"Ghosts!"
"Ahhh! It's a monster!"
"Help! Somebody help!"
"Run! Everyone, run!"
Screams echoed through the hotel, overlapping one after another, sharp and chilling.
The cries were so frequent and panicked that they cut through the air like knives, making every hair stand on end.
Moments later, a flood of people burst out of the men's bathroom.
Some were so desperate to escape they hadn't even pulled up their pants.
Fenric caught sight of two who had blood smeared across their faces and clothes.
This wasn't hysteria. It wasn't an illusion.
Something truly dangerous was inside.
Fenric's brows knitted together.
At that moment, Yuhan turned to the trembling girl beside her. "Stay here. I'll go in and take a look."
"Don't!" The girl shrieked and clutched Yuhan's arm tightly. "Yuhan, there are real ghosts in there! It's horrible—let's just go!"
"ROOAAAR!"
Before Yuhan could answer, a guttural roar erupted from the bathroom. It wasn't human—it was something closer to a beast.
A thick fog spilled out from the doorway, rolling across the floor until it reached the entrance.
Yuhan instinctively stepped back, her frown deepening. Her intuition screamed that the black fog was dangerous.
"Ahh! The ghost—it's coming out! Yuhan, hurry, let's go!"
The girl tugged her away in terror, dragging her toward the stairs.
In the blink of an eye, only Fenric remained by the bathroom door.
Students and guests stumbled past him in panic, but he paid them no attention. His gaze never left the fog.
It wasn't ordinary mist. Its color was thick, pitch-black, like ink.
It slithered to the edge of the doorway, then stopped—as if bound to its domain.
Even from where he stood, Fenric could sense it.
Something was inside the fog.
Not just one thing. A lot of them.
"Ric…?"
Jitto's shaky voice came from behind.
Fenric turned to see him pale-faced, clutching his arm.
"Ric, why are you just standing here? This place is haunted—come on, let's get out!"
Without waiting for an answer, Jitto dragged him along. Fenric didn't resist. Pulled along with the crowd, he let himself be swept toward the stairs.
The elevators were jammed beyond use. Nearly everyone rushed for the stairwell.
Soon, Fenric and the others poured into the first-floor lobby.
The hall was jam-packed, a sea of people stretching wall to wall.
From his taller vantage point, Fenric could see across the crowd.
Faces everywhere were pale, wide-eyed, and stricken with fear.
The entire lobby seethed with panic.
"Open the doors! Let us out!"
"What kind of hotel is this!? Why haven't you opened the exits!? Do you realize people are dead upstairs?!"
"Yeah! What the hell are you hiding?!"
Angry voices flared within the mob.
Fenric looked toward the entrance.
Security guards stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the main doors, blocking the way. Behind them, heavy wooden planks had been nailed across the gate, cutting off any view of the outside.
A hotel manager with a loudspeaker called out above the din:
"Dear customers, please calm down! Don't panic. We cannot allow anyone to leave right now—it is for your safety. The situation outside is even more dangerous. Please stay here and wait for rescue!"
Fenric's frown deepened.
Dangerous outside, too?
Was his father caught in this as well?
The crowd wasn't buying it.
"Liar! Ghosts are inside your hotel! How could it be worse outside!?"
"You're just afraid we'll call the police!"
"Yeah—keeping us locked up like this? Are you trying to cover it up for the sake of business?!"
"Call the police!"
One by one, people pulled out their phones.
"…No signal!"
"Mine's dead too!"
"Same here!"
"Damn it! Did they install a signal jammer?!"
"Forget this! Let's all rush out together!"
The chaos grew. Suspicion and fear festered, until many began shouting to storm the blockade.
"Calm down, please!" the manager urged desperately. "If you don't believe me, I'll prove it to you. Just don't force the doors!"
Reluctantly, he signaled the security guards.
They removed the wooden boards.
As the last plank came away, the lobby fell into a stunned silence.
Outside the glass doors, a suffocating black fog churned. It was thicker than tar, shifting and writhing.
Now and then, shapes flickered within—indistinct but unmistakably alive.
"ROAAAAR!"
The moment the fog parted enough for the creatures inside to glimpse the humans, guttural roars erupted.
Bang!
A massive tentacle slammed against the glass door, cracking it with a thunderous boom.
The monstrous limb recoiled, then struck again, hungry to break through.
The tempered glass held, but the sight alone was enough to drive the crowd into panic.
"Ahhh!!"
Shrieks filled the hall. Girls clutched each other and screamed.
"Quick, block it again!" the manager barked, signaling the guards.
As they scrambled to re-bar the door, he turned back to the crowd, face grave but steady.
"Now you see the truth. It really is dangerous outside. This is the first time I've ever encountered anything like this. Just earlier, several of our staff were dragged away by those monsters—that's why we sealed the entrance!"
He raised his voice, forcing calm into the chaos.
"The black fog seems to fear light. For now, this lobby is the safest place. Stay here—together."
But even as he finished speaking—
Click.
The lights of the entire hotel went out.
At first, there was stunned silence.
Then, like a wave crashing down, the fear multiplied. Faces twisted, and the darkness thickened with terror.