The journey home unfolded beneath a sky that had turned almost entirely grey. Thick clouds drifted slowly overhead, swallowing what remained of the afternoon sunlight and casting long shadows across the empty road. Juson drove in silence, his hands resting steadily on the steering wheel while the engine hummed beneath them with quiet consistency. Beside him, Herik sat unusually still, watching the scenery disappear behind the window without a single complaint.
The child seemed fascinated by every passing tree, every electric pole, every abandoned field stretching beyond the roadside. His attention wandered from one object to another as though he were carefully memorising each of them. After several quiet minutes, Juson glanced sideways and decided to break the silence. "What do you want to become in the future?" he asked casually.
Herik kept staring outside for a few moments before finally answering in his small voice. "I'm still a kid. I haven't decided yet." A faint smile appeared across Juson's face. "Smart people decide early." The answer made Herik lower his eyes thoughtfully. After another stretch of silence, Juson asked the question that had remained in his mind ever since they had left Wanna's house. "Then why did you insist on coming with me?" Herik slowly turned his face toward him, yet no answer came. Juson shook his head lightly before returning his attention to the road. "Anyway... you're with your father now." The conversation ended there, leaving only the steady sound of the tyres rolling over the uneven road.
Several more minutes passed peacefully until Juson's expression changed without warning. His foot slammed gently onto the brake, forcing the car to slow much faster than before. Herik immediately looked at him in confusion as the vehicle came to a complete stop several metres away from the house. "Why did you stop?" he asked quietly. Juson did not answer. His eyes had become fixed on something ahead.
The main gate. It stood completely open. Not half open. Not slightly unlocked. Wide open, as though someone had walked through it only moments earlier. Juson's heartbeat slowed for a brief instant before beginning to pound harder inside his chest. He clearly remembered locking it before leaving, and Yokina had specifically told Hiori not to return to the house that day. His fingers slowly reached into his pocket as he pulled out his phone and immediately dialled Yokina's number.
The call connected after only a few rings. "Hello?" Yokina answered calmly. "We're here," Juson replied, his eyes never leaving the gate. "But there's a problem." She immediately noticed the tension in his voice. "What happened?" Juson remained silent for a second before asking, "Did Hiori come back to the house?" Yokina frowned. "No. I told her not to. Why?" Juson continued staring ahead. "The main gate is open." Silence filled the line for a brief moment before he spoke again. "I'll check inside first. I'll call you afterwards." Without waiting for another reply, he ended the call.
Inside Wanna's house, Yokina lowered the phone slowly and explained the situation. Wanna listened carefully before offering the simplest explanation she could think of. "It was probably the wind," she said with an encouraging smile. But the reassurance failed to calm Yokina. Something about Juson's voice had unsettled her far more than the words themselves. Without wasting another moment, she quietly stood up. "I'll leave now." Meanwhile, Juson slowly drove the car closer until it stopped directly before the entrance. Turning toward Herik, he spoke in a firm but gentle voice. "Stay inside. Don't open the doors. I'll only be a minute." Herik nodded obediently. Juson stepped out, carefully closed every window, and checked the locks once before walking toward the rear of the vehicle.
He opened the trunk and searched among the tools stored inside until his hand stopped upon an old wooden baseball bat. It felt awkward in his grip, yet holding something solid made him feel slightly less vulnerable. After closing the trunk, he approached the gate. Every step seemed heavier than the last. The metal gate creaked softly as he pushed it wider and entered the property. The front door remained slightly open, revealing nothing except darkness beyond it. Every light inside the house had been switched off. The silence surrounding the building felt unnatural, pressing against his ears until even his own breathing sounded too loud.
Back inside the car, Herik shifted slightly in his seat while continuing to watch his father disappear deeper into the property. Curiosity slowly replaced obedience. After waiting for several moments, he carefully lowered the side window just enough to look outside. Cool evening air drifted into the vehicle, carrying with it the smell of wet soil and approaching rain. Resting both arms against the window, he quietly watched Juson without making a sound. Juson, completely unaware, moved cautiously along the side of the house until he reached the kitchen window.
Halfway there, a sharp metallic clattering sound echoed from somewhere inside. He stopped instantly. Every muscle in his body tightened. For one brief moment he considered turning around and leaving everything behind. Yet the thought vanished just as quickly. Everything inside that house belonged to his family. Whatever waited within, he could not simply abandon it. Tightening his grip around the bat, he slowly raised the kitchen window just enough to look inside. The room remained dim, illuminated only by the fading daylight filtering through another window. Standing beside the chopping counter was the maid. Her back faced him as she reached calmly toward the knife holder and slowly removed one of the kitchen knives. Then she stopped moving altogether. The stillness lasted only a few seconds before her body slowly turned around.
Every movement appeared unnaturally slow, almost mechanical. Without hesitation, she began walking directly toward the window. Not searching. Not wandering. Straight toward him, as though she had known his exact position from the beginning. She finally stopped only inches away from the glass. Her face remained hidden beneath the darkness inside the kitchen, making her features impossible to recognise. Then she spoke. "Mr. Juson..." Her voice sounded familiar, yet something inside it felt deeply wrong. "Why don't you come inside?" A freezing chill travelled through Juson's entire body. Instinctively he stepped backward, tightening his grip around the bat. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, forcing confidence into his voice despite the fear building inside him. No answer came. She simply remained standing there. "Who are you?" Juson asked again.
The silence that followed seemed endless. Then, without warning, her body began to change. There was no violent movement, no sudden explosion of force. Instead, the transformation unfolded slowly and almost peacefully. The outline of her shoulders softened first, followed by the rest of her figure, which gradually lost its shape as though invisible heat had begun melting her from within. Her skin sagged into itself, her form collapsing silently until nothing remained but countless tiny particles drifting through the air.
The entire body dissolved into dark dust, flowing downward before slowly rising again like smoke carried by an invisible current. Juson's eyes widened in horror. His fingers loosened unconsciously, allowing the wooden bat to slip from his hands and strike the ground with a dull thud he barely heard. His thoughts disappeared completely. There was no attempt to understand what he had witnessed. No attempt to fight. His body acted before his mind could catch up. He turned away from the window and ran.