"Wait, you mean the company The Dive?" Andy asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes, The Dive is responsible," Joden replied grimly.
"I never thought The Dive would do something this harsh. But why?" Kaila questioned, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Xin, meanwhile, was trying to piece together this bizarre revelation. He knew The Dive only as a government-based medical conglomerate, a massive company revered for its contributions to science, technology, and medicine. Every country's government had ties to it—it was practically a universal entity.
"Uh, guys, isn't The Dive just a government-run medical company?" Xin finally asked, his confusion evident.
Andy, Kaila, Melina, and Joden all turned to look at him, their expressions a mix of shock and pity, as if he'd just said something absurdly naïve. Xin felt foolish for voicing his thoughts but shrugged it off—what else could he do? He genuinely didn't know any better.
"You sure don't know anything about The Dive. That's... a good thing," Joden muttered ominously.
"Man, how can you not know?" Andy said, shaking his head.
"Guys, Xin isn't into this stuff," Kaila interjected, coming to her brother's defense. "He focuses on self-improvement and more important things. Besides, he doesn't need to know."
"Yeah, I don't know, and to be honest, it's not a big deal to me," Xin replied casually.
Joden gave him a sharp look, his face deadly serious. "It will be a big deal for you one day."
Before Joden could elaborate, Melina interrupted. "Dad, that's enough. You always break down after talking about Mom. Just rest, okay?"
"I think Joden's right—you should get some sleep," Andy said. "The rain's stopped, and we can leave now."
"Yeah, thank you for everything, Joden. You've done so much for us," Kaila added.
But Xin wasn't satisfied. "Wait, hold on. What happened? Why would The Dive... kill—?"
"Enough!" Kaila cut him off. "I'll explain everything later. For now, we should go."
Joden hesitated, glancing at all of them with a strange expression. After a long pause, he spoke: "Kids, it's already dark outside, even though the rain stopped. Monsters are everywhere here. You should stay for the night. Besides, your jeep isn't even fixed yet. It's safer to leave in the morning."
Kaila and Xin exchanged glances, both realizing they didn't have much of a choice. They had lost their phones, wallets, and other valuables back at the shop. Leaving now, especially in a forest like this, would be suicide.
"I guess we have to stay. Are you okay with that, Xin?" Kaila asked.
"Do I even get a say?" Xin retorted. "Even if I said no, we'd stay anyway. So yeah, I'm fine."
"It's a huge loss for me, though," Andy grumbled. "My shop's been left open, and I've got work back in town"
"Andy, it's not safe. Sacrifice a day for your life, okay?" Kaila reasoned.
"Yeah, bro. If you don't wanna die, stop being stupid and stay," Xin added bluntly.
After some convincing from Joden and the others, Andy reluctantly agreed. Joden led them upstairs to the guest rooms. The upstairs hallway was long, with four bedrooms in total. Xin and Kaila were given one room with two small beds, while Andy got a separate room nearby.
The room was surprisingly well-furnished, with working air conditioning and a fresh, pleasant smell.
"Xin, you should take a shower—you smell awful," Kaila teased.
"Yeah, sure, but... I just can't believe everything that's happened today. I had plans, you know?" Xin replied.
"It's not our fault," Kaila shot back. "I had plans too. I wanted to explore Matlo Rivera properly."
"Yeah, well, it's kinda your fault we're lost," Xin muttered.
"Shut up and go shower. We need to leave early tomorrow. I'm gonna talk to Andy for a bit," Kaila said, leaving the room.
She knocked on Andy's door, which was slightly ajar. Inside, Andy was staring out the window, lost in thought.
"Hey, Andy," Kaila greeted.
Andy turned and smiled. "Hey, Kaila. Do you need something?"
"I just wanted to apologize for all the trouble we've caused. Your shop got destroyed because of us."
"Oh, don't worry about it. These creatures are always lurking around. It's not your fault."
"Still, I feel bad," Kaila said. "And don't take my brother's words too seriously."
"Nah, he's fine. Just a typical teenager. I can tell he cares about you, though. Don't worry," Andy reassured her.
Kaila smiled, feeling a little better. "By the way, where are you planning to go tomorrow?"
"Back to Droplin. I work for a company there," Andy replied.
"Wait, really? We're from Droplin too! Which part?"
"Town 45. What about you?"
"Town 40—not far at all!" Kaila exclaimed. "We should meet up once this mess is over."
"Of course," Andy agreed with a chuckle.
After some more light conversation, Kaila returned to her room. Xin was already fast asleep, so she didn't disturb him. For a moment, she felt at peace, imagining her plans for when they finally returned home.
[Scene Shift: 2:45 AM]
Xin woke up in the middle of the night, thirsty. The house was eerily silent as he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. When he reached it, he noticed the window was wide open, with broken plates and scattered food on the floor.
"What the hell? Is the old man not aware of how dangerous it is to leave this open?" Xin muttered, closing the window.
After drinking some water, he headed back upstairs. But something felt... off. As he reached the hallway, he noticed the door to Melina's room was wide open, and the lights were on.
"What's going on now?" Xin whispered to himself.
Cautiously, he approached the room. When he stepped inside, his heart froze.
Melina was on the bed, but her body was mutilated beyond recognition. Her mouth and eyes were gone, replaced by gaping voids. A grotesque creature, resembling a pig with humanoid legs, was hovering over her. Its tentacle-like appendages were invading her body. Flesh hung loosely from her torn frame, and the creature was regurgitating something into her.
The creature suddenly turned its attention to Xin, letting out a guttural screech before leaping out of the window.
"What the fuck?!" Xin yelled, stumbling backward.
Before he could process what he'd just seen, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway. He turned to see Joden, dragging a blood-stained axe behind him. His face bore a twisted smile.
"You shouldn't have disturbed Melina's playtime," Joden said softly. "You should've stayed asleep. But now... there's no point in hiding it anymore."
Joden's smile widened as he advanced toward Xin