"How is it possible that there's no one in the room? Helek was sleeping inside! I saw him before I stepped out,"
Keroli exclaimed, his voice rising with panic. Without waiting for a reply, he rushed back into the staff room.
His heart sank as he stared at the empty bed. The spot where Helek had been lying just moments ago was now vacant.
His breathing quickened, and a thousand questions flooded his mind. Where could Helek have gone? Did something happen to him?
Vruk, Eres, and Jack joined him in the staff room. "He was here, right?" Eres asked, frowning as they began searching the room for any clues.
Keroli nodded numbly, his thoughts racing. "Yes, he was here. I don't understand… how could he just disappear?"
As they scoured the room, Keroli stepped back toward the doorway, trying to make sense of the situation.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement in the darkness outside.
He froze, squinting to see more clearly, but the dim light made it impossible to make out details.
Adrenaline coursing through him, Keroli quickly ducked back inside.
Gripping the doorframe, he peered out cautiously to get another look. His breath caught in his throat as a figure emerged from the shadows.
The person moved slowly toward the shop, his posture unnatural and hunched.
The others gathered behind Keroli, curious about his reaction.
"Oh, so that's Helek?" Vruk asked casually. "Why didn't you tell us he was outside?"
Keroli's eyes widened. "No," he said firmly, stepping back from the door. "That's not Helek. I don't know who—or what—that is. I thought he was with you."
The realization hit them all at once. Jack hurried to the door and pressed his hand firmly against it as Keroli slammed it shut.
Suddenly, the figure outside began pounding on the door, the sound echoing through the small grocery shop.
It wasn't just the banging; the man—or creature—was growling, a guttural, animalistic sound that sent chills down their spines.
Sweat dripped down Keroli's forehead as the four of them stood frozen. The violent pounding grew louder, and the door shuddered with every hit.
"What do we do?" Eres whispered, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced with fear.
Keroli clenched his fists, his mind spinning. Where is Helek? And who—no, what—is this thing trying to get in?
All four of them stood frozen, unable to tear their eyes away from the trembling door.
The relentless banging and growling had ceased for a moment, but the tension in the air was suffocating.
Breaking the silence, Vruk suddenly spoke up. "I have a great plan," he said, his voice full of confidence.
"We'll stand behind the door with those cupboards. Then, we'll open the door, let the skinwalker inside, and as soon as it enters, we'll push the cupboards on it and escape from here!"
Keroli blinked in disbelief. He could only think of one word: ridiculous.
He opened his mouth to respond but stopped himself, glancing at the others to see their reactions.
To his relief, Jack had the same reaction. Without hesitation, Jack clamped his hand over Vruk's mouth.
"No more plans from you," he muttered, shaking his head.
Keroli bit back a laugh, his lips twitching at the absurdity of the moment.
But the fear of what was waiting outside quickly sobered him.
The skinwalker—or whatever it was—was still there, lurking. Its earlier ferocity hadn't faded from Keroli's mind.
And then, suddenly, silence.
The pounding on the door stopped completely. No growls, no footsteps—just an eerie stillness.
When there was sudden silence outside, all four of them looked at each other, but no one could speak.
In that situation, even the smallest mistake could cost them their lives.
Then Keroli felt Vruk's hand on his shoulder, and he softly said,
"Don't be afraid. I'll go out and check if the skinwalker is gone or if it's still outside."
Keroli's fear intensified after hearing Vruk's words. He asked, "Have you gone mad? Why would you go out to check?"
After hearing Keroli, Vruk looked at his team members, then turned back to Keroli and said, "If I don't go out, we'll be stuck here forever. We have to be brave."
Jack spoke up, "I'll come with you," but as soon as he said that, Eres began to cry. "Sob~… No, you can't go out. I won't let you!"
Seeing Eres cry like that, Keroli thought about Helek—how would he be? Where was he? How had he disappeared so suddenly?
Keroli was lost in his thoughts when he heard the door creak open. Vruk had opened the door and was looking outside.
Keroli quickly ran toward him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him inside.
"Do you want to die?" Keroli said, but there was a smile on Vruk's face. After hearing Keroli, he said,
"See, no one is outside. I think the skinwalker has gone."
Keroli's heart was still pounding, thinking that the skinwalker might still be outside.
But Jack looked outside again and confirmed what Vruk had said, "There's no skinwalker outside."
Jack and Vruk slowly began to walk out of the room, weapons in hand, prepared to confront the skinwalkers.
Keroli wanted to stop them, but he was unsuccessful because they weren't listening to him.
After five minutes, both of them returned safely and said,
"There's no skinwalker outside; we've checked everything."
Keroli couldn't explain how relieved he felt after hearing those words.
Keroli and Eres also left the room. All three of them grabbed their bags and filled them with food supplies.
Vruk said, "We can't stay here anymore. Who knows if those skinwalkers will come back? We need to find somewhere safe."
Keroli agreed with him, but as soon as they stepped outside, the full moon hung in the sky.
The moonlight illuminated everything around them, making the dark area clearer.
Keroli walked with Vruk, a baseball bat in hand, but his eyes were darting around, scanning their surroundings. As he walked, he felt as though someone was following him.
He turned his head but saw no one behind him. Shaking off the feeling, he looked ahead and continued walking.
Then, suddenly, he heard Helek's voice in his ears. When he turned around, he saw that skinwalkers were chasing after Helek, who was running desperately to escape.
Without thinking twice, Keroli ran straight toward Helek. Vruk shouted, "It's dangerous! Don't go!" but Keroli didn't listen. He kept running in the direction where Helek had fled.
Keroli ran without thinking, but as soon as he arrived, he saw Helek lying unconscious on the ground.
His heart skipped a beat as he noticed the skinwalkers standing beside Helek, seemingly planning to devour him.
Before they could approach Helek, Keroli shouted,
"Come at me, you cowards!"
To his surprise, the skinwalkers suddenly fled. Confused but relieved, Keroli ran to Helek, placed his head on his lap, and tried to wake him by gently patting his cheeks.
When Helek's eyes started to flutter open, Keroli let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Helek was alive.
"Come on, get up,"
Keroli urged, aware that the skinwalkers could return at any moment.
However, Helek didn't respond; he seemed to still be in shock from the encounter.
Keroli stood up, but Helek caught his hand and pulled him back down.
"Don't leave me,"
Helek said, pulling Keroli into his lap. Keroli froze, unsure of what to do.
The look on Helek's face made it impossible for him to push away.
Helek rested his head on Keroli's shoulder, his hands gently moving across Keroli's back.
Keroli, trying to keep a clear mind, gently pushed against Helek's chest and asked,
"What are you doing?"
They were still sitting on the road, and the danger of the skinwalkers' return loomed over them.
On hearing Keroli's words, Helek suddenly stood up, pulling Keroli to his feet.
Keroli was bewildered. "What's going on?" he asked, but Helek didn't answer.
Instead, he led Keroli to an adjacent building.
"Helek, how did you disappear from the room? And is this building even safe?"
Keroli asked repeatedly, but Helek only replied,
"There's no one here."
Helek guided Keroli up the stairs, leaving him uncertain about their destination.
Before Keroli could make sense of the situation, they reached the rooftop. To Keroli's surprise, there was a cozy little house there.
Helek quickly closed the rooftop door, barricading it with a chair.
Keroli stood quietly, observing as Helek turned to him and began walking closer. Keroli's heart raced—not out of fear, but something else entirely. Helek took Keroli's hand and led him into the house.
Once inside, Helek suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around Keroli from behind.
Keroli could hear Helek's breathing close to his ear, his heart pounding in rhythm with his own.
Helek nuzzled Keroli's shoulder, and before Keroli could react, Helek turned him around, lifted him into his arms, and carried him to the bed.
Keroli could sense what Helek intended to do, but he had no objections. He didn't stop him.
Helek removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor, prompting Keroli to shut his eyes tightly, anticipating Helek's next move.
However, instead of what Keroli imagined, Helek simply climbed onto the bed, pulled Keroli into his arms, and held him close.
Covering them both with the blanket, Helek fell asleep almost instantly.
Keroli, however, couldn't sleep. He lay there, his thoughts spiraling. How could I sleep? I feel ashamed of myself. How could I let my thoughts go to such a low place?