♡ TL: Khadija SK
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Six people?
Jin-ah was puzzled by the number he mentioned.
Hadn’t the police clearly said there were five people?
As Jin-ah looked at the sergeant, he hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
“That man’s name is… Och, William Evans. He’s critically injured. Accord’n tae th’ accoonts o’ th’ first responders, he’s th’ team’s sub-leader.”
As the sergeant explained, William shouted again while lying down.
“Colin! Colin is still down there!”
“Calm down, Mr. Evans. Our team members have searched thoroughly. There’s no one left below.”
“No, there has to be! We need to take him with us! Colin! Answer me, Colin!”
William continued to shout frantically, shaking his body as if having a seizure.
The paramedics glanced at each other and shook their heads, seeming to agree silently to move him quickly into the ambulance.
As some of the rescuers clung to him until they were completely outside, William continued to shout about finding his colleague.
After he left, the sergeant above called out to those below.
“Did ye find th’ airm?”
“No. It’s not visible anywhere.”
“Wi’ that muckle bluid loss, shouldnae it be close by?”
“If it’s not visible, what can we do? Sir! Shouldn’t we evacuate for today? We can search again when daylight comes tomorrow!”
The sergeant responded to the call.
“That’s richt. There’s nae urgent need tae find a deid person’s airm.”
“What do you mean? Finding an arm?”
“Oh, there’s a deceased person, James McCoy. When we lifted th’ body, yin o’ th’ airms wis missin’. It seems like it wis crushed or torn aff durin’ th’ fa’. See that pool o’ bluid o’er there? It seems like he micht hae bled tae death. It’s unfortunate that while everyone else survived, he didnae…”
As they conversed, those below gradually ascended.
Watching them, Jin-ah realized she had missed the timing to examine the wall covered in strange writings again.
“Let me borrow this.”
She borrowed a lantern from the nearby police officer, but the wall she had seen was too far inside, obstructed not only by the lack of light but also by the debris of the collapsed mansion and the dust kicked up by the rising people.
Eventually giving up on examining the wall again, Jin-ah returned the lantern.
“Let’s go outside for now.”
The supervisor brushed dust off his hands and said to Jin-ah.
At that moment, a police officer who had been ordered to search for Frida Troll’s body appeared.
“It seems like you should come up. Umm, you should probably take a look, but…”
He must have found Frida Troll’s body. That’s why Jin-ah hesitated.
“Seeing a body…”
It’s been almost two years since Jin-ah inherited the trust funds and received monthly payments.
This means Frida’s body has been lying here for almost two years.
It would be difficult to see a body left alone in a room for two years, especially sober.
The officer scratched his cheek as he replied.
“The body isn’t here.”
“What?”
What nonsense. The body isn’t there?
“You said ye foond it? Whit’s goin’ on?”
The sergeant also asked, puzzled.
“Well, that… um…”
“Why did ye ask us tae come up if there’s nae body?”
“I think you should come up and see for yourself. This is quite… it seems more accurate to say the body is missing.”
The officer kept giving increasingly ambiguous answers.
“Let’s go up fur noo. I also have tae report.”
At the sergeant’s urging, Jin-ah reluctantly followed.
But going upstairs wasn’t easy.
Each step on the decaying stairs brought the fear of collapse, and the collapsed debris of the ceiling and walls made climbing difficult.
It didn’t look like a house where people had lived until a few years ago.
Given its state, it seemed more like it had been abandoned for 20 years, or even 200.
“Was the house originally this badly damaged?”
‘Even in lands where earthquakes don’t occur, can a house deteriorate to this extent?’
“Clearly, despite fowk biding here until a few years ago, th’ maintenance wis puir. An’ judgin’ by th’ collapsed pairts, thaur are areas that haena been touched fur a while. Th’ basement collapsed this time, an’ that may hae caused additional collapses.”
The sergeant, who claimed to have studied architecture, glanced at the debris with a knowing look.
Perhaps it was due to the damp area. The carpet on the floor was not just damp; it was covered in thick moss in many places.
With each step, it felt like stepping on a sticky swamp, and murky water oozed out.
The second floor was as dismal as the stairs, so the three of them carefully navigated the collapsed debris as if dodging a maze.
“This way.”
The police officer spoke from the doorway without entering.
As they peered into the room, it felt different from the others they had seen on their way.
The room guided by the police officer was…
“Eugh.”
Jin-ah stifled a gag and took a step back.
The room still held a foul odor.
Even without anyone explaining, it was evident that it was a rotting smell.
With just a simple bed, a desk, and a couple of other furnishings, the sparse room had an unusually high number of insects compared to other rooms.
The wallpaper was covered in grime, and beneath the window, a white flag, which had been hung every night long ago, lay fallen.
‘I heard it was originally hung outside. Did the police put it inside?’
Thinking it odd, Jin-ah shifted her gaze to the bed beside her.
And…
“The body’s gone? Whaur did it go?”
The sergeant echoed Jin-ah’s thoughts.
The bed was as blackened as the wallpaper.
The stains remaining on the mattress were in positions that suggested someone had been lying there.
The spreading black marks beside it were undoubtedly traces of the liquid produced as the body decayed.
And on top of that were various unknown insects.
Everything indicated that this bed had become someone’s grave, yet the body that should have been there was nowhere to be found.
* * *
“Ye’re free tae go fur the day. We’ll be in touch the morn.”
When the sergeant said that, it was already well past 6 p.m.
November’s 6 p.m. was practically midnight, but 6 p.m. in Kno-Direg was truly pitch black.
Unlike London, where various lights filled the night, here was darkness where one couldn’t distinguish between sky and ground.
Headlights from vehicles began busy streaming out of the mansion, and Jin-ah quickly started her engine to join the procession leaving the mansion.
She didn’t want to be the last one left here.
Following the police car back onto the road, Jin-ah barely saw any lit accommodations along the way.
As they entered Edinburgh, the surroundings lit up.
From streetlights to neon signs of advertisements, and even houses with lights on, though quiet.
As they entered the city center, a familiar chain hotel loomed into view.
Being a reasonably priced business hotel, she quickly parked and went inside.
With it being the off-season for tourists, there were plenty of vacant rooms.
After casually listening to the breakfast and facilities instructions, she headed to a pub that was still open outside the hotel.
Perhaps because there were no other shops open late, the pub was quite crowded.
From the smell of alcohol and food to the bustling voices of people watching a rerun of a football match they had seen during the day…
This place… feels alright.
That was what Jin-ah thought.
“Phew…”
A long breath escaped her mouth.
Because of that, Jin-ah realized that she had been holding her breath for quite some time.
It seemed that with all the events that had unfolded from morning till now, she had lost track of herself.
After quickly downing a glass of beer she had ordered from the bar, she quickly began to feel tipsy.
With a body that hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day, it absorbed the alcohol as is.
‘What on earth happened today?’
All the events she have experienced throughout the day just didn’t seem believable.
It feels like she might still be dreaming some strange dream.
Sitting in a corner of the pub, Jin-ah covered her face with her hands.
She was desperately tired. Yet somehow, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end of it all.
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