The night was different in Ren's house. It wasn't an ordinary day, but his ninth birthday. The room was dark, and the old toys scattered in the corner increased the sense of loneliness. All that filled the house was the echo of the clock's hands, ticking monotonously on the wall as moonlight seeped through the closed window.
On the table beside the bed was a small cake his mother had prepared in the morning, decorated with strawberry pieces scattered on its surface. That cake was the only hope Ren had on this night. Although he hated the fact that his mother wasn't present. His father was downstairs, preparing himself for another noisy night of arguments and tension.
Ren sat on the edge of the bed, trying to hold back his tears. His hands were shaking as he looked at the clock. Heavy seconds passed, then minutes, and his mother still hadn't returned. He had gotten used to her absence at important times, but tonight was different. His ninth birthday was different; this night was more painful than usual.
Suddenly, he heard a faint sound in the hallway outside his room. The ghostliness of those sounds crept into his heart, and he felt as if something heavy was sitting on his chest. "Is that my mom?" he wondered innocently, but worry began to grow inside him. He called out in a trembling voice: "Mom? Are you back?"
No one answered him, and all he heard was a new sound, lighter and stranger, as if scratching on wood. Ren stood up slowly, taking heavy steps towards the door. When he opened it, he saw something stranger than fiction: small footprints, drawn in bright red, heading towards the hallway leading to the lower floor.
Ren remembered the story his mother used to tell him before bed, the scary story about the Red Face Man. This mythical creature would appear to children who were neglected by their parents. As he recalled the details, he felt that the story was no longer just a bedtime tale to scare children; but a terrifying reality creeping into his world.
"Could it be? Could he be here for me?"
He couldn't bear the feeling of fear, but his curiosity was stronger. He followed the red traces through the hallway until he reached the bottom of the stairs, where the sound became clearer. The footprints ended in front of the back door of the kitchen, which was half open, and the wind was blowing gently. There, on the doorstep, stood his father with his long, gloomy shadow, his eyes grim and angry as usual.
"What are you doing outside at this time? Didn't I tell you to go to bed?!" his father shouted angrily while his voice trembled under the influence of alcohol.
"I want my mom, she promised me!" Ren cried out, trying to hold back his tears.
But his father paid no attention to him. He turned away angrily and entered the kitchen, leaving the door open behind him. Ren felt things were getting worse. Those traces, that door, and the silence surrounding everything; all of this made terror creep into his depths.
Ren entered the kitchen to inspect the place. Everything seemed normal at first, but a strange smell was permeating the air, a mixture of burnt perfume and the smell of something rotten. The lights began to dim slowly, as if shadows were devouring the room around him.
Suddenly, he felt something behind him. He turned slowly, his eyes catching the reflection of a strange face on the window surface. That face was red, with wide eyes staring at him without clear features. A feeling of freezing swept through his body as he felt his heart would stop beating.
"I'm here, Ren..."
The voice rang in his ear, but it wasn't a human voice. It was a voice full of pain and mystery, as if the Red-Faced Man had finally found his target.