The Abandoned House (2)

Okay. Window: closed. That's one thing down.

Was that what they called those little windows on a traditional Korean house? Either way, I'd managed to hide behind the outer wall and get it shut.

If I closed a door with Poltergeist while in spirit form, or used an ability like Psychokinesis, the EMF reader would light up — so I had to shut it with my actual body, or something like that. Which meant crumpling myself down low so they wouldn't notice, then stretching out just a hand to ease the window closed.

Waaagh—!

Well. Judging by the startled scream leaking out from inside, it had worked.

Huh. I might actually have a talent for this.

If I'd known, I should've picked up a haunted-house gig before I died. Not that you can rewind the past — so I figured I might as well give this my best shot instead.

The two others working props with me flashed me a thumbs-up. Not bad for a newbie. I must not have gotten caught.

Anyway, it was about time—

"Come on, don't mess with me, chat."

A voice that sounded uneasy around the edges, still trying to play it cool.

Looks like our noona had pulled it off. Judging by the reaction, they hadn't seen her directly — but planting that seed of doubt was more than enough.

The Anomaly who called himself EyesOnEverything had come back to report that the "guests" had gone into the second room, which meant it was just about time for us to move in too.

Seriously, though — why does that Anomaly have a camera jammed into his face like some kind of cameraman?

Truly, the world was wide, and tastes were wider.

"Ugh, why is this door so damn stiff?"

"Well, we got in, so it's fine~"

Click—

"Yes, chat. I cranked the headlamp brightness — can you see any better now?"

"This should be enough to see what's ahead~"

"Still, this is definitely strange. There has to be a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason they strung up a Geumjul."

That was when Rookie's headlamp swept across the top of a wooden chest.

"Hold up, chat — that thing on the chest... what is that?"

At Rookie's words, Danwoo hurriedly swung the camera around.

There, in a hollow of dust settled thick and pale, sat a single object that did not belong. A worn old book, yellowed with age, its edges chewed ragged as if a rat had been at them.

"Hey now, what's this 'they came by yesterday and planted it' nonsense, chat? We have genuinely never set foot in this place before today."

"Seolhwa, take the camera for a moment. I'll try reading and interpreting it."

"Yes~ And just so everyone knows, Danwoo holds a Level 1 Ancient Document Decryption license~ Pretty amazing, right?"

"A moment. Quiet."

Danwoo pressed a single index finger to his lips, then took hold of the book and began to read, slowly decrypting as he went.

"...Hm."

What came out of Danwoo's mouth next was staggering.

"D-Danwoo. You made that up, right? Wow~ chat I was totally startled—"

"I didn't make it up."

"Um, you two...? There's something carved into the wall over there?"

The moment the three of them turned the camera and read the words, water began to drip onto Seolhwa's shoulder from somewhere above. Drip. Drip.

The fact that they didn't look up to find where it was coming from — was that because they were professionals, in their own way?

"Should we... go back?"

"I don't believe there's any real reason someone would write something like that. That said, I can't rule out the possibility that previous visitors left it as a prank."

"R-right, chat! That's gotta be something someone who came here before carved in with a knife, haha!"

Beep—

In that instant, the EMF reader Rookie had been carrying started to wail — and the door they had come through began, slowly, to close.

"Chat, I appreciate the donations, but this is a genuinely real situation."

"Look ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the EMF first. What level is it?"

"Level two for now. Seolhwa, could you shine a light on this door?"

"Mmh.. why won't this thing turn on all of a sudden... ah, got it! One second~"

Clack.

What the faint fluorescent glow revealed on the door was not what any of them had been hoping for: a clear handprint, all five fingers splayed wide.

Rookie stared at a door that would not open no matter how hard he shoved, then started screaming to be let out, slamming his head against the wood. Seolhwa began to tremble and convulse. The way she looked — how to put it. Yeah. It was like she was dancing, just like in the record.

In the moment neither of them could pull themselves together, Danwoo opened his mouth.

"Both of you, calm down. There's still one more way out."

The other two whipped around and clung to him at once.

"There's a way out?"

"Look carefully at the folding screen. This place is old enough that there's a hole in the wall like a crawlspace. Given the position, it should connect to the hallway — and at the end of the hallway, there will be a door leading outside."

Hope that they might actually get out seemed to hit them all at once. Both their faces brightened.

"Whew... yes, chat, thank you for worrying. We should get out of here fast."

"Maybe we were just seeing things from the lack of oxygen~."

"Then I'll go first, then Seolhwa, then Rookie. I'll look around once I'm out."

That decided, Danwoo crawled out first and scanned the surroundings — but aside from a somewhat barren hallway with a hole in the ceiling letting moonlight through, there was nothing to see.

Seolhwa crawled out next. And just as Rookie was about to follow—

Something seized his ankle.

With trembling eyes he slowly turned to look down at his own feet, and a woman was staring up at him — yellow eyeballs dangling from threads of vein, a cursed frenzy in her gaze as if she meant to peel the skin from the living, her mouth ripped wide in a grin.

"WAAAGH! F-FUCK!!!!"

Something yanked Rookie's leg and nearly dragged him back into that room, but after a desperate struggle he managed to wrench himself free.

"No, I'm telling you, chat! Someone actually grabbed my leg! Look — look at my leg! It's already bruising!"

"I'll check with the camera~ ...Um, Rookie? There's nothing here but a single protruding tree root?"

"What do you mean! I clearly saw a ghost wearing something like white traditional robes..."

"Chat, don't fight. Let's just get out of here first and I'll call a shaman I know—"

"Oh, the UV flashlight finally turned on. Let's see~"

Seolhwa swept the flashlight lightly down the hallway — and what it revealed was a wash of blue light covering the corridor like smeared, caked-on bloodstains.

In that same instant, the radio jammed into Danwoo's pocket switched itself on, and voices began to spill out.

The EMF reader began to flash wildly. Objects toppled and crashed to the floor. And at the far end of the hallway, the door started to close.

"RUN!!"

No one waited for anyone else. The three of them tore toward the end of the hallway, paying no mind whatsoever to the gazes they could feel pressing in from all around them.

They barely made it out into the courtyard before the door slammed shut — and from there, at last, they managed to get back inside the van.

"Ha... fuck. I thought I was gonna die. This counts as finding traces of a ghost, right?"

"Thanks for the donations, chat... we'll be heading out now. You've been watching Ghost Zone!"

Exhausted from seeing things that shouldn't exist in the dead of night and then sprinting for their lives, two of them slumped against the seats and tried to sleep. Rookie, who was driving, picked up his phone and started calling someone.