The Undergound Pt.2

That night felt like it would never end. I was sure Ethan felt the same. I returned to my room only because I didn’t want to see Milo when he got back. I didn’t sleep or even try. I just lay in bed, thinking about everything that was happening. I couldn’t accept any of it. It was a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. Just a month ago, I had been living a peaceful and quiet life. I had worked as a spy under the cover of an investigative journalist for so many years that I had lost count. Every project had been like a walk in the park, never this terrifying, never this strange. I used to love my job. If anyone had told me I would end up this scared, I would have laughed the loudest.

What disturbed me more than knowing who was behind everything was the helplessness of not knowing how to stop him. I couldn’t remember ever praying in my life. To be honest, there was never a god or religion I accepted in the first place. I preferred asking questions that made people doubt their own beliefs, challenging the idea of any god being the creator of the universe. I didn’t believe in the theory of evolution either. But that day, I wished a god existed, one that could hear my desperate prayer. I wanted to be saved. I wanted to wake up from the nightmare. But I wasn’t sure if the god I had mocked my whole life would listen now. I began to wonder if I had died in my sleep and somehow ended up in hell.

Hearing about the death of a red-eyed girl every morning had become something I expected. I had lost track of the number of murdered girls. It was a miracle there were still any people left in the village, let alone red-eyed girls. But now, they weren’t seen as often as before.

Milo was succeeding in making them extinct. He hadn’t finished yet, but we heard that the few girls who had managed to avoid him were now in hiding or fleeing the village. I wished I could go with them. But no matter who I asked, no one could tell me the safe path they were using to escape. No one had an answer. I was sure just asking made some people suspect I was the killer trying to follow and finish them off.

But we had to do something, no matter the consequences. I couldn’t keep putting up with Ethan’s constant pressure. He had been suggesting for a while that maybe it was time to give Milo to the villagers. Every morning we heard about a new murder, and Ethan started looking at me like I was the one responsible. The moment a villager noticed that look, I feared they would decide I was the one hunting their girls.

I understood where Ethan was coming from. Giving up the one person causing all this terror would be the easiest way out. But I couldn’t forget what the elders in the village had said. They claimed Milo had no control over his actions. I couldn’t agree with Ethan because I didn’t believe someone who was technically innocent should die for something he couldn’t control. I actually thought he was as innocent as the red-eyed victims. Just to be clear, I didn’t know Milo better than Ethan did. But Ethan, being red-eyed, was understandably emotional. I was the only one who could stay rational, so I decided to try and save Milo.

At least I would try my best. But I couldn’t trust Ethan. Not because he was a bad person, but because his fear might drive him to betray both Milo and me to save himself. Still, that possibility wasn’t enough for me to sabotage Milo.

Plan A was to gather information on how to make Milo aware he was being used as a vessel. Making him conscious of what was happening was my top priority. He needed to cooperate with us in whatever steps we had to take to stop the killings. At this point, Ethan was close to siding with the villagers. I knew Milo well enough to believe he would be heartbroken when he learned the truth, but it had to stop.

Gathering that information was risky. If people thought I had seen something suspicious and was trying to figure out how the murders were committed, they might assume I was the killer. Giving them even the slightest reason to suspect me would mean death. I would fail to save Milo. I would fail to save the girls. And I would die for nothing.

I decided to target the old man who had been feeding us for the past few days. Since he served many villagers, I figured he might have overheard useful information.

That was where I began my investigation. I had done this job for so many years that being subtle was second nature. But no matter how many ways I tried to get useful information, nothing helped. Everything I gathered was common sense, telling Milo to remember the time he left, checking for bruises or scratches, and other obvious things. Honestly, I started getting frustrated. I had expected something more magical, like a potion or hypnotic method that could instantly make him remember everything.

Now, we had to play the long game. Ethan was completely useless. Not only was he uncooperative, but he also reminded me constantly that nothing would work. Whenever I shared an idea, he would shut it down before I could even try. So I had to do everything myself.

My first attempt was to create a distraction before 3 a.m. to wake Milo so he wouldn’t go out. The scene was simple, catching a rat. I woke up at 2 a.m. and ran around the house, pretending I had seen one. Fortunately, I managed to wake Milo before 3. He helped me look for the imaginary rat for a while, then went back to sleep. Ethan, deep in his defiant mood, didn’t even come out to pretend he was helping.

Thankfully, I managed to keep Milo conscious, and I finally fell asleep around 4:30 a.m. When I woke up around 7 a.m., the first thing I did was head to the old man’s place to see if there was any news about another red-eyed girl being killed.

There was none.

I could barely contain my joy. That day, I truly felt like Batman.

I rushed back to the house, desperate to ask Milo how he spent the rest of the night. I had two main reasons for my urgency. First, if Milo remembered what he was doing at 3 a.m., that meant he had full control of his body and waking him up before then could be the key to stopping the killings. Second, if he couldn’t remember anything, it probably meant there was another murder case we hadn’t heard about yet. I didn’t know which theory was true, but I needed answers.

When I got home, both Ethan and Milo were asleep. I didn’t want to risk waking them the wrong way, so I waited, which felt like an eternity. I wanted to use that time to think of a clever way to question Milo, but I couldn’t focus. The possibility that I might’ve actually saved a life was too exciting.

Milo was the first to wake up. I didn’t bother waiting for Ethan. I started my investigation immediately, casually apologizing for waking Milo the night before. He was surprisingly understanding. As we chatted, Milo started recounting the rest of his night. Apparently, it had taken him a while to fall back asleep, and he enjoyed the brief sleep he got around dawn. I couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth, but I wanted to ask about the other nights too, and I just didn’t know how. On top of that, I needed Ethan’s input. If I agitated Milo, things could spiral. So I had to be cautious.

By midday, Ethan finally came out of his room. I could tell he hadn’t really been sleeping. I knew why he hadn’t helped. He was convinced this mission to save Milo was pointless. After Ethan joined us, there was a long silence. All I could think about was getting a moment alone with Ethan to convince him to help me.

The moment Ethan went off to relieve himself, I gave Milo some excuse and followed Ethan into the forest. I stopped him and tried again to get his support. Predictably, he insisted Milo should be handed over to the villagers. Even after I explained what happened the night before, he was convinced that if Milo hadn’t killed yet, he would soon.

I got it. Waking Milo every night wasn’t sustainable. But who knew how long we’d be stuck here? We argued so long Ethan nearly lost control of his bladder. Still, nothing I said convinced him.

That day ended without a new murder case. To be fair, there had been other quiet nights before, so I tried to keep myself grounded before I got carried away playing Batman of the village.

That night, I faked a new illness just to keep Milo up. It was exhausting and lasted until 4 a.m. Both of us were half-asleep. But I kept going, thinking maybe I was saving a life. I slept until nearly midday, only to wake up to chaos, another murder case.

I was crushed. My efforts had failed. What’s worse was that the theory about the 3 a.m. killings was false.

Milo had been making me herbal tea at 3. Ethan was right. Keeping him awake wasn’t enough. But I wasn’t ready to give up. I needed a new plan.

I searched my brain for every possible solution. Then, two nights later, around midnight, something finally clicked. I was so sure Ethan would agree with it that I rushed to his room. It was locked. I knocked lightly, no answer. He was either asleep or just scared of Milo and whatever was after red-eyed people. I had to wait until morning.

The plan might sound stupid, but I was confident. First, we’d find the cursed object that supposedly had to be returned. Then, we’d stage an accident to make Milo bleed. Once we had both the object and his blood, we’d take them back to the place he took the item from.

I wasn’t sure what touching the cursed object would do to us, but according to the villagers, the one who removed it bore the curse.

As expected, Ethan loved the idea. It felt like the smartest plan we’d had so far. I couldn’t believe we hadn’t thought of it sooner. But I guess when survival’s on the line, that’s when creativity kicks in.

Mission two to save Milo started as soon as he went out hunting after midnight. For the first two nights, Ethan refused to help search. He said unlocking his door at night was basically volunteering to be the next red-eyed victim even if he was male.

On the third night, when Milo went out to relieve himself, Ethan and I snuck into his room. It took Ethan maybe five minutes to find the object. I could’ve sworn I’d checked the same spot, but maybe it was night blindness or maybe Milo took it with him some nights.

Now, we just had to make Milo bleed. I was planning to punch him in the nose, but staging an accident that looked believable was tricky. Milo knew he took something he shouldn’t have. He had lied about it. He would notice it was missing and only Ethan and I could’ve taken it. Plus, I wasn’t exactly known for being impulsive or clumsy. But even if he figured it out, he would know we were trying to help.

I waited for the right moment to make him bleed. When I finally had his blood, I took the object and returned it myself. It felt like an Indiana Jones moment and I was terrified I’d get trapped in that underground hell. My brain was racing, what if there was a ritual I was supposed to perform? Still, I forced myself to follow through.

I got home around dawn and slept like a rock.

When I woke up, chaos again. Three missing red-eyed girls had been found dead. I hoped the murders had happened before I returned the object, so I could still hold out hope the plan worked.

But that evening, the villagers decided they’d had enough. They were ready to sacrifice all three of us to end the curse.

For the first time, I thought about letting them take Milo. If Ethan hadn’t overheard their plan, I might have tried to delay them. I truly believed the killings would stop. But this time, I didn’t have the strength to fight Ethan on it. I wanted to save Milo but not at the cost of my own life.

Ethan didn’t hesitate. He went straight to the villagers and told them everything. They didn’t even need time to decide. Everyone acted normal, pretending they didn’t know anything so Milo wouldn’t suspect what was coming.

They needed to lure him near the underground. I thought they’d knock him out in his sleep. Instead, they needed someone to trick him into walking partway there. And of course, they chose me. The Judas.

And I did it. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I kept telling myself it’s always darkest before the dawn. This was the price of getting out alive.

I walked him to the ambush point. I remember seeing his lips move but I couldn’t hear a word. I’ll never forget his face when he realized. But it was what he shouted as they dragged him away that haunted me. He swore he was just trying to make a call.

Ridiculous. We didn’t have electronics here. But what if there was a sliver of truth in what he said? What if he smuggled in a phone? What if his nighttime wandering wasn’t about killing but contacting help? But then, what about the cursed object? I had seen him leave and return too many times to chalk it up to coincidence. And if he had help to call, why not include us?

When I snapped out of my spiral, I ran home to search for the phone. I knew even if I found it, it wouldn’t change Milo’s fate. But I had to know.

I caught Ethan leaving Milo’s room. He looked shaken. The room was a mess. I could tell he’d been searching too. I asked if he found the phone. He just shook his head.

The following nights were heavy. No excuse felt good enough for what we had done. I kept Milo’s wallet, the picture of his family burning in my conscience. For some reason, I couldn’t throw it away. Looking at it and blaming myself felt better than pretending it didn’t happen.

The villagers threw us a party, celebrating us for giving up our friend to save their girls. Since we were their new heroes, I asked for a favor, a horse and someone who could guide us to a city with modern transportation.

That was risky. The villagers hated the idea of anyone leaving. They made us promise to stay a week just to make sure the curse had lifted. I almost snapped. Ethan had to stop me.

I had already sacrificed a friend. Apparently, that wasn’t enough. They said the curse wouldn’t lift unless they had taken the right person. I knew then they wouldn’t stop until they killed us all.

I had two choices. Bleed like a chicken or die trying to escape.

I chose the latter. I wasn’t going to be slaughtered like that. And I knew after what happened with Milo, they could easily turn Ethan against me. From that moment, I stopped trusting him.

The day I decided to leave, I packed everything I owned. A part of me wondered what if Ethan wasn’t plotting anything. But fear makes people dangerous. I left him a note, not to say where I was going, just to tell him to find his own way.

I went into his room to hide the letter and that’s when I saw it. A phone, turned off.

My hands trembled as I powered it on. My heart pounded like a drum. The lock screen showed Milo’s wife and daughter.

I froze.

This whole time Ethan had the phone. He had been plotting to make Milo the scapegoat. I had fallen for it. Every little thing started to make sense. How he found everything, how he avoided helping at night. He wasn’t scared. He was setting Milo up.

And we didn’t even save the girls. We didn’t save Milo. I knew more killings would follow and Ethan would convince them it was me.

I thought about staying and exposing him but even if I tried, the villagers would come for us both after the next murder. If I disappeared, they would likely turn on Ethan. And honestly, I wanted him to die. I wanted to do it myself.

So I left. I spent two weeks on the road before reaching a city with transportation. It’s been a while now. I quit my job. I moved to a new city. I send gifts anonymously to Milo’s family, trying to make up for what I did. Trying to ease the guilt.

I hope it’s enough. I still wonder what happened to Ethan.

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