Chapter 119: Nod or Shake
And a little while later,
after looking over the list, Walfred understood why Colton had called the Pharmacist meticulous.
"This is..."
The list Helen had drawn up recorded, in detail, every change that had occurred from the moment the Wine Cave began serving as a shelter up to the present.
’She really is meticulous.’
Most people didn’t keep records this thorough.
Walfred’s eyes gleamed with interest.
He opened to the first page.
’So the initial membership was 417.’
That number had dwindled fast, though.
The closer the dates on the list came to the present, the more names had red lines drawn through them.
According to Colton’s follow-up explanation, a red line through a name was reserved strictly for those who had died or been missing for three days or more.
’Nice and easy to read.’
After a short nod,
Walfred tallied up only the names with red lines through them. The total came out to 302.
That meant 70% of the initial survivors had died or disappeared, but it was nothing to be surprised about.
In the early days of the ice age, plenty of people had died because they couldn’t adapt to the drastic temperature changes.
"And what does this highlighter mean..."
"Those are the Hunters."
The names marked in light green highlighter.
They numbered fifteen in total.
A count that included the Skinwalker that had been imitating Hunter Garrett at the shelter entrance just a while ago.
Walfred spoke again.
"Of the Hunters on this list, how many took part in the investigation of the strange phenomenon?"
"All of them."
So all fifteen had participated in the investigation.
Convenient. No need for a separate tally.
Walfred nodded, then grabbed a red pen rolling around on the desk. He handed the pen and the list to Colton.
"Find the names of the Skinwalkers we took care of at Savannah Station earlier and mark them."
"Ah, yes! Understood."
Colton drew the lines as instructed.
A moment later, red lines were drawn through four names, including Garrett’s. With that, the total number of survivors in the shelter came to exactly 111.
Of those, the ones who were confirmed human numbered four: Colton, Donovan, and the two young men currently guarding the shelter entrance.
’That leaves 107 people.’
How many Skinwalkers were among them?
He knew he shouldn’t be thinking this way, but part of him hoped there were at least ten or so.
’The more Skinwalkers there are, the more information I can squeeze out of them.’
Skinwalkers were intelligent enough to hold conversations with people. So Walfred intended to find them, subdue them, and dig out the information he wanted.
Through torture, if necessary.
Just as his eyes took on a chilling cast,
"Um, Hunter?"
"What should we do next?"
Colton and Donovan spoke up.
At their attitude, as if begging to be given any task at all, Walfred answered in a flat tone.
"Starting now, we root out the Skinwalkers."
"...!?"
"Ahh, finally...!"
The two men looked deeply moved.
They rejoiced that they could finally escape the terror of the Skinwalkers. Walfred handed the two of them the shelter’s survivor list.
"Send people in here one at a time, in the order they’re written on this list. Hunters included."
"Ah, you’re planning to do this privately?"
"Of course."
Gathering every survivor in one place for the screening would save time, but if the number of Skinwalkers was large, things would get messy.
Some of them were bound to run or go berserk.
"And isolate the members confirmed to be human in a separate space."
If they were sent back to where they’d been and ended up mixing with Skinwalkers again, the whole screening process would be rendered meaningless.
At Walfred’s instructions, Colton and Donovan nodded with resolute faces. Then Colton suddenly raised his hand, tentatively.
"Um, one thing, though..."
"...?"
"What should we say the summons is for?"
"What do you mean?"
"If a Hunter from outside suddenly asks to see everyone face to face, people are going to think it’s strange."
It was a fair point.
Walfred thought it over, then answered.
"Tell them the Pharmacist vouched for me."
"W-will that be enough...?"
"Yes. If you say I’m a Hunter who came at the Pharmacist’s request to resolve the Skinwalker crisis, everyone will accept it."
From what Walfred could tell, to the members of this shelter, Helen the Pharmacist was more than just a shelter manager. She was something like a pillar of emotional support.
So trading on the Pharmacist’s name would reduce suspicion, at least to a degree. The two men seemed to think along the same lines, and they nodded.
"Yes, understood."
"We’ll get started right away."
Shortly after, the two men left the room.
Left alone with Elsa, Walfred stroked her hair and spoke.
"Elsa."
"What?"
"In a little bit, people are going to come in one at a time. Can you quietly tell me, and only me, who’s human and who’s a monster pretending to be human?"
Then Walfred added,
nod if it’s a person, and shake your head if it’s a Skinwalker wearing human skin.
"Okay! Leave it to me."
Elsa nodded briskly, saying it was an easy job. At the reassuring answer, Walfred quietly wore a faint smile.
How much time passed after that?
Knock knock!
Along with the knocking, the door opened.
In walked a sturdily built man in his thirties. Clean-cut in appearance, he offered a greeting in a slightly trembling voice.
"P-pardon the intrusion!"
Nervousness was written all over his face.
The man abruptly launched into a self-introduction.
"My name is Spencer. I’m thirty-two, and I served as a patrol officer in the traffic division of the Savannah Police Department."
Spencer rattled off information no one had asked for.
Judging by the situation, Colton had probably told him to. But rendering that consideration pointless, Walfred had no interest in Spencer’s personal details.
’Human, or Skinwalker.’
That was the only thing that mattered.
Just then, Elsa tugged at Walfred’s collar and gave a light nod.
Meaning: human.
Walfred looked at Spencer and said,
"You may go."
"...Sorry?"
But I’ve only been in here for ten seconds?
When Spencer asked as much, Walfred frowned and waved his hand, as if telling him to hurry up and leave. In the end, Spencer walked out of the room looking dazed.
And a moment later,
the second visitor arrived.
"Um, hello?"
A woman in her twenties with brown, chin-length hair.
She introduced herself hesitantly.
"My name is Whitney. I worked as a nurse at Savannah Mercy Hospital, and..."
"I see. You may go."
"...What?"
Another inspection over in ten seconds.
Referring to Elsa’s reactions, Walfred pressed on with the screening at a rapid pace. Before long, the seventh survivor entered the room.
"Haha, hello there."
A middle-aged man in his late fifties.
Striking for his stocky build and bald head, he gave Walfred a slight bow.
"D-rank Hunter, Vernon."
The first Hunter to come in since the screening began.
Walfred stole a quick glance at Elsa, who was sniffing the air, then addressed Vernon.
"Your attribute?"
"Pardon? Ah! It’s, uh, darkness. Haha..."
After an awkward laugh,
Vernon spoke up in almost a whisper.
"So, um, what exactly is this about?"
"..."
"I heard you came to resolve the Skinwalker crisis, but if I may ask, how exactly are you planning to handle it? Specifically..."
Walfred didn’t respond.
And right then,
"Daddy."
Elsa’s voice rang out.
Then Elsa shook her head from side to side.
The moment he saw it,
"That’s one."
"...Pardon?"
Vernon asked, thrown by the sudden remark.
But he never got to finish.
In the single moment it took him to blink, Walfred had already closed in right in front of his nose.
And then,
Whaaam!
Vernon’s head was slammed into the floor.