He looked around, the trees spinning and swaying until his stomach turned. He clenched his fists, trying to steady himself, then gave his head a hard punch and forced himself to stand. His heartbeat quickened, thudding hard in his chest. He could smell the iron in the air. He looked up and saw more of it. Drops. Smears. A trail leading straight toward the cabin. Sid swallowed hard, his throat dry.

"Evelise…"

His voice cracking slightly. Without thinking, he started to follow the blood, step after step, his body tense and ready for anything. The closer he got, the stronger the smell became. When the cabin came into view, his stomach dropped. The door was open, just swinging lightly in the wind, creaking with each sway.

"No… no, no, no—"

He broke into a run. The denim and leather slipped from his arms as he dashed forward, stumbling once on the uneven path and cracking his right knee.

"EVELISE!"

Pain shot through his leg, sharp and burning, but he gritted his teeth and pushed himself up. His hands smeared through the blood on the ground. He froze, staring at it, trembling. Then he forced himself to stand and burst through the doorway.

A familiar scene filled his vision—the same trail of blood, the door hanging open, and that gut-wrenching smell in the air.

"Argh… no, please. It can't be… it can't be— EVELISE!"

His eyes darted around wildly, the chalk lines she had drawn were still there, the furniture untouched but the smell of blood was heavy now, thick enough to taste. He turned slowly, following the trail across the wooden floor… until he saw where it ended.

It stopped at a hole in the floor, a hidden hatch, left wide open. Sid's heart pounded so hard it hurt. He approached it slowly, his breathing shallow.

"A room underneath… what?"

He peered down; the darkness swallowed the stairs. With a flick of his wrist, his flashlight cut through the black and revealed a long wooden stairway dropping deep below. He pulled out his knife and gripped it tight.

"If anything's down there, you're gonna regret it."

His voice low, trembling but determined. He stepped down slowly, the old wood creaking beneath him. The deeper he went, the colder it became. His light wavered across the walls and then stopped.

Jars. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds. They lined the shelves, stacked on tables, even scattered across the floor. Each one held something floating in a cloudy, greenish fluid—skin wrinkled and pale, the liquid tinted yellow like acid water. When the jars shifted, the contents rippled, releasing a sharp, sour scent that made his throat tighten.

One jar lay shattered on the ground. The stench hit him immediately, so strong it burned his nose. Bubbles fizzed on the surface of what was left inside, popping softly like something still alive.

"God— what the hell is this place?"

His eyes glowed as Lootsense flickered to life, colors dancing faintly in the dark. Shades of green, brown, red, rust-red, yellow, blue, and even white sparks outlined everything in the room. He turned slowly, taking it all in.

"This place…"

His whisper echoed in the quiet, the beam of his flashlight shaking slightly. He took one slow step forward. Then another. The Lootsense lights blinked and pulsed all around him, but his attention shifted when he noticed it again… blood.

Dark, smeared across the dirty floorboards, trailing deeper into the shadows. Sid froze, his throat tightening. His knuckles whitened around the knife. He whispered softly, voice almost breaking.

"Evelise? Are you here? Please… answer me."

No answer. Only the low, distant creak of something moving in the dark

Sid followed the trail of blood deeper into the underground room. His flashlight beam trembled slightly as he swept it forward, following the crimson trail that seemed to twist and bend across the wood.

"Please be an animal. Don't be her. I can't do this again. Lord, please."

Each step echoed faintly in the dark chamber. The blood turned sharply to the left, pooling thicker at the corner. His heartbeat was so loud that it drowned out everything else.

He took a slow breath and turned the corner.

His light landed on the source— what was left of a… deer. Its stomach was ripped open, ribs cracked apart, and the organs were missing. The eyes were still open, wide with pain and fear. Sid froze, bile rising in his throat.

"Oh… God!"

He crouched slightly. The blood was still fresh, dripping slowly onto the floor.

"Something dragged it here. Something strong… a ghoul, maybe?"

He frowned, studying the deep claw marks on the ground.

"But that doesn't make sense. Ghouls hate it here. The sound of the trees swinging in the wind drives them insane. That's why they never come this deep."

Then his Combat Vision flared prompt flashing.

[Q]

Sid instinctively raised his knife, catching a sudden blow. Metal clashed against something hard… claws. He grunted, pushing back, his flashlight falling to the floor and rolling slightly, its beam slicing across the dark. Whatever hit him was strong, too strong. It screamed, a sound raw and violent, like an animal tearing itself apart.

"GRRRAAAHHHHH!"

"Damn it! Get off me!"

Sid shoved forward, using [W + Left Mouse Click] to force space between them. He kicked out, grabbing his flashlight and aiming it at his attacker. The light hit her face— pale, bloodstained, trembling with feral rage. Sid froze. He whispered, eyes wide.

"Evelise…?"

But there was no answer. Only a low, guttural snarl. Her lips were slick with blood, her eyes burning with a haunting red glow that cut through the dark like fire. He stumbled back, disbelief choking him.

"No… no, no— this isn't real."

His flashlight flickered over her again. The blood on her mouth matched the deer. The claw marks. The ripped flesh.

"You… you ate it…?"

His voice cracked, breaking halfway through. Then, like a cruel echo, the system's warning replayed in his mind:

[Without your constant presence and commands, the revived subject risks falling back into mindless ferality. The body will lose cohesion, and the undead mind will retake control.]

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