Sarah and Adrian walked home in silence.
The evening air felt heavier than usual.
Sarah kept glancing over her shoulder every few steps, half-expecting to see the scarecrow standing somewhere behind them.
She still didn't trust the old woman.
To her, the woman was nothing more than a strange old lady who lived alone and spoke in riddles. Yet after everything that had happened, Sarah could no longer dismiss her warnings so easily.
What scared her most was the possibility that the old woman might be right.
Beside her, Adrian rubbed his trembling hands together.
He was scared too.
Neither of them wanted to admit it.
"If this thing is really real..." Sarah whispered.
She couldn't finish the sentence.
Adrian forced a smile.
"Then we'll figure it out."
His voice sounded far less confident than he intended.
Sarah lowered her gaze.
Guilt twisted inside her chest.
If the scarecrow truly existed, then Adrian had been dragged into this because of her.
She couldn't bear that thought.
The truth was, Adrian and his family had done more for her than anyone else. They had given her a home, kindness, and a place where she felt safe.
A small part of her had even considered leaving.
If she disappeared, maybe Adrian wouldn't get hurt.
But she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
Not yet.
---
Meanwhile, at the hospital.
Kim lay silently on the bed while Rose sat beside him.
"You'll be fine," she said softly.
"The doctors said you're getting better."
Kim stared at her.
His lips moved.
Rose leaned closer.
"What?"
His voice came out weak and broken.
He wanted to tell her.
He wanted to tell her that something was hunting them.
That they were running out of time.
But the words refused to come.
His frightened eyes darted around the ward.
The corners.
The ceiling.
The window.
Every shadow.
Rose followed his gaze.
"Kim?"
He swallowed hard.
The feeling wouldn't leave him.
Something was watching.
Something had been watching since the night at the field.
And deep down, he knew exactly what it was.
Suddenly, a voice called from outside.
"Rose!"
Rose turned.
Her mother stood in the hallway.
"I need to speak with you for a minute."
As Rose rose from her chair, Kim's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
His grip was surprisingly strong.
Rose blinked.
"Kim?"
His eyes widened.
Desperate.
Terrified.
Almost pleading.
Don't go.
The words never left his mouth, but Rose could see them in his expression.
"I'll be back," she reassured him.
"Five minutes, okay?"
Reluctantly, she freed her hand and stepped outside.
Kim watched her leave.
The moment the door closed behind her, an icy chill swept through the room.
---
A few minutes later.
Rose stood beside her mother in the hallway while they discussed work and family responsibilities.
Then—
CRASH!
A loud sound echoed from down the corridor.
Both women froze.
The noise had come from Kim's ward.
Rose's heart dropped.
Without thinking, she sprinted toward the room.
Her mother followed close behind.
The door stood partially open.
Inside, chaos awaited.
Kim was no longer on the bed.
Medical equipment had been knocked over.
The room looked as though a violent struggle had taken place.
Rose's eyes found Kim.
A scream tore from her throat.
"N-No..."
Hospital staff rushed in moments later.
Then came security.
Doctors.
Nurses.
And eventually, the police.
But by then, it was already too late.
Kim was gone.
His grieving parents arrived shortly afterward, collapsing into tears at the sight before them.
Questions filled the room.
What happened?
Who did this?
How could this happen inside a hospital?
Rose could barely hear any of it.
One memory kept replaying in her mind.
Kim grabbing her hand.
His terrified eyes.
His silent plea for her not to leave.
Did he know?
Did he know this was going to happen?
A shiver ran through her body.
Then she noticed something strange.
Marks.
Thin scratches and jagged patterns stretched across Kim's skin.
They weren't ordinary wounds.
They looked almost like impressions left by twisted branches.
Sharp.
Uneven.
Inhuman.
As if something made of wood had reached out and touched him.
The lead investigator narrowed his eyes.
He had seen markings like these before.
Months ago.
At the mental institution.
The same strange patterns had been found on Sarah's mother.
The resemblance was impossible to ignore.
His expression darkened.
This wasn't a coincidence.
Walking over to Rose, he asked quietly,
"Do you know someone named Sarah?"
Rose looked up.
"Sarah? She's my classmate."
The investigator nodded slowly.
"How close are you?"
Rose frowned.
"Not very close."
The question made her uncomfortable.
What did Sarah have to do with any of this?
Yet an awful feeling settled in her stomach.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
And for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that after Kim...
she might be next.
---
By nightfall, Sarah and Adrian stood before the old woman's house.
The ancient building sat at the edge of town like a forgotten memory.
Sarah hesitated.
Every instinct told her to turn around.
Then she knocked.
The door slowly creaked open by itself.
Sarah froze.
Inside, the old woman sat calmly in a rocking chair.
Almost as if she had been expecting them.
A chill crawled down Sarah's spine.
Adrian squeezed her hand.
"I'm scared too," he admitted.
"But we're already here."
Together, they stepped inside.
The old woman smiled.
"Welcome."
She motioned toward two chairs.
"Sit."
They obeyed.
The woman studied them for several seconds before speaking.
"I'm guessing you're here because of the scarecrow."
Her eyes settled on Sarah.
"And the mark."
Sarah felt her heart skip.
How did she know?
She opened her mouth to speak, but Adrian interrupted.
"Kim had the mark too."
For the first time since they arrived, the old woman's expression changed.
Shock flashed across her face.
"What?"
Adrian nodded.
"He had one."
The old woman rose so abruptly that her chair nearly tipped over.
"That's impossible."
The room fell silent.
"The scarecrow cannot mark two people."
Sarah frowned.
"I don't belong to anyone."
The old woman lifted a hand, signaling her to be quiet.
Her face had turned pale.
Then she whispered words that made the entire room feel colder.
"The mark is only supposed to choose one."
And if two people carry it...
then something has gone terribly wrong.