Chapter 74: S#13. Scary Woman (1)
by fnovelpia
S#13.
“…Look at this X-ray.”
The doctor pointed to the image.
It was an X-ray of a thick torso like a log.
There were several 8mm bullets lodged in the abdomen.
The internal organs were completely destroyed. The intestines were severed, the liver was smashed, and the kidneys were crushed.
It looked as if a grenade had exploded inside the belly.
“Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh!”
Nancy screamed at the horrific X-ray image. Ellen burst into tears.
The doctor urgently waved his hands.
“Calm down. This is not Summer’s X-ray. It’s the X-ray of Roland the gorilla that escaped from the zoo last year and was shot by the sheriff.”
Nancy stopped screaming. Ellen stopped crying.
The doctor pulled out another X-ray image.
“This is Summer’s X-ray.”
It was an X-ray of a thick torso like a log, similar to the Roland gorilla’s.
There were several 8mm bullets lodged in the abdomen.
But unlike the Roland gorilla, the internal organs were intact.
In fact, they were more than intact. The robust organs had compressed the bullets under strong pressure.
“The bullets barely penetrated the peritoneum. The internal organs were so tough that they didn’t even get damaged. This proves that Summer’s body is sturdier than that of the Roland gorilla.”
The doctor praised Summer, saying he must be the reincarnation of Hercules.
Nancy and Ellen felt relieved and proud at the same time. They were glad they had chosen Summer.
The doctor continued.
“Summer will surely win this year’s contest.”
“Contest?”
“Haven’t you heard? The ‘Beauty and the Beast’ festival is being held again this July.”
The Beauty and the Beast festival—
The town’s women gather to compete in a beauty contest and select the ‘Beauty.’
Meanwhile, burly men gather to select the ‘Beast.’
The chosen ‘Beauty’ and ‘Beast’ then lead the townspeople in a parade to the end of the town.
It was a unique and historical festival that existed only in this town.
It had been suspended for 20 years and was being revived this year.
“The Beauty and the Beast festival…”
“If Summer participates, he’ll be the greatest Beast in history.”
The doctor asserted confidently.
I woke up to see an unfamiliar ceiling. The sour smell of the hospital stung my nose.
Nancy and Ellen hugged me with joy as I regained consciousness.
The surgery had been successful. All the lead bullets from the mad Nazi were removed.
In their place, a surgical scar curled across my abdomen like a centipede.
The doctor said it would heal quickly. However, I would be stuck in the hospital for a few weeks.
In the evening, unexpected visitors arrived.
It was the Hyper sisters.
Zelda Hyper extended her hand for a handshake.
“How are you feeling, Summer?”
“Zelda, I’m over here…”
Zelda was holding the hand of a frail old man lying in the adjacent bed.
She awkwardly withdrew her hand. Her sister, Hilda Hyper, silently apologized to the old man with a glance.
“Did you hear, Summer? They’re holding a beauty contest.”
“A beauty contest?”
“They’re choosing the most beautiful woman in town. If I enter, I’m sure to win, right?”
Zelda lifted her delicate chin and crossed her arms confidently.
It was a childish pose, but she carried it with grace.
“You know you’re pretty, huh.”
“Of course~ I’ve never seen my own face, but Hilda told me. She’s surprisingly honest.”
Zelda chuckled.
Hilda, unable to hear our conversation, just tilted her head in confusion.
Lying in the hospital bed, I thought.
The most beautiful contest. It reminded me of <I Know What You Did Last Summer>.
Come to think of it, there were an unusually high number of beautiful women in this town.
Around me, there were the Strode mother and daughter, the Hyper sisters, and even Ishikawa Reiko…
If all those beauties competed together, it would be hard to determine a winner.
I was very curious about who would win if they competed.
The festival was just a week away.
I decided to get discharged before then to witness the festival firsthand.
After chatting with the Hyper sisters, it was time for dinner.
Hospital food was served. It tasted like boiled garbage.
I sighed and looked out the window.
Someone was standing in front of the hospital building.
“…Who is that?”
A woman with disheveled long hair, wearing a ragged yellow dress.
There was something eerie about her.
It was hard to pinpoint what exactly was strange, but she somehow didn’t seem human.
The hospital wouldn’t put a mannequin out front. And it looked more like a corpse than a mannequin.
The woman lifted her head. Before we could make eye contact, I quickly turned away.
When I looked out the window again, she was already gone.
The memory of that strange woman lingered in my mind like a moldy stain.
The image of her standing in front of the hospital kept nagging at me.
I felt like I was going to have nightmares tonight.
Even though night had deepened, I couldn’t sleep. After tossing and turning for a while, I got up.
I needed to pee, so I stepped into the hallway. The dimly lit space was empty.
A creepy sound came from the entrance of the bathroom.
It sounded like someone sobbing or quietly laughing.
“…I should use the bathroom downstairs.”
I turned away.
At times like this, the best policy is to pretend you don’t notice.
Curiosity leads to danger, and those who seek it out die.
Overreacting by screaming or running also leads to death.
I decided to head downstairs nonchalantly.
But then—
“…I found you, my Beast.”
A woman’s voice came from behind me.
I turned around to see the woman in the yellow dress standing there.
It was the same woman I saw in front of the hospital.
Her face was hidden behind her tangled hair.
“Who are you…?”
“Hehe. I’m the Beauty.”
She lifted her head.
I almost screamed.
Her face was a skull. No skin, no muscles, no tendons—just clattering bones.
A scalp dangled from the top of the skull, and there was skin from her neck down.
“A… Beauty?”
“Yes. And you’re my Beast.”
“You seem more like the Beast.”
I slowly backed away.
The woman stepped closer.
“Do you covet my face? Or is it my dress?”
“Stay away.”
I warned her. But she didn’t stop. Instead, she lunged at me.
I felt my life was in danger.
“I said, stay the f*ck away!!!”
I smashed my elbow into her head.
I punched the skull face. Grabbing her arms, I spun her around like a windmill.
When the centrifugal force peaked, I let go. Her body crashed through a window and fell outside the building.
I looked down through the broken window. She was nowhere to be seen.
A voice came from behind me.
“…Don’t tell anyone that you saw me.”
It was the woman’s cold voice.
As I turned my head, she vanished like smoke.
I couldn’t sleep a wink.
I stayed awake all night.
The woman I met last night was definitely a ghost.
Thinking back, I realized I had never dealt with ghosts before.
I had beaten up demons and evil gods, but I had never encountered a vengeful spirit or ghost.
I thought about movies featuring ghosts.
Ghosts are a staple in horror, with many Western ghost films, but the ones that produced the most remarkable masterpieces were undoubtedly Japanese.
They chillingly captured the unique island nation’s sensibility. The success of <The Ring> and <Ju-on> needs no explanation.
My favorite films are <Pulse> and <A Ghost of a Chance> though.
Early in the morning, Hilda Hyper came to visit. Today, she was alone without her sister.
She put aside her work at the pharmacy to visit me for two days in a row. I felt both burdened and touched.
Hilda hesitated in front of me. Even though we had known each other for a while, she was still shy.
Wanting to get closer to Hilda, I had started learning sign language a while ago.
I recalled my lessons and greeted her with simple signs.
Hilda’s pale face turned red.
The door to my room opened again.
“Summer~!”
This time, Nancy came in.
Nancy’s face briefly hardened when she saw Hilda. But she quickly smiled brightly and greeted her.
Hilda hesitantly returned the greeting.
The two women were complete opposites in temperament.
Nancy was always cheerful and confident, like a famous actress, while Hilda was calm and demure, like a noble maiden.
“Summer, did you hear there’s a festival in a week?”
“Yeah. They said there’s a beauty contest.”
“They’re also picking a Beast! The theme is ‘Beauty and the Beast.'”
It was exactly what the skull-faced woman had told me last night. She had called me her Beast.
“Apparently, the festival used to be a big deal in town. This is the first time it’s happening in 20 years.”
“Why didn’t they hold it for 20 years?”
“I heard about it yesterday… there was an incident 20 years ago.”
Nancy sat on the edge of the bed.
“An ugly woman entered the contest as a beauty but was eliminated in the preliminaries. People jeered at her, telling her to play the Beast instead. Unable to bear the humiliation, she tore off her face with her bare hands and killed herself.”
The ghost I met in the hospital hallway last night.
Her face was also torn, revealing a skull.
“A year later, the day before the festival, the leading candidate for Beauty was found brutally murdered. The same thing happened the following year.”
For two consecutive years, the Beauty candidates were murdered. The killer was never found.
Rumor had it that the ugly woman who had torn off her face and killed herself was responsible.
It was said that even as a ghost, she harbored inferiority and killed beautiful women.
“Nancy… be careful.”
“Of what?”
I was about to tell her about last night when a warning echoed in my ear.
‘…Don’t tell anyone that you saw me.’
That’s what the skull-faced woman had said.
If I revealed her existence here, she might harm Nancy.
It’s a classic trope that breaking a taboo brings dire consequences.
I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
0 Comments