Eleven o'clock at night.
The rain gradually subsided.
Cold droplets slid down the weathered eaves, dripping into a puddle below with a crisp, rhythmic sound.
Across the entire campground, that steady patter was the only noise.
It was as if the place had fallen into a dead silence.
Not even a single insect chirped.
A hoarse rumble sounded in the distance as blinding headlights drew closer, cutting through the darkness of the camp.
The Rustbucket slowed to a stop in front of the mess hall.
Dim yellow beams washed over the gray-white walls, where patches of revolting mold had spread. Purple and crimson streaks crawled across the surface like the claws of some demon from hell, raking the entire wall.
Little Gilbert was still unconscious as everyone climbed out and headed inside.
Grandpa Max walked in front, sweeping his gaze through the darkness. His brow tightened.
Strange. The camp should have been brightly lit at this hour. Why was it so silent?
It felt like they had stepped into another world.
"Forget it. Let's go in and take a look."
Just as Grandpa Max reached for the door, a hand pressed down firmly on his shoulder.
He turned instinctively.
Crack!
Lightning split the sky, briefly illuminating the aged face before him.
Lucian's expression was calm as he met Grandpa Max's startled gaze. "Grandfather, let me go first. If there's any danger inside, I can handle it right away."
Grandpa Max's face grew serious, but he nodded.
Among everyone present, Lucian was the strongest. Having him take the lead was the safest choice.
"Everyone ready?" Lucian asked quietly.
The others nodded, unconsciously clenching their fists.
The dark doorway before them felt like a gaping mouth. No one knew what might rush out of it, and that uncertainty alone was enough to make their hearts pound.
Seeing that they were prepared, Lucian took a slow breath and pushed the door open.
Creak—
The tightly shut doors swung wide.
A cold, eerie gust rushed out, sweeping over them and raising goosebumps on every inch of skin.
Inside the dining hall, it was pitch-black. They couldn't even see their own hands.
In those dense shadows, it felt as though some evil spirit might be lurking, its lifeless eyes fixed unblinkingly on them.
The more she imagined it, the more frightened Gwen became. Her body trembled slightly, her face pale.
"Maybe… maybe we should leave. This place is too scary. It's completely dark. We can't see anything."
Ben sniffed and rubbed his nose. "It's freezing. What's with the weather tonight…"
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Lucian's voice sounded beside them.
Hearing that familiar tone, both of them paused. A strange sense of reassurance settled in. As long as their Cuz was here, it felt like nothing in the world could really scare them.
Click.
Grandpa Max felt along the wall and flipped on the lights.
At last, the scene inside came into view.
A mess. Total chaos.
Food was scattered across the tables. Some plates had been flipped over, others knocked onto the floor. There were even bits splattered against the walls, staining the once-clean white surface.
Wooden tables and chairs lay overturned in every direction, sprawled across the cold floor as if frozen mid-collapse.
Through the spilled soup and food on the ground, countless footprints could be seen—overlapping and uneven. It was clear the people here had fled in a hurry, as though they had seen something truly terrifying.
Grandpa Max stepped forward and placed his wrinkled hand on a piece of mushroom sushi.
"It's still warm. They can't have left long ago."
"They must have seen something…" Gwen muttered, her eyes darting nervously around the room.
"Relax. With Cuz and me here, no freak stands a chance!"
Ben flashed a grin and climbed onto a chair, immediately digging into the food on the table.
Good kids don't waste food.
Firmly believing that wasting food was shameful, Ben felt absolutely justified. In fact, he was brimming with righteous confidence as he began polishing off the untouched dishes at lightning speed.
Boom!
A brilliant bolt of lightning tore across the sky, ripping open the silent night.
Purple light poured through the thin windows, flooding every corner of the dining hall.
Then, just as quickly, the entire place plunged back into darkness once more.
"Ahhh!"
The piercing scream rang out again.
Lucian quickly covered Gwen's mouth. "Shh. Don't be scared. It's just thunder."
Click.
A bright beam of light shone straight onto their faces.
"Uh… well…"
Grandpa Max stood there holding a flashlight, staring at the two of them in surprise.
Lucian coughed awkwardly and let go.
Gwen's face flushed red as she brushed the hair off her forehead.
"The lightning must've damaged the lights in here." Grandpa Max angled the flashlight toward the ceiling.
Slurp…
Ben finished stuffing himself and rubbed his stomach with a satisfied sigh, looking completely at ease.
Grandpa Max shook his head with a helpless smile, then handed a flashlight to each of them.
They decided to search the rest of the dining hall. If they could find any survivors, they might finally figure out what had happened.
Ben and Grandpa Max teamed up, while Gwen and Lucian took the other group.
The restaurant wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either.
Ben and Grandpa Max searched the first floor.
Lucian and Gwen headed upstairs to check the second floor for clues.
The scene upstairs was much the same.
The tables and floors were smeared with grease and covered in messy footprints. In some places, there were even faint traces of blood mixed in.
Lucian walked in front while Gwen followed closely behind, her face pale.
They checked several private rooms, but found nothing.
Now only the last room at the end of the corridor remained.
Lucian stayed calm and gently pushed the door open.
The room inside was unexpectedly clean, unlike the others that were filled with scattered food and footprints.
But inside the wardrobe in the corner, two pairs of glowing eyes stared out.
"Ah!" Gwen grabbed Lucian tightly, trembling. "Cuz… th-there's something in there. It's terrifying!"
She didn't even dare look at the wardrobe.
Lucian smiled faintly and took a few steps forward, pulling the wardrobe door open.
Two small heads peeked out, their wide, innocent eyes staring blankly at him.
Not monsters. Not ghosts.
Just two children, a boy and a girl who looked almost identical.
Gwen froze. "So they're just kids… You scared me to death."
She had almost cast a spell.
Footsteps came pounding up the stairs. Ben and Grandpa Max had heard Gwen's scream and rushed up.
When they saw it was only two children, they finally relaxed.
The kids were wearing green doll-like outfits. They had light brown hair and looked about six or seven years old, their eyes clear and innocent.
"Ah! Are you bad people?" the little boy asked nervously.
"We're not bad people," Grandpa Max said gently. "We were just passing through and planned to stay at the camp for the night. We didn't expect things to be like this…"
"Oh man, what the heck happened here?" Ben scratched his head.
"We don't know either. We just heard strange noises outside, so we hid…" the little girl said in a trembling voice, still shaken.
"My name's Andy. This is my sister Mandy. We're twins…" the boy introduced them briefly, adding that they had no idea what was going on either.
The rain began to fall again outside, light and steady against the windows.
Grandpa Max led everyone back downstairs.
Using the flashlight for light, he tried calling the authorities for help, but there was no signal at all.
He checked his phone. Not a single bar.
Whether it was the deep mountains or the thunderstorm interfering, there was no reception.
"We're heading back to the Rustbucket and leaving this place," Grandpa Max decided firmly.
There was no point staying here any longer.
Years of experience told him this place was anything but normal. Waiting around would only make things worse.
They quickly returned to the Rustbucket.
Gilbert was still unconscious, lying motionless on the bed.
Grandpa Max got into the driver's seat, turned the key, and tried to start the engine.
Nothing.
He tried again. Still nothing.
With a sigh, he got out and lifted the hood.
The sight inside made him freeze.
The entire engine compartment was covered in some kind of unknown mold, clinging to the machinery like a stubborn parasite and preventing it from running properly.
"Looks like we'll be spending the night at the camp after all," Grandpa Max said with a bitter smile.
With no other choice, everyone returned to the dining hall to rest and wait until morning to decide what to do next.
Not far from the camp…
In the dark mountain forest, several pairs of eerie green eyes slowly emerged from the shadows, staring unblinkingly at the dining hall…