Chap 5: Guess Who's Next?

For the first time, they gathered at one of their homes in the middle of the day. Normally, they'd be wandering the streets at this hour, but now, a strange and unexplainable fear of the dark had settled deep within them.

Even in the sweltering summer noon, an eerie chill seemed to seep into the air around them. They didn't speak a word, yet the fear in their eyes was unmistakable.

Their minds swirled with unanswered questions, unsettling doubts, and fearful speculations—yet none of them knew how to voice them aloud.

First, it had been the eerie game of deceit that Minh had come up with—a game that led to his untimely death. Then, the town had been smothered in the haunting ash from the fire. And just as everything seemed to settle, Bảo's lifeless body had appeared, covered in that same ghostly gray dust.

Was it all just an unfortunate coincidence?

Or was something orchestrating it?

Confusion, panic, and guilt ate away at them, leaving them hollow-eyed and pale from days spent cowering indoors.

"Maybe that morning, he wanted to join us but woke up late," Dũng muttered, clinging to a logical explanation. "He must've run after us but got caught in the cold. I mean, the fog was so thick that morning, and he was only wearing shorts and a tank top..."

The others quickly nodded, seizing the explanation, eager to push aside the terrifying thought of another strange death—eager to ignore the chilling pattern forming before their very eyes.

But then Ngọc spoke, her voice quiet yet piercing.

"Maybe… he was lonely."

A shudder ran through the group.

"What… what do you mean?" Hoa's voice trembled.

Ngọc didn't seem to hear her. She was lost in her own unsettling thoughts.

"That's why he took Bảo with him."

Silence.

"You mean… Minh did this?" Hoa whispered.

"This is ridiculous! Don't be superstitious," Thắng snapped, his voice rising in frustration. "We all know this happened because of—"

He stopped abruptly.

Because of what?

There was no answer.

Chiến, the one who always found a way to joke about anything, forced a laugh.

"Well, if what Ngọc says is true, then he'll need to take all of us, right? No fun playing alone, huh? Guess I might be next—I'm the funniest one in the group, after all!" He let out another hollow chuckle.

"Yeah… maybe," Ngọc replied.

But her eyes weren't on Chiến.

They were on Dũng.

A cold chill ran down Dũng's spine.

He forced himself to speak, trying to sound rational.

"Look, even if—if Minh really wanted to take us, leaving means not being here anymore. And if we're not here, just look at Bảo's parents—do you think a friend would do that to us?"

He deliberately avoided saying the words they were all thinking.

Ngọc tilted her head.

"Didn't we do that to Minh?"

Dũng opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"We never thought about him," she continued. "Or about his parents."

"It was just an accident! We didn't mean for it to happen!" Hoa cried, tears welling in her eyes.

"It wasn't anyone's fault. It was… that stormy night…"

"Yeah," Ngọc murmured. "And it was me who brought the coconut candy, which gave Minh the idea for the game. And it was you who gathered everyone. And all of us who left him there."

Her voice was calm. Too calm.

"But we didn't want it to happen!" Thắng shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. "We were his friends!"

Unable to bear the suffocating tension any longer, he stormed out.

One by one, the others followed, until only Ngọc and Hoa remained. Hoa sniffled, trying to compose herself.

Dũng hesitated, torn between leaving and staying.

Then he heard Ngọc's voice, quiet but deliberate.

"The next moonless night is coming soon."

She turned to Hoa, her eyes dark and unreadable.

"Guess who's next?"