"Braaaak!!" The double doors behind the sofa burst open, their loud noise startling everyone and drawing all attention. A man entered with a stern expression. His hair was cut short on both sides and neatly combed back. He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a black suit and trousers, paired with a white shirt and red tie. The man immediately rushed toward Helena.
"Henry!!" Helena called out as she ran toward the man and hugged him tightly.
Henry, with a worried expression, tried to calm Helena, who seemed shaken in his arms. He noticed something had happened by looking at the faces of Feshikha and Mr. Jaya. Without delay, his stern demeanor couldn't hide his shock when his gaze fell on the woman lying face down on the sofa. He realized death had claimed another person in his mansion.
From the doorway where Henry entered, three more individuals appeared. One was a man in his thirties, shorter than Haidar, dressed similarly to Mr. Jaya but without the black tarbus. His hair was short and neatly styled, exposing his forehead, and he had a serious face with a thin mustache. The other two were women of similar age to Feshikha. One wore a uniform identical to the woman lying on the sofa, with a short, bright brown bob cut. The other wore a chef's outfit with a red apron but no chef's hat. Her hair was tied in a bun at the back, with the right side left long enough to cover her cheek, slightly extending past her chin.
The three of them stood stunned upon seeing their coworker lying on the sofa—a disturbing sight. Her head rested awkwardly on the armrest, her chin pressed down, closing her previously open mouth from when she had been on the ceiling. Her empty, lifeless eyes still held a look of despair.
"Cahya!!" shouted the woman in the chef's attire.
She attempted to run toward the body on the sofa, but before she got halfway there—
"STOP," Haidar commanded firmly, gesturing with his hand to prevent anyone from approaching the sofa.
Haidar opened his briefcase and retrieved a pair of gloves, which he promptly put on. Carrying the briefcase, he walked toward Cahya's body on the sofa. After observing her for a moment, he whispered a prayer, then gently closed her empty eyes, softening the grimness of the scene and leaving Cahya looking as though she were peacefully resting.
"No one is allowed to approach her," Haidar said firmly, addressing everyone, including the host, to emphasize that they should stay away from Cahya's body.
"Can you explain what happened?" Henry asked in a clear and commanding tone.
"Hmmm... We were sitting, and she suddenly appeared above us," Haidar replied briefly.
"And who are you?" Henry asked again, his expression showing slight annoyance.
"I invited him here. Feshikha said he might be able to help," Helena explained to Henry.
Henry stepped back from Helena, gently releasing her from his embrace, and walked decisively toward Haidar. His large frame exuded an aura of authority and slight intimidation, but Haidar remained calm—a calmness that was somewhat unsettling, given the recent events.
"Are you like that crazy woman?" Henry asked sharply.
"Crazy woman?" Haidar replied, looking puzzled.
"Yesterday, a woman came, saying bad things about this mansion and telling me to leave immediately," Henry explained to Haidar. "You see, I'm already tired of this. Even the police have been acting irrational. I need clear answers, not nonsense," Henry continued firmly.
Haidar responded with a cold smile.
"Mr. Henry, I am just a private investigator interested in helping with the case you are facing," Haidar said. "I don't know the woman you're referring to, but given the situation we're dealing with, a fresh perspective might help uncover the truth," he added.
Henry listened to Haidar's explanation. The strange occurrences had led him to speculate that what he was facing might be beyond human comprehension. Six lives had already been claimed, yet the police had no leads on the perpetrator—whether it was an outsider or someone from within. Still, it was difficult for Henry to accept a mystical perspective, which contradicted his logical principles.
"You won't even have to think about my fee if I fail to help with this matter," Haidar offered.
Henry appeared skeptical of Haidar. Trusting a stranger he had just met was a significant gamble—far too risky, considering the lives already lost. But at the same time, there wasn't much he could do alone, and the priority needed to be addressed immediately.
"Haaah... fine, let's see what you can do, but I won't expect anything," Henry sighed and agreed to Haidar's proposal.
"That's good enough for me," Haidar replied warmly.
"So, what's your plan?" Henry asked, crossing his arms.
"Feshikha, contact your office," Haidar instructed Feshikha.
"Some of my colleagues have already been stationed outside the mansion to stand by. I'll reach out to them," Feshikha replied as she communicated via radio.
"Okay, good work," Haidar said. "For now, it's better if everyone moves to another area," he added, glancing at the others.
Through the double doors where Henry had entered, they all proceeded deeper into the mansion. Beyond the doors lay a grand hall with two majestic staircases at either end, facing them. Another set of double doors stood between the staircases, flanked by two large urns. Various ornaments such as small tables, urns, vases, and paintings decorated the hall. The center of the hall was empty, covered with a red carpet that almost spanned the entire floor. To the east, on their left, there were two other doors—one located on the wall near the staircase and another right beside the door they had entered. Meanwhile, on the west side was a corridor ending in a door. The entire hall was dimly lit by chandeliers and decorative wall lamps.
"Wow, it's like nighttime in here," Haidar remarked as he looked around the dim surroundings.
The lack of light created a gloomy and eerie atmosphere. The unusual silence within the mansion weighed heavily on their spirits, as if amplifying a sense of solitude. This made everyone instinctively gather in the center of the hall. Haidar, who had been inspecting his compass, sat down and opened his briefcase on the floor. He took out a folded silver axe, followed by removing his blazer. Beneath it, he wore a custom holster. The silver axe was placed in a slot at the back of his waist, and rows of loaded bullets lined the front.
Everyone watched Haidar closely, especially when he pulled out a revolver from his briefcase. Henry appeared surprised at the assortment of weapons.
"Firearms and an axe? Your briefcase has quite the surprises," Henry commented.
"Just for precautions," Haidar replied, still focused on his briefcase.
"Precautions? Haah... I hope you have a permit for that pistol," Henry said incredulously.
"A permit? I have a copy if you want," Haidar replied, waving a piece of paper.
At the same time, Feshikha appeared frustrated. She tried several times to contact her colleagues via radio, but all she got was static on every channel. She then switched to a flip phone taken from her pocket. However, every call she made was immediately disconnected, as if the recipient was rejecting her calls. Looking at her phone, Feshikha noticed the signal indicator flickering on and off, and there was slight interference on the screen. Sensing that something was wrong, she immediately approached Haidar.
"Haidar, I can't reach anyone," Feshikha said seriously.
Haidar paused for a moment.
"Hah... just as I suspected," Haidar said with a sigh.
"Shouldn't we all leave?" Feshikha asked.
"Oh, that crossed my mind when I saw the woman on the sofa, but it seems that ever since we entered this mansion, the way out isn't the same as the way in," Haidar replied, taking a bottle of salt from his briefcase.
As Haidar was about to stand, he noticed the red needle on his compass moving.
"Hah!" shouted the mustachioed male servant in fear as he stepped backward.
"What is it, Yana?" Henry asked firmly, looking at the mustachioed man. "Hah, what now?" he continued, his face reflecting a sense of dread.
Everyone turned to look in Yana's direction and froze at the sight before them. On the western wall near the staircase, a red dot appeared. The dot quickly expanded like liquid seeping into fabric. The smell of iron began to fill the air. The red dot gradually grew into a shiny, fresh mass. From the center of this mass, an opening spread wide—a living tunnel large enough to swallow an adult. The tunnel's mouth writhed as dark red liquid oozed from its slick walls, hovering around the mass instead of falling to the ground.
The air in the room turned cold, and the already dim lights began to flicker faintly. A female servant with a short bob cut stepped back slowly, fear evident on her face, and accidentally bumped into Helena.
"Ah... I'm sorry, madam," the servant said.
Helena grabbed the servant's hand. Both of them, along with everyone else, seemed uneasy with the red mass. They instinctively began to move backward. Their instincts unanimously agreed that what they were facing was a threat. Henry moved closer to his wife. Yana stood frozen, trembling. Mr. Jaya held out his Halo medallion while praying. The chef stood silently, while Feshikha reached for her pistol, ready to use it if needed.
"Don't, Feshikha. Whatever appears, don't provoke it to attack you. Only I can fight it," Haidar instructed.
"But—" Feshikha started.
"Just focus on protecting the others. Here, take this," Haidar interrupted, throwing the bottle of salt to her. "Make a circle with the salt and stay inside it with the others," he continued as he picked up his compass from the floor.
Unbeknownst to them, an identical mass of flesh appeared behind them, but this time on the floor. "Ck-ck, Zzt-zzt," the already dim lights now began to flicker rapidly, followed by the second mass opening its own gaping hole. From within, a large silhouette of a right hand emerged, followed by the left, supporting itself on the floor as it attempted to pull out the rest of its body. Slowly, the creature emerged, revealing its head and fully stepping into view.
The silhouette of the creature was humanoid, with disproportionately large hands and a sturdy frame standing on two legs. It was about three meters tall. In the flickering light, its glowing red eyes on protruding head-like shapes became visible, along with a sinister wide smile that radiated unease and menace.
To be continued.