Troll

‌⁠♡⁩ TL: Khadija SK

 

✧✧✧✧✧

 

All of them, including William, were struck speechless by the horrifying sight before them.

 

The stump where James’ arm had been was exposed. The jagged wound looked less like a clean cut and more as though it had been gnawed on by something.

 

Fear gripped them belatedly, as the sheer unreality of the scene sank in.

 

“Aaaaah!”

 

“James!”

 

Camilla and Rob screamed, stumbling backward in horror. Ian, on the other hand, froze entirely, unable to make a sound.

 

James writhed on the ground in agony, spreading blood across the floor with every movement. Yet the blood pooling beneath him soon vanished, as if the floor itself were swallowing it.

 

—Disgusting.

 

The low voice echoed again. They instinctively understood what it referred to, even if no one spoke it aloud. Whatever the darkness was, it found James’ blood and flesh unsatisfying.

 

And then, salvation arrived.

 

“What the hell happened down there? Is everyone okay? My God, did the floor collapse?”

 

From above, Colin’s voice echoed down. He’d finally arrived.

 

“Colin! Colin! Get us out of here!!”

 

Camilla, overwhelmed with relief, stretched her hands upward as if reaching for divine intervention. The others followed suit. At last, there was hope.

 

“Save us, Colin!”

 

“Bring a ladder, a rope—anything! Just get us out of here!”

 

Unlike the others, William kept his wits about him and shouted, “Colin! Go back! Call for help! There’s no way you can get all of us out of here alone. Get the police—or go to the nearest town and bring someone!”

 

Though greedy at times, Colin was intelligent and a reliable leader. Among their group, he was the quickest to assess a situation. Surely, he’d understand the gravity of what was happening and either calm the panicking group or leave to get help.

 

But his response was wholly unexpected.

 

“Damn it, why isn’t anyone answering me? Why’s it so dark? I can’t see anything down there!”

 

“…Colin?”

 

Not answering?

 

Not seeing?

 

How could he say that? They were yelling themselves hoarse right below him!

 

“Hey! Can anyone hear me? Somebody, say something!” Colin’s voice grew louder in frustration.

 

“Damn it!”

 

When his voice disappeared, Camilla, Rob, and Ian screamed even louder, calling for him in desperation.

 

A moment later, a rope descended into the pit from above. The moment they realized what that meant, William screamed with all his might.

 

“No! Don’t come down! Just call for help! Get out of here right now!”

 

Unlike William, the others scrambled toward the rope in a frenzy, trying to grab it. But no matter how high they jumped, their fingers couldn’t quite reach it.

 

Above, Colin leaned over the edge, scanning the area. If he could see, he’d surely notice his teammates leaping to grab the rope. But instead, he furrowed his brow and muttered, “This should be enough.”

 

At that moment, William understood. What they were seeing below and what Colin was seeing above were entirely different.

 

William turned his head. At the blurred edge of his vision, James’ massive body twitched uncontrollably. Like Colin, he was staring blankly upward, his face slack.

 

“Something… something ate it… my arm…”

 

Perhaps shock from the pain and blood loss had overwhelmed him; he seemed entirely disconnected from reality.

 

The rope swayed as Colin began his descent.

 

And then, the voice came again.

 

—Fresh meat is coming.

 

This time, the voice was different. It still couldn’t be identified, but it was clearer, louder, as though it were whispering directly into William’s ear.

 

—Stay still. I must eat my fill.

 

The commanding tone of the voice sealed William’s lips before he could shout.

 

‘I have to obey.’

 

That thought consumed him.

 

He could do nothing but obey the voice. Before its presence, he was no more than insignificant prey.

 

He couldn’t interfere with its meal.

 

Without even blinking, William watched as Colin descended the rope.

 

About halfway down, Colin seemed to realize something was wrong. Panic flashed across his face, and he started climbing back up. But Ian, who had been leaping and yelling for the rope all this time, suddenly shouted:

 

“Don’t you dare leave! Save me! You think I’ll let this slide if you go? My grandfather won’t either! Pull me out of here! It’s your fault I’m here! Save me, and I’ll pay you whatever you want! Please!”

 

The arrogant heir, who had always seemed fearless, was now reduced to a sniveling wreck. Ian alternated between threats and desperate pleas, his behavior utterly pitiful in the face of the overwhelming terror.

 

“Ian?”

 

Colin, who had been climbing back up, stopped in his tracks and muttered. Up until now, he had acted as though he couldn’t hear a thing, but it seemed Ian’s voice finally reached him.

 

William averted his gaze from them. Struggling was pointless—there was no escape.

 

Everyone… would be consumed by the darkness.

 

Colin’s forearms bulged with veins as he clung to the rope. Even for someone who regularly worked out, it was no easy task to hold onto a rope for long unless properly trained. Colin wasn’t exempt. His arms began to tremble with strain.

 

Yet, Ian continued to yell for him to pull him up, rather than suggesting he climb back up himself.

 

Then, the darkness moved. It surged upward, wrapping around the rope Colin clung to, yanking it with overwhelming force.

 

Snap!

 

With a deafening crash, something above broke. Colin and the rope plummeted into the shadowy abyss below.

 

The darkness gave Colin no chance to react after hitting the ground.

 

He was dragged into the void before he could even scream.

 

“Help me! Save me…!”

 

His belated, terror-filled cries echoed beyond the shadows. But they didn’t last long.

 

Crunch!

 

The sound of flesh tearing and something solid being chewed filled the air.

 

Snap.

 

Bones shattered, accompanied by the sickening squelch of something wet and heavy hitting the ground. Though unseen, the group knew what was happening. A feast was underway, deep in the shadows.

 

The grotesque sound of ravenous eating continued unabated. No one left in the underground dared make a sound. They knew that the moment they did, they would become the next meal.

 

When the feast ended, the noises ceased.

 

A low rumble vibrated through the floor, signaling the satisfaction of the creature in the shadows.

 

—I’m full.

 

The voice reverberated in William’s mind, disturbingly familiar. It sounded eerily like Colin.

 

—But I want more.

 

Pure, unrestrained hunger dripped from the words like saliva. The darkness stirred again, reaching for Ian. It grabbed him by the ankle and pulled.

 

“No! No! Help me! Aaaaagh!”

 

Ian flailed desperately but was dragged into the shadows.

 

That was the last thing William saw before everything went black.

 

He had no doubt it would be his final memory in life.

 

“You’re awake?”

 

When William opened his eyes, Ian, who had disappeared into the darkness, was now standing right in front of him. Acting as if nothing had happened, Ian casually asked,

 

“William, how do we get out of here?”

 

***

 

“Hmm…”

 

Jin-ah rubbed her face with one hand. Throughout William’s story, only one thought came to mind:

 

People can lose their minds in such a calm, composed way.

 

She couldn’t help but feel that this was a colossal waste of time. Though she had come because he called for her, it all seemed utterly pointless now. Jin-ah began gathering her things, preparing to leave.

 

“You didn’t call me here expecting me to believe that story, did you? Why not talk to Inspector Haywood instead? He seemed like the type who’d listen to a story like yours.”

 

She recalled the expression on the inspector’s face when he mentioned that only people had gone missing from the mansion. If he were here now, he and William might’ve had a lively and satisfying conversation.

 

“No. I can’t trust the police. They wouldn’t believe me either.”

 

“Honestly, I don’t believe you either.”

 

“No, you’re different.”

 

William shook his head fiercely. His attitude was so firm that Jin-ah, who had already half-lifted herself from her seat to leave, found herself sitting back down.

 

“How many people do you think I’ve told this story to? From the moment the police came down to talk to me in the basement until now, I’ve told everyone I’ve met. Do you know how they reacted every single time?”

 

“Probably the same as me?”

 

Jin-ah rubbed her forehead.

 

‘Ah, poor guy. Losing his friends in such a traumatic incident must’ve caused immense mental confusion.’

 

“It’s different. They… they didn’t listen to me.”

 

“I’m not listening either—”

 

“No. You think I’ve gone mad and I’m spouting nonsense, but at least you’ve heard me out. The others…!”

 

Despite having been sedated, William’s breathing grew rough again.

 

“They didn’t hear me at all. No, it’s more accurate to say they couldn’t hear me. It was as if I was sitting there silently. They’d glance at me, then quickly look away. No matter how much I called out to them, they wouldn’t even acknowledge me. You’re the only person who’s heard me tell this story to the end. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this either. In fact, what I actually wanted to ask you for is something else entirely.”

 

William looked at Jin-ah with eyes full of desperate hope.

 

“There must still be a camera down there that the police didn’t recover. It would have recorded everything I saw. Could you retrieve it for me?”

 

✧✧✧✧✧

 

I really feel bad for Collin, he didn’t seem like a bad person ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ