CHAPTER 55: KEEP IT BOTTLED IN (55)

Ahrie slowly picks up the small bottle... turns it over in his hand, squinting at the faint markings on the glass.

He stared for a long second—then sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

Min looked around the alley, checking corners, crates, rooftops—anywhere someone could hide. Nothing.

"No one here... you sure that scream came from this way?"

"Yeah..." Ahrie muttered, eyes still fixed on the bottle. "Pretty sure."

He just stared at the bottle in his hand, lips twitching—like he already had a good, terrible guess.

Then—

"URGHHH!"

"AHHHHH!"

"HAAAAAAA!"

"Yameteeee~!"

The screams echoed down the narrow streets one after another.

Ahrie and Min froze.

Their faces slowly turned toward each other.

The voices echoed through the streets, bouncing off the brick walls.

Ahrie and Min froze mid-step.

They bolted out of the alley and back into the main road—

the sound of scattered screams still bouncing around the town.

People were spinning in circles, confused, each scream coming from a different direction.

A local passerby muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, "It strikes again..."

Heads turned his way—including Ahrie and Min’s.

"The Collector of Screams," the man said grimly. "I thought it had already left Glimmerfen."

"The one on the wanted board?" a nearby seeker asked.

"Yeah..." he replied. "That one."

Ahrie looked down at the small bottle still in his hand. The faint sound of a muffled shriek echoed inside it.

He blinked once. Then started laughing.

Not the casual kind—loud, unhinged, tear-in-the-eye kind of laugh.

The crowd slowly turned toward him.

Then toward Min.

Min raised his shoulders helplessly, both hands out like,

"Don’t look at me, man. I’m just as lost as you."

Ahrie started walking away from the chaos.

Min watched him go, then jogged after him. "Oiii—where you off to?" he called.

"Cashing out some bounty, of course," Ahrie grinned.

"Wait—so you know who the wanted guy is?" Min stopped, eyes wide.

"Of course. Obvious." Ahrie shrugged.

Min’s grin popped. "Ohhh—one of Xavier’s bitches, right?"

Ahrie rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Use your common sense."

"Do you know anyone with a skill that traps sound?" Ahrie asked, Min was thinking.

"Someone who’d use a bottle to lure people—"

Ahrie’s jaw tightened. He didn’t answer. Instead he tucked the little bottle into his pocket and kept walking.

Min blinked—then his face went pale, then red with realization. "Ohhh..."

Ahrie closed his eyes and nodded once. "Yep."

Min’s next words hit him like a slap: "The trader. The one we sold the monsters to."

Ahrie snapped. "DUMBASS!" He swung to smack Min out of frustration.

Min sidestepped with a smug little dance, grinning. "Ragebaiting—success. Mwehehe."

"Fuck off... no delicious meal for you today."

"Fuck no," Min shot back.

They scrambled—fists, shoves, kicks—like two overgrown kids.

Then Ahrie swept his leg. Min went down hard.

"Arghhh—my bones! Arghh—fuck..."

Ahrie rubbed his chin, staring down at him.. grinning. "Quite the serious injury you got there. Want me to heal it?"

Min flipped back up like nothing happened. "No need. Let’s find Charlotte."

Ahrie snorted, half laughing as they started down the street again.

A few steps later, he suddenly froze mid-stride.

"Wait... where the fuck’s our horse?"

Min froze. "Oh shit..."

They both turned slowly—

Cut to: the horse.

Still standing outside the alleyway, reins dangling, eyes half-closed.

It didn’t even notice the two had ditched it—too many people running around

Meanwhile, Ahrie and Min were already a few streets away, scanning every corner, every passing face.

Then—there she was. Charlotte. Looking left, then right, acting like she’d just stolen something and forgot where she hid it.

Ahrie and Min exchanged a knowing look. Both grinned. Both rubbed their hands.

They crept up behind her.

Min reached out and tapped her shoulder.

"AHHHH!" Charlotte shrieked, nearly jumping out of her boots.

"What chu doin’?" Min asked, flashing the kind of smile that screamed trouble.

"N–nothing! Just, uh... walking down the street," she stammered, sweat already dripping.

Ahrie brushed an invisible speck of dust off her shoulder.

"Why are you sweating so much...? You hungry or something?"

He grinned wider. "Come on. Let’s eat."

Charlotte followed them into a small restaurant.

The three sat down and ordered.

While waiting for their food, Ahrie and Min filled the silence with dumb questions—random, pointless chatter that slowly started feeling like an interrogation in disguise.

"Did you finish your business?" Ahrie asked casually.

"Oh—y-yes," Charlotte smiled, a bit forced.

"The food here’s nice," Ahrie continued. "We’ve tried it before."

"Eh? I’m looking forward to—"

Min cut her off. "How long does it take you to set everything up?" he asked, leaning forward slightly.

Charlotte blinked. "W-what?"

"Your makeup," Min clarified, tone playful but eyes sharp. "You know... setup time?"

"Oh. Uh—about thirty minutes, I gue—"

"When did you collect those screams?" Min interrupted again.

Charlotte froze. Her lips twitched as she forced a nervous chuckle. "H-huh?"

Ahrie tilted his head. "He asked if you want ice cream."

"I–ice cream?" she stammered, sweating a little. "I’m... good."

A few seconds later, their food arrived.

"Ohh, here comes our food," Ahrie said, already reaching for his plate.

The two started munching like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Charlotte followed—slowly, awkwardly—trying to keep up with them.

By the time she was halfway through her meal, Ahrie and Min had already finished.

Then they ordered again.

And again.

And again.

Min leaned back, staring at the growing pile of empty plates. "Aren’t we gonna go broke eating like this?"

Ahrie chewed, swallowed, and said with a straight face, "No problem. We can sell Charlotte."

Charlotte froze mid-bite, eyes widening.

Ahrie and Min laughed it off, slamming their full bellies like satisfied maniacs. Then, both slowly turned to her with eerie, empty smiles.

"You have exactly one minute head start before we hunt you down," Ahrie said flatly.

Charlotte’s fork clinked against the plate. The air went cold.

"One... two..." Min began counting.

Charlotte rose to her feet, inching backward.

"Three, four, five, six—" Min sped up.

Charlotte bolted.

Both Ahrie and Min burst into laughter, the chairs scraping as they stood. Ahrie tossed a few coins on the counter.

"How much time left?" he asked.

"Eh? I lost count."

"Fuck it—let’s chase her."

They sprinted out the door. Charlotte was already halfway down the street, running like her life depended on it.

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

"ARRF! ARRF! HAHAHA!"

Min and Ahrie barked like rabid dogs, chasing her through the crowd.

"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE! IT HASN’T EVEN BEEN A MINUTE YET!" Charlotte screamed, panicked out of her mind.