773. I'll Wait for You at the Ending

Lu Ban noticed that the people on the street wore old-fashioned suits and skirts, along with leather shoes. Their distinctly 1920s- and 1930s-style attire gave him an odd feeling.

There were hardly any cars on the street, nor were there any bicycles. The pedestrians traveled solely on foot.

At some point, the fog had already dispersed. Afternoon sunlight bathed the city, adding a lazy air to it. Jazz echoed from the cafés lining the street, as though this were an era when that style of music was in fashion.

What drew the most attention were the expressions on those people's faces.

Men and women, old and young alike, all wore stiff smiles.

Those smiles were like the expressions people pulled when waiting to have their picture taken, their lips tugged upward—but because the photographer had taken so long to press the shutter, their smiles had begun to twitch slightly. It gave off an unsettling feeling.

Whether they were talking, eating, or drinking water, they all wore those eerie smiles, like marionettes. That was the only expression they had, eternally unchanged.

Seeing this, even Wes, who was usually rather thick-skinned, began to feel uneasy.

"What are they doing? Is this some kind of April Fool's joke?"

However, those people showed no interest in the motorhome and did not cast any glances their way.

James drove toward the southern part of the city. That area was near Miskatonic University and contained a large plaza and stretch of grass. During the film festival, vehicles filled the place. The people here were deeply fond of car culture and liked to drive themselves wherever they went. With larger vehicles, they could even barbecue right out in the wilderness.

Yet when they arrived at the parking lot, they found not a single car there. It was