I ran for a long time before finally reaching my room.
The door panels were covered with dust, and there were dense spider webs at the cracks, as if no one had been here for a long time.
I reached out and gently pushed the door open. A dusty, musty smell mixed with the stench of past fire hit me at once.
Light slanted through the half-collapsed ceiling, falling patchily onto the wooden floor.
I rushed inside without hesitation and began to search.
This was my last hope.
I didn't know how much time was left or when the monsters would return.
The only thing I could do was hold on to any possibility.
I rifled through drawers and cabinets, every single scrap of paper. Old crates in the corner, the space under the mattress, behind the bookshelf. I left nothing unchecked.
The room was deathly still, only the dust rising around me like whispers of the dead.
I don't know how long it took, but eventually, my fingers brushed over a yellowed sheet of old newspaper.
It was wedged inside a peeling photo album, nearly crumpled. The black headline was faded but still legible.
"Night of Blood and Flame: The Laine Arson Scandal"
My heart clenched.
With trembling hands, I pulled out the paper. The scent of old ink and scorched paper hit me.
The date at the bottom of the newspaper is blurry, but it can be vaguely seen that it was in the early morning many years ago.
"Early this morning, a massive fire broke out at the Laine estate. Witnesses say the flames began in the rear garden and spread to the main building within minutes."
"Rumours suggest the blaze was not accidental. Lord Laine allegedly intended to elope with a mysterious woman and locked all exits to delay interference."
My eyes widened as I kept reading.
"The fire began with hay bales, but strong winds that morning spread it rapidly to food storage and the communication room. Communication lines were severed. Food storage was also destroyed in the fire."
I thought of the current state of the castle—charred walls, collapsed ceilings, burnt corridors and halls.
Everything matched.
"The servants immediately organised to put out the fire, but dozens of people were still trapped in the fire. Many suffered severe burns and lost consciousness."
"The butler tried to evacuate the injured, but the main gate was locked and the keys missing. Every alternative exit had been sealed off."
My breathing grew rapid.
"He tried to call for help, only to discover the entire estate had lost signal. The Laine Estate became a sealed tomb with nearly thirty staff and servants trapped inside, unable to escape."
But that wasn't the end.
Ten days later, a traveler passing by the estate noticed how unnaturally quiet the castle had become.
He reported it to the local authorities.
When officers arrived and forced their way inside, what they found shocked them to the core.
Dozens of corpses lay scattered throughout the castle. Some of them were burnt, starved, some huddled together in corners as if trying to stay warm.
Many had survived the initial fire, but eventually died of hunger, thirst and despair.
With the food storerooms destroyed and no way to call for help, they had been left to die slowly in the cold, silent ruins.
Their eyes, wide open even in death, seemed to ask the same question:
Why were we abandoned?