Erlen stayed on guard.
Something still felt off.
The lights flickered back on. Hugo was asleep, snoring lightly.
"Hey, Hugo!" Erlen whispered.
No reply.
"HUGOOOOO! You awake, idiot?!"
Hugo groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What the hell are you screaming for? Go to sleep, dumbass."
He turned over and dozed off again.
Erlen's heart didn't calm.
If anything, the silence after Hugo's words made the air heavier.
The lights died once more.
This time… it wasn't a flicker.
He felt the weight shift beside him.
Something was on his bed.
Erlen froze. His breathing slowed. Then, with a deep inhale, he activated his Sixth Sense.
The air rippled around his eyes, and the room's darkness peeled away—revealing what hid beneath.
A child.
Half its face… ripped horizontally open
Erlen blinked once. Calm expression, terrified heart.
"Alright, donut boy," he muttered, "you picked the wrong bed."
He swung.
CRACK!
The punch echoed through the room. The thing wailed—a chilling, broken cry that didn't sound human.
The others shot up from their beds, startled.
But it wasn't a normal cry.
It was calling for help.
A sharp THUD!—then the ceiling exploded.
A woman dropped through, landing in a crouch.
Her mouth stretched wide—unnaturally so—filled with jagged, black teeth.
She screeched and lunged straight at Hugo.
Erlen moved first, kicking her midair with both legs. She slammed into the floor, cracking the tiles beneath.
He staggered, the energy from his Sixth Sense draining him fast.
She crawled toward him, teeth snapping inches from his throat. He ducked, but her claws grazed across his neck, drawing a line of blood
"For God's sake—just disappear already!"
He shut his eyes, focusing everything he had left.
His Sixth Sense pulsed once—then twice—
And with a roar, he dashed forward, tearing her arm clean off.
The ghost shrieked and vanished into smoke.
Erlen dropped to one knee, panting.
Then he grinned. "Muahahaha! Alright everyone—autographs in a straight line, please."
Kaeo and Joho burst out laughing, still half-shocked.
Loa just sighed. "You're insane, Erlen."
"Maybe," he said, lying back. "But I'm alive."
She turned over. "Goodnight, hero."
Within minutes, the room fell quiet again.
Until—
"AAAHHHHHHHHH! BLOOD! MY STOMACH—!"
Kaeo's scream tore through the silence. He was clutching his stomach—blood seeping through his shirt.
Erlen's eyes snapped awake. His Sixth Sense flared like lightning.
He scanned the room—
No child. No mother.
Then he saw it.
A tall man stood behind Kaeo—his head tilted, his grin stretched far too wide.
Long, filthy black hair draped over his face.
And his nails… were three, maybe four feet long.
Dripping red.
The man just smiled—watching Erlen—
and whispered,
"My turn."