CHAPTER 3 – Hush Now, Child

(Outskirts of the city – rain pouring heavily)

The sound of ragged breathing filled the night.

Huff… haa… huff…A boy ran, clutching his chest, fear-struck, toward an abandoned cement factory. He stumbled over something lying in a puddle of mud. His crimson-colored blood was washed away by the rain and blended with the mud, disappearing beneath the relentless downpour.

Clack. Thud. Thud. Thud.Heavy footsteps echoed behind him. A chill shot down his spine as he began crawling toward the factory. Once inside, he frantically searched for a place to hide. He couldn't afford to be caught.

He saw dozens of metal drums and threw himself behind them. Then—silence.

The rhythmic thunk-tap of boots stopped. Everything froze. The factory, once filled with dripping water and the occasional creak of metal, fell eerily quiet. Even the storm outside seemed muffled, like the world itself was holding its breath.

A tall man emerged from the shadows, wearing a long black coat and gloves. With lightning flashing through the sky, the man's oni mask was illuminated. He followed the trail of his prey.

The man began to move.

Unknown Man (softly):"Hush now, child, don't make a sound,In the shadows, I'm around.Footsteps soft, hearts will race,I can see your hiding place."

The boy stifled his breath, every muscle tensing in terror. The footsteps grew closer. The voice coiled through the dark like smoke.

Unknown Man:"Close your eyes, hold your breath,I'm the whisper that brings death.Tick-tock, time slips by,Soon enough, you'll say goodbye."

His breath came in shallow gasps, his body trembling. He inched away from the sound, crawling slowly, hoping to escape the advancing steps.

Unknown Man:"I'm the chill that makes you freeze,I'm the wind among the trees.Run or hide, it's all the same,Soon I'll whisper your sweet name."

The boy broke into a cold sweat, inching backward. The room fell completely silent again. No more footsteps. No more poetry.

Then—

Lightning flashed once more.

Unknown Man:"Su…shant…"The voice was soft, almost tender, yet it chilled him to the core.

Sushant panicked. He ran for his life, only to find a dead end—no escape, just walls.

Tears welled in his eyes as the unknown man approached. The sound of boots stopped, and the masked figure squatted beside him, wiping his tears.

Unknown Man:"Hush now, child, don't you cry."

He caressed the boy's trembling body, then slowly moved his hand to Sushant's neck and began to strangle him.

Unknown Man:"In the dark, we all must die."

The boy gasped and struggled. A hoarse voice slipped from his lips.

SUSHANT:"Why... are you doing this to me?"

Unknown Man:"Huh...? Did you say something? Sorry, I didn't hear you properly. Speak up once more."

The boy coughed violently but managed to speak again.

SUSHANT:"Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?"

The masked man loosened his grip. He scratched his head, looking like he was genuinely trying to remember something.

Sushant wheezed and coughed.

The man suddenly lunged at him, pulling a screwdriver from his pocket.

Unknown Man:"Why don't you try guessing why I'm coming after you?"

SUSHANT (swallowing hard):"Are you related to someone I bullied?"

The screwdriver plunged into his palm.

Unknown Man:"Tch. Wrong."

SUSHANT:"AAAAAHHH! My hand! My hand! Please, let me go! Please! I beg you!"

Blood gushed from his hand as he writhed in agony.

Unknown Man:"Every wrong answer will bring you another form of suffering. Now stop crying and guess again."

SUSHANT (sobbing):"Are you after me because of a girl I blackmailed with her nudes?"

The man paused while cleaning the blood off the screwdriver. He turned back toward the boy.

Hope flickered in Sushant's eyes.

SUSHANT:"I'll delete those pictures! I'll apologize to her. I swear, I'll disappear from her life. So… so please spare me, sir!"

The man stepped forward, hands behind his back.

Unknown Man:"You'll really do it? You'd apologize?"

SUSHANT:"Yes, sir. I will."

Unknown Man:"You won't go back on your word?"

SUSHANT:"No, sir! I won't...!"

A sudden, sharp pain tore through his body.

He looked down.

An axe had been buried into his leg. His severed limb lay on the floor, blood gushing like a waterfall.

SUSHANT:"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Unknown Man (laughing):"Yeeeeeeaaaaahhh! HAHAHAHAHA!"Laughter echoed through the room, echoing off the metal walls.

Tears welled up in the man's eyes—from laughter, not sorrow.

Unknown Man:"Wrong answer! Ha! You've committed so many crimes, you don't even know what you're being punished for."

SUSHANT:"You… you inhumane bastard!"

The man grabbed his hair and slammed his head to the floor. Blood splattered across the ground.

Unknown Man:"Do you have any right to say anything? Do you really deserve any humane treatment?"

SUSHANT:"You devil…"

Unknown Man:"Yes. I'm the devil. For people like you, I'm willing to be the demon that drags your souls to the depths of hell."

Sushant's body trembled. He had lost a lot of blood and was slipping into unconsciousness.

SUSHANT (weakly):"At the very least… tell me the reason…"

The man walked toward him holding a hammer.

Sushant sobbed, begged, pleaded.

SUSHANT:"Please don't kill me. I beg you…"

Unknown Man:"Did you ever listen to your victims' pleas? Did you ever hear them out?"

The hammer came down.Once. Twice. Again.

Then—silence.

Unknown Man (coldly):"You threatened others… said you'd disfigure and bury them."

He picked up a heavy tool and walked toward a cement mixing machine.

Unknown Man:"I'll make that true for you."

The Next Day – Police Sirens Echoing

The factory stood drenched in red and blue light. A forensic team circled the scene.

A female officer spoke, her voice shaken.

FEMALE OFFICER:"Sir, we received a tip. Someone reported dead bodies here."

OFFICER YUTA:"Did you identify the body?"

She shook her head.

FEMALE OFFICER:"No, sir. The body is... mutilated beyond recognition. The head was smashed with a hammer. Legs severed with an axe. And…"She swallowed."There's cement poured into the wounds."

Yuta lit a cigarette, staring at the crimson-stained sky.

YUTA:"Okay. Send it to forensics."

FEMALE OFFICER:"This is so inhumane. I'm sure the killer must be a devil worshipper…"

Yuta narrowed his eyes.

YUTA (quietly):"I hope we're just dealing with a worshipper.Not the devil himself.Because if it's the latter... we're all doomed."