Lucy and Kiki had been bickering for so long that Shelly finally lost patience.
"Enough, you two!" she interrupted. "For all you know, this could be someone's public property. We can't just barge in. And clearly… nobody's home."
Kiki crossed her arms, giving Shelly and Lucy a smirk.
"Fine. You two don't have to come. I'll check it out."
Before either could stop her, Kiki strode to the gate of the abandoned-looking house. The front door was shut tight. Shelly and Lucy waited outside, shifting uneasily.
Kiki turned, cupping her hands to shout, "Locked!"
Shelly gestured for her to come back, mouthing let it go.
But Kiki ignored her completely and started pounding on the door even harder.
Suddenly—creak—the door swung open.
Kiki flinched. Shelly and Lucy both gasped, their hearts skipping a beat.
"Kiki!" Shelly hissed in a whisper-shout, waving urgently. But Kiki still didn't move.
Shelly walked over, whispering furiously, "Have you completely lost it? Let's go!"
Still, Kiki refused to leave.
Then—without warning—a man stepped out of the shadows inside, holding a flashlight.
"What do you want?" His voice was sharp and unfriendly.
Shelly blinked, taken aback. "Are you… the owner of this place?"
"Yes. Why?" he replied coldly.
"Oh, nothing," Shelly said quickly. "We were just curious about the house—"
"Stop. Tell me what you want." He cut her off.
Before Shelly could answer, Kiki pushed the door open wider and slipped inside without permission. She started looking around, her curiosity beating out her common sense. But the place was too dark to see much—only dust, cobwebs, and the smell of something old.
Shelly groaned inwardly. Of course. Kiki never changes.
Meanwhile, Lucy had hidden behind a tree outside, too spooked to move.
"You can't just enter someone's property without permission!" the man snapped at Kiki. "That's illegal. Don't you know that?"
Kiki shrugged. "I'm just looking around. I'm not touching anything."
The man flicked on the lights. The house was in complete disarray—dust coating every surface.
Shelly's thoughts shifted. Well… at least this could make a good article for work.
Her gaze landed on the man's face—and froze.
Wow… he's handsome. Ridiculously handsome.
But why would someone like him be living in this… ruin?
She stepped forward, smiling politely. "Hi, I'm Shelly Herlen."
He didn't reply—just stared at her with a cold, irritated expression.
"You've seen enough. Leave."
Shelly was about to speak again when he suddenly raised his voice. "Out. Now."
A few moments later, Shelly and Kiki were back outside.
"What a rude man!" Kiki muttered.
Shelly glanced at her. "…That wasn't a man."
Kiki frowned. "What?"
"He's just a boy. Couldn't be older than eighteen."
"Maybe he's a criminal," Kiki said.
"Could be," Shelly admitted. "The way he chased us out…"
Suddenly, a figure jumped out from the bushes.
Shelly and Kiki shrieked—only for Lucy to wave her hands.
"Relax! It's me!"
Shelly clutched her chest. "I thought you went home!"
"How could I leave you two here?" Lucy said.
The three of them walked off, chattering until they reached a small fast-food place. As they sat eating pizza, Shelly caught sight of someone outside.
The boy from the abandoned house.
Only now, he wore a long black coat and a cap pulled low over his face, walking quickly down the street.
Shelly immediately stood. "You two eat. I'll be back."
Kiki frowned. "The bathroom's inside, you know—"
But Shelly was already out the door, tailing the boy from a distance.
She followed him as he slipped into the edge of the forest. Shelly ducked behind a tree, deciding to wait.
An hour later, he emerged—his face and hands smeared with blood, his eyes sharp and feral.
Shelly let out a tiny gasp.
He stopped, his head snapping toward the sound.
"Who's there?" His voice was loud, dangerous. "Come out now—or I'll find you… and eat you."
Shelly slowly stepped out from hiding. "It's… me."
The boy narrowed his eyes. "You again? Were you following me?"
He took a slow step forward. Shelly instinctively stepped back.
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Continue....