Chapter (38):deep search part 3
Somewhere in the forest of faces.....
Emma and Smiley were now in front of the factory. For some reason, today, black clouds hovered over the factory, and the crows around it still watched them from the trees as if they were looking at a meal being cooked.
As they approached, they saw wheel marks on the ground leading out of the factory. The marks looked recent and were coming from the direction they had gone. Emma stared at the ground before sighing.
"Yep, seems my guess was right. (Sigh) So, are you ready, Smiley?"
"Who do you think I am? I was born ready! But... why are you wearing a mask? It's not Halloween, right?" Smiley asked, tilting his head.
"So my face isn't recognized. I don't know what kind of thing is inside, but it's better if it doesn't interfere with my life and just goes to town. I don't want to know what'll happen if it does."
"Alright, whatever you say. Let's go!"
"Wait a second, Smiley..." Emma spoke nervously.
"What now?"
"There's one last thing," Emma said seriously to Smiley.
"Inside, never say my name. Under any circumstances."
"Huh? Why?" Smiley asked curiously.
"What you're about to interact with is probably the smartest creature we've encountered in this forest. It must never know about us. The less it knows, the better," Emma replied gravely.
"Hey, what about me? Should I hide my identity too?"
"Smiley ((눈‸눈)), you wear clown makeup all the time. If you took it off, I doubt I'd even recognize you," Emma said.
"Oh, right, I forgot about that... So what should I call you?"
"Call me whatever you want," Emma replied bluntly.
"The Iron Mask?" Smiley suggested.
"What?" Emma asked, confused.
"You don't like that? How about... the Iron Frowner!" Smiley said, striking a villainous pose.
"No!" Emma snapped.
"Dr. Saad!"
"Smiley! I'm not that comic book doctor—I know who you mean, and I'm not him!" Emma shouted.
"Then what should I call you if you don't like the names I made for you?" Smiley said with fake frustration, throwing his arms up.
"Ughhh... just...! Just...!"
As Emma thought, a certain name came to mind...
"Being X."
"Huh?" Smiley asked.
"I said, call me Entity X."
"Oooh! You have a superhero name!"
"No, it's just an alias I use for some websites and games. Even you must've had one," Emma said.
"Hahahaha, of course I have one, Emma... I think."
"What?"
"Let's go! We've waited long enough," Smiley said, heading inside.
Emma and Smiley entered the factory with confident steps. Inside, they found the place unchanged—except for the wheel marks. They decided to follow the tracks until they reached a dark hallway. It was impossible to see, but black stains were visible on the floor.
"Wait a sec, I'll turn on my phone light," Emma said, pulling out her phone.
"Oh, don't worry, there's a button here," Smiley said, pressing it.
"Hey... wait—Smiley, don't press—"
When Smiley pressed the button, the entire hallway lit up, revealing that the black stains were actually dried blood. They couldn't distinguish the blood's color earlier because of the darkness, and it had decayed over decades. Emma frowned at it.
"What?" Smiley asked.
"(Sigh) Nothing. Except now it knows we're here," Emma said in a resigned tone.
"That makes it easier, right?" Smiley said.
"Yeah... I hope so," Emma replied.
Both entered the hallway and walked through, seeing things that would terrify anyone.
The hallway was covered in blood... lots of it. The blood was faded, as if years had passed, and the stains on the floor were thick, as if many bodies had been dragged at once. The walls had bloody handprints, as if people had desperately tried to escape but apparently failed.
Any normal person would've run away immediately. Emma would've fled in the past. But after facing monsters a few times and seeing Sarah and Jack's bodies, this was nothing. Blood and monsters had become normal for Emma. She walked forward fearlessly, while Smiley stared at the bloody handprints with an amused expression.
"Look, Emma, did they have an art class to paint the walls?" Smiley asked.
*They were trying to escape, genius,* Emma thought.
"...Maybe. But it's weird they'd do this," Emma said.
"Why?" Smiley asked innocently.
"Because they're walls. And from their handprints, it looks like they were desperate for something," Emma said, noticing the bloody hands concentrated on one particular wall.
"So you mean they did this for a reason?" Smiley asked.
"Who knows? Maybe it was a clue to something. But this was a long time ago."
"You're right. Maybe it's not a big deal," Smiley said.
---
"Yes, ah... it seems we've reached the end of the hallway," Emma spoke, gazing at the light emanating from afar.
"Oh, is this the dining room?" Smiley asked suspiciously.
There were many tables scattered around the floor, and the place was in chaos, covered in blood. The blood here was even denser.
"Man, just what exactly happened here? ... Any theories, Sherlock?" Smiley asked.
"Smiley, stop."
"What, come on, I'm just joking. Don't take it so seriously, Em—"
Before Smiley could finish speaking, Emma placed her hand over his mouth to silence him. She raised her index finger, signaling him to be quiet, and pointed at a functioning camera with a red light. Smiley understood what Emma meant.
"Oooh! Sorry, being X," Smiley spoke in an almost defeated tone.
"But can you tell me any thoughts about what happened?" Smiley asked.
"I think everyone here was ambushed, all of them caught off guard."
"Caught them?"smiley asked
"Yes. Judging by the size of this place and knowing that everyone who worked here died under mysterious circumstances without leaving any bodies, there's only one possible conclusion," Emma spoke seriously.
"And that is?" Smiley asked.
"This is the work of nothing less than meticulous planning spanning many years. Whoever did this had a well-prepared scheme to kill them all without leaving a single one behind."
"Interesting," Smiley remarked.
"Wait, before we leave, let's check the kitchen. We might find something."
"Roger that, sir," Smiley replied with exaggerated seriousness.
"Okay," Emma responded skeptically.
Emma headed to the kitchen. Upon entering, she saw the place in complete disarray, filled with a foul stench. She covered her nose due to the strong odor and began searching through the cabinets. Among the mess, she found a black card and a notebook on the floor.
"Hmm... Is this an employee's notebook? Hey, the notes are dated pretty far back. What does it say?"
_____
**April 11, 1993**
This is my first day at work. I'm excited to start after being accepted as a cook at this car manufacturing plant. I heard they were short on staff, but I'm surprised that a place this big is understaffed. The factory exterior was shiny and attractive, but why does the inside feel so ominous and strange? Even the employees here have weird changes. After I entered, no one greeted me or asked about me. Is there something wrong with my clothes?
**April 19, 1993**
Today, I greeted another coworker, and while we were talking, we heard that another employee had disappeared—again. There's a rumor that employees vanish every month for unknown reasons. I ignored it and focused on my work.
**April 31, 1993**
Strange... Today, another employee disappeared in the manufacturing center. This was the third case this month. I and some other employees decided to look for him in the surveillance cameras. At first, we thought he was slacking off or spending time somewhere else, but he wasn't anywhere. It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.
**May 5, 1993**
Something is watching me... I swear it. I'm not crazy or overworked, but I felt it! While heading to the lost and found room, I sensed something moving toward me. When I turned around, it disappeared, but when I looked at the ground, I saw strange wheel marks... yet there were no tire tracks.
**May 18, 1993**
Five more workers disappeared this month, and no one asked about them—not even the supervisors. Something's wrong here. They're hiding something in this factory. I don't know what it is, but I'll find out!
**May 29, 1993**
I accidentally discovered something between the hallway walls—a small opening, just big enough to slide a card through. While trying to investigate further, I noticed one of the supervisors placing HIS CARD AGAINST THE wall, opening a HIDDEN PASSAGE. Now I know where the employees are going! I'll take his card without him noticing. Then I'll find out what they're HIDING."
_______
"Well, this is useful, but why was the last entry so weird? Maybe he was paranoid? I'll figure it out soon, either way."
As Emma stepped out, she saw Smiley holding something in his hand.
"Oh, Emma, look what I found!"
"Wait... is that a generator?! How did you find it? No, how are you holding it so easily with both hands?!"
"Huh? I just picked it up?" Smiley answered innocently.
"Never mind. My bad. I sometimes forget you're a supernatural entity," Emma said in a resigned tone.
"Don't say that. You make me sound like some kind of demon," Smiley replied in a childish tone while tossing the object aside as if it were nothing.
"Says the one with a clown face."
"Oh, come on," Smiley joked back.
"Now that we've regrouped, let's see where the wheel marks lead us."
Emma looked toward the wheel tracks leading elsewhere, and she instinctively knew—she was close... very close to meeting the mastermind behind this place.