Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#029Reader Mode

#029

Seojun wasn’t going to get his hopes up. It was clear that a telephone would be at the convenience store, but it was a wired one, not mobile, and obviously, it wouldn’t work from afar. Seojun watched nervously as Golden fished something long out of his pocket.

But what Golden produced next was beyond anyone’s expectations. It was a banana, still in its plastic wrap, the kind you’d casually pick up inside a store. The room fell into a stunned silence.

“…….”

Even Christina looked at Golden like he was crazy. She tilted her head, as she reconsidered everything he’d said so far. William, propping himself up with effort, couldn’t hide his incredulity as he bluntly asked,

“Golden, does that look like a phone to you?”

“Huh? Oh… This can’t be.”

Golden, clearly flustered, emptied his pocket. But after pulling out the banana, all that came out afterward was just dust. Watching this, Seojun decided firmly,

Never trust a junkie.

He promised himself never to hope for anything when a drug addict was involved. Ever.

In the eerily quiet dorm, where only the soldier’s labored breathing could be heard sporadically, Golden’s eyes went wild as he realized the harshness of the stares around him. He threw the banana on the ground in frustration.

“What’s with this gas mask stuff? I didn’t plan on running into you guys in the first place. And who’s this maniac you’re talking about?”

Golden’s confusion was understandable. He had lost a friend to an unknown monster, but never encountered a serial killer.

Seojun was at a loss. How could he possibly explain the convoluted situation involving monsters, soldiers, a serial killer, and the abducted Brass and Bobby to Golden, who was barely sober? It was all too much. Airi voiced his frustration,

“This is crazy. What do we do now? If we hadn’t seen that monster ourselves, we’d think these bastards were just high!”

Airi chewed on her nails, clearly on edge, while Christina, more composed, attempted to clarify the situation for Golden.

“Golden, listen. There’s someone here in a gas mask, and there’s the monster you mentioned. Johan and Seojun saw him… Bobby was taken by this guy. And if Gas Mask has Brass’s crossbow, Brass might be in trouble too.”

“Gas Mask?”

Golden’s lips twisted in disbelief, scanning the room. Everyone looked dead serious. No one laughed it off, dashing any hope that it was a joke. He let out a laugh, a blend of disbelief and sarcasm.

“Really, Christina Toolbox? You expect me to buy this?”

Seojun, still worn out, replied to Golden’s aggressive question with a raspy voice.

“We listened to your wild story, didn’t we?”

Golden’s eyes flickered with annoyance. Seojun was protective of Christina’s sanity; he couldn’t let some drug-addled guy mess with her head. He could overlook the usual insults and beatings, but not this. Golden might have been a hothead from the countryside, but he was no killer.

But here in this twisted world where the Hamon campsite was located, where even the most sinister aspects of life thrived, Seojun knew they couldn’t let despair take hold. If Christina lost hope, they were all doomed.

Seojun’s voice grew firmer.

“Look, there’s a tentacled monster sucking people dry, and a soldier who dumped it in Hamon’s lake. Why is a serial killer so hard to believe?”

Golden’s eyes sparked with anger, and he made a move towards Seojun, only to be intercepted by Johan’s quick intervention.

“Back off, Johan.”

“A hot-headed junkie is the last thing we need. Think with some sense, Golden.”

Golden tried to shove Johan away, but to no avail. Frustrated, he pointed accusingly at Seojun.

“I can’t trust a word you say, Fortune-teller! How can I believe anything from a known liar?”

“Liar?” Seojun’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing Golden.

Unexpectedly, Golden raised his chin confidently and blurted out a story nobody asked for.

“You told me my bike was buried under the sixth oak tree near the butcher’s shop. I was a fool to believe you and dig there. Got a scar from Bren’s punch because of you!” Golden spat out.

“Oh, so that’s my fault?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, I’ve come to really hate liars.”

“…….”

Seojun recalled his past, a time when his unfiltered premonitions led to strange hallucinations. It was crazy to think his long history of Golden tormenting him started over a bike, not just Bren’s punch. And his predictions, while odd and hard to understand, weren’t wrong. Seojun concluded internally.

You probably just dug in the wrong place, bastard.

Seojun tried to keep his cool despite the rising frustration and anger. With Bobby missing, having Golden around, even in his current state, was better than nothing. He redirected the conversation to their current predicament.

“Which year was that bike of yours from? If it’s as old as you say, the seat’s probably rotted away by now. Let’s leave the past behind and just focus on escaping. How do we get out of here?”

Johan, puzzled by Seojun’s line of questioning, chimed in.

“Jun, what are you thinking about? We can leave the same way Golden came in. Sure, it might be a bit of a hassle, but once we reach the convenience store, we can call for help, right?”

Christina immediately objected to Johan’s plan.

“Johan, are you serious?” she asked, her voice quivering.

Seojun noticed Christina’s complexion, already pale, turn ghostly. Her voice shook as she brought up Bobby.

“W-what about Bobby? What if… what if he dies while we’re trying to escape?”

“Oh? Oh, right, Bobby.” Johan’s response was delayed as if he had briefly forgotten about him. He quickly regained his composure and tried to reassure Christina in a calm, mature tone.

“Christina, think about it. What chance do we stand against a serial killer and a monster in this place? Look at us – we’re hardly in any shape to fight.”

It was a bit rich coming from Johan, considering he had single-handedly wounded the monster, briefly overpowered Gas Mask, and even stabbed the soldier, all without a moment’s hesitation.

Seojun observed the group, each face reflecting Johan’s grave assessment of their condition.

Since arriving at the campsite, Seojun had been beaten up and injured. Airi was nursing a hurt waist and knees from the monster attack, William had been brutally beaten by the soldier, and Golden’s mental state… was questionable due to his drug use. Even Christina was clearly exhausted, the fatigue evident in her slumped posture.

In truth, nobody here really wanted to risk their neck for Bobby. An awkward silence followed this realization.

As much as they wanted to help, wandering around Hamon campsite to rescue Bobby was risky. But was it right to just run away?

Christina had never considered herself brave. She had never thrown a punch, nor was she particularly eloquent. She couldn’t reason with a murderous man in a gas mask or a monster that didn’t understand words. All she knew was how to scream – a skill she’d picked up from her grandmother. But what good was screaming in a situation like this?

“Ugh….”

The soldier’s groan, full of pain, broke the silence. Christina, who had been considering Johan’s words, suddenly snapped back to reality. She gazed down at the soldier squirming in agony. His eyes were half-closed, and his limbs hung weakly. But Christina wasn’t looking at him out of sympathy. Her eyes were fixed on something else entirely.

She pointed to the gun lying a short distance from the soldier.

“Johan, we have a gun now. If the guy in the gas mask is just a regular person, not some superhero, he might be scared off by a gun.”

“Hmm,” Johan mused, turning his attention to the weapon Christina was pointing at. He walked over, scooped up the gun with ease, and strolled back to the group.

Golden, who had been watching eagerly, blurted out, “Hey, Johan, is that gun real? It could be our ticket out of here…”

Johan just shrugged nonchalantly in response.

Airi looked on, a glum expression on her face. She kicked at the ground, causing the floorboards to creak.

“Don’t get too excited. That’s the same gun that hurt Willy.”

Airi, still resentful of the gun that injured William, kept her distance from Johan. Christina, however, stepped closer to Johan and cautiously suggested,

“So, we’re not completely defenseless, right? We could use it to intimidate him?”

Johan, weighing the gun in his hand, looked at Christina and asked, “So, Christina, you’re suggesting if we run into Gas Mask while searching for Bobby, we should just shoot him?”

“No, no! I don’t mean we should go looking for a fight. He might have crossbows or other weapons we don’t know about. But maybe we can use it to rescue Bobby or negotiate?”

Christina hesitantly touched the gun’s barrel, shivering at the cold metal. Seojun, standing nearby, was struck by her courage. The thought of her facing off against Gas Mask and the monstrous creature X was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

Although Christina was actually suggesting that they should try to rescue their friend rather than fleeing, Seojun’s ears were determined to hear only what they wanted.

Trying to shift the plan away from rescue, Johan, with his brows knitted in concern, surveyed the group and asked, “But does anyone here even know how to handle a gun?”

“…….”

“…….”

Silence fell over the group. Then, quietly, Seojun raised his hand. In his past life, he had been a soldier, having completed his mandatory military service in Korea.

Johan acknowledged this with a nod.

“See, look at this. There’s no one.”