Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#021Reader Mode

#021

Johan’s voice, tinged with a hint of indignation, rang with sincerity and innocence. Seojun, for his part, didn’t care too much—whether Johan was a burger guy or a pizza fan was none of his business. He gave a nod, accepting the vehement denial with a mental shrug.

“Looks like we can’t escape from here,” Seojun muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He wiped his hands, now tinged with the scent of rust, on his pants. It didn’t do much for the smell, but it was a small comfort. No use crying over his broken bike. Seojun redirected his simmering frustration towards the elusive Gas Mask.

“Jun, I swear, my arteries are as clean as a whistle—not a speck of plaque,” Johan went on, as if pledging an oath of purity.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Seojun cut in, a bit amused. Did he always have this kind of personality?

It was common knowledge that Johan was a fitness enthusiast, but this level of health obsession? It didn’t quite fit the image of a movie’s leading man, who, in Seojun’s mind, shouldn’t be fretting over his diet like some old man. Whenever Seojun saw Johan sweating and working out, he was relieved he hadn’t been cast as the quarterback. He occasionally envied Johan’s boundless stamina, but not the effort, camaraderie, and sweat that went into it.

Seojun smoothed out a wrinkled map, guiding Johan, who for some reason was suddenly fixated on his cholesterol levels. He was surprised the map had even survived the night’s earlier pandemonium.

“Any clue where that gunshot came from?” Seojun asked, trying to shift the focus back to their predicament.

Johan’s neatly trimmed fingernail landed on Zone C of the map. “Not sure, but maybe around here?”

Seojun nodded, his expression serious. “Sounds about right.”

They probably had the general location right. He guessed that Gas Mask had hidden on the opposite side of Zone C because of the gunshot.

As Seojun scrutinized the map, a mark caught his eye.

Bobby’s mark… right where Gas Mask disappeared into the swamp.

The memory of Bobby’s screeching voice claiming Hannah had chatted with aliens made Seojun snort. What a night this was turning out to be. With a flicker of unease, he folded the map back up. All he could do for Bobby now was hope the guy’s spirit was at peace.

“Let’s head to the old dormitory. It’s the highest point around here. We’ll have a clear view of everything from there,” Seojun suggested, already thinking ahead.

Johan didn’t immediately agree, concern flickering in his eyes. “To the place where you got attacked? You sure that’s wise?”

With such strong muscles, why was he so anxious? Seojun patted Johan’s chest reassuringly.

“Look, if Gas Mask is the only one with a crossbow, then the old dorm might actually be safe for now.”

“Hmm…” Johan thought about it, but couldn’t come up with a better plan.

In the end, they headed towards the old dormitory, but Johan suggested a different approach.

“Let’s go through the bushes?” he proposed. “Yeah. Based on what you said, you were more startled because there was no cover when you were attacked. You didn’t even have time to look around.”

“That’s true.” Seojun nodded. That made sense.

He remembered bolting like a scared rabbit last time, not even taking in the gloomy scenery of the old dorm until later. When he first arrived here, he was practically on its doorstep, panting and dizzy.

“Given the building’s structure, if we’re right under the building, it’s gonna be tough for anyone to hit us with a crossbow from there. The best scenario would be if there’s no other crossbowman besides Gas Mask,” Johan analyzed.

“……”

Seojun didn’t like thinking about it, but Johan had a point. They had no clue how Gas Mask got his hands on the crossbow, and the idea of there being another archer out there was not comforting.

“So you’re suggesting we move through the bushes instead of the main path?” Seojun confirmed.

“Yeah, without the lantern’s light, we’ll be harder to target in this darkness,” Johan said confidently.

“True… The arrow that was shot at me was way off, even at close range,” Seojun remembered, still surprised by the lousy aim. He locked eyes with Johan and licked his lips, a little nervous but ready.

“Alright, let’s move stealthily.”

“Uh…” For a moment, Johan couldn’t take his eyes off Seojun’s moistened lips.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Navigating through the bushes proved more challenging than anticipated. The lack of a proper path made walking difficult, and without the lantern, determining the right direction was a challenge. They couldn’t risk turning on the light for fear of an ambush.

Thankfully, Johan took the lead, with Seojun doing his best to keep pace.

“Hey, Johan, are you sure we’re not lost?”

“Us?” Johan chuckled. “That sounds sweet.”

Seojun rolled his eyes. “I think it’s because you don’t eat sugar. Maybe you should try a diet that’s not just protein shakes and egg whites. How about some good old carbs and sugar?”

“That kind of lifestyle is an enemy to muscles, Jun. And don’t worry, we’re on track.”

Seojun just hoped Johan had some secret sense of direction.

After a bit, Johan broke the silence. “Hey, keep licking your lips like that and they’ll end up chapped.”

Seojun gave a small, distracted nod. “Uh, huh? Yeah, I guess so.”

“Guess so, huh?”

Johan’s hand drifted to his ear, rubbing it unconsciously as a flush spread across his cheeks. Once he’d cooled down a bit, he added in a softer tone, “If they start to hurt later, just let me know, alright?”

It was an odd thing to say, all things considered. Seojun felt a weird mix of tension and calm. They weren’t safe, not really, but his heart wasn’t pounding out of his chest either.

Then they saw the old dorm looming up ahead. Seojun grabbed Johan’s arm.

“Stop, there’s a swamp ahead. I almost fell in before. Let’s go around,” he warned.

At Seojun’s words, Johan scratched his cheek. He turned and stretched his shoulders, trying to shake off the tension.

“Swamps everywhere here, so it’s dangerous… Jun, get down,” Johan whispered suddenly, pushing Seojun to the ground.

Seojun’s heart skipped a beat, remembering his last injury, but Johan was careful, shielding the sore spot. They stayed still, barely breathing, eyes fixed forward.

Heavy boots thudded closer. Seojun’s hand flew to his mouth to stifle a gasp. Johan’s grip on his skewer tightened, his knuckles white. It wasn’t long before the dark forest gave way to the sight of a white-gloved hand.

Then a voice cut through the silence, rough and unfamiliar. It wasn’t William or Bobby.

“Who’s out there?” the voice demanded.

The man stepped back when he saw Johan and Seojun, the moonlight casting his shadow. He was decked out in military gear, his hat pulled low, hiding most of his face except for the skin, which was red and blistered like a terrible sunburn.

But he didn’t seem hurt, moving easily. He locked eyes with Johan, his voice tense.

“What are you doing here? Don’t try anything stupid.”

“..…..”

Seojun leaned in, keeping his voice low. “You think he’s the caretaker?”

Johan shook his head. “No. He looks different.”

Seojun felt a bit more relaxed as the man didn’t seem hostile. He ventured a question, “So, who are you, and what brings you here?”

Flipping the question back at them, the soldier eyed the barbecue skewer in Johan’s hand. “I should be asking you that. Why are you waving that thing around?”

“Well…”

The question was so ordinary that Seojun was momentarily caught off guard. It was an odd situation, threatening a soldier with a barbecue skewer.

Before he could fumble for an answer, Johan stepped in, glancing at the soldier’s belt. “We heard gunshots. We’re just camping, you know, like normal people do here.”

“Oh, right. This is a campsite,” the soldier said, almost as if he’d forgotten, and shrugged. “Didn’t mean to scare you. We’re chasing down a beast we were transporting. It got loose, and it’s not exactly friendly, so we need to catch it quickly.”

“Transporting?” Seojun repeated, puzzled.

“Yeah, should’ve had it under control by now, but you know how it is. The grunts always get the short end of the stick,” the soldier said with a wry laugh.

Seojun’s mind raced. He said “we”, right? If there were soldiers around, especially more than one, they could probably take on Gas Mask. And a gun would definitely trump a crossbow.

To Seojun’s amazement, the soldier pulled out a walkie-talkie.

“Copy? Come in. Respond.”

In a campsite where cell phones were dead and the landline was cut, this soldier with a walkie-talkie seemed like a godsend. Seojun felt a flicker of hope and edged closer.

But as he neared, the air grew thick with a stench so potent it clawed at his nostrils, a stink of decay and death that seemed to seep from the very ground beneath their feet. It was a smell he’d encountered before, a foul, lingering scent that brought back memories of dark water and unseen horrors lurking just below the surface.

“Headquarters, respond,” the soldier intoned, his voice a monotone that seemed to echo from a great distance.

What was this ominous feeling? A chill crept down Seojun’s spine as he inched closer, the moon breaking through the canopy of trees to cast an ethereal glow on the scene. The light fell upon the soldier’s hand, revealing the walkie-talkie’s true condition.

It was horribly corroded, rendering it useless. The soldier’s lips, moving against the decayed device, were covered in lesions and raw, red wounds that now seemed more like acid burns.

Seojun froze in his tracks, and Johan urgently pulled him back.

—

1964, Red Lake Campsite.

The public remained oblivious to the truth behind Hannah O. Lantern’s alleged communication with the universe at the site of the horrific incident.

But the government knew.