Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#016Reader Mode

#016

A shiver of realization ran down Seojun’s spine as he acknowledged that he had naively pigeonholed the chef into a single, clichéd role. But looking at the rundown state of the campsite, he began to second-guess his initial impressions. The makeshift kitchen was in disarray, with a greasy, grimy Bobby and a half-decomposed corpse in one corner adding to the mess. The dining area and dormitory were slightly better organized but still reeked of neglect. And the bonfire area? It was straight out of a horror story, with a musty, ominous scent lingering in the air.

“Sh*t…” Seojun whispered under his breath, his eyes fixed on Bobby. He realized he had seriously misjudged the situation. In a campsite operating with such a skeleton crew, it was entirely possible for one person to take on multiple roles. The manager could indeed be doubling as the cook.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, his legs began to wobble, threatening to give out from under him. In the nick of time, Johan reached out and steadied him.

“Jun.”

Johan’s voice was calm and steady, offering support but nothing more. Seojun found himself looking at Johan’s strong hands, then up his muscular arms and broad shoulders, finally meeting his intense gaze and chiseled jawline. For a brief moment, his heart raced as he took in the sight of Johan—this strong, reliable presence that could be torn to shreds by some unseen horror tonight.

A lump formed in Seojun’s throat, and he quickly pushed the thought away. He’d rather stay a blissfully ignorant bystander, even if it meant being a coward. But here he was, in Hamon Camp, with scraped hands and a bleeding shoulder, and there was no turning back now.

Seojun bit down on the inside of his cheek, embracing the sharp pain as a welcome distraction from the terrifying possibilities swirling in his mind.

“Do you want to live, Johan?”

“Absolutely!”

Before Johan had a chance to answer, Bobby blurted out his response. Seojun’s eyes narrowed; he couldn’t care less about what happened to Bobby. His attention was on Johan, waiting for his answer.

Johan’s smile, however, was slow to form and seemed a bit unsettling. His gentle features were still visible even in the dim light, but there was something off about his smile. Was this really the appropriate time for smiling? Seojun was about to delve deeper into his thoughts when Johan softly spoke up, cutting through any rising doubts.

“Of course, Jun. I want to live a happy life, and I’m working hard for it.”

“Yeah…”

Seojun replied, his voice filled with skepticism. Despite his doubts, he recognized that everyone in this makeshift kitchen, this chaotic dump of a place, shared one common goal: to make it through this nightmarish ordeal alive. Turning his attention away from Johan, Seojun shouted at Bobby.

“Bobby, the map!”

Time was of the essence. Their best shot at a less tragic outcome rested on Christina’s shoulders. She was their beacon of hope in this overwhelming darkness, and they needed to do whatever they could to lessen her burden, both mentally and physically.

But Bobby, in this critical moment, was neither quick-witted nor efficient; he was simply slow. Seojun felt his rising anger was justified as he snapped at Bobby.

“Bobby, a map is just a piece of paper with symbols on it. While you’re wasting time, your friends’ lives are hanging in the balance. So give it here, now!”

Seojun waved his knife in the air, more as a warning than a real threat. Bobby squealed, his reaction akin to a pig seeing the butcher’s knife.

“You took that map from me in the forest!”

Tears filled Bobby’s eyes, making him look like the victim. Thinking back, Seojun realized that might actually be the case. He coldly responded.

“You should’ve spoken up sooner, Bobby.”

Bobby, intimidated by Seojun’s threatening demeanor, was too frightened to even cry. He turned to Johan, desperately seeking support.

“Johan, why are you supporting this maniac waving a knife around?”

“Bobby, Seojun is injured. I can’t believe how insensitive you’re being right now.”

“Ugh!”

Johan’s response only served to infuriate Bobby even more. Seojun, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief. He was glad he hadn’t wasted his time forming friendships with these people. In this moment, solitude seemed like a blessing.

Ignoring Bobby’s heavy breathing, Seojun reached into his back pocket. He could hear Johan swallowing audibly behind him before he whispered in Seojun’s ear.

“Jun, need a hand with that?”

“No?”

Seojun pulled out a neatly folded map. Once unfolded, it revealed itself to be ordinary graph paper. Bobby mumbled something, his voice filled with regret.

“My map…”

Seojun, completely uninterested in Bobby’s feelings, spread the map on the ground and illuminated it with a lantern. Three heads leaned in, and a slender finger pointed to a spot on the map.

“Okay, this is the admin building… between the guardhouse and the restaurant, that’s where I came in. But the moment I stepped into Hamon Camp, I ran into that Gas Mask bastard coming out of the guardhouse.”

“You really were unlucky there, Jun.”

Under normal circumstances, Johan’s comment as a horror movie male lead would have been up for debate, but today, it was right on the money. Seojun had been incredibly unlucky. He nodded in agreement and went on.

“Yeah… so while I was running for my life, I didn’t really think much when I saw this guy was already there. Turns out, the chef and manager of Hamon Camp is Gas Mask himself.”

Bobby interrupted, “But how did you see the bear claw marks on his face if he was wearing a gas mask?”

“Uh… I struggled, and somehow the mask got skewed. Caught a glimpse through the gap,” Seojun quickly explained, but Bobby still looked doubtful.

“You didn’t even have a flashlight or lantern.”

“The moon was pretty bright at the time.”

Seojun pushed Bobby’s face away with the cold handle of his knife. Whether he was convinced or just silenced, Bobby didn’t ask any more questions.

Seojun then turned to Johan, his voice taking on a serious tone. “Johan, saying you’re going to make a call now is like walking straight into the lion’s den—right into the killer’s hands. It’s a suicide mission.”

Feeling a wave of anxiety wash over him, Seojun started to scratch at his scalp, almost drawing blood. The pain was sharp, but the fear gnawing at him was sharper. Just as he thought he couldn’t stop himself, Johan’s hand clamped down on his slender wrist, stopping him.

“Jun, I hear you. Life is fragile, like a strand of hair. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.”

Johan’s words were a bit odd as he gently held each of Seojun’s fingers, but Seojun couldn’t help but grin, showing off his thick hair.

“Don’t worry. My ancestors were all blessed with good hair.”

From what he’d seen in old family photos, even his great-grandparents had a full head of hair. He wiggled his fingers free and continued,

“To get to the guardhouse quickly, we’ll have to cut through the campfire area. We don’t know which way Christina and her group went…”

“I agree.”

And with that, the trio decided to head for the guardhouse. Bobby, however, was not on board. He huddled in a corner of the kitchen, yelling,

“I-I’m not going out there! Are you guys out of your minds? If what Seojun says is true, there are monsters, murderers, and even lunatics with crossbows out there!”

As Seojun went through the situation in his head, he realized just how dire their circumstances were and nodded calmly.

“Uh, sure. If Bobby wants to stay here, I won’t stop him. It’s his life, his choice, his funeral. Even though we may never see each other again after today, it’s what Bobby wants. Whether he ends up mutilated by the killer or a monster, or suffocated by the fear of impending death while trapped in this hellhole, I respect his decision.”

“Fine, I’ll go!”

Bobby shot up from his crouched position. Seojun just shrugged. He hadn’t planned on dragging Bobby along in the first place.

“Hey, shouldn’t Bobby have something to defend himself with?” Johan chimed in, his voice laced with concern for his friend. He had a point; Bobby was unarmed. But looking around, the only makeshift weapons in the kitchen—a kitchen knife and a BBQ skewer—were already claimed by Seojun and Johan. Luckily, Seojun had a quick fix up his sleeve.

He gently plopped a tin pot onto Bobby’s head. Johan couldn’t help but chuckle, “Look at you, Bobby! You’re pretty much bulletproof now!”

Bobby’s eyes welled up with tears once again.

With caution, they nudged the warped door open just a crack. Thankfully, the door hinge had survived the monster’s rampage. Johan, taking the lead, peeked out and then offered his hand to Seojun.

“Come on out, Jun. The coast is clear.”

“Alright.”

Seojun grabbed Johan’s arm, bracing himself for the fresh, earthy scent of the forest and lake. But instead, he was hit with a wave of stagnant water and the metallic tang of blood. Gross, but hey, at least the monster was out of sight.

Still, the aftermath of its visit was chillingly clear: trees snapped like twigs and the ground gouged by enormous limbs. The monster might be out of sight, but the air was thick with tension, as if it could leap back out at any second.

Bobby, tin pot wobbling on his head, finally poked his head out, stretching his neck like a turtle on high alert as he scanned the surroundings.

“Are we absolutely sure that thing is gone?”

“Johan, we’ve got to get moving, and fast. We’ve burned way too much time already,” Seojun pressed, urgency in his voice.

“Right.”

“Hello? Is anyone listening to me? Did you all suddenly go deaf? Am I just talking to myself here? Hey, hey!” Bobby’s voice rose in frustration, feeling utterly ignored.

And with that, they left the eerie and unsettling B-zone behind, each step forward heavy with urgency and a sense of impending doom.