Chapter 13: Smile

The sound of bubbling water filled the room, echoing like a sinister lullaby.

William Hansen yanked Don's head up from the water, granting him a fleeting gasp of air.

Don's lungs burned as he sucked in ragged, uneven breaths.

He struggled, but the handcuffs around his wrists rendered his resistance useless.

In the dimly lit bathroom, a low, mocking laugh echoed.

"What's wrong, Don? Don't you like my magic trick?"

William's voice was eerily soft as he leaned in close, whispering.

"W-why… why are you doing this?"

Don barely managed to force the words out.

William's eyes gleamed with a twisted excitement.

"To cleanse you."

He smiled.

"I've seen how much fun you've been having at college. Hanging around with those little girlfriends of yours, huh?"

"What… what are you talking about—"

Before Don could finish, William shoved his head back into the water.

A violent splash erupted as the bathtub overflowed.

Ice-cold water swallowed his face, and Don thrashed desperately.

Darkness crept at the edges of his vision as his brain screamed for oxygen.

William repeated the ritual with cruel precision.

Each time Don was on the brink of unconsciousness, he yanked him up—just enough to let him gasp for air—before plunging him back down.

SPLASH!

Don's entire body convulsed as he choked and gasped.

His eyes were bloodshot, wide with sheer terror.

But William's expression was filled with nothing but joy.

Like someone who had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

His hands moved with practiced precision.

He toyed with his victim, keeping him teetering between life and unconsciousness—like a cat playing with a mouse, carefully controlling the torture.

Outside.

In the darkness, Avery hid like a shadow, closing his eyes.

He listened, sharpening his focus on the sounds inside.

He had to wait.

Executing this perfectly, without being seen—that was his way.

William, that despicable Shadow Stalker, did not deserve a quick death.

He had to feel it.

The fear he inflicted.

The despair.

And the inescapable fate that awaited him.

He would beg for his life.

But even that mercy wouldn't come easily.

Moreover, simply killing him wasn't the goal.

Avery needed information first.

And for that to happen—Don had to lose consciousness completely.

Avery clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his skin.

The urge to kick the door down surged through him.

But he had to wait.

He recalled the videos William had uploaded to Night Gallery.

William wasn't the type to enjoy swift executions.

He liked to drag things out—savoring every moment of his victim's despair.

That meant Don wouldn't be killed just yet.

There was still time.

As the seconds passed, Don's struggles began to weaken.

Avery's heart slammed in his chest.

Was he too late?

Wait.

As he listened more intently,

A faint but shallow breath reached his ears.

He's alive.

Don's limp body was dragged out of the tub, his soaked form scraping against the cold tile floor.

William panted, unable to hide his excitement.

Staring down at Don, sprawled across the wet bathroom floor, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Now, the real fun begins."

Eagerly, William hurried toward the bedroom, already lost in twisted fantasies of what was to come.

At that moment, a cold smile spread across Avery's lips in the darkness.

"Now."

William opened his closet and pulled out a small box.

As he lifted the lid, a bizarre outfit lay neatly folded inside.

A lace-trimmed, provocative maid costume.

And on top of it, a pair of oversized bunny ears.

The sight was ridiculous.

But to William, this was part of his ritual.

With unsettling eagerness, he forced his swollen body into the ill-fitting costume, the fabric stretching to its limits, trembling on the verge of tearing.

To any outsider, he wouldn't have looked like a menacing predator—

but rather, a grotesque circus clown.

However, William had no idea.

There was already someone else in the room.

Avery was watching.

Silently.

Relentlessly.

From the shadows.

William, dressed in a maid costume and brimming with euphoria, was both revolting and, in some ways, pitiful.

Most people would have gagged at the sight, but Avery didn't so much as blink.

He was a predator, waiting for his prey to entangle itself in its own trap.

Waiting for the moment when William became utterly intoxicated by his own madness, when his deceitful satisfaction reached its peak.

William hummed a tune, whistling arrogantly as if the world belonged to him.

He was convinced that Don was completely helpless.

Locked inside the bathroom, there was no way he could escape.

Adjusting the bunny ears with a smug pat, William reached for the doorknob.

"Now, let's really have some fun."

But—

That moment, his body froze.

"Enjoying yourself, Shadow Stalker?"

A voice, unfamiliar yet chillingly calm, drifted from the darkness.

William's eyes widened.

His lips parted, as if to speak, but the moment he registered the figure before him, his face hardened.

From the shadows,

Avery stepped forward.

"E...Engima?"

Only then did William realize.

This man was a fellow 'Artist.'

Someone from the same world.

His tension eased, if only slightly.

"What brings you here?"

However—

Avery's expression remained cold and rigid.

His gaze alone seemed to say:

"You're already finished."

Raising a brow, Avery feigned mild surprise.

"How did you recognize me?"

William let out a scoffing laugh, as if the question were absurd.

"What are you talking about? Of course I know you. Do you not remember when we first met?"

"…First?"

"Yeah, first!"

William lifted his chin, smirking mockingly.

"You were desperate to get into the Night Gallery, remember? Begging for a chance, pleading for a way in— And in the end, I was the one who brought you in. You were pathetic back then, completely desperate."

Avery's expression hardened.

"Me?"

He muttered in disbelief.

There was no memory of that.

Seeing Avery's momentary confusion, William waved a hand dismissively, as if already bored with the conversation.

"Anyway, I'm busy. If you're just here to mess around, get lost."

At that moment.

Avery pulled a thin, durable cord from his pocket.

Swish, swish, swish!

Like a serpent, the cord slithered through the air, coiling tightly around William's massive frame.

"W-What the hell are you doing?!"

William screamed, thrashing violently, but his sheer bulk only caused the cord to dig in tighter.

Flesh bulged grotesquely between the taut bindings, like a slab of overstuffed meat wrapped in twine.

"Aaaagh! Let me go! Let me go!!"

His face turned a furious shade of red.

Avery chuckled lightly.

But there was no humor in his laughter.

They must have screamed like this.

The children who died by your hands.

Did their screams ever reach your ears?

Avery glanced around the room.

A secluded house.

No neighbors, no passersby.

A perfect hunting ground.

The very place where William had lured countless victims.

And tonight—

he would become the prey.

"Hey, you sissy cowardly pig."

William's entire body flinched violently.

Avery didn't miss it.

He had studied William's profile thoroughly.

He knew.

William reacted explosively to one word— Sissy.

That single remark wiped William's mind blank.

His face twisted in rage and humiliation.

Just as planned.

Uncontrollable anger clouds judgment.

And right now, William had already lost the fight.

Without hesitation, Avery dragged him across the floor.

"Aaaagh! S-Stop! You psycho!!"

His massive body scraped against the wooden planks, producing a sickening, heavy sound.

But more grating than that—

was his ragged, panicked breathing.

The frantic gasps filled the room, echoing between the walls.

Avery showed no mercy.

With a forceful shove, he slammed William onto the kitchen chair.

Thud!

William's massive body trembled as it collapsed onto the chair.

His flesh jiggled.

Like over-kneaded dough, spilling over the seat.

And above his head—

his bunny ear headband wobbled pathetically.

Avery stood silent for a moment.

Then— Pfft.

He let out a quiet laugh.

In a calm, low voice, he spoke.

"I want to join the game too."

His soft tone only made William's spine shiver.

The predator had become the prey.

The one who always tormented others—

was now cowering under Avery's icy gaze.

Avery turned slowly, picking up a knife from the kitchen counter.

Then, he dragged a chair and sat across from William.

Even in those brief movements—

sweat began to bead on William's forehead.

"Wh-Why are you doing this?! What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

He stammered desperately.

His ridiculous maid outfit, stretched tight around his body, was now drenched in sweat.

Avery chuckled.

"I bet the kids you killed asked the same thing."

He twirled the knife in his fingers, savoring the motion.

Then—

Swish!

The blade sliced through the air.

Stopping just a hair's breadth from William's forehead.

A few strands of his hair drifted down to the floor.

"You've been playing outside the organization's rules, haven't you?"

Avery muttered absentmindedly, staring down at the knife.

"You do know they don't like guys who act on their own, right?"

William's face drained of color.

"W-What does that have to do with you?! You're just an artist, same as me! You're not even a cleaner!"

Avery sighed, as if exhausted.

"Cleaner or not, taking out filthy pigs like you is my job."

"This… this goes against the rules!" William shrieked desperately.

Avery tilted his head, smirking.

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?"

His eyes gleamed, sharp as a blade.

"You sure have some nerve, whining about rules after everything you've done."

Leaning forward, he flicked the knife lightly in his hand.

"Anyway, you like magic tricks, don't you? Let me show you one."

William's body froze.

"The rules are simple. If you don't answer my questions properly…You lose a finger. One by one."

William's eyes went impossibly wide, filled with sheer terror.

Frantically, he nodded.

"First question."

Avery leaned back, speaking slowly.

"How did we first meet?"

"W-What—?"

Swish!

William didn't even see it.

For a split second, light flashed before his eyes—

And then—

A finger soared through the air, landing on the floor with a soft thud.

A dull thud echoed through the room.

And then—

A bloodcurdling scream erupted.

"AAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Avery spoke, his tone utterly bored.

"Ta-da~ One finger gone. Now, I ask the questions, and you just answer."

"P-Please… Please!! I'll tell you anything, just don't cut any more!!"

Tears streamed down William's face, mixing with sweat and snot.

Avery let out a short chuckle, mocking his pathetic cries.

"You like showing off tricks, don't you?"

He spun the knife lazily between his fingers, murmuring.

"Well, now it's your turn. No clown should ever cry, right? Smile."

Avery leaned in, his voice slow and deliberate.

"Now… shall we try again?"