___'_'__
Joud watched the massive ogre with eyes wide in terror. Bits of stone struck his face, and his body began to tremble as he saw the creature just a few steps away before him.
Suddenly, while everyone lay sprawled on the ground in shock, the ogre raised its arm with tremendous force and, with a single blow, shattered the stone wall into scattered fragments.
The echo of the destruction resounded throughout the place, and the cold wind rushing through the opening made Joud's heart pound with frantic speed.
The ogre was growling with savage fury, its huge nose quivering as it sniffed the air, as if searching for new prey. Thick drops of saliva dripped from its mouth full of sharp fangs, in a disgusting scene enough to freeze the blood in one's veins.
Camellia screamed sharply as she raised her sword:
__"Joud! What are you waiting for?! Aim at him!"
But his hand was trembling as he tried to grab his rifle from behind his back. For the first time in his life, he couldn't aim properly.
He pulled the trigger, but the bullet struck the wall instead of hitting the ogre.
The monster roared savagely and lunged at Joud with unexpected speed, as if the earth itself shook beneath its feet.
At the last moment, the sound of another gunshot rang out. Karem had fired his pistol and hit the ogre's arm. The monster turned toward him, but Camellia didn't give it the chance; she leapt with unbelievable agility, her shining sword cutting through the air, and with a sharp strike, she severed its right arm.
The ogre let out a terrifying scream that made the walls tremble. It clutched its bleeding wound, growling, but Joud quickly regained his balance, aimed his rifle at the ogre's head this time, and pulled the trigger with fury and resolve.
The bullet pierced its head, and Karem fired two more shots into its chest to make sure of the kill. In a swift motion, Camellia jumped high and, with a decisive blow, separated the ogre's head from its body.
The creature fell to the ground lifeless, and the air filled with the stench of blood. The three of them sat panting, their breaths quick and exhaustion etched on their faces.
Joud collapsed to the floor, gasping:
"Damn… that was close!"
Karem gave a tired, sarcastic laugh:
"This brings back memories."
Camellia smiled as she wiped the ogre's blood from her sword:
"We made it thanks to our teamwork."
They entered the abandoned house after the battle, searching for supplies. The air inside was damp and cold, and the smell of mold filled the place. They found some canned food and water and quickly packed them into their bags.
While Karem and Camellia inspected the kitchen, Joud approached the wardrobe and began rummaging through its contents. Suddenly, he noticed an old letter in a hidden wooden drawer. The paper was yellowed, and the handwriting shaky and uneven, as if the writer had penned it in a state of great terror.
Joud opened the letter and began to read in a low voice:
------ ----------- --------- ------------
----- ------
> "Everything was fine on this island… everything was normal… pleasant…
until the day we realized… we were trapped here…
There's a green gas… it's seeping everywhere…
it doesn't stop… it enters every room… every breath…
I feel… strange… my heart… like I'm dying slowly…
but my body… it's tearing apart from the inside…
I don't know what's happening… help… me…"
------- --
-------- ---- -------------- ------ ----
Joud froze in place, the letter trembling in his hands. He said nothing, but tucked the paper into his bag, realizing this island hid horrors far worse than they had imagined.
The rain had stopped, but the sky was still thick with dark clouds, as if warning them of an approaching storm.
Camellia carefully opened the door, glancing left and right before spotting the slick, rocky path ahead. The three of them moved quickly, taking advantage of the brief calm before the rain's return.
At the mansion, Elias was in a state of deep anxiety. He knocked repeatedly on Linda's door, but there was no answer. He opened it—empty. He searched upstairs, then downstairs, questioning everyone. Soon, they all gathered as Lily spoke, worried:
"Jason too… he's not in his room."
Rai's eyes widened in shock:
"Impossible! Where did my brother go?"
Fear spread across every face, and the search began through every corner of the mansion.
Meanwhile, Blackwith was searching the lower storage room, her eyes scanning the thick darkness. Suddenly, she screamed—so loud that Dante ran toward her in panic.
The others followed, finding Blackwith collapsed on the ground, pointing with a trembling hand toward a dark corner. Vivian raised her lamp and aimed its light where she pointed— and everyone froze.
There sat the skeleton of a man in a chair, a rifle in his mouth.
The scene was unmistakable: he had taken his own life. Also was that his left hand was missing.
Dante covered Blackwith's eyes to shield her from the sight, while Harman helped her up.
Elias asked in a trembling voice:
__"Why… why has there been a corpse here all this time?"
No one answered. The heavy air alone was enough to suffocate any words.
Dante carried Blackwith to her room and laid her on the bed. She was trembling violently, tears welling in her eyes. He turned to leave, but she gripped his hand desperately:
__"Please… stay with me… I'm scared…"
He sat beside her, holding her hand until she slowly drifted into sleep.
Outside, the search for Linda and Jason continued, but there was no sign of them. Elias's worry grew until everyone heard knocking on the mansion door. Vivian hurried to open it and found Joud, Camellia, and Karem returning from their mission—exhausted, barely able to stand.
Joud collapsed to the floor, laughing bitterly:
__"I can't believe it… we're alive."
Camellia dropped beside him from exhaustion, and Karem joined them.
Joud shouted jokingly:
__"Ah! My bones are crushed!"
They all burst into laughter despite their fatigue and the lingering tension of survival.
But their joy didn't last long. Elias asked in a serious tone:
__"Did you see Linda or Jason on your way back?"
Shock crossed their faces:
__"No… they weren't with us."
Elias shouted angrily and struck the stair railing until one of its panels splintered.
Lily approached, worried:
__"Calm down, Elias… maybe they're still okay."
_____
Meanwhile, Jason and Linda had found themselves deep in a dense forest. Wet leaves clung to their clothes, and the cold air stung their faces. They suddenly stopped before a strange wall—it wasn't an ordinary one.
It was a transparent barrier, streaked with glowing blue lines that pulsed ominously.
Linda reached out to touch the barrier, but Jason suddenly grabbed her hand:
__"Have you lost your mind? That could be an electric wall!"
She replied boldly:
__"The rain was falling just a moment ago—I don't think it's—"
Jason cut her off sharply:
__"There are electric barriers that aren't affected by rain. We had one like that at our house."
Linda's eyes widened in shock:
__"Does that mean… we're trapped here?"
Jason examined the barrier from both sides:
__"It seems so…"
While they were talking, Linda noticed something gleaming on the ground. She hurried over and picked it up. It was a black plastic card with a strange silver emblem on it. Jason stepped closer and studied it carefully:
__"This… this is the logo of one of those companies involved in secret research and intelligence work."
Linda whispered:
__"How did this card end up here? Did someone drop it?"
Jason shook his head uneasily:
__"I don't know… but I have a bad feeling about it."
They began their journey back, but the path had completely changed—as if the forest had reshaped itself.
_darkness surrounded them while the distant growls of ogres echoed through the trees, turning every step into a race against death.
Linda looked around in panic:
_"w... Wh.. where's the path…? Every direction looks the same!!!?"