Chapter 6: S#2. That (1)
by fnovelpia
Right after escaping the nightmare-like forest.
With the help of a kind truck driver passing by the road next to the forest, I changed the burst tire of Nancy’s car.
It was a relief.
Now I could let Nancy go without worry.
But now, where should I go?
This was America in the 1980s.
A time too vague for a horror movie fanatic who had ended up in the body of a murderous lumberjack to live in.
I asked the voice in my head, the narrator.
“Narrator, when can I go back home?”
-The movie isn’t over until the ending credits roll.
“When will the ending credits appear?”
The narrator remained silent.
They had no intention of sending me back.
But that was no reason to despair.
Originally, my body was frail, but now, with this body, I was abnormally strong.
Strong enough to win a toe wrestling match with a gorilla.
I could do anything that required physical strength.
Manual labor, logging, American football, mixed martial arts, stuntman, murderer…
While I was pondering my career options, Nancy approached me.
“Summer. Do you have a place to go?”
We had become comfortable talking to each other.
Nancy was initially wary of my rugged appearance, but now she had completely let her guard down.
“I’m thinking of heading to a nearby town.”
“A nearby town? What will you do there?”
“I’ll have to look for a job.”
“…Summer, how about you come with me instead?”
“With you?”
“Yes, come to our town. You can stay at my house until you find a job!”
Nancy insisted earnestly.
It wasn’t just lip service; it was sincere offer.
She probably thought of me as her savior and wanted to repay me.
“But Nancy, I don’t want to burden you.”
“What are you talking about, Summer? Of course, you won’t be! You saved me. Now it’s my turn to help you.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. I will definitely help you. You might not realize it… but you need help, Summer.”
Nancy’s blue eyes shone with a distant light.
They were the pitiful eyes one might give to a rain-soaked puppy.
Nancy firmly believed that I needed a psychiatrist.
It was a ridiculous misunderstanding, but she wouldn’t believe me even if I explained.
I didn’t need a psychiatrist, but I did need a warm temporary shelter.
“…Thank you, Nancy. Then, I’ll be in your debt.”
“Hehe, that’s right. Get in!”
I got into the car of the blonde beauty.
Characteristic of horror movie heroines) Lives in a two-story house, a typical middle-class American.
I thought Nancy Strode would be the same.
But the moment I entered Nancy’s neighborhood, that assumption was spectacularly wrong.
“…Wow.”
I was speechless at the sight of the wealthy neighborhood.
The lawns looked as if they were gilded, the dogs lived a life of luxury, and the buildings were so grand, it was hard to tell if they were homes or palaces.
“That’s our house over there, Summer.”
Nancy’s house wasn’t as ostentatious, but it still exuded elegance.
Nancy was a rich girl.
“Nancy… you were a silver spoon.”
“Silver spoon?”
“It means you were born rich.”
“Ah, I’m broke~. The rich one is my mom.”
Right after Nancy parked in front of the house, the front door burst open.
A woman ran towards us.
“Nancy!!”
She had brown hair tied neatly back, sun-kissed skin, and jewel-like blue eyes.
She was as beautiful as Nancy. Nancy’s older sister, perhaps?
Nancy ran towards the woman.
“Mom!”
“Where have you been, without even a call!!”
Not her sister… her mom? But she looked so young?
The two women hugged each other tightly. It was a touching embrace.
After the long hug, Nancy turned to look at me. I stood there, feeling a bit awkward.
“Mom, let me introduce you to my new friend. This is Summer…”
“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Suddenly, Nancy’s mom screamed as if she was being torn apart.
Nancy and I jumped in shock.
Nancy’s mom turned pale and ran back inside the house.
Then she came out holding a double-barrel shotgun, its barrel gleaming as it pointed directly at me.
“Get away from my daughter, you murderer!!!!”
The trigger hadn’t been pulled yet, but I already felt like I’d been shot.
A murderer…?
I mean, by the story’s setup, yes, but I hadn’t actually killed anyone with my own hands.
That’s when Nancy stepped in front of me, arms wide.
“Mom!! What are you doing!!! Put the gun away!!”
“Get, get away from him, Nancy…! It’s dangerous! He’s a murderer!!!”
“No, he’s not!!!”
Nancy’s bravery was remarkable. She was ready to take a bullet for me.
The saying goes, there’s nothing like a parent’s love.
Nancy’s mom, looking like she was about to cry, lowered the gun.
“Please, Nancy…! Listen to me…! That man is an escaped convict! It was on the news this morning!!”
Nancy looked at me.
“Summer, did you escape from jail?”
“I don’t think so.”
“See, Mom! Summer said he hasn’t escaped from anywhere!”
Right then, a siren sounded.
Nancy’s mom, Nancy, and I all turned our gaze toward the direction of the siren simultaneously.
The source of the siren was a police car.
It stopped on the road in front of the yard.
A chubby white police officer got out of the driver’s seat, holding a white mug in his hand.
“It’s noisy this early in the morning. What’s happening here, Mrs. Strode?”
“Oh, thank goodness you’re here, officer! An escaped convict has entered our yard and taken my daughter hostage!!”
Nancy’s mom pointed at me with the barrel of the gun as she spoke.
The officer looked at me and jumped in surprise.
“Oh, my God!”
He quickly moved his plump hand to open his gun holster.
But instead of a revolver, he pulled out a donut.
He took a bite of the donut and sipped coffee from his mug.
Nancy’s mom was stamping her feet in frustration.
“What are you doing, officer! Hurry up and arrest him…!!”
“Hmm, Mrs. Strode. Although this man does look a bit like an escaped convict, unfortunately, he’s not the one. The escaped convict is completely bald.”
The officer pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his uniform pocket.
“Here, this is a composite sketch of the escapee. He’s probably wandering around in clown makeup by now.”
It was a sketch of a bald man with a monstrous appearance.
A chilling face painted like a clown was also drawn.
That was the escaped convict.
Nancy’s mom alternated her gaze between the sketch and my face.
The chubby officer continued his explanation.
“A clown murderer who killed 22 people, including a child. He’s suspected to have escaped and hidden in this town around 4 AM. He might be as big as this man… Are you also an escapee?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, that’s good.”
After finishing his donut, the officer returned to his police car.
Nancy’s mom called out to his back.
“Just a moment, officer…!!!”
“See you next time, Mrs. Strode! I’m busy, so I have to go!!”
A typical police officer in a horror movie.
Incompetent and lazy.
After the officer left, Nancy’s mom no longer pointed the gun at me.
But she still looked at me as if I were a murderer.
It was unfair.
Nancy carefully started to speak.
“Mom, let me introduce him again. This is my friend Summer. He’s going to stay with us until he finds a job…”
“Absolutely not!!!”
“Why not? We have plenty of empty rooms!”
“If I said no, it’s no!! How can you think of bringing in some brute into a house with just two women!!!”
“Summer needs help! He has mental issues. He thinks he’s a Korean in his 20s!”
“If he’s mentally ill, that’s even more reason not to allow it!!!”
Nancy stood her ground against her mom.
I slightly regretted following Nancy.
I didn’t intend to be this much of a nuisance.
Maybe it’s better to leave now.
But then, Nancy had a brilliant idea and clapped her hands.
“Ah! If there’s an escaped convict wandering around, it’s dangerous for a house with only two women!”
“So?”
“We hire Summer as our security guard. Just until the convict is caught!”
Nancy’s mom glared at me with a look sharper than a knife.
“You! Do you know how to handle a gun?”
“No, Mrs. Strode. I don’t know how to handle a gun.”
“Then…”
“But I have other skills.”
I smoothly took the double-barrel shotgun she was holding.
Holding the long steel barrel with both hands, I exerted force.
Creeeek.
The barrel slowly bent, turning from an I-shape into a complete U-shape.
The mother and daughter were speechless at my display of strength.
“See, Mom! This is my boyf… no, friend!”
Nancy proudly said to her mom.
-The clown serial killer who terrorized the entire United States. His madness has returned.
He tells jokes to passersby, and if they don’t laugh, he rips their mouths open on the spot.
If they laugh, he repeats the joke until they can no longer laugh.
Only a murderer can stop his cruel jokes.
Clown Murderer VS Axe Murderer, a massive showdown!
The narrator’s voice echoed in my head.
It was absurd.
They wanted me to face off against a mad clown escapee.
I was confused whether this was a horror movie or an action movie.
“Ha… Zombies and now a clown.”
I murmured while sprawled on a plush mattress.
It was a mattress in the garage.
I ended up staying in the garage.
Though it wasn’t a warm room, it was better than a box-made igloo on the street.
Then the garage door opened.
Thinking it was Nancy, I turned around, but it was Mrs. Strode.
I got up.
“Mrs. Strode?”
“Your name is Summer, right?”
Her name was Ellen Strode.
A famous novelist.
She was a popular author who had written several bestsellers and had great success with film adaptations.
She had been raising Nancy alone since her husband’s death.
A strong woman who naturally commanded respect.
As a side note, she was 37 years old, but her beauty had not faded and felt even more profound…
“Do you need something from me…?”
“Summer. I have something to tell you.”
Ellen approached me.
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