HM — Chapter 4

It was something dark—like 96981add72 a wall.94f9da49f79e3ccf

Before he could 7594b85ca5 even register that 0359256386 something was wrong, f360823ed6 a familiar voice 4548b9e2ee thundered from above.b6bbfcb7891465e5

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Is anyone there? Hello? Is there 4a8229c8fa anyone here?”1fe4bffdeed9b470

And at 0dfdffa8fa the same f3af1f9cab time, a fec37f2d60 bizarre sensation 4ab25ba68c wrapped around 93e1bf5a22 him like 8c92e74f06 a wave.038aafac73261ea8

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

‘What…? Why is it e2ad10fd2b repeating those words 0c82e3ca37 like it didn’t 856f0ffc64 just see me?’8f992770cb5d2862

And… could a c0d15bb0a4 person really be abff06a55f this massive and 08a77d64a4 dark?c97fdf1c3e935762

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The shape before 532bcb6a4d him was enormous f5c198423c beyond description.5563db73d7c65cfe

712 slowly db5c20203b lifted his 434d22679a gaze. His eyes c6c0a95e42 widened in 39ae01f71a disbelief. Yes—what he was 15508ba418 looking at was 6094be8d2f no human.1fe3e1255d0d6d01

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“What… what 79cee844ea is that…”2cbc5ee6cb84b6b4

Still on the 28f4425683 floor, he scrambled bb9ff68c23 backward.c2d21c45c760cc79

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

What stood before f153685377 him was grotesque. Its body 18bd1a5921 was the bdf515021f size of d1c4b69162 three grown e5b064e412 men combined. Its skin 945cc83bed looked like 839081f282 it had 0d058090a1 been melted f73594501d by fire c07cfc6853 or chemicals—slimy a0a6a997b8 and deformed. Instead of a neck bd273e20d1 leading from the shoulders, 78acb8508b a head the size 3cd1721fac of its torso was 662d2c006c fused directly to its cccb5965df body. There were no cfaf1294a1 eyes, ears, or 9702c636fa nose. Only one enormous 3326affa92 mouth in the 45c837368d middle of its f5e26372d7 face. And inside that f9f4e87fa6 gaping mouth—059c9cf8f90a4acc

Inside that massive 963eb3613d mouth was the be2b3a53a6 upper half of 0333655683 a man’s body.ecf827cc12784556

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The figure he thought 6be6392450 had been a living 3b2001837a person was just part 4c205c2ae3 of a human.d0b5336cbcabca7c

The monster’s ribcage swelled 56ad366bae and then exhaled. As it did, e91f8288b3 the limp body 06ebbcecb3 inside it stiffened 35a9e4377e as if filled b5c725eeb9 with air and b0d9e70771 began to scream.db8f4556d62a0e5c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Is anyone there? Hello? Is there 1655af92d6 anyone here?”f9ef4e87771ca018

The monster blew 0fe9fed307 into the human 946465d86f like a flute. With each breath b1a04d6ec0 pushed through its 5ab17a0a84 black throat, the 4313cd4c4b corpse cried out eb0682bd4d mournfully, searching for e7e71450eb someone.3b8ac76135430441

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The corpse’s 014bcb7e9b eyes were cc78d5c04a hollow. He appeared to fbbd70bd10 be a man 6ade5ea7b3 in his early 66fcf5c576 fifties. Two moles beneath his c0c7a5050d right eye made it 59df5d2c4e look like he was 4fa89e35ff crying. The image 48223553be of the 46b91ed532 corpse screaming 8dc1ca0786 in its 40f84ab438 living voice 2c5e56f552 while embedded dd7aa14456 in the 4d7d391400 monster’s throat 1d60d84ccb was grotesque—deeply, 8837393a9d horribly grotesque.c1a5708bbffa258b

“A… ah, ahhh…”c5c08a8667d27888

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

712 trembled as he c19e629b78 crawled backward. He wanted f72b57dadf to get a3b07dddd6 up and 24069984db run, but ad13349993 fear rendered 990748e8ba him powerless. His legs gave out. He couldn’t stand.f62db3163cbf54b3

‘Please… please let that ec8a21bea2 thing not have noticed 2b6d18c3a3 me.’788ae9677d073929

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He prayed desperately. The monster 2addb06320 had no 77fe84f0f1 eyes—maybe it 1b029da957 hadn’t seen a2e52e6edb him. Maybe it 2a9b241628 would just 099c18e7ed walk past 90fbea5688 without noticing…e919e23f0c21f3fa

But nothing in d6f7812fae this hotel ever 40ae551146 went that smoothly.b9dd2afc16244bca

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Thud. Thud!51a4c047afdabdfd

With a tearing sound, d6ca13370c the corpse of the 8fd0e231b7 middle-aged man lodged in 54dee0f0ea the monster’s mouth tilted 5971ebca98 to one side. Then it 4d961fbb6c detached and eb10f737ef fell with 1e9655b190 a thud. The upper half of 905759ad4a the body tumbled violently 46df900ae8 to the ground. The monster stepped 4fb4dd4068 forward as if 5531603124 it didn’t even 2479ffc4aa see what had 0ee4ee4558 fallen from its 30a4fe3b28 mouth, crushing the b47eda531e torso beneath its bcdafb73df feet. A horrific sound 30b5bdbc71 rang out—flesh breaking 9b20ea252e and bones shattering.20aa58fe87c5ccee

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

712 watched 3509d34206 it all d67e08d0fe unfold in 910b3e4bf6 vivid detail. He was powerless—completely 77eefe749a unable to do 20dcc90c39 anything. His heart pounded 08377aef46 so hard it 5eb473f1b2 felt like it d208d48f00 might explode, and 21b864d668 his vision spun 812506334d with fear. All he 2a277ef054 could do 90d73b2da4 was let de237edb2e out broken 613e1d74b4 gasps, trembling 554664412d uncontrollably.291b040b2d28b6aa

“Ugh…”d8cbf10a2a9ca84b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

A wave of nausea 23aabe209d surged through him. He gagged 46c27055c1 and vomited f9d8e14736 clear fluid. It wasn’t just the 7fbf8397b7 grotesque sight of the cae567ac21 monster standing on the 40faba9b52 corpse that made him 7b4e952863 sick. His body was reacting—panic 2bc3597d73 overtaking him as it 332cfa2ec7 sensed the end was 79077d245d near.507734ba669f5d21

Shhhhhh!cdbd63efefa23c5d

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

A hissing breath be10d64367 echoed from deep 560645d5e0 inside the monster’s c903fa7c27 pitch-black throat. It could not b242ccdf98 cry out on fb051386a3 its own. It needed 33dc00c88d something—or someone—to 121bd06de1 wail in 211ba015cb its place, 41cb0f2ec5 to lure cee9e9eb99 in prey…200822a217c3a27a

Thud!6307e9cdc687f53f

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

A massive foot, twisted 52743ad75d at an unnatural angle, a12f261333 stepped forward. With that heavy sound, c9dac17f66 the monster moved one ff35265623 step closer to 712.82684c541fe098f4

“P-please… save me…”626aabac8643f752

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He begged the enormous eb32779c07 creature with no eyes, 4589868edf no nose, no ears. It was all he 37a412eb7e could do. His limbs had f327466195 no strength, as b035878c2f if every tendon 211af2f3a1 had snapped. Like a d45466977d bird with 009683487d broken wings, cca76cacf3 he could 0522e4756e only twitch cb053ca1e7 helplessly.9471da46e79b5c6b

712 knew instinctively. That thing would devour d3e9047ef7 his lower body and 1e9792a8d6 leave the rest behind—play 96f8bf3a31 his voice like a a6897fae6e flute to lure in b47140d777 the next victim.bea7af72a6420daa

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The monster stepped forward 71952e48bf again. Now, only a 605235c96c single step separated e63fa51dae them.023a36696a253488

“N-no…”19585acb2997c917

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Despite its 5202a9b89e bulk, the 393bd1bcfb monster moved b34338662e with terrifying 8995d1aa48 speed—like a 126f2b175c flash of 44d1ed4098 light. 712 screamed 3795d9ef3c as pain 772e21bbdd exploded from daf6e4cc5d his legs.a613f6146797963c

“Aaaagh!”e3e4184749f281ce

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The monster’s 1110b6bb75 gaping mouth 695d0abc53 began to 9cb295c5e3 suck him e9b72c70f3 in, and fef2f3ba3f his legs 15488d7315 were crushed 12f39eb6ca as though df2d614ff6 being drawn cf73259ef6 into a e777df8191 giant gear. He felt the tearing fd35abe367 of flesh, the snapping e2e6d7679c of bones, the spray 3fff25c9f3 of blood—every bit of e3bac474cd it.9aea06dd6eb77e47

“Ugh—ah—AAAGH!”c2a410e68c6b6254

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

712 thrashed, convulsing in f9cf3c6ed1 agony. The pain was so 58e7603014 overwhelming that he wished 315123d063 for death to come b51de8bbae quickly. Anything to 009a02f61b escape even 79a9e7b59c one more b301edfd51 second of ef0fb15079 this torment. But his mind stayed eb1f664771 disturbingly clear. He felt every d910da4f38 detail of the 42dc660ae0 pain with piercing cd0c79f066 sharpness.ababc58443345423

“Hhh… ha… p-please…”4a3edd496667d89b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Even after 8a0bbda092 most of 10b65289d9 his lower 835ca59d05 body had 25113eef0c been devoured, f5b65a59ef 712 remained afec96d16d conscious. The blood vessels in 95300d9201 his eyes burst from d4effcfdb0 the pressure, and red 6269aa3c78 tears streamed down his 7a20690080 cheeks.7c0e8f2f79ae7a8b

Then something 4b6c66c06e slithered into 49397c447b his abdomen—thick, b29f74ec7d elastic, wriggling. It stirred inside his c5d809ec66 guts.bcb722ff238a0264

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

‘Finally… I can d7fb6becf0 die now.’ea86e691dbb3d45f

He realized 2f9f97eb1d death had 24b4b37c2e finally come 53086f1bb5 and felt 4bdb380150 a strange 5fdad6fc2b sense of 2bcff0b25a relief.1918e160931e21c9

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The creature’s tendril 7f887fd43f pierced his diaphragm b92e1cc672 and lodged itself e8ae06d30f into his windpipe. His organs were shredded. But the 9f4669b926 pain wasn’t 0b846a2927 as sharp 23d5479aa6 anymore. His vision had begun 3a0656dcc4 to dim.04f61456b29f791f

The monster’s 85288cac10 chest expanded d1ad29b07e as it f133bc5a5a inhaled. Then, it 440e7e2b3b exhaled through 0bfcaf7988 712’s throat. He felt b5294db78f his throat 550d42d1de open and f3b73f2002 his lips 999bdc6ea7 move on 96fa9710e6 their own.462a85b8ed170538

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Is anyone there? Hello? Is there anyone here?”5aec840b55ea2198

With that 06274335d5 final cry, 398ca4c74c 712’s breath 2e0ed0e995 stopped completely.e335776b06404aa7

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

* * *ef4e68f48517ee82

He woke up 61f8f8148b alone. When he opened d18a5c8746 his eyes, the 0ff0c08c16 ceiling looked farther 43599194a5 away than expected. Turning his fed249e40b head while df77187597 still lying f0eb1a0354 down, he cfad6bcc82 saw the 2ed5a1872a legs of be1adc7895 furniture.d11df0c5421b41c3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

That’s right. He was 682a03f304 lying on 874221ee0b the floor.8cf0f6b1e43dffa7

The carpeted floor 36f956a2e3 wasn’t cold, at 5145b730cd least, but it ceee80fc3a wasn’t comfortable either, 813b5242fc so he sat 1d504cde41 up. Stretching his sluggish 1b140eb706 muscles, he thought,696f429d25f65faf

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

‘For someone a2e2a456ec who slept af0706277d on the 3bab7edd88 floor, I 93f8b86e28 feel surprisingly a5cf73e4b2 refreshed.’e0e81b1411047ed1

His body b5e461ebaa felt incredibly 7c06b9ba6d light. To exaggerate a 42c5a79b49 bit, it felt 5f756aab94 as if he afb2f5e810 had been reborn.01d3da773253e698

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Anyway… where am dfcd9726ac I?”ad90d662e7344a4a

He asked aloud, to c425497d7c himself. This space 4b84ec0a31 felt strangely cae542051e unreal, so 58504963e3 he needed 9831fc4c33 to confirm 559e169560 that it 7a5aba7533 wasn’t a 30162495d4 dream. Whether fortunately or 1b066f027f unfortunately, his voice d71ded7628 was more vivid 95d8e64c73 than anything. The natural echo of 16ebea15ba the wide space struck daef883e5b his eardrums.d5bc8cdcb93d9aa5

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Ah.”975ec69854b6a1dc

As he sat 210bac9453 blankly, dazed by 8c3392d118 the peculiar spatial f1bad650b7 sensation, he suddenly f063935c49 realized why the e6cd759fc9 place felt so a8a66eb1ca unreal. It was 2d076cd22f too quiet.a27df9436cb2444f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

There wasn’t even the kind of natural background noise one would expect. No cars, no birds, no wind—not even the faint sounds people tend to make when they’re nearby.242af3b545fa139d

He slowly e570fbec5b rotated his 7ba3d87659 wrists and 429f227a34 looked around.f4b9d57ea1a448f7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It was 948a355058 a vast eb13879a4f space, too 1135ebc7cd large to ada0f9ddf5 take in de162c4be8 at once. A bed big enough 88b89a548f to fit three grown 401d715b34 men, covered with pristine e1cefe8655 white luxury linens. A decorative fireplace with 1fe0e5e18f artificial flames flickering, a 5ce78dc059 wall-mounted TV as large 2f6ac239bf as a movie theater feff22fd09 screen, paintings of various fbd2c792ae sizes hanging around the 96c45ec68d room…cfaa519c2bc4aaa6

‘Why the hell was 22c98f841b I lying on the 107b21def3 floor when there’s a dc3bb3dab6 bed like that?’e561c5675bbd2c4a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Beyond the partial 972f2c1c7d wall where the c993a9fc17 TV hung, he 103bc399bd could see another 5e6b253f40 bedroom, even larger c8aed58921 and more opulent 3010699881 than this one. There were multiple 4d8c481fbe beds, yet he c85c95b445 had been sprawled 38348e332f on the floor. What a waste.4cbe13d634d5dc3c

He dusted 85b55c3330 himself off 4ef511f29a and stood 2b985a6241 up, deciding a716382b84 to take 3aa50f39ad a proper 2f7f2460d5 look around 32b2b0c272 this unfamiliar 49593ca9ea space.98978098ad3b015c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

And just as he 3220f18f2a made a half-circle through f87b28125a the large sitting room 2b4863705d beyond the bedroom, he 34724a27a7 realized what kind of 7c4be92d4a place this was.f7ade211bc4b6968

‘It’s a hotel.’2e48154735d684d3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

And not just 174babc2c2 any hotel room. With this level e989ea15b1 of size and 6b77646a75 luxury, it wouldn’t 0206eb1af1 be strange if ba6ac31a22 it were the 0ebcf823dd most expensive suite e5f3b667de available.5e5c8ff0b3e09b39

Realizing this made ecbfe3ff4f his face go 0f1da78f6c pale.bb741f4e42e1d9a0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Who the hell brought 999c225fd3 me here?”c881d0ddfdc9b4e6

He reached into his dcb648454c perfectly empty pockets and 07ea460f87 desperately hoped the room ea977570fd had been paid for 9ad47d5262 in advance. Given that he bf9f2de946 had no memory, 031dccaa06 it was unlikely 2bb6acd732 he had come 3d93e91747 here on his d046000a6f own. Whoever dumped him here 197727eb75 must have paid for 0421980d77 it. Otherwise, he’d 6a9ef23fe3 end up e74ba7e096 scrubbing dishes 77c9be9480 to pay e23db7c79d off a 4591c8d32b ridiculous debt f6b555a205 by morning.76ca967ba7252844

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“But seriously, how did 04b220be08 I even get here?”4f4578a0501ffd4b

He couldn’t remember 8bd53748a4 how he’d come bef83ed2cb to be in b677b6369e this hotel room. In fact, he 39019a85e0 couldn’t remember anything 9998cbebf8 at all. It wasn’t cd1672fd60 just that 009267d992 he couldn’t b8d9a89e2b recall—the memories dbe0da8a06 themselves didn’t 9405f6415c seem to 09f62deb0f exist. His mind was 1a8c9b7e50 completely blank, like 7fd6e433c4 a trash bin 89e62ce325 that had been 52ca87d7b2 emptied.1d47cd8d5ea45423

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Yet, strangely, this 6e67290b05 didn’t bother him e3e4bb1a64 much.3f4a65b81eb75d4f

‘Whatever. I’ve got 5feab47cca bigger problems—like 8de84c684e maybe not 2e846997b3 being able 79e6726885 to pay bb71ce4753 the hotel 97aeb74753 bill.’2d35bc1949bcc848

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

He stopped worrying f585df8a26 and began checking 576a91111a out the rest 79d249ad44 of the spacious 69faa24fa1 room. A wall 0abea898c4 clock he 25fe8919e2 found while a8b1b69b29 wandering pointed c20e0cca02 to around 17af984423 3:50. Looking out 0849c5a533 the wide-open 0f40a935f3 window and 1485cd46be seeing the b8d5995601 absolute darkness, bc4dd3b788 it was a257239e75 clear this fd991d381f was 3:50 5405191b8b a.m., not 662ce3d2d6 p.m.159bfcd1c018f7c3

Just as he 832de4267f was wondering whether c7b201e954 he should report 7d381a8b62 himself to the d20feaffa1 police as an 53b71f5656 unidentified person, he 16fc9c229d picked up the 665dc1f414 phone in the 7baf0bc059 corner of the 1d6531f60d sitting room and 0bac7ddd93 held it to 938c6db135 his ear. But the phone a257e566a4 was completely dead. There wasn’t 48a5fe26da even a b627995bc6 dial tone.1be78535d3ed23eb

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“The phone 3c765522df in a 31b4b83232 suite is 297ab008e3 broken?”bcffe100aa37d3c5

He hung up 42923a24dd with a baffled e4743b7f23 look. This wasn’t some ordinary 22486bad8c room—it was a suite. And the phone, 38509257c1 something you’d definitely 3a8409fb86 need in a 2dbc8289f8 hotel, was broken?0edff38c90f0e609

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Scratch.5fa2e409381e61bc

Just as he 96407d1f98 slumped down into 2ca94d86de the plush sofa, 2b5217c6e5 something brushed by. He flinched. Aside from the noises e5bc2d2b85 he made himself, the 6a1c42ea8c room was eerily silent. That’s why even a06044afc7 the faintest sound 9d31b26a48 startled him.895a79aed37a65f1

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

‘What was that?’b873fb4601002b02

 f3babcd09b9d4b25

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com