Chapter 26: Clown: Look, I'm Anxious Again
This was a classic case of finding love around the corner.
Both sides froze for a few seconds.
Tara's pupils dilated, her legs pushed off, and she turned and ran, while Art the Clown, with a grin, began to chase her.
Art was very satisfied with Tara's reaction. He wasn't in a hurry to catch up, instead savoring the thrill of a cat playing with a mouse.
The building was eerily quiet.
Tara listened to the sounds and movements occasionally approaching from behind, and her fear magnified infinitely.
Just as her tension peaked, she tripped over something and fell heavily to the ground.
In the dimly lit corridor, she struggled to get up.
A shadow enveloped her entire body.
Tara trembled, looked up in terror, and her breath hitched... Thank God it wasn't that damned Clown.
She saw hope for survival.
"Help! There's a clown murderer in here! Call the police! He's right behind me!"
Danny looked at the terrified Tara and slowly crouched down.
"Oh? Where is he now?"
Tara was bewildered. She recognized Danny as the guy she'd met at the diner and on the street, who'd told her to go home early.
A terrifying thought suddenly sprang into her mind.
"You... you're not working with that Clown, are you?"
The more Tara thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and her gaze toward Danny became fearful.
Danny was speechless.
What kind of twisted logic was this?
"If I were working with the Clown, you'd already be dead, and do I really look like a murderer?"
Tara glanced at him a few times and found him quite attractive. She breathed a sigh of relief, her tense nerves relaxing slightly.
"No, you don't. Sorry, I'm just terrified. We should call the police. Have you seen my friend outside?"
Danny pulled out a pistol.
"There's no one outside. Maybe the Clown already got her. You just need to take me to find him."
Tara felt much safer seeing the gun. In her opinion, no matter how dangerous a murderer was, a bullet would probably finish him off.
Given that Dawn was missing, she hesitated for a moment but then agreed to help, taking Danny to find the Clown.
Along the way, the two exchanged names.
Danny then learned that Tara and Dawn were college students who'd come here to attend a Halloween party.
Who knew they'd encounter such a freak as Art?
After this experience, Tara probably wouldn't want to come back for the rest of her life.
Along the corridor,
Tara, hiding behind Danny, arrived at the spot where she'd previously encountered the Clown and pointed to the doorway.
"I met the Clown right here."
Danny walked straight over. It wasn't that he was exceptionally brave, but rather that he could transform into the alpha crawler at any time.
He couldn't handle the Midnight Man, but surely even Art the Clown couldn't be that powerful, could he?
"Be careful." Tara couldn't help but warn him, afraid Danny would be ambushed as soon as he walked in.
Danny ignored her and pushed the door open. The Clown wasn't inside, but the maintenance worker's body lay there.
Tara cautiously approached and also discovered the body. She recognized it as the worker from outside, his guts spilled everywhere, making her nearly vomit.
She said sadly, "Could Dawn already be dead?"
"It's possible, but since her body isn't here, she should still be alive."
Danny remembered Art the Clown wasn't a simple killer—he liked to kill but preferred to torment his victims even more.
Perhaps with Danny by her side and a gun, Tara firmly stated, "I have to save Dawn."
"Let's search nearby. Maybe we can find your friend."
Danny felt a bit nostalgic for the time when he'd had many subordinates in the underground cave.
Back then, there was no need for such trouble—with a single command, his subordinates would conduct a full search.
Tara nodded, uncharacteristically not suggesting they split up, as she was truly terrified.
The two began searching inside the building.
To be honest, this place was really large and abandoned—a perfect spot for murder.
Danny searched leisurely, as if he were strolling through his own home.
Tara looked left and right, her nerves constantly on edge, always feeling the Clown would suddenly pop out from some corner.
The two took the elevator to the top floor.
Coincidentally, as soon as they arrived, Danny saw Art the Clown doing something sinister in the building across the way.
Dawn was tied upside down to a makeshift frame, her mouth taped shut, her condition unknown.
Art the Clown's perception was very keen. He looked up and stared directly at Danny and Tara on the high floor.
Danny waved to Art.
"Hello!"
Art grinned widely, revealing a huge smile, and raised his left hand, waving in response to Danny's greeting.
Then, with extreme speed, he rushed out and flew toward Danny and Tara's location.
His speed was even faster than a normal crawler moving on all fours.
If Tara had seen such a thing running toward her at this speed alone, she would've been scared to death and would've quickly found a place to hide.
Even with two people now, she still felt panicked.
"Danny, what should we do? Should we find a place to hide?"
She didn't really want to face the Clown directly.
"This spot is fine, the view is wide. Hiding would actually be more dangerous, and besides, he's already here."
Danny's gaze was fixed on the end of the corridor.
Art the Clown was standing there, "friendly" waving at the two.
What?
"How is this possible?" Tara couldn't believe it. This was the twelfth floor. Even if the Clown took the elevator, it wouldn't be this fast, would it?
By now, even she realized something was very wrong.
"You freak, we've already called the police! Release my friend!"
Art the Clown's expression instantly changed upon hearing this, and he stared silently at Tara, a hammer appearing in his hand.
Tara's voice gradually faded.
Because Art charged toward them in a frenzied manner.
Danny was still trying to talk. He wanted to know if this thing could speak: "Hey, hey, hey, calm down, let's talk."
Art ignored him, and as he was only a few steps away, Danny suddenly pulled out his gun.
Art the Clown, who'd been so aggressive just a moment ago, immediately raised both hands, looking at Danny with a hint of pleading.
There were only about five steps between them.
He's actually afraid of guns?
Danny asked, "Can we talk properly now?"
Art nodded, his smiling face still believing itself charming.
Tara breathed a sigh of relief. The Clown was just a murderer. If he were truly supernatural, how could he be afraid of a gun?
Danny turned to Tara and said.
"You go save your friend. I'll keep an eye on things here."
"Thank you, when I come back, I'll treat you to— Ah!"
Tara hadn't finished speaking when she screamed, staring behind Danny. She could already imagine the horrific scene.
But Danny turned around with incredible speed, grabbed Art's hand, and gently took the hammer.
Art's smile froze. It wasn't that he didn't resist, but Danny's strength was astonishing, and he simply couldn't hold on.
Art's smile became strained, as if saying, "See, you're overreacting. I was just kidding."
Danny also smiled as he took the hammer, then aimed his pistol and fired a shot at Art's groin.
"BANG!"
Art grabbed his crotch with both hands and fell to the ground, letting out an inhuman shriek.
He didn't even curse when shot in the balls, so Danny could confirm Art really couldn't speak.
He said without looking back.
"Don't just stand there, go save your friend. I need to have a conversation with Mr. Clown alone."
Tara reacted with two quick nods and looked at the fallen Clown, then quickly left. As she reached the stairwell, she heard two more gunshots.
She peeked back and only saw Danny's back blocking the writhing Clown.
From the sound of it, they seemed to be having a very intense conversation?
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