"So… what were these monsters?"
Miss Roberta asked as the boat swayed rhythmically on the ocean, already far away from the skerry; its bow pointed at Rockport.
She was confused, of course, but the men had concluded that the less she knew about this case, the better. The more entangled one was with the eldritch horror, the more prone they were to its influence, drawing forth more entities and amplifying the insanity.
"..."
"You don't want to tell me, ha-ha…"
She chuckled dryly at the obvious. Why would she even raise such a stupid question?
For the sake of everyone's safety, they wouldn't give her a proper answer. Even though the two were eager to discuss it with each other as soon as possible, they simply couldn't do it right now.
"We found a hidden room in your mansion. Do you have anything to say about this?"
What other tactic, Hosen thought, would be better if not for changing the topic to one that questioned her instead?
"A hidden room…?"
Roberta's grip tightened on her trembling hands, trying to soothe herself with the gesture. Hosen's firm tone struck right at her insecurities while she was still recovering from the frightening experience.
"It's the first time I heard about it…"
She had no idea something like that existed, although her guesses trailed to her father's heritage. It was his family's house for generations...
"I really didn't…"
"That's enough." Inase sighed, wanting to escape this topic. "Your reaction told us what we wanted to know."
"..."
Though Hosen said nothing, the tension in the air suggested they believed she wasn't involved with what they had seen. Rather, she was a victim of these odd and unfortunate circumstances.
"I… I was so scared…" Miss Roberta finally let out a breath through her quivering lip. "I thought these monsters were going to kill us if it wasn't for-"
"..." Her voice cracked when their figures vividly rumbled inside her head.
"Their sharp appendages… And the shadow-like movement… So weird. They belonged to a flat surface, yet somehow, they knew how to reach into our reality."
She had never seen anything like it.
"The thought of being ripped apart can't leave my mind. It gnaws on my sanity like a parasite, constantly drilling deeper and deeper through the layers that protect me from fear."
She shivered.
"It's terrifying."
Just the thought of her, or these men, being impaled by the creatures grabbed her by the throat until no words came out anymore.
Her hands shook uncontrollably, and her body curled in on itself in protection, her hands wrapped around her shoulders.
"I'm sorry… I know I'm useless. I just stood frozen in fear when they appeared."
"..."
To avoid admitting these harsh facts, the scientist kept silent, continuously facing toward the land, while Inase only scratched his cheek awkwardly, not knowing what to do exactly in this situation.
They couldn't think of any apt words she would want to hear. They didn't even have a warm blanket to cover her with while sailing across these cold waves, nor were they experts at making people feel better.
Thus, an uncomfortable silence kept them company until they reached the port.
***
The first light of sunrise brightened their way as they moored to the docks.
The fog, which coated the streets, thinned ever-so-slightly under the break of dawn.
Hosen took the first step onto the firm ground, scattering the lasting mist that coated the wooden planks. The silence from earlier continued, although he wasn't so cold as not to give a lady a helping hand out of the boat.
"Thank you-"
Roberta uttered in a whisper and hopped onto the dry land, but she got no reply.
"..."
Before long, an elderly woman appeared and immediately pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Sweetie, are you alright?"
Nanny Betty's eyes teared up with worry when she looked at the painter, who felt a sense of relief upon seeing that the first person to greet her was the kind lady.
A soft smile brightened up her until now gloomy countenance.
"Yes, I'm alright, Nanny. I'm sorry, I must have worried you."
The young lady embraced the older with warmth.
Seeing their display of affection, other locals approached them and followed suit the moment the artist safely returned to the shore.
"You have no idea! I'm glad you're back."
They hugged her closer,
"Welcome home, dear."
And their voice was filled with comfort, very reassuring.
While the crowd gathered around her, engaging her in conversation, old man Jenkens, standing on the other side, proudly gave Inase a hearty smack on the back.
"You did a great job, fellas!"
At least, hopefully, Nanny Betty's anxieties would disappear now that Roberta is safe; the old boatman could finally rest assured.
He was happy.
Hence, the strong, happy back pats intensified, and his crooked teeth gleamed brightly through his ear-to-ear smile.
"Alright, alright, we get it, old man."
Inase was left with no other choice but to jump aside to avoid another painful slap.
"Hehe, my bad. I got carried away."
The painter lady sure is that special to them, huh.
That aside. The issue in question of Miss Roberta's residence was still hanging in the air.
"Where are we gonna let her sleep? She doesn't have a house here."
The blonde was the first to ask his companion, nudging the silent man with an elbow. The jab immediately snapped Hosen out of deep thoughts he had been lost in.
"I guess the safest place right now would be our private room."
"I'm sure the inn's owner will be very happy with a freeloader."
His words were coated in sarcasm, which the other was able to pick up more frequently nowadays. Thus, the scientist only rolled his eyes.
Until,
"Can we talk?"
A certain man approached. Young and strong.
The two couldn't quite put a finger on where they had seen him before, until Inase realized it was the man who had bumped into him.
It was Virginia and Mark's friend.
One of the two, at least.
"Fine."
The man gestured, jutting his chin, which suggested they move somewhere quieter. Taking into account the ruckus surrounding Roberta, they could guess they had no way to talk here.
"At my place."
"..."
Hosen glanced back at Inase.
When their eyes met, they both understood their separate roles—they didn't need words to know what each of them was supposed to do.
"Take Roberta to our room."
"Sure thing." Inase waved it off. "Don't come back too late, or else I'll eat your dinner portion."
"Mm."
So they split up.
Hosen followed the man to the outskirts, where his house stood isolated at the edge of the forest.
***
"Name's Ralph."
The man introduced himself while he sat by a table.
Even though the four shared a house, its inside was evenly divided into two.
Not based on the context, but the first half Hosen had seen last time—Virginia's—was modest and small, with only a kitchen and a tiny bedroom. However, Ralph's and the other friend's—whom they had never met—were marginally different.
The entrance was located on the side of the building. Including separate bedrooms and a big living room, with a table for four right in the middle, located on top of a fancy carpet one wouldn't normally be able to afford—all was the reason why this one was bigger.
"I found it on the side of the road. Thought it'd be a great decoration, so I brought it with me."
Of course, common sense told them to leave the newlyweds to themselves, but the stark difference between the size of these two places was… something.
This room, in general, seemed warmer than Virginia's. It had a fireplace, still burning from the night before and casting long, dark shadows across the floor with its gentle flames.
Not letting it get to his overthinking head, Hosen made himself comfortable at the table as well.
Ralph offered him a hot cup of water which he gladly accepted—the hours spent in the chilly night on the sea was the best recipe for catching a cold.
"The other day…"
The man started somewhat awkwardly, his fingers twisting nervously as he tried to settle his nerves. He didn't want to admit it, but he was in the wrong at that time.
"I was in a hurry. I'm sorry I bumped into you two."
Hosen sipped from his cup, warmth spread within his throat like the best medicine.
"You don't have to trouble yourself. I bear no special feelings toward that moment." He simply answered. "How is Mrs.Virginia faring?"
"She's… better." Yet his eyes told a different story. "I heard that you were the ones to break the news to her."
"Unfortunate it wasn't you, hm?"
Seeing how he had feelings for her,
"No, it's not that-" He shook his head. "I'm grateful that you did. Mark was my close friend, too, so I doubt I'd be holding it together if I were the one to…"
He coughed dryly, adding to his awkward demeanor.
"His death caused irreparable sorrow. Though I do… feel conflicted, maybe even ashamed, for having feelings for someone's wife." He continued. "It's upsetting, really. She is a dear friend to me, too. Yet, my heart yearns for more. Sometimes, I feel heartless because of that."
He stared at the surface of the table, unable to bring himself to meet anyone's eyes.
"Otherwise, it's immoral towards Mark."
He crossed his rough, field-worn fingers for reassurance, yet his chiseled face remained stoic.
"Virginia is… a very sensitive person." He exhaled regrettably. "She has relived Mark's death for the last few days. Each time, she broke down in tears."
Witnessing it was an incredibly lonely experience for him.
"I wish I could embrace her and tell her that everything will be alright, but it's not my place to do so."
Finally, he looked at Hosen… who, up until this point, didn't bother to listen much.
Was it necessary for him to hear all of that nonsensical talk?
He subtly rolled his eyes at the unexpected emotional outpouring he had to endure. Instead of staying silent, he decided it was better to interrupt before more was said.
"What did you really want to talk about?"
He asked, eyeing the man carefully.
"Well, I… was curious about… What is it that you two come to this town for?"
What a suspicious question.
Deep down, Ralph boiled with anger toward the newcomers, though nothing of the sort showed on his exterior. He must have strongly suspected them, even if it wasn't justified, a part of him likely wished they were guilty, so he could unleash his fury on them.
While most would panic at the very accusation, Hosen remained unfazed. He had grown used to being questioned in such an aggressive manner. So, he stayed calm, even though he was fully aware of the direction his thoughts were taking.
"Why do you ask?"
"It's just… everything started to go awry the moment you lot showed up. Every occurrence in town—disappearing fish and people, killings, especially Mark's death, it all became weird afterward!"
"We are not the culprits, if that's what you want to hear."
"I can't believe that!"
The man surely wasn't satisfied with that answer. There must have been something odd about them, without a doubt.
…and Hosen was able to read that from his face.
"We were called to investigate the missing people."
Best to lay the ground before it was time to bluff or not. He thought about it for a second.
Something about the man didn't sit right with him. He seemed… flawless in his flaws, almost too perfect to be real.
With that gut feeling creeping up again, he decided to change his tactic. Perhaps throwing out a bit of bait would reveal more.
"But we found them yesterday." His eyes shifted to carefully observe Ralph's reactions. "All dead in the nearby cave." He pointed in that direction. "Right by the sea."
"!"
Looked like the man's expression hadn't changed at all besides that, as if he wasn't surprised about it. However, Hosen was sure it had piqued his interest nevertheless.
"Along with some foreign carvings in an ancient language."
Writings that no one but him could decipher.
"Like a ritual of some sort."
It was a simple bait—enough to spark curiosity, but not revealing too much… and Ralph finally took it.
"I see… That is… concerning. Thank you for your insight."
Something in the air changed once he heard this information; the tension rose dangerously.
"I'll tell the others to find them. And you, sir…"
His gaze became emotionless, devoid of spark, apathetic, almost soulless, as if his humane facade had crumbled instantly.
He never cared for Roberta, nor did he bear any feelings toward her. All he wanted was to keep their secret hidden.
"...can say goodbye."
"...!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath Hosen split open, and he felt himself falling helplessly into the dark, shadowy crevasse that stretched beneath his chair, originating from the fireplace.