The Wrong Person Was Transported to the Horrific Lost Village

The day went off without a hitch. I sent the search party off in one direction with one hand and spread a dozen butterflies into the forest with the other. I thought it would be hard, but I found the spot where we hid the bag...

It was a little surprising, but not for the reasons one would expect. Many ghosts were crawling around that forest, but all away from where the humans were. Some were just going around in circles, while others were just standing around. Some of those ghosts, when the butterflies saw them, started to fade in and out--again, like the mere act of observing them invalidated their existence. There was something good to come from this, though; the butterflies got used to looking at them in a way that didn't make them fade. Let's call this adaptation 'Non-Disruptive Viewing.' Now, one question was--did my butterflies adapt, or did the place adapt to my butterflies? One was obviously better than the other.

Back to the bag--there were four ghosts gathered around it, staring at the mound it was hidden beneath. Very obvious. It made me wonder what their purpose was. They would disappear if anyone saw them, so why?

A butterfly watched them for a good chunk of the time that we were out there, but it offered no new insights.

Regardless, I wasn't going to let myself be tricked. One of my butterflies burrowed beneath the foliage and soil and confirmed that the bag was still there. As it stood, the bag had not been moved. The butterfly, however, could not investigate the insides of the bag easily. I was going to need either a glow-in-the-dark adaptation or a total-darkness vision adaptation.

Either way, things were going well. I would learn the penalty and then let Haunting find the bag.

On the item search side--

Ryza and the others didn't get far in their search before sundown. It sounded like Mei and Kia got distracted too often--though they eliminated many items from the list, including fingernails and strands of hair--and the bus driver was particularly uncooperative. Needless to say, Ryza wasn't happy and was in her room going through everything again when we got back to the inn. Hopefully, she would find the critical item by tomorrow morning. How did I feel about it? I was a little surprised they hadn't found anything, but it didn't matter in the end. It was going to be found by the end of the allotted time--it was impossible for it not to be.

***

In my room's bathtub, enjoying a warm bubble bath and wine--

"Hmm♪ Hmm♪ Hmm♪"

I sipped my wine and felt the tension leave my feet. 

"Strip away the monsters and the prison aspect, and this place is actually fairly relaxing."

Three hurried knocks came from my room's door. 

"Come in," I called before setting my glass down on the nearby counter.

"Mari?" Haunting called as I picked up the old journal I was reading.

"I'm in the bathroom, Haunting."

"Oh, okay."

She appeared at the doorway quickly and even more quickly yelped. "Sorry!" she cried, covering her eyes for all of two seconds before parting her fingers wide enough to peek.

"What did you think I was doing?" I asked, a little amused.

"I don't know; clipping your toenails?"

I lifted my foot out of the water. "Hmm. Good idea." I lowered it and returned to the journal. "Maybe I'll do that later."

"Okay... umm, anyway, I came to talk, but if you're busy--"

"Feel free to speak, Haunting." I glanced at the toilet. "Feel free to take a seat too."

"Are you sure?" she asked, nervously lowering her hands.

"Don't fret so much. There's nothing for you to see."

"Okay... Pardon me..." She sat down beside the bathtub and peered over at me. "Where did you get all these things?"

"Bessie. She gave me the bubble bath, the wine, the glass, and this journal when I asked." I chuckled, recalling the scene. "I thought she was about to tell me there was a bathtub big enough for the two of us with how happy she was."

"Oh... Would you have gotten in?"

I raised a brow, and she went redder when I glanced at her. "Why not? It's just a bath and light conversation. Have you never been nude at a beach?"

"No!" she replied, almost aghast. 

"Oh... Are nude beaches not a thing here?" I chuckled. "What a different culture this post-disaster world."

Haunting fell silent and stayed silent for a few minutes while I read. Finally, she spoke up again.

"You're really cool, Mari."

"Not really."

"So... What's in that journal you're reading?" she asked with her hands pressed between her legs. "You seem invested."

"A journal from a long-since deceased resident. They used to live here, and they kept this, very meticulously updated journal. I thought it would be good to read it and familiarize myself with the past... So far, I've learned about a few named monsters and minor occurrences."

"Oh... Might I be able to study it later?"

"Of course. Anyway, what did you need? Or did you just decide to sit and enjoy the view?"

"Ack--" she said, biting her tongue. "No, no, I swear I didn't come here with that many devious intentions!"

"'That many,' huh?" I whispered, amused again.

"I just... I just came to make sure everything is still going okay... You're not worried, right?"

"Not at all," I replied, my eyes still on the filled page.

Haunting let out a breath. "Okay, that's good."

"I actually think I've located where the bag is--or rather, have significantly narrowed it down."

"Really?" she asked, perking up.

"Yup... It was easier to figure out where we were than I thought it would be. A welcome development, right?" I asked with a smirk.

"Definitely welcome! This is great! Now we just need to find what thing the Goal needs!"

"Yes... As long as this place doesn't cheat, we'll have Kaz's bag as soon as the penalty is revealed."

"That's such a relief, Mari... Hey, Mari..."

"Yes?"

"Aren't you concerned that a tentacle monster will come out of the faucet or drain and turn this into Grade-A horror scene?"

I lifted my gaze from the book and actually thought about a tentacle coming out, dropping into the water, and ripping my body apart.

"Huh. It honestly never occurred to me."

"Or what about flesh-eating water fungus? Or something like that?"

"Well... Everyone else is still fine, so I assume that the water is safe enough to bathe in... Congratulations though; you gave me pause, Haunting..." I chuckled. "If they wanted to get me out of the picture, tampering with my bath water would be quite cruel. I would curse them as I perished."

"Please don't say that."

I chuckled. "Okay, Haunting... I'll be fine."

Haunting sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I love paranormal wonderlands, but second-guessing everything that could kill you is getting to me."

"Oh? Is reality finally catching up with you? That's not so bad."

"I'm just worried..."

"Let's get your mind off it then. Haunting, what do you think ghosts do when we aren't watching?"

She lit up as much as I thought she would. "Oh! Oh! They re-enact parts of their lives."

I raised a brow, signaling her to continue.

"There are theories that ghosts follow their routines. That's why a common component of ghost stories is a ghost that repeats the same action every night. Oh! They go through walls because there wasn't a wall there before." She held her chin and put on a smug air. "But those ghosts--they're like a low-class of spirit. More complex ghosts could be doing literally anything

. I imagine that the really smart ones play games."

"What happens if something foreign is in the path of their routine? Would they ignore it the way they would a wall? For instance, if there are ghosts in the woods, how would they interact with the bag?"

"Hmm... Well, there are definitely ghosts in those woods, as far as I'm concerned... Hmm... Some should ignore it, but maybe some helpful ghosts would stand by to point it out. It really depends on what level of sentience they have. Weaker ghosts are said to degrade in strength and quality over time."

"Hmm... Interesting...

A few more minutes passed in relative silence until I finally closed my book and put it aside.

"Alright, Haunting, I'm getting out--"

"Eep!"

"--so unless you want to test your chances, you can stand outside."

"Test... my chances?" 

I looked at her and shot her a purposefully suggestive glance as I leaned forward in the bath.

"What do you think that means, Haunting?"

She went the reddest I had ever seen her--it took all I had to not laugh. She shot up immediately afterward. 

"I'll go outside," she blurted out.

***

I walked out of the bathroom in an old robe Bessie had brought from the clothing store in town, drying my hair as I did. Haunting was nervously sitting on the bed, still flushed.

I shook my head, seeing her sitting there so awkwardly. It was probably better for her if I didn't tease her too much, as humourous as she was.

"Haunting," I said, going over to my clothes. "I'm going to lock my door tonight." I glanced toward the window and noticed the Jailers' lanterns moving about in the dark. "No night watching for me... I need some sleep. Can't be fumbling around again." I cracked a smile at her. "You can appreciate that, right?"

"Of course!" she said, standing up from the bed. "You should get sleep! I don't want you getting hurt again!" Her eyes then drifted to my bandaged hand. "You're okay, right?"

"I am," I said with a chuckle. "I was careful to not get the bandages wet. Thank you for your concern."

"Okay," she said, walking over to the door. "Mari..." She looked over her shoulder. "I trust you, and thank you for staying calm. That really helped me out."

"It's no problem, Haunting... I hope you have a good night."

"Me too. Have a good night, Mari."

"I'm sure I'm about to have the best sleep," I said, my smile wide. "Bubble baths always get me in the best mood."

Haunting giggled. "I'll have to ask Bessie for some bubble bath, too," she said, walking out of my room and closing the door behind her.

I, with my smile still on, dropped my robe and put on a fresh pair of underwear, thankful for Bessie having gotten some for us, and then put on my black shirt and pants. I went back to the door, locked it, and then sat on my bed, where I calmly put on my shoes again.

I waited there for a few minutes, then blew out the many gas lamps and candles lighting up the room. With that done, I went and stood by the window.

"Tonight... Everything changes..." I said, opening the window and letting the breeze in. "What are you going to do, Powers that Be? I'm ready to make a move I don't think you can expect... unless you can read my mind, of course."

I chuckled again.

"Will this be a misplay, or will this secure my advantage? I guess we're about to find out." I held my right hand out. "Feast your eyes on this monster."

My hand broke apart into dozens of butterflies, and like a corrupting force, they spread up my arm and clothes, breaking them apart into more and more butterflies. The butterfly effect reached my head, and I broke apart into dozens more. The final portion of my body, my left hand, closed the window before turning into butterflies and flying off.

My full transformation into a flutter of butterflies--I missed it. It was always so freeing, this fleeting sense of being.

Bev, you have my thanks for being so vile as to fuel this transformation. Thank you for the meal. My butterflies are thankful.