My head froze when I saw the soot-burned footprints on the asphalt.
They stretched forward… following the exact path the young man had taken.
I kept my head still and slowly raised my eyes, inch by inch, tracing the trail of blackened footprints.
"…!!"
Oh God! Don't look!
My gaze dropped instantly to my trembling fingers. My entire body was shaking now—violently, uncontrollably.
Behind the young man… there was someone.
But—
His body was burning.
Flames licked out from every part of him. There were no clothes. No hair.
Just a charred, blackened body… walking on two legs.
Don't notice me… don't notice me…
I prayed desperately in my mind.
I didn't dare lift my eyes again.
I didn't dare move.
I had the strange feeling that if I took even one step, the next one to burn would be me.
And yet… my prayers were useless.
A wave of heat brushed against the side of my face.
Then I saw them.
Two burned feet… standing right in front of me.
It had returned.
"Y…ou…"
A hoarse voice rasped before me, like fire scraping across metal.
I fought with everything I had not to raise my gaze from the ground.
Even my eyes had frozen in place.
"C…a…n… y…o…u… h…e…a…r… m…e…?"
I didn't see anything.
I saw nothing.
Please… just leave…
I wanted to scream, but instead I bit down on my lip.
If I spoke even a single word…
It would probably be the last word I ever spoke.
Compared to this thing, that faceless monster from before suddenly seemed almost harmless.
"C…a…n… y…o…u… h…e…a…r… m…e…?"
It repeated the same question again, its voice grinding like a broken record.
The heat around me grew stronger.
Beads of sweat formed across my face like pearls. The salty sweat burned my eyes—but I still didn't dare close them.
My trembling hand slid slowly toward the bag beside me.
My fingers touched something soft—like a clump of fur.
Thankfully… I had brought it with me.
I thought about pulling it out and somehow throwing it at the burning creature—
But then—
The creature bent down.
Exactly where my eyes were fixed on the ground.
And it looked straight at me.
No…
There were no eyes.
Only two deep, black hollows.
Looking into them felt like staring into something that would burn me alive.
"C…a…n… y…o…u… s…e…e… m…e…?"
I bit my lips so hard they bled.
A sour taste filled my mouth, and my stomach burned.
I felt like I was going to throw up.
Even the hand that had been reaching for the fuzzy ball froze in place.
Help… someone… help!!
I closed my eyes.
And surrendered to the flames approaching my face.
That was when I realized—
I was the next victim.
"You are next."
Madam Randa's words from before pierced through my fear.
But instead of fear… they planted something else.
Despair.
Burning despair.
"…"
One second passed.
Then another.
The heat against my face… began to fade.
The source of the flames was moving away.
Did it leave?
I was afraid to open my eyes and see it still standing there… playing with me.
I stayed like that for what felt like forever.
Two minutes? Four?
Maybe fifteen.
When I finally opened my eyes again—
Thankfully, aside from the soot marks on the ground…
There was nothing there.
"Hah… haah… haah…"
My breaths came out trembling.
I hadn't even realized that at some point I had stopped breathing entirely.
All my strength drained from my body and I collapsed to the ground.
The adrenaline that had frozen me in place finally faded.
I want to go back to my room.
Cough—cough.
Bile burned my throat and nose.
"I have to leave… now."
I was terrified the monster might return.
But my legs refused to move.
I punched my thigh.
"Move! Move!"
Salty drops fell onto my fist.
I was crying.
Eventually, I managed to stand.
My legs felt like jelly.
They weren't working properly… but it didn't matter.
As long as they moved.
I leaned against the walls of the buildings all the way home.
The entire way, I kept staring at the ground… and the walls.
Afraid that somewhere—
Another patch of fire might appear.
The cold wind of two in the morning brushed against my skin.
But instead of cooling me, it reminded me of the flames.
My legs trembled harder.
Walking became even more difficult.
I pulled out my keys to open the rusty gate.
The keys nearly slipped from my hand several times before I finally managed to open it.
I slipped back into the room the same way I had slipped out earlier.
Despite my condition, no one noticed I had ever been gone.
The bag fell from my hand.
I dragged myself to the bed.
I curled into my blanket like a shell.
And stayed there the entire night—
Stunned.
Terrified.
Shaking uncontrollably.
That night…
I did not sleep.
---
Later that morning
"If I catch you again, miss, I won't let you walk out so easily."
The police chief glared at the woman sitting across from him.
She tilted her head slightly, her short hair swaying.
"What can I do, sir? I can't extinguish the journalist's spirit inside me—the spirit that seeks justice and truth."
She shrugged helplessly.
"I'll extinguish it by throwing you in jail!" the chief sneered.
"Good luck next time, sir."
She smiled provocatively.
"After all… that's the power of money."
Sara Miles had been released on bail.
Again.
She collected the items that had been confiscated during the search and walked toward the door.
It was still early morning.
Yet this particular winter day was unusually hot, the sun already blazing overhead.
The journalist pulled out the small notebook she had retrieved from the deposit box.
"Second apartment on the fifth floor—where the old man died of an overdose.
First apartment on the second floor—where the young man was found hanged.
First apartment on the ninth floor—where the fire broke out in the empty apartment…"
"Hm…"
The bronze-skinned woman with short hair pushed out her lower lip—her habit when thinking.
"Why these apartments specifically…?"
"Ms. Sara!"
Someone called out to her, interrupting her thoughts.
"Sorry I'm late. The road was crowded."
He gestured toward a Rolls-Royce parked in front of the police station.
No matter how I think about it… this looks like a pattern…
She walked confidently toward the car.
But when the driver opened the door—
She froze.