"Rina! Rina! Are you alright?!"
Those were the last words I heard before I lost consciousness. I had no idea how much time had passed until I finally woke up, lying in my own bed. I sat up, clutching my head as a sharp, throbbing pain seared through my skull.
"What happened?" I muttered to myself. "I was with Yara until... Yara!"
I scrambled out of bed, but before I could reach the door, it opened. It was Yara.
"Yara! Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?"
"I'm fine," Yara replied softly. "It's all thanks to you. I can't imagine how I would have survived without you... and Mr. Kenjin. He saved us both at the very last second."
"Kenjin... Kenjin! Yes, he came! Where is he?"
"He's in the living room with Mayar. As soon as she heard his voice, she woke up immediately."
"I see. I'm going to talk to him."
I left the room and headed to the lounge. Kenjin was sitting there, and Mayar was chatting with him, looking genuinely happy.
"Hello, Kenjin."
"Rina," he looked up. "How are you feeling now?"
"I'm okay. Just a headache, nothing more. I'm sorry for making you worry about me."
"It's fine," he said calmly. "Yara told me everything that happened in detail. But..." He turned to my sister. "Mayar, go help Yara pack some bags, please."
Once they were out of earshot, his tone shifted. "Now... honestly... was that thing real?"
"Do you not believe what you saw?" I asked, surprised.
"I fired a shot at it, and it vanished through the window," Kenjin mused. "To be honest, I don't know if it was a ghost like Yara described, or just a thief..." He paused, thinking to himself, [It clearly wasn't a thief. What would someone gain from just terrifying them?] "Regardless," he continued, "I'll look into it."
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, again. Without you, we would have been lost."
"I'm going down to buy a few things," Kenjin stood up. "Go to Yara and Mayar and get yourself ready."
"Speaking of which... what did you mean when you told Mayar to pack?"
"You're all staying at my house tonight," he said firmly. "There's no room for refusal. Maria is waiting for you there. I have some business to attend to, so I won't be home tonight. Tomorrow is Sunday—stay up as late as you like."
I let out a soft, weary laugh. "Staying up is exactly what got us into this mess."
"I'll be waiting by the car. Don't be late."
As Kenjin left, Yara and Mayar began gathering their things.
"Did you both agree to stay at Kenjin's house that quickly?" I asked.
"He told me he'd be away and that we could stay there with Mrs. Maria," Yara said, her voice still trembling. "Besides, I won't stay here for another second tonight."
"Rina, hurry! Let's go!" Mayar added.
"I suppose you're right," I sighed. "Wait a moment, let me help you."
At the nearby convenience store, Kenjin was buying some sweets for Mayar. As he stepped out, his phone began to ring.
"So, you finally decided to answer?"
"It's the middle of the night," Hakan's voice came through, sounding groggy. "Obviously, I was sleeping."
"I sent you a recording of everything that's happening. Did you listen to it?"
"I did," Hakan replied. "And honestly, if it weren't for you confirming it, I would have taken it as a joke."
"I can't blame you for thinking that. Anyway, can you meet me at Rina's place in a bit? I want to find out what caused all this. And don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts."
"If I say yes, can I go back to sleep?"
"No."
"Fine. I'll be there in an hour."
Kenjin ended the call, his mind swirling with unanswered questions. He saw Rina and the others standing by the car and quickened his pace.
"You didn't forget anything, right?"
"No," I replied. "We took everything important."
They piled into the car and drove toward Kenjin's residence. Minutes later, they arrived. Rina, Yara, and Mayar stepped out and knocked; Maria opened the door and ushered them inside.
Kenjin watched them enter, then turned back toward the dark street.
Now that they are safe... I'm going back there. To find the truth.