Terror at the Wax Museum

Night fell like ink, heavy and oppressive over the land.

Edward rode the Fenrir Heavy Motorcycle at breakneck speed along the winding highway.

The engine's roar echoed through the silent night, like a defiant howl in this dark world.

He kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, while the trees on either side became blurred streaks of light beneath the headlights.

The nonstop riding had left him a little tired. It was time to find somewhere to rest for the night.

He instinctively glanced up at the rearview mirror, only to find a familiar, alluring face reflected within it.

Alan's figure had appeared silently at some point, watching him quietly.

"What's wrong, Alan?" Edward's voice remained steady, without the slightest hint of surprise.

Alan tilted her head slightly. Her reflection looked delicate and aggrieved, with a trace of coy resentment in her expression. "Looks like you've been having fun. You even forgot someone was waiting for you at home. What, found yourself a new lover?"

Edward's eye twitched. Where had she learned such strange TV drama lines?

"If you're talking about three deformed cannibals, then they certainly were pretty 'new.'"

Alan burst out laughing. "Since when did your tastes become so heavy?"

"An unexpected surprise on a road trip. I cleaned them up while I was at it." Edward briefly summed up what had happened that afternoon. One shot each—there was not much to say.

"Fine, but hurry home." Alan's smile turned a little mysterious. "There'll be a surprise waiting for you when you get back."

As soon as she finished speaking, her reflection in the rearview mirror dispersed like mist.

"I hate people who speak in riddles," Edward muttered, twisting the throttle and continuing onward.

After driving for a while longer, a faint flicker of fire in the woods beside the road caught his attention.

In such a desolate wilderness at this late hour, a campfire seemed especially out of place.

After a brief moment of thought, he turned the motorcycle off the road and headed toward the forest.

Fenrir's tires crushed through dry branches and fallen leaves with soft cracking sounds.

Soon, a crude campsite came into view. Two tents stood alone, and the campfire had nearly burned out, leaving only a few flickering embers.

Yet there was no one in the camp.

Edward got off the motorcycle and walked around the area. A faint smell of rust hung in the air.

Before long, he spotted several drops of blood on the flap of one tent, already dried to a dark brown.

"Tch, what kind of movie set have I wandered into this time?" Edward muttered to himself, wearing an expression of helplessness mixed with excitement.

He could not be bothered to search for clues. With a thought, he lightly tapped the ground with his foot, and his entire body rose soundlessly into the air.

From midair, he had an unobstructed view. In a nearby valley sat a small town, with scattered lights shining from within it like an isolated island in the pitch-black night.

Without hesitation, he flew straight toward the town, landing silently by the battered road sign that read "Ambrose" at its entrance before strolling inside.

The town's streets were eerily empty. Dim streetlights stretched the shadows long across the ground.

Thick dust covered the shop windows. Not a single person could be seen in the streets, and not a sound could be heard. The deathly silence made one's heart tremble.

Just then, faint shouts came from deep within the streets, breaking the stillness.

"Callie! Where are you? Callie!"

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Edward leisurely followed the direction of the voice. Before long, he spotted two young men at a street corner.

One man was anxiously looking around and shouting, while the other stood beside him, equally tense.

Edward approached them on his own, wearing the harmless smile of a tourist and delivering the excuse he had prepared. "Hey, guys. Mind if I ask where I can get a car repaired around here? I'm on a road trip, and one of my tires blew out."

The man who had been shouting, Dalton, was visibly stunned when he saw Edward, probably shocked by his impossibly handsome face.

He temporarily forgot to keep shouting and stammered, "We... we were on our way to watch a college football game. It got too late, so we camped nearby.

"Then... then our car broke down. Callie and her boyfriend Wade were taken into town by a guy driving a tow truck. He said there was somewhere here to fix cars, but they never came back."

"Dalton!" The other man, Nick, cut him off and warily looked Edward up and down.

A calm, ridiculously handsome man suddenly appearing in this bizarre town was abnormal in itself.

Edward understood the caution in Nick's eyes. Indifferently, he shrugged and waved a hand, turning toward another street as though he really were just a passerby asking for directions.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Watching Edward walk away, Dalton said to Nick with some dissatisfaction, "Maybe he could help us look for Callie and the others. More people means more help."

"I don't know why," Nick said, frowning as he stared at Edward's retreating back, "but I think he's dangerous."

Edward naturally heard their conversation, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He turned into a dark alley and silently flew up onto a rooftop again, like an owl lurking in the darkness as he overlooked everything below.

Under his watchful gaze, Dalton and Nick seemed to argue before splitting up.

After hesitating for a moment, Dalton pushed open the doors of "Dottie's Wax Museum" and entered.

"A wax museum... he's basically beyond saving." Edward shook his head from the rooftop, having already pronounced the unlucky man's fate.

Meanwhile, Nick headed toward the auto repair shop at the other end of town.

There, he met a man named Boyd. After exchanging a few words, Boyd lied and claimed that Callie and the others had already driven away after buying a car belt.

Nick turned around, half believing him. At that very moment, a vicious glint flashed in Boyd's eyes as he raised the tool in his hand, preparing to ambush him from behind.

"Brother!"

A faint yet urgent cry came from the sewer grate at Nick's feet.

Nick whipped around and saw Boyd's savage face and the weapon swinging toward him.

He reacted instantly, dodging sideways before the two immediately began grappling.

Though Boyd was powerfully built, he was clearly no match for Nick. After several exchanges, he was beaten back again and again before fleeing in a sorry state.

Nick did not have time to chase him. He quickly pried open the grate on the ground and rescued his imprisoned sister, Callie, from the foul-smelling basement.

After hearing Wade, who had been turned into a wax figure, and his sister's terrified account, Nick finally understood that the entire town was one enormous trap.

His face went pale, and he immediately shouted into the empty streets, "Dalton! Dalton!"

Only the silent night wind answered him.

After watching the entire scene from the rooftop, Edward finally jumped down at an unhurried pace and headed toward the wax museum.

Right at the wax museum entrance, he ran into Nick, who was supporting his sister Callie and preparing to go inside to search for their companion.

Upon seeing the mysterious man they had met not long ago, Nick immediately shielded his sister behind him and adopted a defensive stance, his eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.

Edward stopped, shoved both hands into his pockets, and shrugged casually, his tone calm.

"I'm just a traveler passing through."