Lauris looked around. Aside from those screeching metal birds circling the tall, rusted, high-rise buildings, no other signs of life were present. Glancing back down on the sheet, she saw nothing that indicated any clues.

It was just a doodled face on a piece of paper.

Nevertheless, the woman stuffed it down her pockets; another strange thing.

This time, her attire was not what she had worn. She had jeans and a hardy leather jacket. Whether that was a clue in itself or something to amuse the twins was beyond her. It was, after all, the first time such a thing happened.

Granted, she had only been to The Between once.

Lauris shook her head. She shouldn't just stand there. Who knew what kinds of dangers were awaiting her? Picking a direction, the woman began to walk, taking in her surroundings.

It was strange. Deep cracks marred the road, but that was it. There were no signs of rubbish, nor any signs of human habitation. Build after build stood by, silently - as if accepting their eventual decay. Another intriguing thing was the lack of signage. There were no indicators of the location, nor where the wide asphalt paths lead.

Lauris continued walking, listening as her footsteps echoed around her. Never has she experienced a place so silent. It was unnerving, akin to the silence of prey in the presence of a predator.

The woman looked around.

The problem was, she could not discern any sign of this 'predator'.

If this was it, then this 'twenty-one-day game' would seem boring. However, that just made the woman more uneasy.

What did the twins want?

What did they expect to see?

Lauris stopped as she stepped on a patch of grass - the first sign of life in a while.

Perhaps this was it.

The woman proceeded to walk but stopped at the growl emanating from her stomach. She looked around.

The slowly decaying buildings stood tall behind her, and in front was thick, white fog.

When did that happen?

Lauris shook her head. She turned back.

There was something strange about that fog, something unnatural.

Who was she kidding? This whole situation was unnatural.

The woman approached a build reminiscent of a restaurant. Perhaps she was foolish, but at this point, she was willing to believe anything.

She eyed the badly rusted structure. Everything else looked stable. Though the inspection was brief and casual, nothing seemed poised to collapse.

At least, not yet.

She would enter, then quickly go back out. Taking a deep breath, the woman steadied her nerves. She stared at the corroded door frame.

If the building so much gave a hint of collapsing, she would skedaddle out of there.

Lauris tiptoed towards the doorway.

Perhaps this was the game. When one gets hungry, one would feel inclined to eat, but then the building falls on top and squishes the poor person.

Or perhaps not.

Lauris continued walking, taking everything in. The stillness of everything down to the layer of dust professed that nothing had disturbed this place for a very long time. Turning her eyes towards a long table, the woman frowned. Plates full of food were piled atop one another, akin to a pyramid.

At the bottom were slices of different types of bread. In the middle were cut-up fruits miraculously intact despite the arrangement. As if to give a dramatic flair, a single can of cream decorated the top, proclaiming its dominance.

She couldn't disagree with that.

Around the food pyramid were bottles of water.

The foods were obviously fresh, and yet, nothing indicated that someone recently came here. There were no footprints among the dust.

All this screamed suspicion, and yet, it was the only option. Lauris was unwilling to go through the fog, and the city had no signs of life. If there were, it would most likely be the insects and the rats - neither of which caught her fancy.

Taking a hesitant step towards the food, she grabbed something and began to chew.

Plain; akin to eating nothing. It was strange. She could feel the texture of the slice of apple but could not taste it. The woman took a sip of water.

At least that didn't change.

She took a bit more food, eating the fruit and dipping it in cream. It did nothing to change the taste, but it at least created the illusion of normalcy. Scratch that, it only gave the illusion of comfort.

Lauris moved to wipe her hands, only to realise that there was nothing on them. She looked back at the table. The food was gone, but one bottle remained.

That was her cue to get the hell out.

Grabbing the remaining water bottle, the woman ran out. She blinked as she saw the cityscape.

Fog.

It was all covered in fog.

Lauris continued to trek the roads, watching as the fog visibly thickened. She frowned.

Perhaps the isolation was already getting to her head. They did say prolonged separation induced madness. This place was already getting to her.

She shook her head.

It was her imagination; it must be.

The woman blinked.

No.

It wasn't.

Among the warped shadows of the skyscrapers was a figure of a person swaying.

She wasn't alone.

There were others.

Maybe they could help!

"H-hello?"

Silence.

Lauris covered her mouth as she saw what came into view. It was a person, but not. It was a body, hanging by the neck with the thick rope by an unseen anchorage point obscured by the eddying fog. Though she tried to avoid the sight, she still witnessed the shredded flesh where the limbs should be.

Most of all, the face was half carved off by a wide, mocking grin etched in the face. The sight was hardly new. After all, the media described it all the time recently. That smile was the signature of The Face Carver.

What was the lunatic running around town doing here in The Between?

Was this it?

Was this the Twins' plans all along?

Lauris took a step back.

She knew it was too easy. If that body was here, it meant that the killer was most likely around this area. At the very least, they were still roaming the city.

The woman stood still, conflicted.

On the one hand, there should be a semblance of a weapon somewhere in one of the buildings. On the other, there was the issue of a crazed murderer running around. Then again, she did survive so far. However, the woman knew she couldn't rely on luck.

Her deliberation stopped as she felt someone clap a hand on her mouth.

"Do not scream."

Lauris widened her eyes as she heard the voice. This voice - she heard it before.

It was achingly familiar.

No, there was no way. She knew this person; it couldn't be. Her mind flashed back to the body. Maybe the person would help her, but it was possible.

No, it's not possible.

There was no way this person would do it. There was no way.

That very notion should fall into the realm of certain impossibility. Yet, there was no mistaking it.

This voice - it belonged to her.

"M-Marie?"

******

Well then. That got...interesting. 

I did tell you that the Face Carver would come back.

Feel free to speculate what will happen next. Will Marie be as confused as Lauris or will something else happen. I gave clues in the previous chapters so it shouldn't be too sudden. Maybe.