Johan’s voice was calm and upbeat. He met Seojun’s gaze with ease, idly tapping the monkey wrench against his shoulder like he had all the time in the world. That laid-back confidence—so effortless, so grounded—made something shift in Seojun’s chest.
Lilies.
The scent reached him just after the voice. Thick, cloying, and so overpoweringly sweet it made his head pound.
The mystery key felt like it was searing a hole through his pocket, but whatever door it opened would have to wait. Right now, survival meant one thing—staying the hell away from the Nurse.
The batteries worked. Of course they did. The universe had perfect timing—cruel, comedic timing.
"Hi! I'm Sally! Nice to meet you!"
The doll's voice spoke again, bright and loud. Like it was getting payback for being stepped on. Sweet revenge on repeat.
The sound hit like a jump scare. A sudden, jarring shift, like the drop in a horror movie score right before the gore starts. The ringing in his ears flared like a siren. Maybe it wasn’t technically a demon hunting them, but when the monster chasing you wore nurse’s scrubs, the semantics didn’t matter.
Seojun could hardly believe what he was hearing, but Levi didn’t even blink. Her violent suggestion came without hesitation, cool and matter-of-fact, like she was suggesting something as mundane as tossing out the trash.
Levi grimaced and patted the pocket where she’d tucked her collapsible baton.
“If I had a gun, do you think I’d be sneaking around like this?”
“Oh, Califor—uh, I mean, Levi,” McCullan said, spotting what he clearly thought was his chance. He reached for her hands. “Your delicate hands shouldn’t have to—”
Seojun’s first instinct was to freeze. For a split second, he thought Nurse Samantha had found them. But no, the footsteps had been completely silent. That ruled her out. With those blade-like limbs, she scraped against every surface like nails on glass.
It wasn’t just a sneeze. It was a full-body, wet achoo that exploded out of McCullan, spraying droplets in every direction.
The sound lasted less than a second, but for Seojun, it stretched into a slow-motion nightmare. Long enough for him to mentally compose at least a dozen creative ways to kill the man.
The joke fell flat. Dead silence followed.
Seojun risked a glance over his shoulder, his flashlight trembling in his hand. The beam jittered across a row of pale, horrified faces. The others stared past him—eyes wide, mouths hanging open, frozen like statues in the dark.
Brown exhaled slowly through his teeth. Of course that wire wouldn’t have held anything heavier than a scarecrow.
"...Mina!"
A sharp, breathless laugh broke the silence. Then another. And suddenly the whole room was echoing with nervous, half-hysterical cackling.
Nobody said anything at first. They just looked at each other, trying to figure out what they were seeing. The stains were scattered across the floor—not everywhere, but definitely enough to notice.