Nestled within the dark, bloodied exterior were items that were completely pristine and untouched by the stains.
First, he pulled out a delicate, beautifully made set of baby's clothing. Beneath the garments lay two small, heavy chests. Jin flipped the latches open, and his eyes dazzled.
The he chests were filled to the absolute brim with vibrant, multi-colored gems that caught the midday day light like trapped stars.
Finally, he reached into the bottom and pulled out a leather pouch containing several small, colored booklets.
Jin opened one, running his fingers over the pages, but his brows furrowed in deep confusion.
"Strange... I've never seen such a weird language before," he murmured, staring at the bizarre script.
The mystery sent a thrill of curiosity through him, but he forced himself to shake it off. He didn't want this discovery to drag out his chores any longer than they already had.
Seeing that only the baby clothes were actually stained with blood, he carefully set the gems and booklets aside on a dry patch of grass and thoroughly washed the tiny garments in the stream.
Another hour passed before Jin was completely finished. He stood up, stretching his aching back, and carefully laid the clean, wet clothes out to sun-dry across the wide, smooth rocks that were fully exposed to the bright sunshine.
"I should put these things back in his room first, then come back out to check on the clothes," Jin decided aloud.
He gathered the small, heavy gem chests and the mysterious colored booklets tightly in his arms and made his way back up the path.
When he reached the house, a heavy, unsettling atmosphere hung over the structure.
The air felt thick, and the house itself was eerily and profoundly quiet. Jin stepped inside cautiously.
Holding his breath, he walked straight to Alex's room, carefully placed the mysterious belongings onto the wooden table, and quietly closed the door behind him to ensure they wouldn't be misplaced.
He exhaled slowly then walked over to his own room and peered inside. Alex was still there, buried under the blankets, fast asleep.
Jin stood in the doorway, completely speechless. He couldn't believe how long the man had been sleeping.
"He must be absolutely exhausted," Jin whispered softly, a flicker of worry crossing his features.
Waaaaah! Waaaaah!
The sudden, piercing sound of a baby crying shattered the eerie silence of the house.
Jin gasped, his head snapping towards the front entrance.
The cries were loud, desperate, and sounding as if they were coming from right outside the front door.
Jin stared at the wooden door for a long moment, his pulse quickening. Who would leave a baby out there?
He hurried across the main room, reached for the handle, and pulled the front door wide open, stepping out onto the porch to look around.
But nothing was in site.
The front yard was completely empty. There was no baby, no basket, and no one in sight. What made it even stranger was the moment the door swung open, the crying completely vanished into thin air.
The only sound was the rustling of the wind through the trees. Jin frowned, thoroughly confused. He stepped back inside and pulled the heavy wooden door shut.
The instant the door clicked into its frame, the loud, desperate cries of the baby erupted again, echoing sharply through the walls of the house.
Annoyed and thoroughly bewildered, Jin yanked the door open a second time. Just like before, the crying instantly stopped, leaving only the dead silence of the outdoors.Jin stared into the empty yard, his confusion slowly turning into deep irritation.
He crossed his arms, letting out a sharp, scoffing breath. "Honestly... I've lived through enough strange phases in my life. I am not interested in dealing with this at all," he grumbled to himself, his tone laced with pure annoyance rather than fear.
Deciding to ignore the bizarre phenomenon for now, he casually turned away from the door. He remembered the laundry under the hot sun.
"When I'm done gathering the clothes here, I should head down to the market to get some more food," he muttered, trying to focus on his normal routine to drown out the lingering echoes of the mysterious cries.