no leads wasn’t a bad thing for him. Ultimately, he kept his opinions to himself.

...

They had already driven the route up and down The Mountain more than once, so it didn’t take long for them to arrive back at the ancient courtyard.

This rotting behemoth crouched halfway up The Mountain. Looking at it now, it gave off an incredibly oppressive aura.

”Sorry to trouble you, but please wait for me outside for a bit.”

Fran looked extremely anxious, but she still gritted her teeth and said it.

”If I’m not out by the time it gets dark... you can go back first. Also, please call the police for me...”

’What a tone, like she’s leaving her dying wishes!’

Fu Qian commented silently. He had no intention of mocking her, however, and simply opened his door to step out of the car.

”Let’s go in together.”

”Really? That’s wonderful!”

Fran’s eyes instantly lit up.

After the events of the past two days, Fu Qian undoubtedly felt incredibly reliable to her.

”Jessica—!”

The interior of the building remained exactly as they had left it. Almost the second they walked inside, Fran called out.

At this point, she couldn’t care less if she disturbed anything.

Unfortunately, despite her unrestrained approach, her repeated shouts were met with absolute silence.

She even passed through the connecting corridor to reach the final section of the house. After searching high and low, she found nothing but more rot and ruin.

”It seems Jessica really isn’t here.”

Having wandered in circles only to return to their starting point, Fran looked at the corridor she had cleaned earlier and, with a sigh, helplessly accepted reality.

”Should we head back?”

However, her suggestion was met with silence.

She looked up in confusion to see Fu Qian expressionlessly moving a picture frame on the wall.

”What’s wrong?”

Fran couldn’t help but ask.

”The painting’s not bad. I’m taking it down to bring back with me.”

’The painting’s not bad?’

Staring at a canvas so thoroughly rotted that its contents were completely indistinguishable, Fran was left momentarily speechless.

Yet, a moment later, the sight revealed behind the removed frame gave her a terrifying jolt.

”Is this... my name?”

Something was carved into the wall beneath the frame. When she made out what it was, she felt her very sense of reality being challenged.

’Why would my name be under here?’

”Seems like it, and the marks look fresh.”

Fu Qian was also deep in thought.

”I took a look around just now and noticed this painting seemed to have been moved. You didn’t make this mark, did you?”

”Of course not! Even if I wanted to mark the rooms, I wouldn’t go out of my way to write my name behind a picture frame. Besides, we all picked our own rooms. It’s not like I’d forget where I was sleeping.”

”And most importantly... no one is staying in this room. Mine is the next one over...”

Fran reached out and pointed to the left.

”Wait a second.”

A moment later, she seemed to realize something.

”Could this have been left by that mysterious killer? He’s been eyeing us from the start, and marked the rooms to make his move easier. He just marked this one wrong.”

By the time she finished speaking, a bone-deep chill had spread through Fran’s body.

’Eyeing us from the start?’

Listening to Fran’s words, Fu Qian pondered, recalling everything that had transpired since yesterday.

The series of bizarre events from yesterday until now seemed to prove that there truly was a mysterious killer operating in the shadows.

It was just that this killer was ridiculously strong—acting as if they had a God’s-eye view. They were intimately familiar with every place and always managed to cleverly avoid others. Especially him.

They had even left marks for this vacationing group well in advance.

’Isn’t that a bit too superhuman?’

”Follow me.”

Fu Qian called out, and without waiting for Fran to respond, immediately strode off to the side.

”What is it? Is there something down there?”

Realizing that Fu Qian was heading straight for the basement, Fran was shocked but closely followed him all the way down. They eventually arrived at the room storing the Iron Maiden.

The room wasn’t large, however. It could be taken in at a single glance, and there was absolutely no sign of anyone else.

Fu Qian, who had entered a step ahead of her, was currently standing in front of the open Iron Maiden, lost in thought.

”What exactly is going on?”

Fran couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward, asking the question as she peered inside.

What she never expected was for a massive force to suddenly clamp down around her neck.

The next second, the gruesome spikes rapidly magnified before her eyes as she was involuntarily shoved into the terrifying torture instrument.

She screamed and dodged desperately; it was the only reason her face wasn’t pierced straight through by the spikes.

Right then, the heavy screech of grating metal echoed out, and darkness swallowed her vision.

Fran’s body instantly locked up; she didn’t dare move a fraction of an inch.

”You—”

She was interrupted the very second she opened her mouth, cut off by Fu Qian’s emotionless voice drifting in from outside.

”Apologies. After a unanimous decision by the jury, you have been sentenced to... death!”