Many people continued to walk cheerfully, coming and going through the city's crowded streets. Although the biting wind blew mercilessly, people seemed to be enjoying the festival. By nightfall, most of the events had ended. The majority were eating, playing games, or shopping on the street where all the stalls were located; the rest of the businesses throughout the city would be closed until the next day. Others slowly began to gather at the large bonfire in the middle of the park, and the music from bands playing old rock songs could be heard in the background.
A few blocks from the city center, a group of teenagers walked down a less-trafficked street, their laughter echoing through every alleyway they passed. They were walking in the opposite direction from the park. They had all decided to record videos in the city's more secluded areas. Although several of their friends had told them it wasn't a good idea because of the festival's superstitions – many believed you could disappear that day – they didn't pay much attention to the warnings and decided to go anyway. They all walked together, but suddenly, one of the girls dropped a small, tube-shaped keychain that rolled into the entrance of an alley they were passing. The girl didn't think it was a problem and quickly entered the alley to retrieve her keychain. As she entered, hands with very pale, icy skin grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and pulling her to the back of the alley.
A few minutes later, one of the other girls in the group noticed her friend's absence.
"Hana?" she asked, realizing she hadn't heard her friend in a while.
"Hey! Where's Hana?" she yelled for everyone to hear.
"What's wrong? Wasn't she behind you?" another one of the guys replied.
"I thought so, but she's not there. What do we do?" she added, as everyone seemed worried about their friend's whereabouts.
"Stop it, Hana! Come out, it's not funny."
"Yeah, Hana, come out, it's not funny. It'll get late, and we won't be able to record anything."
"Hana!" one of the guys shouted, but Hana didn't answer.
"Let's go get her; she can't be far. Maybe she got distracted by something."
"Yeah, let's go…"
They all quickly headed back down the street they came from, but they couldn't find their friend.
***
After finishing their corn dogs, Kai and Noah walked toward the park; the food stall area was now one of the most crowded. Noah could feel his anxiety returning.
"Where did you get that popsicle?" Noah asked in surprise.
"The corn dog stand employee gave it to me," Kai replied innocently.
"Your stomach will hurt," Noah added in a scolding tone.
"I don't think so, look," he stuck out his tongue, "now my tongue is blue, isn't that amazing?"
"No, Kai, what's amazing is how silly you are," Noah said, giving Kai a small shove as they continued walking toward the park.
"Don't you want some?"
"No, I still have my drink." Noah showed his drink, which he had barely touched.
The park was full of people everywhere. Noah just wanted to get away from everyone and go home, but it was too late for that. Suddenly, he felt that strange sensation throughout his body again, telling him he needed to get out of there immediately. He had no choice but to ignore it. After a few minutes, they met up with some coworkers they had seen earlier. They were sitting on the grass, playing cards and smoking cigarettes.
"We're here!" Kai shouted, announcing their arrival.
"Kai, Noah, sit down. Will you play the next round?"
"Sure, what are we betting?"
"Tomorrow's pay," one of the men said with a laugh.
"I hope you're ready for me to leave you without pay," Kai said, sitting down with the group.
Noah took advantage of Kai playing with the others to catch his breath. He decided to go to the bathroom, which was right at the park's exit. He didn't mind walking for a bit. As he walked, he immediately regretted his decision because the entire park was filled with people wearing masks, and once again, he started exchanging glances with several people. It was those strange eyes he had seen before. His discomfort forced him to walk quickly through the crowd, who seemed unwilling to move out of his way. He rushed as best he could to the bathroom, which was completely empty, and locked himself in one of the stalls. Full of nervousness, he covered his ears with his hands and focused on his breathing.
"Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale," he repeated like a mantra for a couple of minutes.
"What the hell is wrong with me? They're just people, nothing more," he told himself to calm down.
After a few minutes of trying to calm his breathing, he decided to leave the stall. He washed his hands and suddenly noticed how everything was too silent. He immediately remembered that when he entered, he could hear voices and the booming music; he could barely hear his own thoughts. But now, everything was in a strange silence. Something was definitely not right. Anxiety re-enveloped his body as if it had never left. He didn't know what to do; he was afraid of what he might find on the other side of the door when he went out. With doubts, he walked toward the bathroom door and opened it slowly…