“Fernan, I just want to make sure—the graves are outside, right?” Dillan asked a few seconds after recovering from the shock.
“Yes, boss.”
“Why are there coffins in here?”
He looked closely at the coffins. They were not of any modern design. Rather, they looked like the kind of ancient coffins where a fanged creature might crawl out.
“What’s wrong with the coffins, boss?” Fernan asked, seemingly confused.
Dillan could only pinch the bridge of his nose. Why had he even asked a ghost? He was the only living person here, and perhaps this kind of aesthetic was normal to them.
“You’re sure there’s no one inside those?”
“Don’t worry, boss. They only contain tools.”
Upon hearing his confirmation, Dillan breathed a sigh of relief. He approached the first coffin and carefully lifted its lid and inspected the contents. He felt his nerves relax when he saw that they were just ordinary digging tools, such as shovels and pickaxes. He didn't need them yet, so he closed it again. He went to the next coffin and removed its lid. Inside were white candles.
Dillan took three and didn't bother checking the contents of the other coffin. He looked around again. There were several compartments, and he was surprised to see that they were properly labeled. However, when he looked at them, he noticed that their paint was faded. The labels were also handwritten, just like the signage outside the apartment. He turned his head toward Fernan, who was quietly standing behind him.
“Fernan, can't ghosts pass through anything?”
Fernan nodded.
“Then why did you wait for me to open the basement before coming in?”
“Inside the apartment, there are places and rooms that we can't enter without permission.”
“Is that so?”
Dillan thought that it was probably similar to the rule that they couldn't enter the caretaker's room. After closing the coffin, he walked toward the door. He closed the basement, and as before, the path they were taking lit up on its own but became dark once they had passed through. When he reached his room again, it was already eight in the evening.
“I'll just call you if I have any more questions,” he told the ghost.
Fernan bowed slightly before slowly disappearing. Dillan closed the door and went to the study table where the laptop was. He opened another drawer that he hadn't checked yet, and he saw a tablet inside. He turned it on, and once it had fully started, it asked for a username and password again. He typed in the account he had used for the system and was able to log in.
Dillan didn't know what network the devices he was using were connected to. When he pressed the Wi-Fi option earlier, he only saw two Wi-Fi names: Happy_Stay_Main and Happy_Stay_Visitor. He tried connecting to the visitor network but couldn't. However, when he selected the main network, his cellphone automatically connected to it even without a password. So he assumed that the visitor network might refer to living guests who could stay overnight in the apartment.
This apartment was too strange for normal human logic, so Dillan simply let it go. What mattered was doing his job. He opened the white HSA icon and read the instruction:
Please read these terms and conditions for the prospective tenant of this apartment and have them agree before allowing them to stay. If they disagree with the terms and conditions, you have the right to not accept them.
He read what was written, and only then did he understand why he rarely saw tenants in the apartment hallways. They couldn't leave their rooms without permission. However, there was an exception. They could roam only on the floor where their room was located. The woman in black whom he had seen in the hallway came to mind. Did that mean that, aside from him, they could also ask Fernan for permission? That was the only person he could think of who might be able to give them permission.
He opened another black HSA icon, which also contained rules that had to be followed, but these were for overnight guests. He opened the door and called Fernan again.
“There’s something I want to ask.”
“What is it, boss?”
“How do the tenants here pay?”
Fernan tilted his head before answering, “If you mean money, the tenants here don't pay with money. Except for the occasional living guests.”
Dillan raised his eyebrows when he heard his answer.
“Huh? Wouldn't the apartment lose money if it doesn't receive any payments?”
“I'm not familiar with the financial side of the apartment, boss. All I need to do is assist the caretaker.”
“Oh?” Dillan accepted Fernan’s answer.
He closed the door before returning to bed and lying down. He checked the time on his cellphone. It would only be a few hours before midnight. He still needed to get the flowers that he would offer at the graves, and Fernan had said that he would accompany him. He decided to set an alarm for 11:30 PM. He also changed into comfortable clothes and sneakers so that he could run properly if necessary. He went to the study table, opened the laptop again, and quietly read the details about the apartment before going over the terms and conditions he needed to remember.
Vrrt… Vrrt… Vrrt…
Dillan stood up when he heard his alarm and slung a body bag over his shoulder. He had placed the keys to the Lots and his phone inside the bag. He also took the three white candles before opening the door and saw Fernan standing there.
“Let's go,” he said.
Fernan nodded and went ahead of him. Dillan silently followed him until they left the apartment.
“Boss.”
“What is it?”
“When we're outside the apartment, don't go too far away from me.”
Although Dillan didn't understand why, he simply acknowledged what Fernan said. But when they passed through the gate, Dillan stopped in his tracks and observed several figures along the road. They had a translucent appearance, and some of them were floating in the air.
When he went out to get his things from the dorm and returned to the apartment, he hadn't seen any ghosts. So he had assumed that he could only see them inside the apartment. But the figures he was seeing now proved that his assumption was wrong.
Perhaps becoming the caretaker had also opened his third eye because it was necessary for his job. Just thinking about what this might mean for him already made him unhappy. Dillan sucked in his breath, and his body turned rigid when they all turned toward him at the same time.
Dillan started to move again, and he noticed Fernan move closer to him. Fernan continued walking beside Dillan in silence.
“Don't pay attention to them, boss. You'll get used to them once you see them all the time.”
Dillan didn't know if what he said was supposed to reassure him. The figures stood out even more against the dark surroundings. He clasped his hands and felt their cold against each other. Just as he had said, he wasn't afraid of anything, but that didn't mean seeing them wouldn't affect him.
Several minutes passed, and Dillan noticed that the path they were taking was growing darker and darker. It was illuminated only by the moon, so he could still see the road. The surroundings were so quiet that he could clearly hear the chirping of crickets. A few moments later, Dillan smelled the fragrance of flowers. They stopped at a large locked gate surrounded by a high wall as well. He took out the bundle of keys and picked up the key labeled Lot 1, then inserted it.
“Wow,” Dillan muttered when he saw the sight that greeted him.
It was a garden planted with different kinds of flowers. It was filled with roses of various colors, large daisies, and sunflowers growing together. At the center was a paved walkway, and on the wall, he noticed lamps mounted on it, illuminating the place.
“I'll wait for you here, boss,” Fernan said, remaining outside the lot.
Dillan suddenly remembered why he was there. He quickly took several bundles of flowers and immediately went back outside. After closing the gate, he heard Fernan speak again.
“This is as far as I can go, boss.”
He raised his hand and pointed toward a dark road. “Lot 2 is a few minutes from here. I can't accompany you anymore.”
Dillan nodded and took the flashlight from his bag.
“Boss,” he heard Fernan call out to him.
He stopped and looked back, but Dillan couldn't help but get goosebumps when he saw the ghost smiling at him.
“Take care.”
He knew the ghost had no bad intentions, but seeing a bloody ghost smiling at him still wasn't good for his mental state.
“Thanks.”
Then he immediately turned around and walked along the road illuminated only by the light from the moon.
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