Theater

"We're cursed. There's no way to leave this place." Sheriff Donnie revealed a bitter smile. "Some people chose to leave back then, but for some reason, they returned in a daze a few years later. Mary Shaw had set her sights on them. Puppets kept appearing in their homes, and strange incidents often occurred in town. It only ended when those people died."

"This was Mary Shaw's warning. She wanted us to remain here forever. As long as we strictly follow those rules and don't think about escaping, we can at least live normal lives here."

"According to you, this Mary Shaw is an evil spirit. Why didn't you seek help from the church? They're quite skilled in such matters," Meng Zu asked doubtfully.

"There was no church in our town back then. A young priest once came here, and after several people told him about Mary Shaw, he planned to perform an exorcism and destroy her. But in the end, Mary Shaw killed the priest. Everyone who had told the priest was also killed by Mary Shaw. She watches us from the shadows."

"Besides, anyone from our town who leaves its boundaries loses all memories of Mary Shaw. So even if we wanted to tell the church about this, we couldn't." Sheriff Donnie spoke helplessly.

"Wait. According to what you said, outsiders like me who come here will also be targeted by Mary Shaw. There must have been plenty of outsiders visiting this town over the years. If those people were killed by Mary Shaw, so many disappearances couldn't possibly escape the government's attention. Once the government noticed something strange, they would surely send people from the church."

"That's not how it is. As long as outsiders who come here obey the rules, usually only seven or eight people a year are killed by Mary Shaw. Those who survive leave the next day. Once they leave Ravensfair, all memories of Mary Shaw and the people she killed vanish. We also discovered that outsiders don't return after leaving like the people of our town do. Seven or eight deaths a year simply won't attract the government's attention," Donnie explained bitterly.

Meng Zu agreed with that. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of homeless people died without a trace every year. Even they failed to draw the government's attention. With only seven or eight people missing and no one reporting them, naturally no one would care.

"What about phones? Or writing these things down on a computer and telling the government that way?" Since memories disappeared upon leaving, they did not need to rely on word of mouth like people had in the past. They could simply send the information out from here.

"It's useless. As soon as we mention Mary Shaw on the phone or computer, they malfunction. Nothing can be transmitted. We've also written letters, but once they leave town, the words on them disappear. And the person who wrote the letter is eventually killed by Mary Shaw."

They had been penned in here like livestock. Based on Sheriff Donnie's account, Mary Shaw's abilities were truly terrifying. It now seemed that Sam's disappearance was connected to Mary Shaw. Meng Zu immediately found the situation troublesome. A simple task of finding someone had somehow become entangled in this kind of matter.

"Outsiders who come here are targeted by Mary Shaw, but Sam has never been here. Why was he brought here?"

"Because someone has pledged themselves to Mary Shaw and specifically finds people for her from outside."

"Someone would actually serve a vengeful spirit!" Meng Zu was stunned.

Sheriff Donnie said mockingly, "In the United States, there are all kinds of people. Don't some people worship the devil?"

That made sense. The United States lacked nothing but beliefs. Because of freedom of religion, there were all kinds of bizarre faiths. And since supernatural things genuinely existed in this world, naturally there would be people who worshipped them.

"Sheriff Donnie, do you know who those people are?" Meng Zu asked.

"We don't know. We only noticed some figures carrying large bundles toward Mary Shaw's residence at night. Because of Mary Shaw, we didn't dare follow them to investigate." Sheriff Donnie shook his head.

Meng Zu had originally wanted to start with those people, but that now seemed hopeless. "Sheriff Donnie, does Mary Shaw only kill at night?"

Sheriff Donnie thought for a moment. "Yes. Those people were all killed by Mary Shaw after dark."

That relieved Meng Zu. At the very least, the vengeful spirit Mary Shaw could not kill during the day. "Sheriff Donnie, where does Mary Shaw live? It's not dark yet. I want to go take a look."

Sheriff Donnie tried to persuade Meng Zu. "I think you'd better not go. Since this child has already been brought to Ravensfair, Mary Shaw has completely set her sights on him. If you get involved, Mary Shaw will set her sights on you as well."

Meng Zu thought for a moment before saying, "It's fine. I'll see whether I can find Sam. If I find him, I'll take him away immediately. If I don't, I'll leave before dark."

It was not dark yet, so he still had time. Night was Mary Shaw's domain. It would be best if he could take Sam away. If not, he would give up the mission and leave. Meng Zu was not skilled at dealing with vengeful spirits. If it were an ordinary one, he could still use Holy Light Ammunition to deal with it. But Mary Shaw was obviously a very powerful vengeful spirit. Even if he used up all his energy, he might not be able to defeat her. Fifty Contract Points were not worth putting himself in danger.

"All right. There's a theater at the westernmost edge of town. That was where Mary Shaw performed when she was alive, and where she lived. I'm sorry, but I can't accompany you there. You'll have to search on your own. If you can't find the child, leave before dark." Sheriff Donnie sounded deeply apologetic.

"It's all right."

Meng Zu did not despise Sheriff Donnie's actions in the slightest. A genuinely terrifying vengeful spirit had inflicted an indelible fear upon the town's residents over the past several decades.

Meng Zu drove west along the road and arrived before the theater. It had been abandoned for many years, and its outer walls had deteriorated beyond recognition. Not far from the theater lay a lake. Because it was winter, the trees around the lake had long since shed all their leaves, leaving only bare trunks and branches.

More than a dozen pitch-black American crows perched in the trees, all staring fixedly at the sedan before the theater. Meng Zu got out and walked to the theater entrance, where he smelled a faint scent of decay, like wood growing moldy in a damp place.

Meng Zu reached out and pushed open the doors. They creaked loudly. The instant he stepped inside, he felt someone watching him. Meng Zu was already familiar with that sensation. A casual glance from someone would not provoke a reaction from him; only a gaze focused intently upon him made him feel watched.

Meng Zu turned toward the direction of that gaze. A figure stood by a second-floor window, but it vanished in the blink of an eye. At the same time, the feeling of being watched disappeared.

An ordinary person might have thought they had seen it wrong, but Meng Zu was certain that someone had been watching him from that window.

"Mary Shaw?"

At that moment, Meng Zu activated the Clue Guidance skill. If Sam was here, he would have no choice but to venture inside. If Sam was not, there was no need to enter the theater.

(It's Saturday today, so I wrote two chapters. I'm working hard on the next chapter.)

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