The voice on the other end continues.
Barbara: Wonderful, I can talk over the phone now. The wind must still be wandering nearby.
Vertin: That's good to hear.
Vertin: Are you an editor for UTTU?
There's a sigh of relief.
Barbara: Yes, Miss, I am.
Barbara: But before we continue our conversation, could you please tell me what year it is now?
Vertin: ... 1990.
Barbara: I see.
The frail voice steadies.
Vertin: Ms. Barbara, can I meet you in person?
Barbara: You want to meet me?
Vertin: Yes, I'm Vertin, the Timekeeper of the St. Pavlov Foundation. I was sent to ask you about Urd's whereabouts.
Vertin: But you don't seem to be in a favorable situation right now.
Barbara: Ms. Vertin, I couldn't possibly locate Urd's whereabouts. The whispers of the wind can't reach this room.
Vertin: The whispers of the wind?
Barbara: Yes, it's a special form of communication.
Vertin: Right. Well, is there anything I can do to help you rebuild this line of communication?
Barbara: Hmm. Let me first explain the situation to you. Here are a few things I'm certain of:
Barbara: First, this isn't an ordinary motel. It possesses some kind of supernatural life force.
Barbara: Before checking in, I interviewed some of the residents nearby. They all mentioned eerie rumors centered around the motel these past few months.
Vertin: Yes, we've encountered some bizarre events here. Like real-life urban legends.
Barbara: Second, I'm now trapped in a red room.
Barbara: This room is in the same motel as yours. What's different is that it blocks all forms of communication.
Barbara: I couldn't get the room to open, and my voice didn't reach through the phone.
Barbara: That was until a gunshot broke this intangible restraint. This small room contracted violently, and now I can communicate with the outside world.
Barbara: At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but the contracted space soon returned to normal. Earthquakes can't do that, can they?
Vertin: Before this happened, were you using spiders to communicate with the world outside?
Barbara: Yes, I was. As luck would have it, there are many spiders here. Thanks to the prevalence of spiders in urban legends, I assume.
They can hear the sound of pages being turned from the other end of the telephone.
Barbara: There's some paranoia about "spiders living in hair." It originated in a sermon from 13th-century England.
Barbara: A woman was always late to mass because she spent too much time styling her hair. Eventually, a devil attached itself to her hair in the form of a spider.
Barbara: Yes, they delivered messages for me in their own peculiar way.
Barbara: Being completely isolated from the outside world greatly unsettled me. It reminded me of that terrible phenomenon.
She takes a few light breaths.
Barbara: Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
Vertin: But you're still trapped in that room, right?
Barbara: Yes. The door's gone. I can't get out from the inside.
Vertin: How did you get in there in the first place? Or rather, who brought you into that room?
Barbara: Well, who else could it be?
Barbara: The maid named Tuesday.
Vertin: Just as I expected.
Argus: Wait.
The mercenary cuts in.
Barbara: You're that driver who left me on the road, right? I remember your voice.
Argus: Yeah, it's me.
Argus: I actually changed my mind and turned back to get you, but you were gone by the time I arrived.
Argus: I guess that's when you came to this motel, right?
Barbara: Yes, Tuesday saw me and invited me here.
Argus: Oh.
Barbara: Did you wanna ask me something?
Argus: ...
Argus: Have you seen a girl of about 5 foot 3 here?
Argus: In a white dress. Curly chestnut-colored hair. Green eyes. Small hands.
Barbara: ...
Barbara: I may have seen her.
Barbara: When I first arrived, I saw a girl who matched your description coming down the hallway.
Barbara: She was carrying an empty basket. I presumed that she'd been shopping in the town nearby.
Barbara: If I recall correctly, she didn't check out.
Argus: Thank you.
She slumps her shoulders, and the light in her eye dims.
She says no more.
Vertin: How can we find this room?
Barbara: It's just in the hallway, number 707.
Barbara: Look for a door covered in red—
*beep—beep—beep*
Argus: Looks like the phone got disconnected.
Vertin: So Barbara's in that room that Stefen saw. Number 707.
Vertin: I'm going to find it. What about you? Heading into town for Kayla?
After a brief silence, Argus speaks.
Argus: I did notice a weird spot in the hallway earlier. The maid's footprints were going back and forth, like there was an entrance there.
Argus: But I didn't see no signs of a door.
She scratches her head with the barrel of her gun.
Vertin: I wouldn't be surprised if you died by your own gun one day.
Argus: Haha, that'd be a memorable way to go.
Argus: Alright, enough kidding around.
She perks up.
Argus: Our Little Miss Maid tried so very hard to hide Barbara from us, but I guess the lamb's out of the bag now.
Vertin: Yes. It's all crystal clear now. Let's go.
Argus: Hold up a sec, boss.
She bites her lip.
Argus: Do you have any candies? I'm running on fumes here, and I ain't got no way to replenish my stash.
Asking for help seems very difficult for her.
Vertin: ...
She pulls a few pieces of candy from her pocket and places them in Argus's palm.
Vertin: Us and Barbara will be out of here soon.
Vertin: And you'll find some candy and Kayla in town.
