Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?

Look left; look right.

Look up; look all around.

Angzen could see a few glimpses of the buildings around them, but not very much.

If not for the moon, showing its dim rays past the fog, though most of it was blocked off by the denseness of the fog.

With a full 360-degree view, he tilted his head clockwise, taking it all in.

"So creepy." He murmured.

The streets were empty, with no vehicle moving in any lane.

But maybe what was even more disturbing was that the vehicles at the side of the roads were marked very hurriedly, as though people were running from something.

The scene was truly disturbing.

Doors left open; cars parked vertically on a horizontal road; everything made Angzen\'s chest grow tight.

~Whooo~

F***!

What was that?

Angzen jumped like a cat dunked into water.

"Relax. It\'s just an owl."

Chan-ki\'s voice seemed to soothe his already trembling legs... But not by so much.

"Ah-... "Yes... Yes... You\'re right. It\'s probably an owl."

Though Angzen agreed, he still didn\'t let go of Chan-ki\'s clothes.

Even he didn\'t seem to notice his body\'s reaction.

Looking at the fog that had now engulfed the many sparsely arranged 2-story buildings on both sides of the streets, Angzen squinted his eyes, hoping to get a glimpse of the said owl.

Nothing... Or... Was it something?

His eyes saw something. But once again, after a blink, it registered nothing.

He stared at the scene with a tilted face in a trance.

"Mr. Angzen?"

Chan-ki\'s voice woke him from his stupor.

"Ah!-..." Seeing Dorian already advancing, how could he continue getting distracted?

Though a bigger part of him was worried about the situation in this town.

What could\'ve made the people here leave their vehicles in such a hurry?

The many buildings were completely dark, with only a few having lights that probably came on automatically. The street lights were also on, though the fog still limited his visibility by 90%.

To be honest, he felt the moon did a better job at illumination than the street lights, which by the way, were very dim, as though low in power.

They blinked and flickered non-stop, going off and on severally.

Their pulsing caused his throat to constrict, causing a sickening wave of anxiety to well up in his belly.

And what was that smell?

Though faint, there was a bad and overly pungent smell in the air that itched his nostrils.

Windows opened, some closed...

The town seemed deserted.

Moreover, why didn\'t he get reception over here?

There was no signal in this town!

Cold sweat poured on Angzen\'s back.

Everything spelled out warnings!

He wanted to say something, wanting them to leave and find another town or city to eat in.

​ Even if nothing were wrong with his place, he still wouldn\'t have the appetite for a meal.

Angzen opened his mouth and closed it in silence. In the end, he said nothing.

Chan-ki looked at him briefly. "Let\'s go. Since we can\'t drive any further, we can only walk."

Like so, the trio moved along the messy main road in a zigzag manner, not stepping on the sidewalks.

And as they moved, they continued to observe the randomly displaced vehicles on the roads.

The more Angzen proceeded, the more warnings bells alarmed in his heart.

He turned around abruptly but didn\'t see a thing.

\'Could I be wrong? Why do I get the feeling that we\'re being watched?... Bah!... Forget it.\'

Angzen shook his head, following the duo closely.

But just at that moment, something bizarre happened.

It seems that his mind likes playing tricks on him. He thought.

In the dark buildings, alleyways, and even on the roofs, hundreds and hundreds of eyes of different shapes all stared at the trio\'s backs from amidst the shadows.

.

The trio walked for what seemed like an eternity to Angzen (15 minutes), taking several street turns before suddenly coming to a halt.

Their journey had been dark and uneasy, with no signs of life along the roads or in the buildings.

They had deviated from the main commercial road, reaching one of the first residential streets with houses lined up on both sides of the street.

Dorian squinted his eyes, coming to a halt before one of the ordinary-looking homes on the street.

It was a green, wide 2-story home with a small front yard, with its garage doors still closed. Yet, the vehicle on the property was smashed through the wooden garage door instead.

And on the front garden beds, all the flowers were withered and dead... All except for the bright bloody colored roses that seemed well-nourished

But why did he stop at this resistance?

Dorian tilted his head upwards, looking at the fog above.

This was where it all began.

Lifting his feet, he stepped over the overturned, broken-down baby crib on the lawn. "Keep up."

Chan-ki and Angzen followed behind him closely while also observing the mess scattered about the lawn.

~Chiiiiaaa~~~

The door squeaked loudly.

But stepping in, Angzen was taken back.

This... This...

(0_0)

Blink. Blink.

"How can it be so clean, organized, and intact?" Angzen blurted out, wondering how the outside of the home looked like it had passed through a hurricane while the inside looked like a newly furnished home.

How does one explain the baby crib that was cleanly shot out of a window in this home?

How does one explain the other household objects also scattered about in that manner?

If not for the broken window on the side of the building, the car rammed into the garage door, and the broken front door knob, he would\'ve thought he had been hallucinating about everything he saw earlier.

Heh.

Dorian chuckled, playfully moving about the building.

First, they visited all rooms on the main floor, primarily focusing on the kitchen and dining room.

After all, who knows what strange things they would meet in this seemingly ordinary home?