When everyone entered the basement, they spotted an elderly Asian man sitting on the bed, his hands trembling slightly on his knees.
"Fu-Hen..." The old man stood up, wobbling as he walked toward Kenny with a vague smile on his lips.
"Hi, Dad. How are you?" Kenny took the old man's hand carefully, his voice softening.
The old man began speaking in another language, the words coming out fast and confused. Kenny replied in the same language, with the weary patience of someone who repeated the same explanations every day.
"That's Kenny's father," Father Khatri explained quietly, breaking the curious tension in the air. "He suffers from dementia. That's why he stays here at night."
"You're all sleeping here tonight." Boyd pointed to the space around him. "Kenny, get blankets from storage."
Kenny nodded, settling his father on the bed before leaving.
At that moment, Daniel spoke up, asking what everyone was anxious to know.
"Sheriff... how did they know Tobey's name? That's not just 'being monstrous.' That's way too specific."
The entire room fell silent.
Boyd took a deep breath, tired. "We don't know why. But yes... they know the names of everyone trapped here."
Jim ran his hand over his face, pressing his eyelids together, as if by opening his eyes he might wake up somewhere else. Anywhere else. "This is... this doesn't make sense."
Julie let out a shaky breath, her fingers interlacing and unlacing nervously. "Do they know... everything about us?"
Jade was sitting on the floor, knees drawn to his chest. "So they know who I am. They know—"
"Do they know other things, or just our names?" Daniel interrupted, keeping his voice controlled, though tense.
"From what we've observed so far, just the names," the sheriff replied, trying to calm everyone.
A collective sigh of relief filled the room. Everyone except Daniel.
That set off an alarm in his mind. With everything happening so fast, he had overlooked this detail. In the series, the monsters seemed to know more than just names.
He remembered how they had called Jim, posing as his dead son, Thomas
If they could read people's minds, that would be a problem... or maybe not.
Hunter's Mind, he thought, focusing on his passive skill that prevented others from reading his mind. The problem was that if he were the only one, they couldn't read. That would be dangerous. And there was still the fact that he hadn't seen the fallen tree or the crows everyone else had.
[Relax. Kael had your body living here since birth, on autopilot mode, until you took over. He had already seen the tree and the crows.]
That explained a lot.
[The crows carried a form of mental scanning magic, and some surface memories were read.]
"So they know things about my life?" Daniel's stomach twisted. "Do you know exactly what they read?"
He was genuinely worried now. Anyone would be, knowing strangers had access to their memories. And in a world like this, they would definitely use that against him.
[Seriously? Do I need to draw it? They read the BODY'S memories while it was on autopilot. Your suicidal Florida surfer memories are safe. For Kael's sake, use your head.]
The system spoke with contempt, as if this were the simplest thing in the world.
Daniel let out a sigh of relief, admiring Kael's foresight. Then again, he was basically a god. That was to be expected.
"And if they try to read my mind again, the skill will just block it?"
[In that situation, you can block it. Or create false memories. Like mental Photoshop.]
"And why didn't I see those memories when I woke up in this body?" Daniel remembered the novels and fanfics from his previous life. Usually, the person taking over a body received its memories.
[You'll get them when you sleep. It'll be like watching a movie of your own life. Enjoy the childhood trauma.]
---
The group remained silent, processing the reality of being trapped with supernatural predators.
"This has to be a nightmare," Jade muttered from a corner, eyes fixed on the floor.
At some point, Ethan fell asleep in Tabitha's arms. She sat beside Jim, still holding her son carefully.
Daniel stayed a bit apart, with Julie still beside him.
The door opened, startling everyone as Kenny came in carrying several blankets. He closed the door and handed them out.
"I'll sleep upstairs to keep an eye on things," Boyd said, taking a blanket and heading for the door. "You and Khatri stay here, Kenny."
"Put these blankets on the floor," Kenny explained as he prepared to leave. "I'll grab some sheets for you to cover yourselves."
"Let's lay them out and lie down," Father Khatri said, spreading his blanket on the floor. "Today was exhausting."
"From what I've seen, every day here is exhausting," Daniel commented as he stood to spread his blanket.
Jim laid his down, placing Ethan in the middle. The boy slept deeply, leaving space for Jim on one side and Tabitha on the other.
"Julie, come lie down here close to us," Tabitha called, trying to keep her voice steady.
Julie hesitated, glancing at Daniel.
"You... can you come too?"
Daniel felt two pairs of eyes on him before he even answered. Jim and Tabitha. Of course.
He gave a small nod, picking up his blanket. "Sure. I'll set mine up near yours."
Daniel followed her and left a respectful distance as he spread the fabric on the floor, a space that said 'I'm here, but I won't cross the line.'
Tabitha and Jim exchanged a look full of silent concern. The kind parents share when they don't like what they see but don't have the emotional energy to deal with it right then.
After a while, Kenny returned and handed out the sheets. He lay down beside his father, who looked content to be near his son.
The door opened again. Kristi came in, a bit stained with blood, but with a less tense expression.
"Tobey is stable for now."
Jade released a breath that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, long and shaky, his whole body relaxing as if the strings holding him together had been cut. "At least one piece of good news in this hell."
Kristi knelt beside him briefly, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. "He'll need you strong tomorrow. Get some rest."
He nodded, grateful for what she had done for his friend.
Daniel activated his Danger Wi-Fi skill once more. The minimap appeared in the corner of his vision. There were still a few red dots near the clinic, moving slowly.
[Night patrol of the Smilers. Such dedication to the job. Imagine if they got night shift pay.]
At least they can't get in, Daniel thought, deactivating the skill.
No one could sleep. The silence was too heavy, as if the room itself were listening. The adults avoided looking at one another. No one wanted to start a conversation that would only bring more fear. And everyone shared the same care: not waking Ethan.
After who knew how long staring at the ceiling, Daniel finally fell asleep.
Sleep came heavy, dragging him down like chains. And then the memories began.
They came in fast, intense flashes. Memories that weren't his, but belonged to the body he now called his own.
He was an orphan. He grew up in rooms that never felt like his. Walls painted in neutral tones by people paid to pretend they cared. Silence at breakfast. Silence before bed. The constant feeling that no one was waiting for him anywhere.
And at some point, he stopped waiting too.
As an adult, life became an endless chase for adrenaline. Cliff diving, storm surfing, free climbing without ropes, all recorded as digital trophies. Thrilling... and empty.
The origin of the motorhome surfaced, too. A gift from a wealthy friend, just as addicted to danger as he was.
And amid the chaotic scenes, a pattern emerged. The autopilot version never let anyone get close. He always ran when he sensed interest, affection, or expectation. Several friends had asked if he was asexual. He wasn't. He just didn't know what to do with people who actually wanted to stay.
A whole life running. Always alone. At least, Daniel thought, I won't have to deal with an ex-girlfriend showing up out of nowhere.
The images began to fragment.
And then sleep pulled him deeper.
---
(Elsewhere in the town.)
"Sara, you have to do it now." The voices rang inside her head like distant bells, almost too sweet. "Only then will you be able to save everyone."
Sara clutched her head with both hands, sitting on the edge of the bed. The room was dark, with only streetlight seeping through thin curtains. Her body rocked back and forth, back and forth, an unconscious, almost childlike motion. "What do you want me to do?"
"You just need to find a way to let us into the clinic." The whisper continued, calm, almost maternal.
"I can't!" She shook her head, brown hair falling over her face. "Gina is there... Mr. Liu... Kristi..."
"We won't touch them." The voice paused, letting the words sink in. "Only the newcomers. They bring trouble. You're saving everyone."
"But I can't." Sara covered her ears, trying to block out the voices. "That family has a child."
"The last time two vehicles arrived at once, everyone died." The tone hardened, urgent. "Is that what you want? Nathan's death, your death, everyone in town dying because of strangers?"
The words pierced her defenses like needles.
"This is the only way for you to leave the town. Think about it. No one will blame you. They'll see you as the heroine who saved everyone."
She took a shaky breath, tears starting to fall. The air left her lungs in a dry sob. "Okay. But you won't really kill anyone else, right? You promised."
"No. No one else. Only those who arrived today."
"Sara, did you call me?" Nathan's voice came from the hallway, concerned. "I heard you."
"No, I didn't call you," Sara replied quickly, wiping her tears with her sleeve.
He opened the door slightly, peering through the gap. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She forced a smile. "It's nothing."
He stood there for a moment, evaluating his sister. She didn't look fine. She hadn't for a while now.
"Alright." He finally relented. "Sleep well."
He closed the door, but stayed in the hallway a few seconds longer, still uneasy.
Sara waited for his footsteps to fade. Then she stood up, her heart pounding.
The room felt smaller, as if the walls were leaning in. Sara opened the closet with trembling hands and put on her hoodie, the fabric weighing on her shoulders like a sentence.
The voices murmured, soft as a lullaby.
"Sara, you will take everyone home."
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