Chapter 6
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 6Object Head (5)
The junior police officer who came to work enters the police substation. He let out a loud yawn with tired eyes and offered a morning greeting.
"Good morning-." "Hey. You here? Hurry up and come here. It's a mess." "Huh? What is?"
The senior police officer with a serious expression was exploring the community on his desk computer without fail today as well. Unable to even change his clothes, the junior police officer came to his side and looked at the screen the senior was showing.
"Do you remember the YouTubers who came last time?" "Ghost Hunting?" "The video those people uploaded this time has caused an uproar in all the communities right now."
It was a video illegally clipped from YouTube and uploaded to the community. Thinking, 'That steals away their views,' he checked the video.
What appeared on the screen was a dizzying scene where the situation couldn't be understood. Perhaps it was filmed from pocket height, it was such a mess that it was hard to recognize. Shaky and dark. But perhaps because of that, it felt even more realistic.
A shocking scene revealed shortly after. It was the Object Head with blue flames for a head. Startled, the junior police officer voiced a typical suspicion anyone would have.
"Isn't it CG? Or AI or something." "Because there was so much talk about it being fabricated, those people put their own YouTube channel on the line and declared it was real. They submitted all the raw footage as evidence that there was absolutely no editing." "My goodness. What if that is fabricated too?" "Other YouTubers even invited experts to check in order to reveal it as a fabrication, but they say there is not a single piece of evidence of CG or compositing. So suspicions of makeup even arose, but nothing has been revealed about that yet either." "Wait a minute. Senior? Could this be……." "Yeah. It's exactly the ghost that was reported last time."
The entity with the blue flame head. It was exactly the appearance the reporter had described.
"It is wearing clothes, though." "Right? It's even a suit." "Could it be... fabricated?" "Well, I wonder."
The junior police officer, who went to the locker room and changed into his police uniform, sat at his desk. Unable to hold back in the meantime, he asked the senior police officer again.
"Did they say where that is?" "Fortunately, they didn't reveal that. Thanks to that, people won't flock there." "No. It will likely be leaked before long, you know?" "Eh? Why?"
Tapping the desk with his fingers, the junior police officer made a headache-inducing expression.
"In the first place, these YouTubers receive tips on haunted spots. They didn't find the location here themselves, but received a tip, so the possibility of the tipster leaking it is very high." "We're fucked. Do we have to restrict access to the mountain right now?" "We should try, but the problem is that YouTubers won't hesitate to do illegal things for the sake of a video angle."
If it gets leaked, probably all the YouTubers across the country will flock to this countryside. That mountain doesn't even have proper parking space, so traffic obstruction will definitely be severe, and if people gather, fights are inevitable. Since it's a mountain, a carelessly lit cigarette could spread into a fire, and people without common sense would mess up the surroundings and cause a nuisance to the nearby city.
As expected, we should have forbidden filming from the beginning. We were too complacent.
"Can't we contact those YouTubers? To somehow ask them to be careful." "It's not like there's anything those people can do. Still, I'll try sending an email." "Yeah. ……Oh my, fuck. It's leaked. Fuuuuck! It's leaaaaaaked!"
The senior police officer, who was browsing the community, grabbed his face and let out a scream-like shout. In the community, the location where the Object Head was discovered was detailedly revealed through an internet map.
March 4th. The sky is gloomy. Drizzle falling little by little.
Seeing the weather turning chilly and the fog slowly settling in, it seems rain is going to pour soon. And not long after, rain indeed poured down. Is it a shower? The rain streaks are quite thick. Judging by the amount of dark clouds and the intensity of the downpour, it seems it will continue like this for a few hours.
'Will my head be affected by the rain?'
With curiosity, I briefly stepped out of the abandoned house and let the rain hit me.
Pitter-patter- patter-
Just as it wasn't hot when I tested it with a hand or a branch earlier. The rain passes right through the flames with a vain feeling. Seeing that it doesn't even die down when hit by the rain, it seems the flame isn't damaged by external factors.
'But controlling the flame has become harder.'
When I make up my mind to burn a specific something, a slight restriction arises. About the point of having to concentrate more than usual? Of course, it isn't a major problem.
'The detection function has weakened too.'
Because the rain is pouring down so hard, I feel my senses, which monitored an entire mountain, have dulled slightly. Even this is only detectable if I concentrate more than originally, but concentrating every single moment isn't that easy either.
'I should just stay home today.'
It doesn't really matter if it's damp due to the humidity. It's just upsetting that the clothes I have are starting to absorb a musty smell. I need to do laundry at times like this, but where is laundry possible in an abandoned house.
'I've grown somewhat attached to it... but as expected, it's a hard place to live in.'
I can somewhat understand why the abandoned house became an abandoned house. No water runs, no electricity comes in, water leaks from the ceiling when it rains, and there isn't a single item needed for living other than that. It's truly a narrow, dust-piled abandoned house with only a room left bare.
'Even if I leave, where do I go?'
Normally, I wouldn't have even worried about this. I would have just gone to the city without hesitation like at first.
I brought the hand mirror from on top of the old, yellowed folding table and reflected my head. The blue flame wavers. It seems the emotions I feel are revealed through the movement of the flames.
'If I look like this, people will be scared, right.'
I am not human. I want to believe I am human, but ultimately I am not human. It was around the time a depressing feeling set in.
Pitter-patter-patter-
Beyond the rain. The roadside became chaotic.
'What is it all of a sudden? Is it the police again?'
Since last time, police occasionally come to patrol this area. They tend to just loiter around up to the abandoned house and then return, so if they came, I just had to evacuate up the mountain. But right now, it's different.
Originally, the police came in pairs. But now, forget about two people, there are at least ten. What's more, the numbers are increasing even from there.
'What is going on?'
Did they deliberately call a police SWAT team or something to catch me? For something like that, their movements are exceptionally chaotic. I decided to stay home all day today, but I was inevitably forced to come outside.
"……! ………!" "………! …!"
Faintly, loud voices can be heard. I focused my hearing closely.
"Keep some order, you bastards!" "Look at these punks? Where is there an order here? Whoever gets there first and shoves a camera in is the owner!" "Hey hey hey! Move your car, you bastard! Who parks like that?" "Wow, that person came too? Isn't that person a cyber wrecker with a lot of subscribers?" "Hello! Viewers. Today I've come to the mountain where the rumored Object Head was captured. It's raining and it's already eerie." "Will you all just shut up! The audio is overlapping!"
I was so bewildered. There are that many people, but eavesdropping on their conversations, they aren't even one group. Seeing that some people are even using dialects, they must have come all the way from the provinces. Why did they suddenly flock here like this?
'I definitely destroyed the camera.'
Was my identity leaked in some direction I don't know about? Right now, there is no way to verify the reason why it became like this. For now.
'I should hide.'
When they swarm in like that, there is absolutely no will for conversation. Humans are social animals that become weaker when in smaller numbers. Conversely, when they become a majority, they become stronger, gaining courage they didn't have. They are the type whose fear also dulls. That is why mob mentality is so terrifying.
With that size of a crowd, even if they discover me, they might not freeze in fear. Simply put, they are uncontrollable.
'I should go back.'
It's annoying, but I have no choice but to cross the mountain and escape to the opposite side. I turned around to the opposite side of the path where people were swarming up, but. Eventually, unable to go far, I ended up stopping.
'Just how many people are coming.'
It's not just here. The paths on the other sides aren't much different from here. As if besieging the mountain from the center, dozens of people are coming up the mountain thrusting cameras. This has now passed the level of thinking lightly about it.
'A way to hide…….'
The abandoned house is honestly out of the question. Hiding under a rock or digging the ground to hide is also impossible time-wise. Is there no way to do anything. I raised my head.
'I have no choice but to use an urban legend-like method.'
Screeeech-
A police car stops by the road. Sure enough, the situation they were worried about was unfolding exactly as it was.
Vehicles filling the road. YouTubers bustling about like some marketplace. All of them looking at their own cameras and greeting, fighting with someone, stepping forward to go first, and so on. Every predictable situation was entirely laid out in this narrow yard. Left with no parking space, the police car also had to be parked on the shoulder of the road like the other cars.
"Uwah! Fuuuuck! It's even raining, yet you gentlemen are so damn diligent!"
Kicking the car door open, the senior police officer shouted curses as if he would foam at the mouth at the whole messy spectacle that had unfolded. The junior police officer, who was getting out after him, felt his vision go dark at the bleak situation.
"It's impossible. We can't control this entire place." "You have a taser, right? I guess we'll have to use it today." "No! If we carelessly aim tasers at that many people, it will only provoke them instead."
Biting his thumbnail, the junior police officer revealed his anxiety.
"The YouTubers over there are punks who generally look down on even the police. If they had common sense, they'd leave on their own as soon as they saw us." "But no one is leaving?" "That's why we're fucked."
How is it that not a single person is agitated. There are glances constantly peeking at the police, but none of them show signs of tension. They are just YouTube zealots blinded by video angles.
"Even so, can we just sit on our hands? Let's go." "Haa, I didn't become a cop to control YouTubers."
The two police officers whipped out their batons to seize the initiative. Perhaps because it showed a coercive police presence, the YouTubers flinched and grew quiet.
"Hey, hey! Stop right there! Do not go up!"
The senior police officer yelled and halted the YouTubers. The YouTubers, who were competing to climb the mountain, turned around with bewildered expressions.
"C-cops, aren't they?" "Someone must have spam-reported again." "You think it's spam? If people flock like this, of course the cops show up."
While YouTubers with common sense came back down to cooperate as soon as they saw the police. As clearly seen in their attitude, YouTubers without common sense aimed for that gap and hurriedly started running up towards the top.
"Hey! Hey! I said stop right there! Ugh, sons of bitches!" "I will go, senior!"
Leaving the cooperating YouTubers to his senior, the junior police officer swiftly chased up after them.
Squish squelch.
"Ugh~ This mud, seriously."
Perhaps because the rain was pouring down heavily. The once solid ground had become mushy and muddy. Mud clung to his shoes, making them heavy, but he couldn't stop.
"This is so annoying I could die. These punks always make us use the megaphone."
A police megaphone hung inside the fluorescent raincoat. Through the megaphone laced with harsh static, he declared a massive warning to the YouTubers intruding on the mountain.
"Ah, ah, as of this time, all personnel on this mountain are requested to descend immediately. We are currently planning to restrict access to this area, so we kindly ask for your cooperation."
The voice echoing throughout the entire mountain. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but voices lamenting could also be faintly heard from somewhere on the mountain.
"We inform you that you may be arrested if you do not follow instructions. Therefore, we kindly ask for your cooperation."
Please just understand and comply when I do this, you punks. Still, the megaphone's performance was good. Because over the mountain, a few shadows could be faintly seen descending with their shoulders drooping vainly.
'They're following orders better than they look? Thank goodness.'
Sighing in relief, he searched for a raw fish restaurant to drop by after work for himself, who had suffered today. Still, there could be people who hadn't gone down yet, so the junior police officer continued up the mountain.
"Over there! Go down! Don't go up." "Ah, yes, yes! We get it!" "Don't think about hiding and go down! I'm talking to you, so come out of the thicket!" "Ah... Oops. I'm sorry." "Let's go down! Go down! There is nothing to film here!" "Excuse me, Mr. Police Officer."
Girls tightly gripping a small camera trot over. The girl, whose nose was red perhaps because it was raining and cold, looked up cutely and asked.
"Is this the mountain where the Object Head appears?" "We heard it was spotted here, so we came. Have you seen it?"
Seeing that even younger-than-expected YouTubers had come, he felt that the profession of YouTuber had a wider age gap than he thought. More importantly, could he answer honestly? No. He shouldn't be complacent for no reason.
"There is no such thing. Do you think something like an Object Head exists in the world?" "But information was leaked that it's here." "I wouldn't know. Couldn't someone have fabricated it? It's raining, so hurry back."
The girls descend the mountain sullenly. He felt sorry, but it was still unclear whether that video was real or manipulated. The police officer himself was half in doubt, so he couldn't give any definite answer.
"Has everyone gone down by now?"
There could still be YouTubers hiding. Since they can't control everyone, just backing off is also a good method. However, in this currently annoying situation where it's raining and the humidity is high, he felt a stubborn determination to send everyone back without leaving a single punk behind.
"Let's see who wins this."
It was the moment he harbored stubbornness and was about to go up further.
Hiiiiisssss-
Suddenly, a boiling sound is heard. It wasn't heard from one place, but from everywhere around.
"Wh-what is this?" "Uhhh! What is that sound!"
As expected, there are still YouTubers hiding. Some startled people are freaking out from somewhere on the mountain.
"Hey! I said to go down……."
Because of the shower, there was fog, but it wasn't to the point where they couldn't see ahead. However, right now. Thick fog is rolling in.
"Wh-what's going on all of a sudden?"
The level of the fog is too severe. It had become so thick that he couldn't see beyond about 5 meters.
"It's suddenly getting hot."
It was already so humid it drove him crazy, but as it got hotter, it became even more humid. Due to the blazing heat like being in a sauna, he had no choice but to unbutton his raincoat. He ended up covered in sweat in an instant.
That wasn't all.
"Uwaaaak! Wh-what! There's something there!" "I-is anyone there? What is that sound?" "Where are you guys? Which way is down?" "I-I'll go down! I'm going down, so someone please help me!"
An unusual commotion. Following his police intuition, he hooked the megaphone on his waist and drew his taser. It is dangerous right now. Something went wrong.
"Everyone, carefully descend the mountain! Don't rush and take it slow!"
In the midst of that, like a true police officer, he shouted and gave instructions.
Bzzzz-
A static noise. Surprised, the junior police officer reflexively aimed his taser backward. Of course, he could only see the grayish-white fog.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo. What is this. Suddenly getting scary."
With the fog thick and nothing visible, it felt like being in another world. Of all times, an urban legend comes to mind at a moment like this.
"There is something about a fog-covered city. A world with no humans and only monsters living in it……. No, this isn't the time to be thinking about urban legends."
It was the moment the junior police officer, shaking his head, also moved his feet toward the bottom of the mountain.
Bzzzzz-
Static again. The junior police officer realized the true identity of the static noise and picked up his megaphone.
"Did I not turn the power off?"
He checked the megaphone's receiver. He certainly hadn't turned the power off. That's why the sound was heard.
"What a fright. That scared me." "Bzzzz- zzz- Get──out."
It felt like someone had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and yanked him. A chilling terror that took his breath away. It was so hair-raising that the junior police officer reflexively threw the megaphone.
Thud.
The megaphone plunged into the mud. Was he unable to distinguish reality from delusion? The junior police officer stared at the megaphone with vacant eyes.
It's the megaphone he normally always used, but just for this moment, it was an alien entity. Only the power is on, and the receiver is stuck in the mud. Yet an unidentified voice flowed out of the megaphone.
"Zzzz- Get──out." "Wh... Wh-wha...... What is it. What is it, fuck. What is it, fuuuck!" "Get───out!"
The unidentified voice raising its tone. It echoed thunderously, ringing out across the entire mountain. The fog was still thick, but the voice was clearly delivered to everyone on the mountain.
"I──SAID──GET──OUT!" "Uwaaaaaaak!"
A human gripped by extreme terror loses self-control. The police officer, who exists to protect citizens, forgot his duty and frantically ran down the mountain. All the other YouTubers hiding on the mountain also began fleeing down all at once.
Bottom of the mountain. The senior police officer, who was barely managing to control the people and give lectures, asked the junior police officer running down with a pale face.
"You here? I was worried because the fog suddenly got thicker. ...What's wrong with your face?" "...Senior." "What happened to you? Like you saw a corpse or something."
The junior police officer, vacant as if his soul had been sucked out, only pointed his finger behind him as if he was too terrified to look back.
"L-let's go. This is a place we shouldn't have come." "What exactly did you see up there."
The YouTubers stirred as well. No matter how one looked at it, the junior police officer's state was not that of someone playing a prank. Not only that, but people looking almost identical to the junior police officer started running down, turning pale white. Perhaps slowly realizing it wasn't a joke, the complexions of all the waiting YouTubers darkened.
"I didn't see it." "Then?" "I heard it." "Heard what?" "A voice……."
The junior police officer, whose lips had now turned white, began to shiver as if experiencing chills. At that pitiful sight, the senior police officer urgently wrapped his arm around his shoulder and shouted at the onlookers.
"Everyone, please disperse. It seems things are unusual here right now."
Merely shouting and threatening cannot control them. However, if a sense of fear palpable enough to feel on the skin is created, they will follow orders on their own. Although it wasn't created intentionally.
"Let's go. I will drive." "S-senior?" "Yeah. Speak." "I... didn't see it. I still don't know what is up there."
The senior police officer, who put his junior in the passenger seat and got into the driver's seat, hurriedly turned on the heater full blast.
"You know the video." "That YouTuber's video?" "I think it really is real." "...Let's put our seatbelts on."
The surrounding vehicles leave this place one by one. As roughly all the vehicles prepared to leave, only then did the police car move as well.
Bzzzzz-
The speaker made a static noise on its own. The senior police officer naturally checked the vehicle's radio, but the junior police officer trembled almost as if having a seizure.
"Hey. Calm down." "Geu-geu-geuk. Heu-geu-geu-geuk!" "Calm down. I'm right here beside you."
Patting and rubbing his shoulder, he tried to calm him down as much as possible, but there was no sign of improvement at all. The senior, skillfully steering the wheel with one hand, naturally looked in the rearview mirror. And he had no choice but to see it.
The empty yard after people left. On top of a small cliff at the entrance leading up the mountain.
A person was standing there. The man with no head and a blue flame.
"……."
He is just standing vacantly and watching without any action. The senior police officer felt a distant terror that stifled his breath, but absolutely did not let it show. Because the junior police officer didn't know yet.
"Let's go."
A stiffly frozen voice. The vehicle smoothly exited the yard and got onto the road.
The vehicle slowly distancing itself. The Object Head, who had been quietly watching, only then slipped away into the mountain. The shower stopped.