Morning finally broke, but it brought no peace.
Inside the house, the air was stifling, filled with sharp looks and heavy breaths. Every word was combustible, every movement carried a silent threat.
Jude broke the silence:
— "We have to decide what we'll do… the situation outside is more dangerous than we imagine."
Jason replied coldly, with an inner helplessness:
— "And is there even a way out? I don't think we'll find a path to escape."
Karem laughed with bitter sarcasm:
— "If there were a way out, the ghouls would have taken it long ago. Maybe they put us here on purpose… bait for those monsters."
Lily gasped as if struck:
— "Impossible! There must be a way out. My father is looking for me now, he won't leave a stone unturned. He will surely come to save us."
Karem smiled:
— "And what if he never finds you? Your family isn't the only one searching for you."
Lily shouted, tears shining in her eyes:
— "He will find me! He definitely will! You don't understand… I don't want to stay here… I'm too young to die… I want to live… damn it!"
Camellia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder:
— "We all had dreams, Lily… but now survival is all we have."
Jude lowered his head slightly, then asked:
— "Are we the only ones brought into this hell? Or are there others like us?"
Then he raised his eyes toward Dante:
— "You said you and your friend grew up in the orphanage and were adopted by a man… Tell us. Did you see who took you?"
Dante exhaled slowly, as if the memory itself was an old wound:
— "No, we didn't see their faces. The day they wanted to take us, three masked people came… monkey masks. They brought us to a dazzling palace… the largest I've ever seen. But it didn't last. As soon as we entered, the palace turned into something like a psychiatric hospital, and we were locked in a dark room. We didn't know where we were or why."
Camellia asked with a trembling curiosity:
— "And what did that palace look like?"
Dante answered, staring into the void:
— "It was huge… white walls and an icy façade, decorated with gold, surrounded by vast gardens. It looked like a dream."
Black With laughed mockingly:
— "Hah, maybe it was just an ordinary house, and in your imagination you saw a palace."
Dante turned to her, eyes blazing:
— "Shut up! I didn't ask you."
She tilted her head with a cold smile:
— "Hmm, I'm only telling the truth."
The tension grew heavier, but suddenly a distant rustling sound cut through.
Jude raised a finger and shouted:
— "Everyone quiet! Turn off the light now… there are ghouls nearby."
Ray said angrily:
— "Damn it again… why don't we go out and fight them…!?"
Karem replied, his hands trembling:
— "You must be joking, how could we fight them?"
Jude responded slowly:
— "Ray, you know that's impossible. There are far too many outside."
Jisu broke his silence:
— "So do you plan to keep us here or what!?"
A deadly silence filled the house, pierced by strange looks as each person glared at the other with hostility, as if it were a battlefield.
On the other side…
Elias was still kneeling in front of the bathroom door, his tears not yet dry. Suddenly… the door opened slowly, and Linda stepped out.
Elias stood stunned, then rushed toward her and hugged her desperately, his voice hoarse:
— "I thought I'd lost you… don't leave me, please!"
Linda, who had always seen Elias as a cold person, found herself shocked by his breakdown. She raised a hand and patted his hair like a sister:
— "Impossible… I'm here. Don't worry, nothing will happen to me."
But when he pulled back slightly to look at her, he froze.
— "Your hair… what did you do?"
She gave a faint smile:
— "I cut it. I don't want it holding me back anymore. All I want now… is survival."
Her long black hair that once fell to the small of her back was now short, dull, and untidy. Her eyes had turned black as if her soul had left, and her features shifted from an innocent girl to a grim, stone-faced woman.
What Elias didn't know was that Linda had left her severed hair in the bathroom, and on one lock lay her old necklace… a half-heart that tied her to the memory of "Rosie."
She lifted her head steadily and said:
— "We have to leave. This place is no longer safe."
They stepped outside.
Elias followed her, stunned, trying to grasp her transformation.
But danger did not wait long. A huge ghoul emerged between the houses, crawling across the road.
Elias quickly pulled her into the entrance of an abandoned house. They pressed against the wall as the ghoul passed beside them unnoticed, its breath rumbling through the air.
When they felt safe, they continued until they found a narrow passage that seemed to lead into the depths of the forest. They exchanged a silent glance and followed it, until it ended in an unexpected sight…
A massive palace, towering three stories high, surrounded by marble columns, its grand door like an open mouth inviting them in.
Linda stepped forward first, Elias gripping her hand tightly, his eyes scanning the place as if expecting an attack at any moment.
She pushed the heavy door, and it opened with a deep creak.
Inside was another world: luxurious carpets, silk couches, a spiral staircase rising upward, and a sparkling crystal chandelier.
Elias ran to the huge television and tried to turn it on, but found the wires had been deliberately cut.
Meanwhile Linda began checking the rooms. They were clean and orderly, as if someone lived there. She hoped to find other people in this place, but there was no trace of a human soul.
They looked at each other and silently agreed: this palace would be their new refuge.
At the same time, with the other group…
While everyone was quietly discussing survival, heavy footsteps were heard approaching the kitchen.
They all turned suddenly… to see "Vivian," pale and sweating, walking while leaning against the wall.
In a faint voice she asked:
— "Who… are you? And where… am I?"
Jude jumped up from his spot and moved toward her, real concern in his eyes.