The room had been suffused with an eerie, terrifying atmosphere just a moment before.
The next moment, it was shattered by giggles and laughter.
Once Ruboo called her out, Madison dropped all pretence. The tension vanished from her face as she placed her hands on her hips, her mischievous grin spreading like a little devil's delight at a successful prank.
"Ha! Ruboo, you really were scared. Well? Wasn't I rather convincing as a 'ghost'?"
Ruboo's face remained stony as he shot her a displeased glare.
"Come on, cheer up~~ Ruboo, I've basically fulfilled that dream of yours that's been eluding you all day. You can't go home empty-handed, can you? At least you got to experience a bit of that supernatural atmosphere. A witch with paranormal powers counts as supernatural, doesn't it?"
"Thanks a lot," Ruboo rolled his eyes. "I'm here to eliminate the supernatural. Am I supposed to eliminate you now?"
In that moment, he found himself longing for the obedient Zoe. Madison, this self-indulgent little brat who acted purely on whim, was sometimes utterly infuriating.
"Not that you couldn't 'take me down'?" Suddenly, Madison's red lips curved into a smile. She stretched out her hands and, like a beautiful serpent, pressed herself against him once more. Her hot breath brushed against Ruboo's face as she teased, "To put a perfect finishing touch on today, how about a little exorcist versus witch action?"
Exorcist versus witch?
Are you certain this 'battle' doesn't have other connotations?
Ruboo was about to refuse with righteous indignation.
Suddenly, the room's windows rattled violently with loud clattering sounds.
Forcing his face to the side, Ruboo muttered, "Again? I won't be falling for the same trick twice."
"What?" Madison, who had been entirely focused on Ruboo, responded breathlessly.
"I—"
Just as Ruboo was about to explain, suddenly!
A louder crash echoed through the room.
CRASH!
The previously closed door seemed to be crushed under pressure, crashing violently to the floor.
Witnessing this, Ruboo frowned. "Madison, this is getting a bit out of hand. Not only will we have to pay for the door when we check out, but do you really want to put on a live show for outsiders?"
"Live broadcast? Not my style."
Madison, jolted awake by the deafening noise, spoke while turning to look.
"Bloody hell! Who did this?" she exclaimed, staring at the collapsed door in disbelief.
"It wasn't you?"
"Of course not! Why would I make things worse at a time like this?"
That sounded perfectly reasonable, and Ruboo believed her instantly.
But how to explain the current situation?
Ruboo was about to step outside to investigate.
The clattering sounds from the window grew increasingly violent.
Not only that, but a fierce gale blew in through the hotel room door, sending furniture and tableware tumbling about the room.
Amidst the howling wind, a faint voice drifted in, murmuring:
"Hiss..."
"Ruboo, did you hear that?"
No longer acting, Madison's pale face clutched Ruboo's arm tightly with her slender, nail-polished fingers as she asked anxiously.
Ruboo strained to listen: "It sounds like..."
"Ssssh... Who... took... my... golden... arm... ssssh... ssssh... Who... was it...?"
"The golden arm?" Ruboo gasped, the words escaping him.
The moment the words left his lips.
All movement froze.
Then,
Bang, bang, bang...
The windows could bear the strain no longer. Shards of glass shattered one by one, scattering across the floor as gales surged in from outside.
In unison with the increasingly violent gusts outside the door.
In an instant, the spot where Ruboo and Madison stood was struck by hurricane-force winds. Everything whipped up in a frenzy. Ruboo clung tightly to Madison, their combined weight the only thing preventing them from being blown away.
But that wasn't all. As the wind grew fiercer, a voice caught within the chaos grew clearer:
"Gah... Who! Took... my... golden arm!"
"Who is it!"
"Who... exactly is it!"
The sound, like a beast's roar from the depths of hell, grew louder and louder.
Finally, it reverberated like a tolling bell in Ruboo's ears.
"Ruboo, it seems we've truly stumbled upon something supernatural this time." Madison, experiencing such a scene for the first time, managed a wry smile.
"Not seems—it is!" Ruboo affirmed, feeling the crimson glow emanating from the Containment Book within his mind.
He glanced at the luggage bag that had been flung aside when he and Madison stood side by side.
Little did he expect that the haunted location wouldn't be one of those he'd scoured online, but rather the golden arm he'd inadvertently acquired from a stranger.
Talk about an unexpected stroke of luck.
"Ssssh... Who... Who on earth..."
The unnerving cries persisted.
Just as Ruboo and Madison were beginning to grow accustomed to it, a voice—no longer frantic, yet far more bone-chilling—suddenly exploded beside their ears.
"Found it!"
"So... it was you... who stole my golden arm!!!"
Madison shuddered violently. Realising what had triggered the outburst, she hurriedly suggested, "Ruboo, perhaps we should return that golden arm to its owner."
"It's too late for that!" Ruboo's gaze fixed intently on the doorway.
There, a figure was forcing its way in.
Clack... clack... clack...
The heavy footsteps drew ever nearer.
"Looks like it intends to eliminate us before taking the golden arm."
This time it's absolutely serious. Ruboo swiftly drew his two weapons: science and theology.
Soon, the owner of the footsteps entered the room.
"Bloody disgusting!"
As Madison uttered this assessment, Ruboo looked up to see a female corpse, buried in the ground for far too long, its entire body rotted through and maggots writhing within, shuffling step by step into the room.
Its right forearm was missing.
As expected, the golden arm had originally been attached there.
Swallowing nervously, Ruboo attempted to communicate: "I say, we're not the ones who stole your golden arm. Do you believe me?"
The corpse's blood-red eyes fixed on Ruboo. Opening its rotting mouth, it snarled:
"Where... is my golden arm?"
"Take it back... my golden arm... Damn it!!!"
Ruboo felt a chill run down his spine. Since talking wasn't working, it was time to get down to business!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He swiftly drew his Glock, mimicking the iconic American police officer, emptying the pistol's magazine in mere seconds.
Though his hands trembled slightly, at such close range, every bullet found its mark on the female corpse.
Watching the corpse that had just moments before glared at him collapse with a thud, its head and torso riddled with bullet holes, flesh splattering everywhere.
Ruboo reloaded the magazine with lightning speed while peering over to ask:
"Is she finished?"
"No!" Madison, possessing witch blood, sensed the corpse's persistence and urgently warned.
Sure enough, despite the barrage of bullets, the corpse straightened its chest from the ground.
Amidst the clatter of spent cartridges ejected and clattering to the floor, its hollow, abyssal eyes locked onto Ruboo once more as it snarled:
"Give... me... back... my... golden arm!!!"