"All of these things... belong to Nero," said Arkhan with a trembling voice.
Their sobs slowly filled the room, the three of them drowned in a wave of sorrow.
"How are we going to tell the others?" Levan asked quietly.
"No... I don't believe Nero is really dead!" Arkhan shouted, angrily throwing the piece of the bag cloth from his hand.
Chaotic thoughts began to swirl in his mind. He wanted to find whoever this "Unknown" was — kill him, and burn him to ashes.
"Khan, calm down," Sandy said, patting his friend's shoulder to soothe him.
Psssst...
Levan heard a faint sound, then caught a strange smell.
"Hey, did one of you just fart?" Levan asked, confused.
"What the hell? No, it wasn't me. Maybe it was you," Sandy shot back.
"I'm serious, there's a weird smell."
Sandy sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. "It's knockout gas! Cover your nose and mouth now!"
"We have to get out of here, fast!" Arkhan yelled.
Without hesitation, the three of them dashed out of the house. They now stood at the edge of a forest, surrounded by tall, menacing trees.
"Are we about to get kidnapped and burned too?" Levan muttered, voice shaking.
"Good thing we made it out," Arkhan said in relief.
But it wasn't over. They were at the back of the house, and the car was parked out front. To get there, they had to go around and pass by the house again.
Brukkk!
"What was that?! Please don't tell me... a ghost?" Levan said, face pale.
"Just a deer. We're near the woods, remember?" Sandy replied, trying to stay logical.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching from behind the trees. The figure suddenly hurled a balloon filled with liquid toward them.
Splash!
The balloon burst on impact, soaking Arkhan.
"What the hell now?!" Arkhan growled, scanning the darkness.
"He's hiding behind the tree!" Sandy shouted, squinting his eyes.
"G-guys, I don't think this is water... it smells different," Levan said, panicked.
Sandy sniffed it and immediately knew. "It's gasoline!"
Arkhan saw a glint of light in the stranger's hand and instantly realized.
"GUYS, RUN!"
They sprinted to the car and drove away at top speed.
A few minutes later, Arkhan pulled the car over.
"What's wrong, Khan?" Sandy asked.
Without replying, Arkhan stepped out, opened the trunk, and tossed clothes at his two friends.
"There's a public restroom nearby. We should change first."
After changing, they gathered near the car again.
"This car's gonna need a deep clean. For now, let's head to the station and take the train home," said Arkhan.
"Yeah, safer that way," Levan agreed.
They continued on foot toward the nearest subway station.
Arkhan looked down at the ground as he walked, guilt gnawing at him. He regretted ever suspecting Nero—especially after receiving that photo from the Unknown. At the time, he only thought it was suspicious that Nero had been near his room.
His friends' conversation pulled him back to reality.
"I'm still nervous from earlier," said Levan.
"Same here, man. That guy was smart, dousing us with gasoline and then trying to light us on fire with fireworks," Sandy replied.
"Good thing we figured it out in time," added Levan.
Arkhan suddenly realized something.
"Guys, remember how he used knockout gas first?"
"Yeah... why?" Sandy asked.
"What if it wasn't to knock us out—but to chase us away, so he could burn us outside?"
"And... you think that's weird?" Levan asked.
"He managed to burn someone in the fireplace... but why not us?"
Sandy thought for a moment. "First — maybe because there are three of us, it'd take too long to burn us one by one. Second — maybe the victim was already dead, so burning them was just to destroy evidence. Lastly — maybe the Unknown wants to keep the house clean."
"Hmm... makes sense," Arkhan admitted.
"Good luck thinking it over, my spooky friends. I gotta bounce, got something to do," Levan said as he waved.
"Got a hot date?" Arkhan teased.
"Yeah... I'm sure you can guess," Levan smirked.
"Want me to drive you? Or maybe book a room for you two?" Sandy joked.
"Dude, I'm straight. I don't do guys!" Levan laughed.
"Oh, so you prefer lonely older ladies?" Arkhan teased.
"Shut up, both of you."
Levan walked off to find a taxi while Arkhan and Sandy continued down the stairs into the subway.