Perhaps we shouldn't have come here.
The farther Professor Kelte went, the more tense he became. They followed the blood trail onward, only to find more and more blood. It was as if something had torn people open and splashed all their blood across the ground. Whatever it was, Professor Kelte didn't believe the few guns they had could deal with it.
Perhaps we should leave and seek reinforcements.
The thought flashed through Doctor Kelte's mind. Reason told him that he should stop, but Kelte's instincts drove him onward. It was as if something were calling to him, drawing him in, leaving him completely unable to stop.
"...Professor, Professor! Professor Kelte!"
Only when someone grabbed his arm did Professor Kelte snap out of it as if waking from a deep dream. He turned around and looked at the young man beside him in surprise.
"What is it?"
"Are, are you all right? We saw you muttering to yourself, but we couldn't make out what you were saying."
"I'm fine."
Professor Kelte reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then took a deep breath.
"I was just thinking about a few things... Is something wrong?"
"No, well..."
The young man glanced around in confusion.
"The girl who brought us in just now..."
"What about her?"
"She's gone! We clearly remember her being right beside us, but at some point, she disappeared!"
Hearing the young man's report, Professor Kelte felt his stomach abruptly clench. He turned around and saw several mercenaries gripping their weapons and scanning the surroundings. The other members of the research team were also panicking, looking uneasily from side to side. There was only one path here, so how could she have disappeared? Or rather, how exactly had she gotten lost?
"Do you know when she disappeared?"