POV BILL
With the sound of Chloe's bedroom door closing, Bill left with a long sigh.
Looking at her condition now, it's quite worrying for the future... maybe two or three more days.
*ssstt…*
Bill was wide-eyed. He was alone in this hallway, so he knew—someone was whispering in his ear!
He quickly looked around, squinting as he clasped his hands, about to punch if necessary.
That person, who whispered to him, must be hiding.
However, even though he had searched from end to end, not a single figure could be seen.
Bill swallowed, then opened his mouth. "Who's there?!"
"Henri? Is that you over there?"
There was no reply to his question. "If you hear me, come out quickly!"
"You know, it's not funny if you keep hiding yourself!"
However, the voice never appeared again.
The voice might not appear a second time, but that didn't mean he had to give up, it could be a clue to get out of this horrible place, right?
Bill wandered around, investigating each lonely—looking, distant hallway.
At this point, he stopped, his eyes fixed on an object on the wall.
A painting?
The sky in the painting was green. Beneath it, a human figure—of unknown gender, painted in mixed colours. The human's neck protruded, blank with no face, only traces of red flowing like invisible tears. His hair fell in an irregular stream of colours, blending with streaks. On top of her head, a human skull was caught on fine threads
Unmistakably, the painting was drawn by a skilled artist.
Although he doesn't understand art, he knows that this painting has a deep meaning for the artist.
Bill was frozen in place while observing the painting, unsure whether to put on a face of surprise or amazement, as his original intention was to find out about the voice, not to enjoy this work of art that he didn't really understand.
Shortly after, he sighed and turned around. He was going to talk to his two friends about what had happened. In fact, he was reluctant.
A soft wind instantly blew in his ears. He shivered instantly and turned around. His gaze was fixed on the painting again. But this time, there was a slight change.
The original abstract painting has changed! It turned into a painting of a smiling face with black paint. His eyes were sharp as if from inside the painting he was looking straight into his heart.
Bill swallowed. Somehow he knew that this painting was not normal. What made him think that? The reason was right in front of her eyes.
He forced a smile, then opened his mouth slowly. "No wonder I feel something strange. I've travelled all over this place from end to end. But I didn't find a single person.
"If that person was hiding, it would have been discovered with a room this small." Bill paused for a moment. His gaze was still fixed on the painting, no sign of diverting his attention. "No wonder I didn't find it. I mean... that voice—it was you who called me, wasn't it?"
The painting moved again as if in response to Bill's question. This time black paint coloured the entire canvas and soon, a dot of red paint appeared in the middle. The red paint moves lengthways and curves to form a smile. Then, two red paints above the smile also suddenly appeared, making it two eyes.
Bill looked at it like an emoticon painted with blood.
"I didn't expect you to have such strong intuition," the painting said. Its grin changed according to what it said.
"Heh, you can really talk." Bill's lips twitched.
He had originally thought that the painting was strange. There was just no evidence. However, these appearances and conversations convinced him that the place he was currently living in was a fantasy world.
Seeing how the voice—which is human-like, but the figure is a painting. Bill had an assumption: he's not trapped in the painting and can't get out. That's why he needs someone—like me, for example. To help him out.
"So what do you want from me?" Bill asked matter-of-factly.
"What's the rush?" The painting formed a grin. "Don't worry. I won't eat you."
Is this a joke of a thing?
Not funny....
After all, it didn't matter to him if he stayed here for an hour or two. After all, even if he went to the room or went outside, it made no difference, not that he would find anything useful. In fact, isn't this the only clue to knowing where they are?
"I won't repeat it again. If you don't want to tell me why, I'll leave."
The painting was silent for a few moments, probably thinking about what to say next. Not long after, Bill saw it open its mouth in the usual way—red paint.
"I'll grant your wish."
Bill was silent for an instant. He never expected to hear that from the mouth, no, rather, directly from the painting. Could it take her and her friend away from this place? No doubt his curiosity was piqued!
"I'll burn you right away if what you just said was a joke." Bill paused, remembering the quote that had briefly popped into his head. "What fee do you want?"
"It's nice talking to you, you easily understand what I mean." The painting grinned back. "That's right, nothing is free in this world. Then ....
"Let's make a contract. Just you and me."
…
A/N: If you want to read the 7 advanced chapters with a faster update frequency than the webnovel, you can read it on my patreon whose link is below:
https://www.pâtreon.com/Junxt
Replace "â" with "a" and search for it in your browser.
By the way, don't forget to throw a power stone and leave a review to motivate me :)
...