"Cackling," suddenly a figure sprang from the corner of the street. Under the moonlight, its rotten white eyes like fish bubbles were right in front of Denise. A face, rotten flesh peeling away to reveal stark white teeth, was getting closer and closer to her. Terrified, Denise screamed and bolted forward.
From the corners, more creatures that looked like living corpses began chasing after Denise. Bathed in the moonlight, all their horrifying forms were revealed. They resembled animated corpses, relentlessly pursuing Denise.
"Jason!" Denise called out as she ran. She hoped that Jason would appear before her immediately. But it seemed useless, Jason had disappeared somewhere, perhaps still entangled with the dreadful creatures. Or, he might have already met his end.
She plunged into the forest, where branches scratched against her skin, leaving bloody marks. She felt pain all over but couldn't stop running. The creatures had followed her into the forest. Some even climbed up the trees, swinging from branch to branch in pursuit.
In the patchy moonlight that filtered through the trees, these horrific creatures seemed like normal people until the moonlight hit them, revealing the putrid stench of their decaying flesh.
"Jason—"
In utter despair, Denise let out another scream. She was nearly out of the forest and could see the river ahead. Oddly, there was no sound of flowing water. As the horde of chasers closed in rapidly, she plunged into the water.
With a splash, Denise submerged into the water, but felt like she was being entangled by something. A thick, long body wrapped around her, and a giant serpent's head emerged from the water.
Water splashed onto Denise's face and body, causing a chilling and suffocating sensation. It felt like her chest was about to explode. The enormous serpent coiled tightly around her, its mouth opening wide to reveal chilling, brilliantly gleaming teeth under the moonlight.
"Help—me—"
Her voice was barely audible, as if being squeezed from her lungs. She felt that this was her last plea for help. Watching the serpent's huge mouth, filled with hooked fangs descending towards her, she felt her body stiffen.
"Help me—!" Her hand reached out towards the fangs, but before she could touch them, the scene in front of her suddenly brightened. A familiar face appeared before her—Jason. He looked at her calmly, then lowered his head to sip his beer again.
She let out a soft gasp, then said to Jason, "God, I thought I was being chased by monsters and swallowed by a snake that emerged from the river." As she spoke, she looked around nervously, finally spotting a red-headed, hawk-nosed man drinking beer at the bar.
"He—"
"He's just here for a drink."
"But… why did I have such hallucinations? God, it was like a nightmare… It felt so real…" Denise moved her face closer to Jason's, looking terrified. The back of her shirt was soaked with sweat. "These people, they're all monsters. They reveal their true forms in the moonlight, their rotting flesh, the bones, oh my God…"
"You hallucinated. Don't think like that!" Jason finished his beer and snapped his fingers. A waitress came over and Jason placed a bill under his cup, motioning to Denise. "Let's go. I think I've figured out what I wanted to know."
With a puzzled look on her face, Denise followed Jason out of the bar. They walked towards the motel. Once they reached the street, he let go of her hand, allowing her to follow behind. The streets were deserted, and they walked one after another.
"Hey, Jason, I swear, I really felt those people..."
"I know what you're going to say. Let's talk about it when we get back," Jason nodded and continued walking without stopping. Denise didn't say anything else and followed behind him until they reached the motel.
The lights were on in the room. Sofia opened the door for them, then sat on the bed and said, "It seems like you two have a lot to talk about, Mr. Jason." She looked at Jason.
"I'll take you to a place tomorrow. We'll find out the answer there." Jason nodded and said, "I might have some guesses, but I'm not sure. So, tomorrow we'll go to a place in town. I want to check it again to validate my thoughts."
"The church?" Sofia asked.
"No, we'll talk about it tomorrow!" Jason stopped talking, nodded, and lay down on a mattress next to him. The black cat jumped up gracefully and lay down next to Jason's head. Both man and cat fell asleep quickly, leaving Sofia with unanswered questions.
During the night, Denise and Sofia shared a bed. Denise whispered to Sofia about the hallucinations she had experienced in the bar that evening. The more she talked, the more terrified she became, which also frightened Sofia. Both of them felt uneasy about sleeping, frequently glancing at the windows and the door.
They feared that something would burst in at any moment and were always ready to bolt.
However, their worries were unfounded. Nothing intruded during the night, and they finally fell into a heavy sleep when sunlight flooded the room.
When they woke up, it was already past eleven in the morning.
Upon opening her eyes, Denise instinctively checked the door and windows. Seeing no issues, she then looked at Jason's empty mattress. Jason was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go?"
Even the black cat was missing. The two women looked at each other in shock, hastily dressed, and prepared to go out to look for Jason. Just then, the door was pushed open.
"I made breakfast. I knew there was a great kitchen here," Jason said, setting down two bowls of noodles he had brought in, onto the table. "Eat up. After we're done, we'll go see a place."
With lingering questions, the two women finished breakfast, freshened up a bit, and followed Jason out. This time, they were walking again, but this time they headed towards the other side of town.
"I noticed the reception at the motel gave us a strange look," Denise, being more sensitive, told Jason. "Are they...?"
"You were startled last night," Sofia chuckled. "Just follow and trust that Mr. Jason has the answers."
After walking for a while, around noon, they arrived at a spot concealed by green trees. It felt a bit chilly, even on a hot day, which sent a shiver down the two women's spines.
"Do you remember this gravestone?" Jason asked Sofia.
"Of course… it wasn't here before…" Sofia began but was interrupted as Jason, out of nowhere, started digging into the grave with a shovel.
"Have you gone mad?" Denise asked Jason in a hushed voice.
"No, I'm not mad. You'll see," Jason replied. His grave-digging was swift. In no time, he had unearthed a coffin, then opened it and told the women, "Take a look. What's inside?" He tossed the shovel aside and stood by, watching their shocked faces.
The dug-up grave was empty, not a thing inside.