Chapter 107: S#18. Bleedy Witch (4)

Something shot out from between the bare tree branches.

A tentacle, like an octopus arm.

It snatched Ellen, yanking her away and disappearing into the trees.

“Ellen!!”

The trees shook violently as if hit by a gale.

Crack-

Branches snapped. Leaves fell.

Whatever grabbed Ellen moved through the treetops. Dense branches and darkness obscured its form.

The forest churned in its wake. I chased doggedly but lost the trail.

The rustling trees soon fell silent.

Stillness descended, as if nothing had happened. It seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Ellen was taken without even a scream.

Sh*t…

I rushed back to the tent in a daze.

I woke Yeoreum, still buried in his sleeping bag.

“Yeoreum, wake up, quick.”

“Mmm… what’s going on…”

“Ellen’s been taken.”

Yeoreum bolted upright.

I led him out of the tent. We had to find Ellen.

We had no idea where she’d gone, and the compass and map were useless.

All we could rely on was instinct.

I moved on impulse, remembering Ellen’s scent.

Focusing, I picked up her smell wafting through the trees.

I sprinted down animal trails instead of paths. The terrain was too rough for Nancy’s frail body, so I carried Yeoreum on my back.

I pushed through branches and underbrush, constantly scanning above.

Octopus tentacles… a creature moving through the trees. It could be hiding in the gaps between branches blanketing the night sky.

I prayed desperately for Ellen’s safety.

Suddenly Yeoreum tapped my shoulder. I turned my head.

“What is it?”

“Look over there…!”

A faint light shone where Yeoreum pointed.

An artificial glow nature couldn’t produce. Why would such a light be in the middle of the forest…

We headed toward it. The light’s outline grew clearer as we approached.

An outdoor theater emerged, surrounded by woods.

A giant screen towered like a colossus, playing a video.

There was only one seat in the audience. And only one viewer.

After setting Yeoreum down, I drew the axe tucked into my waistband.

“…What movie are you watching, Reiko?”

I asked the lone audience member.

Ishikawa Reiko. It was her.

Reiko didn’t take her eyes off the screen.

“It’s not a movie. It’s a documentary.”

The footage playing onscreen looked oddly familiar.

It was filmed by that director with the cameraman I’d met before. The hack who’d forced me to appear by kidnapping Nancy for his sham documentary.

It showed me and Ellen sharing our first kiss at home.

Reiko chuckled, caressing her crystal ball.

“My, I never tire of this scene no matter how many times I watch it. I suppose this is what they call an iconic moment?”

“Reiko. Give Ellen back.”

“Ellen?”

Reiko cocked her head.

The outdoor theater in the twilit forest was bizarre enough, but not as bizarre as Reiko’s presence.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Summer. Why did you take out an axe?”

“I know what you really are.”

I approached Reiko seated in the audience.

Reiko remained calm. She looked as mysteriously beautiful as ever.

But now I knew that appearance was just a mask.

Yeoreum glared at Reiko and spoke.

“I’ve been watching you.”

“…”

“You’re the mastermind behind everything. You create monsters and manipulate events. You’re the director of this reality.”

Reiko didn’t bat an eye.

She gestured, changing the image on screen.

Ellen appeared. Her limbs were bound by sticky tentacles.

“Summer! Help me…!!”

The Ellen in the video cried out. She struggled, but the tentacles pulled her limbs taut, stretching her into an X.

Seeing that filled me with rage. My blood boiled, searing my heart.

“Let Ellen go.”

I pressed the axe blade to Reiko’s slender neck.

My tone had changed. No more respect.

Reiko smiled faintly.

“Calm down, Summer. Do you want to see Ellen die?”

She pointed at the screen.

A tentacle extended, slowly wrapping around Ellen’s neck.

The choking tentacle. Ellen’s face went pale.

I lowered the axe to the ground.

“What do you want?”

“You’re the lead actor in this film. An actor must follow the director’s instructions.”

“Instructions…”

“We’re going to play an interesting game now.”

Yeoreum and I tensed up.

The stakes in a horror movie game are always life and death.

“You saw the empty frame in the basement, right? Do you know what was in it?”

“Probably blueprints for cobbling together disgusting monsters to make even more disgusting monsters.”

“I’m disappointed you can’t appreciate art.”

Reiko pulled out a rolled-up paper from her bosom.

“This blueprint in my hand is the ‘BEST’ that was in the empty frame. A masterpiece that can never be recreated.”

“……”

“Anyway, the game rules are simple. You need to figure out the monster’s identity and how it was made based on this blueprint.”

“Show it to us. Then we’ll know.”

“Oh Summer. That wouldn’t be any fun. I can’t show you the blueprint. You have to deduce it yourself.”

“That’s ridiculous…”

“Of course I won’t make you guess blindly. You know 20 Questions, right? The three of you will take turns asking me questions. I’ll give you 2 questions each, 6 chances in total.”

Reiko’s proposed game:

Guess the identity and creation process of the monster drawn in the ‘BEST’ blueprint.

6 total chances to ask questions.

2 for me, 2 for Yeoreum, 2 for Ellen.

Ellen could see us through the video too.

Questions to Reiko must be answerable with yes or no.

If we couldn’t guess after 6 questions, she’d kill Ellen. No joke.

At this point, it was do or die. We had no choice but to play.

I asked the first question.

“Is it a creature I’ve encountered before?”

“Yes.”

Reiko nodded.

I ran through the monstrosities I’d met so far in my mind. Not a small number.

It was Yeoreum’s turn to ask.

“Beast-like is ‘yes’, humanoid is ‘no’.”

“No.”

Reiko shook her head.

Something I’d encountered before, humanoid in form.

This narrowed down the options significantly.

But what about the alien werewolf vampire? Beast-like? Humanoid? Confusing.

It was Ellen’s turn to ask.

“Has it been to our house…?”

“Yes.”

A creature I’ve met, humanoid, that invaded the Strode home.

Clown monster. Dr. Johnson turned demon. Cameraman. Pet shop owner’s monster. Gingerbread Girl.

Five options.

But blueprints for the clown monster, cameraman, and Gingerbread Girl were in the cabin basement. So they’re out.

Naturally, the candidates drop from five to two.

I asked carefully.

“Does it have facial features?”

“Yes.”

Reiko nodded.

Then the answer must be Dr. Johnson. The monsters summoned by the pet shop owner ‘Little Man’ had no facial features.

Dr. Johnson became obsessed with genitals and ended up a demon’s (Mr. Strode’s) sacrifice.

He caused havoc as a monster but was easily defeated and buried in the backyard.

But why would such a loser be called a masterpiece?

I was puzzled.

Yeoreum asked his question.

“Did it travel through time to 2020s Korea?”

“No.”

It didn’t time travel.

Yeoreum looked flustered. The answer he’d been expecting seemed off the mark.

Now Ellen’s turn. The last question.

“Has it been shot?”

“Yes.”

Wait. Had Dr. Johnson ever been shot…?

My thoughts tangled.

Reiko stood up from her seat. The ‘BEST’ blueprint remained rolled up.

“I believe you’ve figured out what monster is in the blueprint, Summer.”

Cold sweat trickled down my spine.

I saw Ellen on the giant screen. Her limbs bound by tentacles.

If I’m wrong, Ellen dies. I took a deep breath and gave my answer.

“The answer is… Dr. Johnson.”

“Wrong.”

Immediately, the tentacle choked Ellen.

I lunged forward and grabbed Reiko’s throat.

“Stop it right now…!”

“Ack… Summer… Killing me… won’t change anything. Even if I lose consciousness… that tentacle will keep choking Ellen. Until she dies…”

“Stop, I said stop!!”

Just then, the tentacle choking Ellen slowly unwound.

I released my grip. Reiko laughed.

“Alright. It’d be a shame to end like this, so I’ll give you 3 more chances to guess the answer.”

Since I’d already lost my chance, Yeoreum and Ellen would each get one more shot at guessing.

Ellen, her neck marked with red, barely raised her head to speak.

“…Bob Bojangles…?”

“Wrong.”

Bob may be an idiot, but he’s no monster.

Ellen groaned. I felt conflicted in many ways.

Yeoreum’s turn, the last chance.

All our hopes rested on him. If he’s wrong, Ellen will be on the express train to the afterlife.

Yeoreum slowly raised his hand. His outstretched finger pointed at me.

“Huh…?”

Our eyes met.

Reiko clapped once.

Clap-

“Correct.”

She unrolled the blueprint.

An axe murderer was drawn on it.

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