"What's wrong?" Stel immediately asked.
"Master, look at this." Elsie enlarged a photo she had taken and showed it to Stel. She had taken the photo with her phone two days ago, intending to prove to Stel that while the woman had a good figure, her face was a disaster. But just now, when Elsie looked at the photo again and zoomed in, she noticed something suspicious.
The most crucial detail was behind the woman's curtain. Stel took the phone and looked at the area Elsie had zoomed in on—the bottom right corner of the curtain. There was a bloody foot. Although only a few toes were visible, it was clear they belonged to a human.
"What... is this?" Stel stared at the phone for a long time, then came to the same conclusion as Elsie. That woman was never alone. Moreover, her place was not stocked with enough food, like Stel's.
The only way she could have survived for so many days was by eating her cohabitant—either her boyfriend or a family member. Stel didn't know which.
"Master, I think there's something wrong with that woman. We shouldn't let her come over," Elsie urged again. Her previous warnings had been ignored, but this time, Stel was genuinely concerned.
"Give me the phone!" Stel grabbed Elsie's phone and turned on the camera, pointing it towards the woman's curtain. He moved the camera downward, focusing on the exposed toes. Sure enough, there were toes lying there.
If the photo from two days ago was a misunderstanding, this time Stel saw it with his own eyes. There was no doubt.
"Untie the rope and hold onto it," Stel ordered Elsie.
Elsie's heart leaped with joy. If Stel suspected the woman, she likely wouldn't be coming over. Her position would remain secure.
"Yes, Master!" she replied eagerly, quickly obeying his command.
As she untied the rope, Stel continued to observe the woman from his balcony, contemplating the situation.
Elsie quickly untied the already secured rope and held it tightly in her hand. Stel lay calmly on the balcony's rocking chair, waiting for the woman to appear.
After a short while, the woman emerged from behind the curtain. This time, she was dressed in light gray shorts and a T-shirt, instead of just a bath towel. She had a heavy backpack slung over her shoulder, its contents unknown. The woman picked up a marker and wrote on the bedsheet to communicate with Stel.
"I'm ready here. Are you ready on your side?" she wrote, her face displaying a delighted smile, but there was a hint of something else in her eyes.
Stel, seeing her message, stood up leisurely and picked up his marker to write on his bedsheet.
"Before you come over, I need you to do something."
"What is it?" the woman quickly responded.
"Pull back the curtain behind you," Stel wrote.
From the first time the woman had contacted them to her impending arrival at Stel's place, all their communication had been through bedsheets. Stel had no idea what was really going on inside her apartment. The photo Elsie had shown him had only deepened his suspicions. How had she survived all these days?
Upon seeing Stel's request, the woman's expression changed instantly. Her joyous smile turned icy, and her hand holding the marker began to tremble. Stel noticed her reluctance and continued writing on the bedsheet.
"Pull back the curtain. If you don't, I'll drop this rope right now."
The woman understood that Stel held all the power. She had no choice but to comply with his demands.
"Click!"
After a long hesitation, the woman finally decided to act and pulled back the curtain behind her. The scene that was revealed was truly shocking.
Behind the curtain, there were bloodstains and remnants of what appeared to be a gruesome struggle. Human remains were scattered, confirming Stel's worst fears—she had indeed resorted to cannibalism to survive.
Stel had seen plenty of zombies devouring humans, so he was somewhat desensitized to gore. However, the scene before him left him shocked. Behind the woman, an entire wall was lined with hanging bodies. These weren't zombies but real human corpses.
When the curtain was pulled back, Stel finally saw that the foot sticking out was indeed part of a human body. The bodies hanging on the wall were in various states—some still bleeding, while others were reduced to skeletons. It looked like a scene from a horror movie, reminiscent of preserved meat hung out to dry during the holidays.
"Gah!!!!"
Elsie began vomiting uncontrollably at the sight. She was on the floor, heaving and throwing up bile.
"What... what is that? Master, she's eating people! She's eating people!" Elsie cried out in horror.
The woman realized her secret was fully exposed. Stel and Elsie would never let her come over now. She had hidden her actions well, so what had caused them to become suspicious?
After calming himself a bit, Stel picked up the marker and continued writing on the bedsheet.
"Have you been eating people all this time?"
"I had no choice. The food I had only lasted a few days. Once it was gone, I lured other survivors in this apartment to my place, killed them, and used them as backup food. I thought this would last me at least six months, but I ran out in less than half a month."
Less than half a month to consume all those people—just how hungry was she?
Stel was deeply unsettled by her response. While he wasn't afraid of zombies, he felt a deep revulsion toward someone who had lost their humanity. He picked up the marker again and wrote on the bedsheet.
"So you wanted to come here just to eat us?"
The woman realized that since her secret was out, there was no way Stel and Elsie would accept her. They certainly wouldn't let her come over. She decided to tell the truth without hiding anything.
"At first, I just wanted to get some of your food, and it's been a long time since I've tasted a man. But once the food ran out, I would probably kill you and eat you," she wrote.
"Master, this person is a lunatic. We absolutely cannot let her come over!" Elsie shouted in fear.
"Hmm..." Stel nodded. He couldn't allow a ticking time bomb to stay with them. He then told Elsie, "Throw the rope down."
"Alright!" Elsie had been waiting for those words from Stel.