The city was silent.
Not peaceful.
Nor calm.
Silent.
The kind of silence that pressed against the ears and made every distant sound feel wrong.
Kai walked carefully along the empty street.
Knife at his waist.
Flashlight secured to his belt.
Every few minutes Kai would call the map.
"Map."
A blue transparent screen appears.
The map is incomplete.
Only 1/8 is available to view.
Kai monitor any changes within the map.
The gray territory surrounding the shopping center had already begun fading.
"The warning wasn't a joke."
"Soon another Nightmare would claim the area."
Kai gaze moved toward another gray-marked zone.
Aleph National High School.
Unlike the crimson and black territories.
The school border was small.
Approximately 2-3 kilometer.
Almost identical in size to the Smiling Walker's territory.
"Maybe a D Rank Nightmare is in here."
"Maybe."
"Hopefully."
"If the area was occupied by something similar, I might had a chance."
"It could be risky."
"But every option can led to death."
"So the school is the best option for now."
"I'll check the school first."
"Maybe it been made as shelter."
"A high chance survivors might be there."
"That would be enough."
2 hours later.
The journey where nothing special.
"Luckily there were no Nightmare appeared."
"But the street where full of blood and organs scattered around."
"Not even a survivor nor sign of life was seen."
Then-
Kai spotted the bridge.
Beyond the bridge the school can be seen.
Tall fences.
Concrete buildings.
An empty sports field.
Everything looked abandoned.
Then Kai saw movement at the center of the bridge.
Four figures.
Standing in the middle of the bridge.
Three male students.
One female teacher.
Their uniforms were stained with dried blood.
The teacher's clothes were torn.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
All four stood perfectly still.
Their heads tilted upward.
Looking at the gray sky.
Looking at something that wasn't there.
Then a voice.
"The moon..."
One student giggled.
"The moon smiles at us."
Another repeated it.
"The moon smiles at us."
The teacher laughed.
Broken.
Shaky laugh.
"The moon..."
"The moon..."
"The moon smiles at us."
Kai slowed his pace.
Felt something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Their eyes were unfocused.
Their pupils constantly shifted.
They looked exhausted.
Terrified.
And strangely happy.
As if caught between nightmares and euphoria.
Hallucinations.
Delirium.
Kai approached cautiously.
"Hey."
No response.
"The school ahead—is there anyone alive?"
Nothing.
No response.
"The moon smiles at us."
The same answer.
Again.
And again.
Like a broken caset.
Kai frowned.
Kai eyes scan across their uniforms and the surrounding.
Blood.
Too much blood.
But none of them appeared seriously injured.
The blood might belongs to someone else.
Kai swallowed his own saliva.
Slowly.
Kai looked toward the center of the bridge.
And froze on what he saw.
There was a symbol painted across the concrete.
A massive star.
Drawn entirely with blood.
At its center lay a female student.
Motionless.
Her uniform soaked crimson.
Her body arranged as if part of a ritual.
Her four limbs surrounding her perfectly.
A signs of deliberate violence and mutilation.
Not random.
Not accidental.
Purposeful.
The star wasn't a decoration.
An obvious worship of a ritual.
Kai's stomach felt twisted.
Wanting to vomit.
The air suddenly felt colder.
The four survivors continued laughing.
Still staring upward.
Still speaking to something invisible.
"The moon smiles at us."
"The moon loves us."
"The moon watches us."
Kai took an involuntary step backward.
Then.
A hand grabbed my shoulder.
Kai drew his knife.
And jumped away.
One of the students stood directly in front of him.
Far closer.
The boy's smile stretched unnaturally wide.
His bloodshot eyes trembled.
Tears rolled down his cheeks.
Yet he was smiling.
Smiling as though he had discovered paradise.
"God has forsaken us."
The student whispered.
Then he laughed.
Low.
Shivering laugh.
"Come."
"Become one with the Enlightened Moon."
His grip tightened.
"The Moon showed us truth."
"The Moon showed us salvation."
"The Moon showed us joy."
The other three survivors slowly turned.
Their eyes locked onto Kai.
One by one.
Their smiles widened.
"We laughed."
"We cried."
"We saw."
"We were chosen."
The teacher suddenly dropped to her knees.
Both hands clasped together.
Praying.
To something unseen.
To something above.
"Salvation is guaranteed by the Moon."
"The Enlightened Moon!"
"The Enlightened Moon!"
"The Enlightened Moon!"
Their voices merged together.
A twisted choir.
An unholy prayer.
Kai felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Not because of the ritual.
Not because of the bodies.
Not because of the blood.
But because these people truly believed.
Whatever they had witnessed...
Whatever they had seen...
It shattered their minds completely.
[WARNING]
Mental Corruption Traces Found
Influence: Unknown
Classification: Pending
Warning: Avoid prolonged exposure
Kai's heart skipped a beat.
Mental corruption:
An influence capable of destroying one's sanity.
The student suddenly leaned closer.
Their grin never fade.
"The Moon is rising."
"It sees you."
"It likes you."
Kai immediately stepped backward.
The boy began laughing.
The others joined him.
Soon all four were laughing.
Laughing so hard tears streamed down their faces.
Laughing as though they had heard the greatest joke in existence.
Kai didn't wait.
He sprinted toward the school.
Fast.
The laughter followed him.
Echoing across the bridge.
Growing fainter with distance.
Yet somehow remained inside Kai's head.
_______
Elsewhere.
Within the city church.
Far beyond human understanding.
A gathering had begun.
Broken minds.
Mad survivors.
Whispered prayers.
Blood-drawn symbols.
And a name passed from mouth to mouth.
"Enlightened Moon."
A faith born from despair.
A cult born from revelation.
Its foundation had been laid.
And somewhere the church room a silhouette is preparing.
To be continue...