Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#038Reader Mode

#038

“….Beware the damp, many-legged creature that emerges from the spot where a pig narrowly escaped death. In that instance, hurl a yellow fruit.”

Christina remembered Seojun’s ominous warning from the convenience store clearly. However, she resisted the urge to bombard Seojun with questions, choosing instead to propose a rather bold plan.

“Didn’t you say the main gate was locked? What if we just ram through it with the car? Johan, do you think the bars looked strong enough to stop us?”

“Well, it might damage the bumper, but it could work. By the way, does anyone have the car keys? I know I don’t.”

Johan flexed his hands a few times, surveying his group of friends. Seojun, who hadn’t come by car, was the exception. The rest seemed uneasy. Christina turned to Airi first.

“Airi, wasn’t our last trip to the car when we grabbed stuff for the barbecue?”

Airi shot a glance at William as she carefully chose her words.

“Yeah, that’s right. We needed skewers. I got held up chatting with Bobby and the caretaker, while Willy went ahead to the car. Bobby followed you guys shortly after.”

She wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering at the creepy thought of how close they had been to the killer. William nodded, confirming her story.

“Yeah, I remember. I was busy helping Johan with the gear. Glad you’re safe, Airi.”

William’s voice trailed off, his expression darkening with unresolved thoughts. Johan quickly patted down his pockets, finding them empty, unlike his thigh area. He spoke up, sounding resigned.

“Seojun, I was really hoping Bobby didn’t have the car keys.”

A heavy silence fell at the reminder of Bobby’s absence. William bowed his head, lost in thought.

“He insisted on locking the car, even though he claimed he couldn’t drive,” William muttered bitterly. He should’ve twisted Bobby’s fingers backward for that. And Seojun? Well, he was pretty set on helping William torture Bobby.

Why was Bobby so adamant about locking the car, especially when he didn’t drive? Was he secretly a minion of Death? Maybe he was in cahoots with Gas Mask or that alien Monster X. As these thoughts swirled, Airi spoke up softly.

“Wait, Bobby?”

“Oh, Airi, don’t get too upset about it. He’s already dead.” Christina quickly tried to comfort her friend, but reflected in her beautiful eyes wasn’t a face reddened with anger.

“Yes, it’s Bobby. Tina, the answer has always been Bobby!” Airi’s eyes lit up with realization. She whirled around, fixing a piercing gaze on Seojun who almost shrank back from the intensity.

“Bobby said the chef would give us juice that tasted like a dirty rag!” Airi gasped, pointing at Gas Mask now resembling a mangled fish on barbed wire.

“But why bring that up now, Airi?” Christina asked.

“No, just listen, Tina. Bobby said that because of what he overheard the caretaker say about tomorrow’s breakfast menu!” Airi explained eagerly. “That lunatic in the mask, hiding his evil plans, said ‘Well, nothing fancy, just lemonade and bread with butter and jam, bacon and fried eggs. Can’t guarantee the taste, but I can promise it’ll be fresh. Freshly squeezed, after all.’”

Airi’s impersonation of the caretaker was so spot on that Seojun, who had never even heard the man, could almost hear a gravelly, middle-aged voice in his head…

Focus on what’s happening now, Seojun.

The specifics of Gas Mask’s voice weren’t the pressing issue here. It was Airi’s eye-opening clue that mattered. Of course, the key ingredient for lemonade was lemons!

Seojun’s mind raced back to the narrow, dark restaurant he had dashed through when first arriving at the campsite. He hadn’t looked around properly then in his rush. But that restaurant might hold the key to beating the monster.

Scenes from the old black and white movie he had initially dismissed as useless flickered through his mind, like the cheerleader and jock flirting in the restaurant.

Despite the movie being a total disaster, there were fragments worth salvaging. If his memory served him right, there had been enough lemons there for a meal meant for five.

A surge of adrenaline warmed Seojun’s face, sending his heart racing with newfound hope.

“But should we really trust what he said, especially after he turned out to be a serial killer?” Christina pointed out skeptically. She massaged her temples, warily watching the monster’s movements with gloomy eyes.

“We have to consider the possibility that he might’ve lied. The restaurant’s too bare-bones to hide much. Even if lemons are there, we’ve got no weapons to fight with. Confronting it head-on is too dangerous. We should just run while we can.”

Christina’s words were all valid. But Seojun found himself unable to agree. In his eyes, the teenage girl, overwhelmed by the terror around them, was their last hope.

“No, Christina. There’s another way…”

Surprisingly, his brain, refusing to accept Christina’s suggestion of giving up, was working better than usual. Ideas tumbled out of his mouth, a stream of thoughts that outpaced his own reasoning.

“Running away is not what we need to do right now.”

His eyes then landed on the broken lighter, and like puzzle pieces clicking into place, a daring plan emerged.

“So what do we do?” Christina questioned.

Seojun looked at the weary survivors’ faces, then dropped a bombshell.

“Arson.”

“Arson? Seriously?” Airi looked at Seojun incredulously, expecting panic or desperation in this relatively new friend’s eyes. Instead, his eyes shone with unusual clarity and resolve, unlike his usual unfocused gaze.

Seojun recalled the strong smell of gasoline, though he hadn’t grabbed a can at the guardhouse. But he had an idea.

“You’re thinking of starting a fire? Are you crazy? Arson is no laughing matter.”

“Your drug use, assault, and theft weren’t jokes either.”

Golden, having slunk over unnoticed, chimed in with disdain. Seojun waved him off dismissively, as if to shoo away a fly. Golden’s moral high ground would have been more convincing if he wasn’t a drug user himself. Seojun, growing more impatient by the second, pressed on.

“Do you really think we can cook something that big into calamari without anything flammable?”

“Grilled calamari…my youngest uncle always said magic starts in the kitchen.”

“Magic?” William spoke softly, having stayed quiet until now. Seojun nodded eagerly.

“I know how to make Molotov cocktails. I’m pretty sure about their firepower.”

“If it’s a Molotov cocktail…” Christina mulled it over, then, with a deep breath and a twitch of her freckled cheek, she said, “That… that might actually work.”

“But Tina, what if the Molotovs don’t cut it? Dousing it in lemonade for a surprise attack is one thing, but that thing looks too soggy and water-loving.” Airi worried, nervously stroking her arm. Her doubt made sense; they all remembered Monster X emerging from the lake.

Seojun reached out and gripped Johan’s nape, trying not to focus on Johan’s cheeks, which flushed under his touch. The dark red bloodstains on his skin resembled delicate rose petals – an odd sight that didn’t fit the dire situation.

“We need to lure it out, so-”

“You’re thinking of the bonfire site.” Johan added quietly, his usually strong voice now subdued. “There’s a ton of firewood there, and it’s the perfect spot if we’re planning to start a fire.”

As Johan looked around at his friends, a sense of trust and security sprouted in everyone, an effect Seojun hadn’t managed to achieve earlier. Despite Johan’s questionable actions of handing over a person or two to the monster and the serial killer, his presence and well-cultivated reputation still commanded respect.

“Okay, we’ve got a plan. Let’s make it snappy. We’ll need time to gather lemons, make those cocktails, and get out of here before the monster finishes eating that guy.” Airi whispered quickly, helping William lean on her shoulder. She seemed to have recovered considerably from her knee pain, standing upright and ready to sprint to the dining hall at any moment.

Seojun let go of Johan’s neck and quickly grabbed Airi’s wrist. William’s thick eyebrows rose fiercely, but there was no time to soothe his delicate sensibilities.

“No, sticking together is more dangerous. We need to split into two groups.”

“Split up? But…” Airi fretted.

“That’s right. We’ll use a classic distraction strategy. One team hits the dining hall for lemons and Molotov cocktails, the other lures the monster to the bonfire area. Christina, Airi, you’re on team dining hall.” Seojun explained urgently, his voice filled with a growing fervor, his eyes burning with determination.

Christina gently covered his mouth, her lukewarm touch silencing him. She looked him straight in the eye. “No, Seojun, luring it is way too risky. That’s pretty much just turning ourselves into bait.”

The ‘protagonist’ was not a fool. She quickly saw the holes in Seojun’s plan. Honestly, Seojun wanted to join the dining hall team more than anyone else. Reluctantly, he pushed away her compassionate hand, his heart silently screaming in protest.

“Christina, that monster has an incredible sense of smell. Well, maybe it doesn’t smell exactly, but something similar. That thing tracks blood pretty damn well.”

Johan and William, both bleeding, along with an equally roughed-up Seojun, weren’t ideal for a stealth mission. But Christina and Airi had only minor injuries, not bleeding like the others.

William remained quiet but nodded agreeably, clearly relieved that Airi wouldn’t be bait. But not everyone was happy with the plan. Johan’s hand shot out, gripping Seojun’s arm tightly.

“What are you thinking, Seojun? If we’re splitting up, you should be with the dining hall team. Just cleaning up the blood around your wounds should be enough.”

Seojun shook his head with a click of his tongue, dismissing Johan’s concern with a flick of his bloodied hand. “Using ourselves as bait won’t work if we spread ourselves too thin.”

Of course, Johan wasn’t one to back down easily. He clung to Seojun’s slender wrist even tighter.

“You’re the one who knows how to make Molotov cocktails. It makes more sense for you to be in the dining hall making them.”

“Johan. We’re running out of time and we can’t afford to argue over this.” Seojun insisted. “Molotovs aren’t complicated to make, right Christina?”

Caught off guard by her sudden involvement, Christina glanced around at the others, then straightened up confidently, her lips, normally a lively pink, now a pale shadow in the moonlight.

“I guess pleading not to rely on me too much is just being childish in this situation…if we’re missing something, I’ll improvise and make do. Even if it’s different, I understand the structure.”

The youngest and most introverted girl, burdened with responsibility, was stepping up. Seojun, watching her, voiced his confidence, “You’ve got this.”

“But why are you so sure about this?” Johan’s furrowed brow showed his concern.

Seojun replied without hesitation.

“Because it’s Christina’s destiny to succeed.”