The darkness threatened to swallow me whole the moment the trapdoor slammed shut above. For a second, I stood suspended in nothing.
The Spectral Glasses flickered softly to life, and the underground tunnel emerged around me. Stone walls pressed in from all sides, arm's length in width. The air was dense, and each breath felt clustered.
That was the good news.
The temperature had dropped even further.
I could see my breath curling in front of me, fogging the lenses with each breath. The cold was deeper here, and I was practically shivering at this point.
'W-why is it so cold?'
"Whe... W-where is this?"
Jamie's voice reached me from nearby, and I turned to see him standing not far from me, his selfie-stick held in front alongside his flashlight, which was currently turned off.
I thought for a moment before removing the glasses.
Only then did the darkness truly swallow me.
But at the same time, the cold faded, and I finally felt like I could breathe again.
"...I don't know." My voice echoed quietly. We were in some sort of tunnel, but I had no clue where it led.
But if there was one thing I was sure about, it was that this place gave me the creeps.
"How does this place make sense? Chat, are you seeing this?"
Jamie moved the selfie-stick around, finally turning on the flashlight and waving it across the surroundings.
Despite the situation we were in, his streamer mode was in full swing.
"...This makes no sense at all. Where are we? How come nobody discovered this place before? Did you all... notice the statue? It was fake. But I'm sure it wasn't before. There's something... sinister about the situation. And... And..."
His face paled after he recalled something. However, he quickly shut his mouth as his head flicked up.
My head similarly flicked up.
...The subtle rattling that was coming from above.
I immediately felt my skin crawl as I paused for a moment.
Jamie was the first to rush, moving deeper into the strange tunnel as I followed from behind.
Whoever the people from above were, they were clearly the ones responsible for this tunnel. They were also not some other group that happened to be exploring the same place at the same time.
...The screams from before.
I felt the sheer terror and horror in them.
'Could they be related to the little girl in some way?'
I didn't know. But I wasn't sticking around to find out. The only goal right now was to reach the end of the tunnel and find the exit.
Our footsteps echoed loudly through the tunnel, Jamie's flashlight bouncing ahead.
The footsteps from behind returned, and I slowed down. I couldn't afford to make any noise anymore.
Jamie also understood this as he slowed down as well. Thinking the same thing, we both removed our shoes.
I held my breath and looked behind at the same time.
Jamie was the first one to move, and I followed closely behind.
We no longer made any noise as we ran, and as we ran forward, something soon caught our eye.
A faint orange light.
I immediately grew alarmed, and the same was true for Jamie as his steps slowed, but as the steps behind us drew nearer, we had no other choice but to continue.
The orange light grew nearer with every step we took, expanding ahead of us like a slow-burning flame. As we moved closer, a mounting sense of dread crept in, tightening around my chest. Then, through the glow, a room began to take shape, and the breath completely left my body.
I came to a full stop right as we drew closer to the room, and swallowed nervously.
Jamie was the same, his breath heavy.
Anxiety shot through me as the steps behind continued to draw closer, adding a mounting pressure.
I was just about to move when Jamie extended his hand to stop me and moved the selfie stick forward.
I instantly understood what he was trying to show me as I glanced at the display on Jamie's phone. The camera panned forward, revealing a fairly large room bathed in the flickering glow of candlelight. The dim flames cast long shadows across the space, the source of the warm orange hue.
In the center of the room lay a casket, surrounded by a ring of chairs arranged in some sort of pattern. A red symbol, etched directly into the ground, circled the setup like some kind of ritual seal.
There were more chairs scattered near the edges, along with a few tables and a cabinet pushed off to the side.
I drew a cold breath at the sight, the stuffy air filling my lungs.
"...There's no one," Jamie whispered, pulling the selfie stick back while his voice grew grim. "There's also no exit in sight."
His head flicked up the moment he heard the heavy sound of the steps behind, and his face paled.
With no other choice, the two of us entered the room, hastily looking around before settling our gazes onto the large cabinet that seemed to be large enough to fit several people.
We slipped inside, closing the door behind us.
Our breathing echoed inside the cramped space. The only light came from the narrow crack between the doors.
Through it, we watched a group in white robes enter.
Jamie stiffened as bloodied bodies were dragged in behind them.
I felt my stomach twist.
"Have you found any other people?"
A muffled voice echoed through the confines of the small room as the people in white gathered around the coffin, tossing the two people on the floor.
I stared at them, feeling my mouth grow dry.
Are they alive...? Or...
"I am unsure, but we should continue with the ceremony. We have five more days until it's completed. I've waited long enough for this day."
I paused upon hearing the words.
Wasn't this the exact time when the quest would end? That wasn't a coincidence, was it?
"Yes, let's begin. If any intruders arrive, we will quickly dispose of them."
The people in white moved toward the coffin, each step slow and tense. They slowly lifted the lid, and as it creaked open, a sudden chill filled the air.
Inside lay the body of a young girl.
I clamped my mouth the moment I caught sight of the body within the coffin, the very hair on my body rising as I felt Jamie's breath grow more ragged, his entire body tensing as he hastily took out his phone, typing incredibly fast.
He was probably calling for help.
...But I didn't think it mattered for now. The chat was seeing what we were seeing. Surely one of them thought of calling the police, or whatever was supposed to come to help.
I leaned closer into the crack, trying to peer into the distant body, and as I looked at it, my expression nearly crumbled.
'That's without a doubt the body of the young girl in the painting.'
I could even see the rope marks on her neck.
Even though it was clear that she was dead, her body appeared extremely well preserved. I felt my lips tremble at the sight.
Holding onto my breath, I leaned closer into the crack.
I wanted to get a better look at the corpse.
But just as I moved closer...
An eye stared back at me.