novelraw Chapter 476: Candle Butts
Chapter 476: Candle Butts
Lu Li had encountered the Strange Fog once before, back when he first met Anna at the art gallery.
Back then, things hadn't seemed so dire—not the world, not the Strange Fog, and not even Anna...
— Cough... cough...
A faint child's cough echoed from the hallway. The apartment building was unusually quiet.
The sound of soft weeping drifted through the air. Word was that one of the residents' husbands was stranded at the port. The poor woman.
[...Ksshh... United Exorcist Organization...]
A choppy, distorted voice drifted from the radio receiver.
Lu Li reached over and adjusted the receiver, trying to bring the voice into focus.
It was a city-wide broadcast for all residents of Belfast.
The faint scent of burning wood wafted from the kitchen. Anna had lit everything flammable in the detective agency, short of the building itself.Three oil lamps cast a steady, soft light. A fire burned in the kitchen stove, along with several candles.
But as the thick fog from outside seeped into the building, enveloping Sailor Street, the already faint candlelight was snuffed out in an instant.
It was as if a veil had fallen over everything in the agency. The sculpture had wedged itself into a corner far from the window and remained motionless.
Beyond the tightly drawn curtains, it sounded as if someone was walking down the street.
From time to time, the night's silence was broken by screams and the sound of shattering glass, which were abruptly cut off.
Someone was dying in the Strange Fog.
[ No one knows... ksshh... what... The United Exorcist Organization recommends you... ksshh... avoid... ignore. Remain in sealed, well-lit... ksshh... rooms. It is safe, even if you make quiet sounds... ksshh... you will not be detected by the creatures in the fog...]
The Strange Fog was interfering with the radio signal, making the voice increasingly garbled.
[...The Strange Fog is not currently classified as... ksshh... an evil spirit... We do not know its nature... ksshh... it could persist... reappear... ksshh... possibly until dawn... or it... will dissipate...]
[Maintain a light source... there are creatures in the fog that fear light... ksshh... Azathoth...]
Suddenly, a monotonous, low voice, like a prayer mixed with the howl of the wind, broke through the broadcast. It was incessant and deeply unsettling.
The broadcast and the prayer merged, rendering the words indistinguishable. But gradually, the chanting grew louder, as if it were drawing closer to the building...
Lu Li raised his head and looked toward the window.
Silhouettes, each surrounded by a halo of light, were moving slowly down the street.
Who would dare to go outside at a time like this?
Lu Li frowned, then abruptly switched off the radio.
But the silence didn't last long. Lu Li could still hear the chanting.
It was coming from the street.
Anna and Lu Li exchanged a glance. Anna floated to the window and carefully peeked outside.
Her brow furrowed in disgust. A few moments later, she floated back to Lu Li.
— They're the Candle Butts... — Anna explained, describing what she had seen. — People with candles for heads... They're dressed in long robes, like monks, and they're walking down the street in two columns...
Anything could be lurking in the Strange Fog.
Fortunately, their light seemed to repel the fog, and it was clear the creatures could only exist within it.
Lu Li switched the radio back on. Anna returned to the window to continue her watch.
As the Candle Butts moved away, the chanting grew fainter until it disappeared completely, and the distorted voice from the broadcast returned.
— Do you think Richard is up to something, using the night as cover?
Vague silhouettes were still moving within the swirling fog. Anna frowned, turning from the window to ask Lu Li.
— Just like us, he can't move around freely in the Strange Fog.
Unless Richard had some way to avoid the dangers, or he was simply insane enough to venture out on a night like this.
So, Lu Li and Richard were on equal footing, although Lu Li was at a slight disadvantage. He needed to act, and the night gave Richard time to devise a new plan.
Either way, only one Bloody Tentacle remained, and Richard's trap was sure to be waiting there.
— Go get some rest. I'll keep watch, — Anna said.
The radio broadcast had said the Strange Fog would clear by dawn. They could rest for the night, deal with the last Bloody Tentacle and Richard in the morning, and then set off for the safety of the Lennon Archipelago.
— Alright.
The bed in the bedroom was too damp. Lu Li turned down the radio's volume, draped his coat over his shoulders, and fell asleep at the table.
Anna watched him in silence for a moment, then settled onto the sofa by the window, where she had a clear view of both Lu Li and the front door. She picked up the book she had started a few days earlier.
Silence settled over the detective agency, shrouded in the Strange Fog.
...
Bang! Bang!
Bang-bang-bang-bang!
A loud banging on the door jolted Lu Li awake. He opened his eyes. The table was vibrating slightly, sending ripples across the surface of the water in his glass.
The knocking wasn't at the agency's door, but at the main entrance to the apartment building.
It was midnight. The Strange Fog hadn't cleared, and the pounding continued.
More residents were waking up and emerging from their rooms, looking around fearfully. Mothers clutched their children, while fathers grabbed useless sticks and stared down the hallway.
Bang-bang-bang-bang!
The pounding and vibrations continued. Finally, a hesitant voice called out, — Who... who's there?!
The knocking stopped for a moment, and then a frightened cry followed: — Old Man Hand? It's me! It's Finn! Finn! Open the door!
— It's a person. He has a lamp, no monsters, — Anna said to the now-awake Lu Li.
Lu Li nodded, adjusted his coat, and left the room.
The knocking grew louder. Lu Li noticed that many of the doors along the hallway were cracked open, with silhouettes visible in the gaps.
— I can't let you in, you... you could be a monster! — yelled Old Man Hand, who was standing by the door.
— A monster? I'm not a monster! Emily... Emily, are you there?! Tell Old Man Hand to open the door! — the man outside shouted.
— Finn...
A woman, overcome with emotion, threw her door open and ran into the hallway, but she was immediately grabbed by other residents.
Old Man Hand was about to refuse, but Lu Li walked up to him and said, — He's human. He has a lamp; the light will keep the fog away.
— I know my husband's voice, it's him... it's him... — Emily cried, supported by another woman.
The flustered Old Man Hand looked at the landlord, who had approached. The man gritted his teeth and said, — Li... listen to the exorcist. Open the door.
— Thank you... thank you, Mr. Landlord, thank you, sir... — Emily sobbed. Old Man Hand hastily slid the bolt open.