Waferen swung upside down from the Old Cafe buildings. Her knees bent over one of its wooden beams, her coat and hair hung down like the wings of a butterfly.
Steven had immediately noticed her. It was usually like that. Either it was glaringly obvious she was around or she was impossible to find. His expression slightly shifted from its usual apathetic look into something more stern. He walked up to the vagabond with slow, arduous steps, like his body was resisting the approach.
“What are you doing?” Steven asked.
“Oh, hello there, friend!” Waferen opened her eyes. “I was curious if bats had a reason for sleeping upside down. I thought I’d try it and see if it would be any fun.”
Steven groaned and shook his head.
“Bats do it because it makes it easier for them to take flight. There’s not a single reason for a person to be doing it, other than being an idiot.”
“That makes sense, it’s not very comfortable.” Waferen smiled at him like she’d be lobotomized.
“Then why don’t you get down.”
“Why don’t you come up?”
Steven didn’t respond.
“Have you ever seen life from upside down before?” She asked.
Steven felt like she was spoonfeeding him nonsense, and ignored the low hanging fruit. He didn’t have time for it today.
“Seeing things upright is just fine for me. It’s less company that I need. Speaking of which, I’m busy doing things that are actually important. Nisha and I are working on separate missions from now on, so I’m on my own.”
The vagabond hummed. “Seperate missions, hm? How fun. Can I come?”
The Waferen reached up for the bar with her arms without bending her waist and did a little flip onto the ground like a schoolkid at recess.
“Oh, and, uh, why would I want that? So you can annoy me the whole time?” He said, faking sincerity.
“Where’s it at?” She asked.
“At Nonya. Now back to being a bat…shoo!” He waved his hand at her as he began to walk away.
“If you’re having trouble finding it, I happen to be a pretty good guide.”
She miraculously knew what to say. Steven honestly had no idea where to start looking. Regardless, he pretended otherwise.
“I already have an idea, unless you can pinpoint the exact location of what I’m looking for then you’ll be no help.”
“And what if I could?”
“You can’t.”
“Want to bet on it?” she said with a grin.
Steven looked at her for a moment before turning back around.
“No.”
He ignored the light laughter from behind him.
“You really are no fun. Even Nisha humors me more than you do. Tell me at least what you’re looking for, if I don’t know then I’ll leave.”
Steven thought for a second and sighed.
“It’s some wolf-hybrid creature that’s been spotted all around the northern region. Happy?”
“Hmm.” The vagabond held her chin like she was lost in thought, and Steven was already about to say his sweet goodbyes when she spoke again.
“Well that’s funny, I just happened to see a wolf man up north not too long ago!” She announced, casually tailing him.
“Huh?!”
Steven turned around.
“You saw the wolf man?” Steven was incredulous.
“Mn.” Waferen nodded. “If you want I can show you the house it came out of.”
Steven wasn’t done being incredulous.
“You just so happened to spot a Wolf Man doing god knows what and that wasn’t the first thing you told me!?”
“Well I happen to see all sorts of things every day. Reporting all of them would be quite the hassle, no?”
Steven’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean, ‘quite the hassle’. What- you just couldn’t be bothered? Spotting something like this is kinda important!”
She laughed. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t bet anything? Though- im still very hungry and would like a croissant in exchange for-”
“No.” Steven grabs the top of her head by her hair like a stray animal. “Show me where the house is.”
“Haha..Ok.. ok- just-careful!”
Suddenly Steven felt something squirm in his grasp. He jumped back like a cat. What the- A muskrat had popped out of her hair!
“What the hell!?”
The vagabond laughed and scratched her head.
“Ha ha… sometimes animals confuse my hair for a bush.”
“…”
“Do y-” The vagabond started.
“Just go.” Steven rubbed his forehead until it was the same shade as her hair ribbon.
***
They didn’t walk long before Wayferen spontaneously pulled out a skateboard from a nearby trashcan.
She hopped on swiftly and in less than a few seconds she was halfway down the street. Her coat billowed through the breeze, making her look like a gliding swallow. Steven had to dive into a fast sprint to keep up with her-even nearly losing her a few times when she turned a corner. He couldn’t help wondering- What-Is she trying to lose me?
Or maybe she just forgot he was chasing her, since at one point she got distracted by a nearby street vendor, halting her escort completely.
Though- with a quick slap and some angry words, Steven got her back on track.
The vagabond finally stopped fooling around upon entering a certain neighborhood close to the eastern border. Steven slowed his pace and came to a stop next to her. He watched unhappily as she stood at one house in particular.
“Here we are.” She said as she gave her usual smile. Steven acknowledged with raised eyebrows and a frown.
“Looks like a normal house to me.”
Steven walked up to the front door, giving it a few hardy knocks. He then pounded a few more times to no avail, humming in suspicion. He looked back to the vagabond.
“You might actually be onto something. I feel something off with this house.”
“Yeah, I saw a wolf man come out of it.” Waferen said without a hint of sarcasm.
Steven ignored her and grabbed the door handle.
“We might need to wait until the owner comes back…” Though right as he said that, the doorknob turned completely and the door creaked open. It wasn’t even locked!
“Oh…no..”
The hairs on his neck stood up as a feeling of dread creeped over him. Despite all the windows being shut, there was a heavy, musty draft that wisped past him. Walking in felt like entering another dimension. While the outside was bright and warm, the inside was coated in an eerie aqua light that emitted from the translucent blue sheets covering the windows.
The furniture was either broken or dilapidated, with a thick coat of dust covering every surface. Everything was completely still. Only the sparkles of dust that floated around the thickened air showed any movement. Like each piece of dust was an aimlessly drifting spirit.
“What…happened here?” Steven muttered to himself as he looked around. It’d at least be expected that the house was destroyed from a wolf attack- but this…This was concerning for different reasons.
Just as he’d expected, there were indeed scratchmarks that covered the walls and some of the furniture. Shattered plates and mug pieces dispersed on the floor, splatters of blood on some of them. Steven walked over to one of the framed pictures of a man and a woman. Most likely a married couple. Its glass frame cracked in the center of the woman’s face.
It was possible that the wolf man was using this place as its hideout, which means these people might already be dead. A few other possibilities surfaced in Stevens’ mind as he hummed, making his way over to the hallway.
It was then that his heart sank and his eyes widened at the sight.
“This…”
A large, endless tunnel that descended from the hallway floor. Like it was dug by a lifesize insect. It was unnatural. Not just the tunnel itself, but the fact it was dug in such an open spot. Like it wasn’t looking to hide itself. Like it was an invitation to whoever was unfortunate enough to peek inside.
What… What is this?!
Steven couldn’t move for a moment. He could only stare into that endless spiral as it pulled at his mind.
Steven had always been a competent and independent person. Not only that, but he didn’t scare easily, making him more than capable of completing these missions alone. So, in this circumstance he had no reason to ask for help, nor did he want it.
Yet for some bizarre reason he couldn’t begin to explain, he subconsciously blurted-
“Vagabond!”
The Wayferen was still standing idly in the grass, and wasn’t expecting to be summoned. In fact, it seemed like she was about to leave.
Steven looked back a bit shocked to see her step inside casually. It only took her a few seconds to look around before she calmly stopped at his side and peered in the hallway.
“You might want to call Nisha instead of me.” She said calmly, “she likes tunnels more than I do.”
Steven looked at her with disdain. “Just go back outside then.”
“Do you plan on going in?”
Steven didn’t respond. It was like his lips glued shut.
“There’s a flashlight on the counter if you do.” She smiled.
Steven shook his head.
“It must have been the wolf man who made this tunnel.” He said. “When did you see him exit the house?”
The vagabond thought for a moment.
“It wasn’t that long ago. He’s probably not here. Though this tunnel looks more like a big worm made it rather than a wolf.”
Steven subconsciously swallowed.
“Hopefully it’s just one or the other.” He remarked, “Alright then, we can come back to this later. It’s too dangerous to go in now. Who knows what’s in there.”
Vagabond nodded. “Good plan.” She began walking in.
“What are you doing?!” Steven said.
“Checking it out.”
“Did you not just hear me? It’s pitch dark- why are you just walking in?!”
“I’ll use my echolocation.” She said.
“You’re not a bat! Whatever, I’m out of here.” Steven stormed out of the house. He got outside, then stopped. He stood for about 5 seconds, before groaning.
“That dumb hobo…” He murmured, and walked back inside. She was gone. Steven walked back over to the kitchen. Just as she said, there was a flashlight standing upright semi visible behind a ceramic bowl. He flipped the switch, and sure enough it flickered a few times before turning on.
The ground was unusually soft, like he was stepping on cotton- and although the flashlight shined bright, the tunnel stretched so long that there was still no end for the light to discover.
The air in the tunnel was thick and musty, making it harder and harder to breathe. Not only that, but it was getting colder as well. The atmosphere made Stevens’ heart feel like it was going to beat out of his chest. Every ounce of his being told him to go back- so why he was following the vagabond was beyond him.
After walking for a short while, a soft whimpering sound echoed from down the tunnel. Steven paused.
Was it the vagabond… was she… crying?
He cautiously proceeded forward, noticing the sound was coming from a small hole dug into the tunnel wall. It was made differently from the rest of the structure, like it was created by a little mole. Steven bent down to inspect with his flashlight.
“Aah!!”
Steven fell back. The hole just screamed! He readjusted himself and peered in.
Deep Inside that little hole was a small boy curled into a tight ball, looking no older than 5 or 6. His big brown eyed face and grey shirt were covered head to toe with mud. Seeing the flashlight seemed to have startled him senseless.
“What is a kid doing here?” Steven murmured.. “Hey, how’d you get here? Did the wolf man bring you here?” He asked. The kid did not respond, but instead let out a few more sobs.
“It’s fine, relax.” Steven said in a less than soothing tone. “Come out, I won’t hurt you. How did you get down here?”
The kid however, did not come out.
“Come on, there’s something else that lives in this cave, so you need to come out now or it will eat you.”
This again, was apparently not the right thing to say. The kid rolly pollied himself even more and Steven clicked his tongue. He was used to dealing with Natalie, so this type of behavior wasn’t new to him. It’s just that this wasn’t Natalie, so naturally he didn’t have the patience.
“Don’t make me stick my arm in and grab you.”
Suddenly, Steven watched as in the span of a few seconds, the kid scurried frantically deeper into the hole like he was an injured mole. So deep that the dim flashlight could barely see him, appearing no bigger than Stevens thumb. The kids’ squirmy, desperate movements made him incredibly uneasy.
Did the kid make the tunnel this deep, or was it made by something else?
“Why… Why are you crawling deeper?” Steven said apprehensive.
“You’re not my dad!!” The kid yelled in fearful anger. “Youre not my dad so go away!!”
Steven’s brows furrowed. “Of course I’m not your dad! I don’t even know who your dad is!”
It was then that the kid produced a blood curdling scream.
Stevens’ whole face turned white. He watched in horror as the kid got dragged into the darkness, deep into that little tunnel. His pale crying face conveyed complete terror as he shrunk smaller and smaller into nothingness in the span of a few seconds.
“H-Hey!!” Steven screamed, but it was too late. The kid was gone. Dragged violently away by an unknown creature, leaving nothing behind. Steven couldn’t even go after him with the hole being so small, not that he didn’t try digging for a few minutes to no avail.
He got up, in shock still and covered in dirt.
If Nisha were here, they’d probably have spent the rest of the day digging around, trying to find that kid. Steven however, wasn’t going to waste his time. It was unlikely the kid had survived, and no matter how unfortunate that fact, there was nothing he could do.
Not only that, but the Jin presence in this tunnel was suffocating. For some reason he didn’t notice it due to the thick must that coated the air-but now, it was incredibly apparent.
He looked around, not sure if he should go back or not when his gaze met the empty tunnel wall. That little hole that was just there..It was gone!
Someone or something, was playing tricks with him. Either that or trying to scare him off. He wondered if the Vagabond was still alive. After Steven thought for a moment, he began walking deeper into the tunnel.