Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

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3. Oh, the Lantern!

“Hannah O’Lantern?”

Seojun’s mind immediately jumped to the image of a carved pumpkin. Isn’t it usually Jack O’Lantern? he thought, amused by the odd name. Lost in his absurd thoughts, Christina, noticing his puzzled look, stepped closer and stroked her slender chin thoughtfully before asking,

“You’ve never heard of Hannah O’Lantern, have you, Seojun?”

“Well, that’s not surprising for someone who’s not local…”

“Shut up, Bobby.”

Bobby, who had been smirking, quickly shut his mouth. Christina resumed, her tone serious.

“Hannah O’Lantern was involved in a mass suicide at this campsite years ago. She claimed there were aliens. The dark tales surrounding this Hamon campsite began after her incident.”

“She really communicated with beings from another world!”

Bobby’s attempt to defend Hannah was short-lived. As he clicked his teeth in frustration, sounding like a woodpecker on a mission, Johan couldn’t help but chuckle. Seojun, resting on Johan’s shoulder, felt the gentle vibrations from his laughter. It was a strange feeling.

While Seojun leaned on him, Johan wrapped his arm around his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

“It’s okay if you haven’t heard of it, Jun. The Hannah O’Lantern incident happened way before our time, and it’s not something our parents would like to talk about. Bobby thinks it’s some legendary tale from Wraithwood Warren, but most people prefer to keep it hush-hush.”

“And what came out of it? Just a heavily edited essay based on her notes was published. It hardly represents her true thoughts.”

Airi, eyeing the axe propped up against the bed’s leg, grabbed William’s arm for him to join in. She interlocked fingers with William, who nodded with a stern attitude.

“Hmm. I’m in the dark here too. First I’ve heard of it.”

“Willy’s not from here, just like Seojun. If you’re not a local, you wouldn’t know anything about it. Bobby only stumbled upon Hannah’s real story while digging up trivia for that drama. Wasn’t the character’s name Anna in the series?”

At the playful words thrown by Airi, Bobby’s cheeks turned red.

“Again, it’s great that the rebooted drama’s a hit now….”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. The original couldn’t even cover the production costs. But the only legit thing Hannah left behind was a shooting trophy, not the weird magazines or books you worship, Bobby. Now, Seojun, about that gas mask guy…”

Airi quickly lost interest in her conversation with Bobby. Instead, she focused on the bloody axe and the situation Seojun had explained.

“Could it be just some elaborate makeup? Maybe even a fake knife? I mean, come on, it’s Independence Memorial Day! Classic horror movie setup, especially with this campsite’s eerie reputation. Right, Tina?”

Christina, who was leaning against the window, nodded in agreement.

“Airi might be onto something. Seojun, I’m not accusing you of lying, but are you sure those injuries were caused by this ‘Gas Mask’ guy?”

“That’s…”

Seojun, who had straightened up to defend himself, slouched back down again. It was true; his shoulder injury was from colliding with a metal plate during his escape, and the other bruises were from various falls and collisions.

Well, it couldn’t be helped. If the Hamon knife had stabbed him even once, Seojun wouldn’t have been able to escape.

“…..”

Feeling cornered, Seojun’s frustration mounted. How could he convey the reality of being in a horror movie setting with Gas Mask lurking around? How could he even begin to explain? And without knowing the exact location of the Hamon production site, the primary evidence of the serial killer’s crimes, how could he make his case?

Seojun wasn’t one to overestimate his ability to articulate. He wasn’t trying to convince anyone.

“Jun, let it go.”

Johan’s hand wrapped around Seojun’s slender wrist, holding it firmly.

“Uh…”

Suddenly, Seojun noticed their thumbnails touching. An old childhood habit he thought he’d outgrown resurfaced, making him feel self-conscious. Embarrassed, he subtly adjusted his thumb and looked away to stare at the floor.

Even while conversing, the looming threat of Gas Mask and the man-eating monster steadily grew closer. Perhaps noticing Seojun’s gloomy demeanor, Airi tried to reassure him.

“Sometimes, people get too wrapped up in cartoon or movie characters. It could have been something like that. A real-life serial killer here? Please, like that’s a thing.”

But it is…

Seojun focused on the footprints on the bedding, trying to motivate himself. At least someone was listening. It was comforting to have a rational conversation with understanding people.

Hoping to explain himself better, he began,

“It wasn’t just the guy in the gas mask. You know the mountain lodge out back? I was ambushed by someone with a crossbow.”

“A crossbow?”

The hand that had been gently holding his wrist flinched. Johan turned Seojun to face him. The sudden movement made Seojun wince. It felt like he was paying the price for his lack of physical exercise all at once. He mentally blamed everyone but himself for his lack of endurance, and Johan’s imposing size didn’t help either. The space beside him already felt crowded.

Hearing the mattress creak, he fidgeted with his thumbnail. His emotions were obvious to anyone watching. But Johan’s concern was unwarranted. After all, they weren’t that close. Were they?

Long-time acquaintances. That was the most accurate name for their relationship, at least in Seojun’s eyes. Johan’s inexplicable display of care for him made Seojun uncomfortable. He stared intently at his thumbnail and swallowed.

“It wasn’t Gas Mask. I managed to threaten that guy with an axe and run away. Whether the attacker with the crossbow intended to kill me… well, thinking about it now, I’m not so sure. He was close enough that he shouldn’t have missed.”

“The mountain lodge? You mean the old three-story building? That’s an old dormitory, not a lodge. Everyone calls it that. But a crossbow…”

Christina paused, a sudden thought dawning on her.

“Wait, could it be Goldie? You know, Golden, Richard, Brass. That trio.”

“Golden?”

Seojun was puzzled. Why were they discussing the Gold-Silver-Bronze trio? Christina pointed towards Johan with a flick of her short, manicured nail.

“Johan mentioned seeing them earlier.”

“Golden…”

Johan murmured without blinking his blue eyes. Soon after, he smiled broadly and told Seojun,

“Yeah, I spotted him. He was hanging around the lake.”

“Golden was here at the Hamon campsite?”

“…..”

Surprised, Seojun’s mind raced back to the trashed convenience store. He had wondered why they came to a location with nothing but the Hamon campsite. The answer was clear now: the Gold-Silver-Bronze gang was on their way to the Hamon campsite.

Taking a deep breath, Seojun shared his earlier encounter.

“Come to think of it, they did drop by the store. After you all left, they threw milk everywhere and caused a ruckus…”

“So, it was Brass who messed with my clothes? Oh my God, that’s just gross!”

As Airi shuddered in disgust, William quickly wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her. Seojun, feeling out of the loop, just blinked in confusion. He desperately needed some salt and soy sauce today for clarity.

“Why the milk, though?”

Bobby mumbled, sounding genuinely upset. Of course, in the small cabin, anyone with ears could hear him. Seojun, wanting to extinguish the last glimmer of hope in Bobby’s eyes, kindly said,

“That milk, if I remember correctly, was definitely Pound Milk.”

Seeing Bobby’s face darken, Seojun felt a surge of energy. He sat up straighter, distancing himself from Johan.

“It’s more comfortable this way.”

Johan muttered, sounding a bit deflated. But Seojun felt it was time to assert himself. After all, a true prophet stands on his own.

“The milk isn’t our main concern. Right now, we’ve got someone in this campsite using a crossbow to shoot at people, and either a real killer or a lunatic who believes he’s one.”

“And don’t forget the axe-wielding maniac with weird superpowers!”

Seojun didn’t need to look to know it was Bobby mocking him. He subtly pointed to the axe, and Bobby visibly shrank back like a cornered rat.

Airi, watching Bobby’s pathetic reaction, murmured,

“You know, I bet it was Brass with that crossbow. I’ve run into him at the shooting range a couple of times before. Out of the three, he’s the one who knows his way around weapons…”

She chewed thoughtfully on her lip.

“Ugh, this is driving me nuts! Tina, what if those goons brought binoculars with them?”

“If they did,” Christina replied with a smirk, “I’d introduce them to our barbecue tongs from last night. Right to their shiny heads.”

“That’s… oddly comforting.”

T/N: Johan is already a little sticky, isn’t he? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)