Chapter 36: House of Wax
The night was pitch black, pressing down heavily on the earth.
Edward rode his Fenrir heavy motorcycle, speeding along the winding road.
The roar of the engine echoed in the silent night, like a defiant howl in this dark world.
He stared intently ahead, the trees on either side becoming blurred streaks as they were illuminated by the headlight and flew past.
Hours of continuous riding were making him feel a little worn out; it was time to find somewhere to crash for the night.
He subconsciously glanced up at the rearview mirror, where a familiar and alluring face had appeared.
Alan's figure had quietly materialized at some point, silently watching him.
"What's up, Alan?" Edward's voice was steady, without the slightest surprise.
Alan tilted her head slightly, her reflection in the mirror looking delicate, with a hint of mock anger and resentment: "Seems like you're having a blast out there. You've forgotten someone's waiting for you at home. What, did you find yourself a new girlfriend?"
Edward's eye twitched. Where the hell did she pick up these soap opera lines?
"If you're talking about three deformed cannibals, then yeah, they were pretty 'new.'"
Alan burst out laughing: "Since when did your taste get so weird?"
"Just an unexpected detour on a road trip. Took care of them," Edward briefly glossed over his afternoon encounter. One shot, one kill—nothing more to say.
"Alright, then hurry back." Alan's smile became somewhat mysterious: "When you get home, there'll be a surprise waiting for you."
As soon as she finished speaking, her figure in the rearview mirror dissipated like smoke.
"I hate cryptic bullshit," Edward muttered, twisting the throttle and continuing forward.
After driving for a while longer, a faint flicker of firelight in the woods beside the road caught his attention.
In such deep, desolate darkness, a campfire seemed particularly out of place.
He thought for a moment, then turned the handlebars, leaving the road and heading into the woods.
The tires of the Fenrir crunched over dry branches and fallen leaves, making a soft crackling sound.
Soon, a makeshift campsite appeared before him. Two tents stood isolated, and the campfire had burned down to its end, leaving only a few flickering embers.
However, the campsite was completely deserted.
Edward dismounted and walked around, a faint metallic smell lingering in the air.
He quickly found a few drops of dark brown bloodstains on the tent flap of one of the tents.
"Man, what movie set did I stumble onto now?" Edward muttered to himself, a helpless yet amused expression on his face.
He didn't bother looking for more clues. With a thought, he lightly pushed off the ground, and his entire body silently rose into the air.
The view from above was crystal clear. In a nearby valley, a small town was nestled. Scattered lights emanated from the town, like an isolated island in the dark night.
Without hesitation, he flew directly toward the town, silently landing in front of a weathered road sign at the town's entrance that read "Ambrose," then strolled in.
The town's streets were eerily empty, the streetlights dim, casting long shadows.
Shop windows were covered in thick dust, not a single soul was visible on the street, and no sound could be heard; the dead silence made your heart pound.
Just then, a faint cry came from deeper down the street, breaking the quiet.
"Carly! Where are you? Carly!"
Edward walked casually in the direction of the sound, and soon he spotted two young guys at a street corner.
One man was anxiously looking around and shouting, while the other followed beside him, equally nervous.
Edward approached them with a harmless tourist smile on his face, his excuse already prepared: "Hey, guys. Excuse me, do you know where I can get my bike looked at around here? I'm on a road trip, and I think I've got engine trouble."
The man who'd been shouting—Dalton—was visibly stunned when he saw Edward, probably shocked by his impossibly handsome face.
He temporarily forgot to shout and replied somewhat awkwardly: "We... we were headed to a college football game, and since it got too late, we camped nearby.
Then... then the car broke down, and Carly and her boyfriend Wade got taken to this town by a tow truck driver who said there was an auto shop here, but they never came back."
"Dalton!" The other man, Nick, interrupted him, eyeing Edward with suspicion.
It was seriously weird for such a calm and good-looking guy to suddenly appear in this creepy-ass town.
Edward understood the wariness in his eyes, shrugged indifferently, waved dismissively, and turned to walk down another street, as if he really was just a traveler asking for directions.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Dalton said to Nick, clearly annoyed, watching Edward walk away. "Maybe we could ask him to help us look for Carly and the others. More people, better odds."
"I don't know why," Nick frowned, staring at Edward's retreating back, "but I get a really bad vibe from that guy."
Edward naturally heard their conversation, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.
He turned into a dark alley, silently flew back onto a rooftop, and like an owl lurking in the shadows, surveyed everything below.
Under his gaze, Dalton and Nick seemed to have an argument, then split up.
Dalton hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door of a place called "Trudy's House of Wax" and went inside.
"A wax museum... he's basically screwed," Edward shook his head on the rooftop, having already sealed the unfortunate guy's fate in his mind.
Nick, on the other hand, headed toward the auto shop on the other side of town.
There, he met a man named Bo. The two exchanged a few words, and Bo lied, claiming that Carly and the others had already taken off after buying a fan belt.
Nick turned around, half-convinced, and at that moment, a vicious glint flashed in Bo's eyes as he raised the wrench in his hand, preparing to blindside him from behind.
"Nick!"
A faint, urgent cry came from the storm drain grate at Nick's feet.
Nick whipped around just in time to see Bo's twisted face and the weapon swinging toward him.
He reacted instantly, dodged the attack, and the two immediately started grappling.
Although Bo was built, he was clearly no match for Nick. After a few exchanges, he got his ass handed to him and eventually fled.
Nick didn't bother chasing him, quickly pried open the grate on the ground, and rescued his imprisoned sister, Carly, from the rank basement.
After hearing about Wade becoming a wax figure and his sister's terrified account, Nick finally understood that this entire town was one giant trap.
His face went pale, and he immediately shouted into the empty street: "Dalton! Dalton!"
Only the silent night wind answered him.
On the rooftop, Edward watched the entire scene unfold, then casually jumped down from the roof and walked toward the wax museum.
He ran right into Nick, who was supporting his sister Carly and about to head inside to look for their friend, at the entrance of the wax museum.
Seeing the mysterious man he'd met not long ago, Nick immediately moved his sister behind him, adopting a defensive stance, his eyes filled with wariness and hostility.
Edward stopped, hands in his pockets, shrugging casually, his tone flat.
"I'm just passing through."
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