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It was late. She shouldn't be out during this hour, but Alice heard something deeply concerning as she was writing on her diary.
A moan of pain.
This might be crucial information to her investigation. She can't just ignore it.
Her steps were silent, as she made sure to bring soft footwear. She was slowly approaching the area she had heard the noise at, it was right down the hall. But it was pitch black, she couldn't see anything.
But she could smell... The stench of blood.
Alice stood still, as the spot she was at was the only one with a bit of light coming from the window. The hall ahead was coated in impenetrable darkness.
She heard the sound of something wet being squished.
A pair of barely visible dots came to view.
Eyes. They were watching her.
She didn't dare say a word.
"... Eurydice..."
Alice couldn't recognize that voice. Her blood ran cold.
The dots moved. He was standing up.
"Turn back."
She couldn't.
Her hand carried an unlit lamp. She hadn't turned it on for the purpose of stealth, but now she reached inside it to lit it up.
The light barely reached into the hall, but what she managed to see made her stomach flip.
The novelist was standing before her, drenched in blood. His mouth and chin were dripping with it. His left hand held a steak knife.
Below was the corpse of Norton Campbell. She identified it only thanks to the clothes, as he had been completely mangled.
"Orpheus..." Alice spoke cautiously as she took a step back.
He was eerily still. His eyes never once blinked or strayed from her. He just stood there and watched her with an ominously blank expression.
"You're out of curfew." He spoke in monotone, but Alice noticed a hint of tension in his tone.
She backed up more. The lamp threatened to slip from her grip due to her sweating, "... I'll excuse myself."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that." Orpheus began to follow her now, stepping out into the light and revealing just how much the blood had drenched his clothes and skin. His teeth were stained red.
"I won't tell a soul." Alice kept her voice low. This went against everything she stood for, but she had to get out of this somehow.
Orpheus' expression finally changed, but Alice wished it hadn't. A wide, crooked smile spread across his face.
"I'll make sure of it."