"No! No!.... Ahhhhhhhh!~~~~~."
The petrified woman seated on the floor released a terror-filled scream with widened her eyes.
Her ghoulish scream spoke of her tremors as though she already had one foot already in the grave.
However, in no more than 5 seconds, the screams stopped, and everything returned to normal.
But what could have happened?
What mysteries lay within this strange town?
And what about the stage fog that had now fully engulfed the scene?
Evening due? Was it cold due to the town's resting position above the towering hills?
Things were never as they seemed.
.
Vrmmm~~!
Dorian, Chan-ki, and teacher Angzen were now on the road to Soppo village.
The clear was silent, with Dorian closing his eyes and leaning back, Chan-ki on the driver's wheel, and Angzen reading a book.
It was his usual practice to read while traveling.
As an intellect, he did enjoy getting drawn into the worlds of many authors while using the light engine noises from cars, buses, and trains on his voyages as soothing sounds of focus.
It was just that on this particular rip, his nerves were all over the place, with him taking several peeks at this former student of his.
His belly knotted with a thousand butterflies and his muscles clenched on edge.
Inwardly, he was glad that Dorian chose to 'sleep,' or else how would he have communicated with this student Grandmaster of his?
The awkwardness was so real.
As an enthusiastic educator, if it were the past, he would probably spend at least a small portion of the trip educating his student about life or school. But now, he didn't dare to do so whether Dorian was awake or not.
'How to communicate with this former student of mine?'
He found that apart from the elephant in the room, A.K.A his ghostly parents, he couldn't talk about anything else.
Ring!!!~~
His phone startled him, causing him to throw it up in the air and catch it clumsily.
It was his wife.
"You can take it," Chan-ki stated.
They weren't criminals holding him hostage. So teacher Angzen could do as he pleased. Yet... Why was he still on edge as though a gun was pointed at him?
[Have you left yet?]
"Yes..." Angzen replied, trying to sound calm. His wife didn't know about the matter of his parents turning into ghosts.
If he told her, wouldn't she think him going insane from all the pressure on him?
By then, it wouldn't be long before the nosy neighbors also get wind of it, calling a clinic to take him away for their own safety.
After all, mad people could also harm others.
His wife's worried voice echoed out. [Ang... You must remember to come back fast. That shark loaner will harm the children and I if you take too long. I don't want to sound rude and wicked. But after all you've done and given to your sister and your parents, it's only fair that they should be able to gather something for you. We need the money!!]
Angzen's hands trembled. "I know. I will be back soon. Stay safe."
Tut...
He hung up, seemingly lost in thought.
.
Angzen ran his hands on his neck, relieving his built-up stress.
His wife didn't know that his parents were already dead. If she knew, she would've wanted to take the children to pay their respects to them for the last time.
Though his parents didn't like her in the past, she didn't take these things to heart all that much, maybe because his wife also grew up in a home where her mother wasn't liked by her grandparents.
The woman took it all with a pinch of salt. If you don't care for her, she won't care for you.
Back then, she was seen as disrespectful because of her attitude. But Angzen didn't judge her or force her to do any filial piety acts as a daughter-in-law to his parents.
They would abuse their powers and make things difficult for her if given the opportunity to do so.
Thinking about the situation at hand, he was going back to Pollo village not only to put his parents to rest, but also to take back all the money he sent his dear sister.
And when he meant all... He truly meant ALL!
Everything he's been sending for the last few years would definitely be collected. And if she couldn't spit out the money, then their parent's home, farms, and land she took as hers would be given back to him. Additionally, an IOU was in order.
Angzen didn't know how Dorian would make her sort it all out. But he was confident with this student of his.
Surely, the Grandmaster had his way of doing things, no?
With his reading glasses on, Angzen shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the book in his hands.
Apollo village was 16 hours away. And they've only been on the road for 3 hours at best.
The driver, Chan-ki, had mentioned to him that in the next 2 hours, they'll enter another city to have lunch.
And 6 hours after that, they'll enter another town called High Peak town for a meal.
The name High Peak was because the town was positioned high up the hilly/mountain-like terrain.
Angzen had heard of this town before but had never been there in person... Though he had seen the highway signs leading to the town on multiple occasions.
The town was 5 hours away from Pollo village.
.
Vrmmm~~~
The vehicle drove along the highway in silence.
And in no time, they drove into another city for lunch 2 hours later.
Following that, they drive again for an additional 6 hours.
And wouldn't you know it? It was once again time to have dinner.
Dorian, who had been closing his eyes throughout the trio, suddenly opened them and started up the high power from afar.
High Peak town.
That was it.
"Fog?"
Angzen blurted out, wondering if he would need his jacket when stepping out.
It's normal for High Peak to develop a whiff of fog, seeing how high up it was whole surrounded by Nature's blessings.
But what was strange was that in the dead of summer, High Peak was still cold, so much so that fog could emerge from the scene.
Seeing that it was now 9:15 P.M
Though the scene was visible, the sun was now in its late setting phase, revealing a fiery orange/pinkish hue.
'Could it be that even during summer nights, High Peak still gets so cold?'
After all, no matter how bright it was outside, it was now evening.
And judging from the already dimming sunset, in another 10 minutes or so, the entire land should be engulfed in darkness.
In other words, by the time they reach High Peak, no ray of sunlight would be present.
'I better suit up.' Angzen thought, already reaching for his jacket.
He took it on a whim. But who would've known he would actually use it?
Sure enough, the old saying works true for every situation... Better safe than sorry... Better to be prepared than surprised.
Vrmmmmmm~~~~
The vehicle drove in without delay.
Unlike other regions that have their towns and cities relatively close to the branched-off main highway, one would have to force for an additional 20 minutes to get into the High Peak town's entrance.
Though it was already past 9 P.M, such small towns always had 24-hour diners and fast food places for passing travelers.
Though from the looks of the scanty roads, this place shouldn't have that many people visiting it in and out.
At least, this was what Angzen summarized.
But Dorian had another theory to things.
.
Up they drove to High Peak.
F***!
How cold was it?
Angzen's jaw nearly dropped, watching the fog form a layer of smoke-like coat on the windows.
'Is that precipitation? Did it rain or something?
With how thick the fog was growing, even seeing the road ahead was becoming a daunting task.
~Flick.
Chan-ki turned on the headlights and steadied his speed ahead.
The Grandmaster didn't need to warn him.
Already, he felt the strangeness in the air.
'This fog isn't normal!'
What was even stranger was that there were no vehicles along the path? No vehicles going down at all. But this was weird. This was a town and not a village.
No matter how desolate it was, at least one person should be moving or driving a vehicle down the slope.
Chan-ki narrowed his eyes, throwing them towards every corner with a vigilant light.
'I have a bad feeling about this.'
.
Angzen puffed a breath onto the window, seeing it fog up in an instant.
Flabbergasted was far from what he felt.
High Peak Town...
The place gave him an uneasy feeling. But seeing that the others were calm and without worries, Angzen thought he was overthinking things.
'Clean up.'
Angzen subconsciously frowned, pulling his sleeves forward to whip away the fog he created on the window.
But soon, his arm froze dead on its tracks.
One blinks, and what he thought he saw seemed like a figment of his imagination.
Angzen laid back in his seat, feeling that he probably saw nothing but trees.
He completely threw the matter behind him, feeling his belly gurgle for a meal.
Crossing his legs, he glanced at his phone to pass the time.
The fog made sightseeing impossible.
So to him, their journey into High Peak wouldn't be a noteworthy one
But little did he know that this seemingly ordinary town was where their nightly story would begin.
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