Silence followed right after I closed the door.
But that silence didn't last for very long.
Click. Click. Click.
The doorknob started to turn and click as I felt it turn right and left as the old lady was trying to force her way in. Recalling just how powerful she was, I knew that the door was going to break soon enough.
...Or at least, that was what I thought at first.
"....."
After a couple of tries, the clicking sound stopped.
And then—
Thump! Thump!
I heard the muffled sound of her steps as she began to... leave?
'She's leaving?'
I was at a loss at first, but then, recalling what had happened before, I understood that it was very likely a trap. I wasn't going to fall for it again, and without pause, I turned my attention towards the distant window and made my way towards it.
'Still... What a mess. Even her room is just as bad.'
Trash littered the floor yet again. This time, it was even worse than the living room beneath, and I had to take big steps in order to properly move around the trash.
By now, I had already gotten used to the stench, and so it no longer worried me.
Arriving by the window, I tapped on the glass once before a viscous black liquid coated it, turning it into a hammer.
Taking a step back, I prepared to break the window when...
I stopped and looked outside the window.
A pair of hollow eyes stared right at me, and I froze on the spot.
"....Ah."
Standing right outside the window, looking at me from below, was the old woman, her lamp raised as she looked at me.
A quiet dread settled over my chest then as I took a step back
'So it wasn't fake? Were the steps real? She left and moved downstairs? But that was fast...'
I felt my lips tremble as I took another step back.
"Uh? Ukh...!"
But it was also then that I felt something on my ankle, and I tripped back.
The pile of trash broke my fall, but as I glanced down to see what had tripped me, a lump rose in my throat — I was staring at what looked like a shriveled, dried-up hand.
Hand...?
"O-oh, shit."
The more I looked at it, the more certain I was, and my heart slammed so hard against my ribs it almost felt like it was trying to escape.
But that wasn't all.
Looking carefully at the hand, I saw a familiar-looking suit, and despite every part of me screaming to stay away, I reached hesitantly towards the trash around the corpse and moved it away to reveal the body.
"This..."
The sight that greeted me right after I did that left me completely and utterly paralyzed as I covered my mouth and stood up.
The corpse was the same as all of the victims of the Twisted Man. Mummified to the point where it looked like its body was completely drained of all blood, while its eyes slowly blinked, and its mouth opened and closed slowly.
That... it was still alive!
But that wasn't the creepiest part of it all.
The creepiest part was what the corpse was wearing. It was the same top hat and suit as the Twisted Man.
"What sort of..."
Swallowing my saliva, I turned my attention towards the photograph in my hand, and confirmed that it was indeed the same clothes, but at the same time I did, I also noticed another photograph by the corpse's body.
I hesitated for a moment before picking it up and turning it over.
I wished I never did.
Flipping the photograph over, my thoughts paused as I pulled out the other one and stared between the two, my gaze shifting back and forth in disbelief.
That's...
I had a hard time comprehending the situation.
The photographs both depicted the same scene. A couple standing by a train, wearing the same clothes, and posing with the same expression. They looked like the perfect couple.
But there was only one issue.
No, two glaring issues.
The old woman... She was the same woman as in the first photograph. The only difference was that she was older than in the previous photo, a few wrinkles appearing beneath her eyes and nose. But it wasn't her appearance that threw me off. What truly threw me off was the man.
He...
Despite wearing the same suit and top hat, he was a completely different person.
Yes, looking at the two photos, it was clear to me that the two were completely different people. From how he looked older than the man in the previous photo, to the eye color, hair length, and general face structure.
They couldn't have been more different.
It was also then that I recalled the old woman's words.
'That is a photo that I took with my first husband way back then. He was just about to depart for a long work trip.'
'...It's really too bad that he never came back after that trip.'
I took a deep breath, trying my best to stay rational as I sorted through all of the clues and information that I had managed to gather so far.
'Seeing how she looks older here and how the image of the person in the photo looks different, it is safe to assume that this is her second husband? Yes, that must be the case... but why did she decide to replicate the photo? And...'
I looked down at the corpse that was not far from me and looked at the photograph again, trying my best to keep my hand from trembling.
'...Is this her second husband? Why is he like this? What happened? What is her link with the Twisted Man? Why would he be here...? '
There were so many questions in my mind, and yet so few answers.
My head ached just thinking about the situation, but I also knew that I couldn't waste any more time. Taking a closer step, I peeked at the window, trying to see if the old lady was still there, but...
"Hm?"
She was gone.
The area outside where she once stood was empty.
'Wait, if she isn't there, where is sh—'
Click!
A subtle clicking sound echoed across the room and my body stiffened as the door knob by the side twisted gently and an elderly figure appeared.
"Ahhh—!"
I didn't even hesitate.
Rushing towards the door, I slammed my shoulder against the door as the woman's hand wedged between the door. A sickening crack reached my ears shortly after as I let go of the door and rushed towards the window, where I smashed it directly with my fist that was coated in the black substance.
BANG!
Looking back, the door burst open, and the old lady appeared once more.
Our eyes met for the briefest of moments as I eventually jumped down from the second floor, my legs taking on the full impact of the fall as I rushed away.
'Run, I just need to run...!'
I didn't look back once while I rushed away.
I just knew that I had to run.
That was all I knew.
Just run.