Into the Long Night

The dead were climbing out of their coffins one after another. Swaying corpses filled the cemetery, asking confused questions, wandering aimlessly, or sitting blankly on the morgue slabs. Amid the faint sense of discord left behind after the old order had dissipated, they futilely searched their memories and thoughts, trying to grasp the unease and shadow lingering in their hearts.

The caretaker who should have been guarding this cemetery and preventing the dead from waking and stirring was instead guiding these awakened corpses, sending them away from this temporary resting place and back to their homes.

Dim streetlights illuminated the eerie scene. Even Agatha, who could no longer feel the warmth of the living world, now sensed another chill slowly spreading from her very soul. She stood dazed beside the path, watching Duncan send the moving corpses away one by one, as though she had fallen into a bizarre dream.

"All right, you're the last one." At last, the final swaying dead man set out on the road home. He was a young man who had died by murder, with a horrifying hole in his chest. Duncan helped the freshly dead man down from the platform and gently, calmly instructed him, "You still remember the way home. Go back. Trouble breathing is normal; you'll adapt to all this soon... Go home now and stay with your family. Don't think too much. Live well—from here, go straight ahead and don't look back. For a long time, you won't need to return to this place."

The corpse with stiff footsteps finally walked away. Dim streetlights shone upon his figure until he vanished into the vast darkness of the night.

Duncan finally came before the Gatekeeper. Even through the thick bandages, a gentle, tranquil smile could still be seen in his eyes. "Sorry