A figure stumbled and fell into a trash bin.
A muffled groan escaped as they hit the refuse at the bottom. The figure held their breath, listening intently to the sounds outside, as if hiding from sothing.
A scraping sound...
The strange noise of a slithering creature ca from beyond the trash bin, drawing closer.
The figure hiding in the darkness widened their eyes and clamped a hand over their mouth, desperate to make no sound. In the cramped confines of the bin, only the frantic pounding of a heart could be heard.
Scrape... scrape...
The thing outside prowled around the bin for a mont before finally moving away.
The figure waited several more seconds, until all was quiet outside, before finally allowing themself a deep breath.
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
The heart beat even faster.
After calming down and catching their breath, the figure slowly lifted the lid of the bin and peered out through a narrow crack.
Beyond a low fence, tombstones were visible. A six-ard monster crawled down the street past the cetery gates.
Confident they couldn't be seen from the street, the figure looked back toward the cetery. Several balloons bearing human heads floated among the gravestones, occasionally bumping into one another as if whispering secrets.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the balloons swayed. One of them slowly turned.
The figure quickly ducked back into the bin, too afraid to look out again.
Fumbling beneath themself, the figure leaned against the cold wall of the bin and pulled a notebook from their pocket.
Scrape... scrape...
A match flared to life, its faint light illuminating the bloodied face of Oliver.
The damp wall of the trash bin reflected the dim light. Oliver, holding the match steady, brought it closer to the open notebook.
A bookmark lay on the illuminated page. A sketch of a building was drawn there. The lines of the drawing made it clear the structure was stone; a high roof and a statue of an angel on top suggested its purpose.
Oliver had seen this building before—or rather, he saw it every ti he passed through with the rchant caravan. It was on the west side of Trio Street, the Tenebrae church, the one closest to the Shadow Swamp.
Flicker...
The match suddenly went out as a drop of water from the lid fell onto Oliver's fingertip.
Oliver struck another match, first making sure the drop wasn't soone's saliva or sli, and continued reading the text beneath the drawing.
[We've searched the whole town but still haven't found that Oliver. Even checked under the bed at the Wine Saloon. Kirk said he might be hiding in the church cellar. How would an outsider even know about it? And why would he go there? There's nothing in there but stone walls stronger than a bank vault.]
[Whatever the case, it's the last place we haven't checked. We'll look in there later, after Frank and Garcia finish their sweep and get back.]
Flicker...
The match died just as Oliver finished reading the last line.
Wasting no more matches, Oliver put away the notebook and the box.
The Tenebrae church... that was the place.
Rembering everything he'd heard about the church's cellar, Oliver, desperate to escape, decided to make it his sanctuary until this was all over.
The lid of the trash bin cracked open, and a pair of eyes stared out from the dark slit at the world.
The sky was still crimson, monsters road the streets, and the end of this nightmare was nowhere in sight.
The head balloons still hovered over the cetery, as if they had no intention of leaving.
Gritting his teeth, Oliver seized a mont when their backs were turned, widened the gap, and scrambled out of the trash bin.
Leaping to his feet, Oliver hunched over and ran for the main entrance of the church.
He tried to move as quietly as possible, keeping low so his head wouldn't rise above the church fence. His short stature was an advantage here.
But unfortunately, a sudden gust of wind whipped around a corner and billowed the edge of his clothing.
The wind swept past Oliver and blew toward the cetery.
The head balloons bobbed in the wind like ordinary balloons. One of them turned, revealing a bloated, bloodied human face with a grotesque smile.
Oliver froze.
More and more of the balloons with their leering faces turned toward Oliver. They had seen him.
Goosebumps broke out across Oliver's skin. Watching the approaching balloons from the corner of his eye, he abandoned all pretense of stealth and sprinted for the church doors.
The balloons sped toward Oliver, but another gust of wind slowed them, and he managed to slip through the partially open church doors and slam them shut behind him.
The last thing he saw was the swarm of balloons pressing against the door.
THUD!
A heavy sound echoed as the door sealed shut.
Gasping for breath, Oliver leaned against the door, swallowed hard, and then straightened up to face the church's interior.
Suddenly, a hideous, distorted face appeared directly in front of him. The monster's breath washed over him, cold and foul.
...
"The church is out in the open, with no other buildings around it. How are we supposed to get there?" Frank asked, standing by the crate that held the map. He looked at Lu Li and JoJo.
The church was situated at the very end of Trio Street, just a few hundred ters from the Shadow Swamp, and there were no other structures within a hundred-ter radius. This was partly because many of the first settlers had been devout, and partly because the dead were buried in the cetery surrounding the church.
It was clear on the map, too—the area around the church was empty.
"Is there an underground passage?" Lu Li asked.
JoJo looked at him in surprise. Frank's answer surprised her even more. "An underground passage... Yes, there is one."
"Where?"
"It leads to the Shadow Swamp. As for where exactly... I don't know. I just know it exists, but I have no idea where the entrance is."
"So, to get into the church through this passage, we'd have to go into the Shadow Swamp first, and then from the swamp into the church?" JoJo frowned. "That passage is useless to us."
Lu Li remained silent, studying the map for the nearest building to the church that might allow them to reach it safely.
Just then, Frank's voice dropped. "Lu Li, I think you were right. There's probably no one left in the church... We might be the only ones left."
"You don't seem very upset about it," JoJo observed.
After the incident with the fake policen at the station, she was suspicious of all strangers.
Frank smiled and said, "My parents died many years ago. They were picking berries in the Shadow Swamp and accidentally got stuck in a mire. By the ti they were found, they had drowned completely. And when the neighbors ca back to town and told , the spot where they sank was already gone."
"I'm so sorry..." JoJo said sympathetically.
"Don't be. I've almost forgotten them," Frank replied nonchalantly, taking a chain with a pendant from around his neck. "It's been so long, I can't even rember what they looked like... All I have left of them is this chain."
A rustle...
Lu Li drew their attention as he folded the map.
"Did you find a way?" JoJo asked.
"Yes."
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