Slip : Part 6 : The Missing One

 LOST — Part 6

Full English Translation (Unabridged)

“I didn’t go anywhere. I’ve been stuck in this building. And you… you’re one of the people who work here, aren’t you? I’ve seen you before,” the woman said.

“Yes, yes! I work here too! My name’s Sunny. How did you end up here? I’ve been running up and down these stairs a hundred times, and I didn’t see anyone!” Sunny said, completely bewildered by what she was witnessing.

“I’ve been here all along. Never saw you pass these stairs once,” Pu replied, looking just as confused. “I don’t even know how long I’ve been trapped here. Maybe weeks. I can’t get out. Then suddenly, I heard your voice screaming. I was so happy to finally hear someone.”

“You disappeared about four days ago. Yesterday, your mom came with the police to search for clues about you,” Sunny told her.

“Four days? That’s impossible. It feels like I’ve been here forever. This place is strange — there’s no day, no night. Time doesn’t move at all. I was just going to the restroom to clean the coffee stains off my shirt… and then, I don’t know what happened. Everyone was suddenly gone.”

Pu’s voice trembled as she tried to explain.

“Yes, yes — there’s CCTV footage of you walking down the stairs, but no footage of you coming out at the bottom. What happened after that?” Sunny asked, her voice shaking.

“...That time…” Pu furrowed her brow, thinking hard. “I spilled coffee on my shirt and started heading down to the restroom. But while I was on the stairs, the lights flickered. I didn’t think much of it at first. I kept walking down… and the stairs never ended. When I tried going back up, it was endless too. Only stairs, this landing, and the fifth floor — over and over again. No matter which door I tried, it always led me back here.”

Tears streamed down Pu’s face. Her trembling hand gripped Sunny’s arm tightly.

“When I heard your voice, I was so happy. But… now what? What do we do now? How do we get out of here?”

Sunny sat completely still, her body stiff as Pu sobbed against her shoulder.

That question — How do we get out of here? — echoed endlessly in her ears. Her brain went blank.

Right… how could they get out?

The image of her planned holiday flashed before her eyes — she and her boyfriend lying together on a sunny beach, laughing under the sky. Would that never happen now?

If they couldn’t escape, she and Pu would die here — trapped, starved, forgotten.

Sunny swallowed hard, the sound echoing in the silence. She reached out and held both of Pu’s arms, forcing her voice to sound steady.

“We’ll get out. We have to. If we got in, then there has to be a way out. We just have to figure out how.”

Her determined tone gave Pu a flicker of hope.

“Okay… o-okay. Then let’s figure it out,” Pu said, trying to stand but stumbling weakly before collapsing again.
“Are you okay? Feeling dizzy?” Sunny asked, rushing to help her up.
“Y-yeah… I haven’t eaten anything. I’m starving,” Pu whispered.
“I don’t have any snacks, but there’s water downstairs. Wait here — I’ll bring you some, just a sec.”

Sunny hurried down the stairs toward the elevator area where the water dispenser stood.
She quickly filled a paper cup with water — and then sprinted back toward the landing where Pu was lying.

CRAAAAASH!!!

The sound of shattering glass echoed.

The cup fell from Sunny’s hand and hit the floor — water and shards scattering across the tiles.

Sunny froze, paralyzed, her eyes wide with horror. Her body went numb. Her trembling voice barely escaped her lips.

“N-no… no way…”

Lying before her — a skeleton, curled on its side.
The once-white shirt was now stained a deep, murky brownish-red — long dried with traces of blood and decay. The pencil skirt was mottled with dark gray and brown stains.

It was Pu.

The body’s bony hand still clutched a pen, the brittle skin stretched tight over the bones. Beside it lay an old notebook. On the open page, written in shaky handwriting, were the words:

“Sunny, you’ve been gone so long. I went to look for you, but I couldn’t find anyone. I came back to the stair landing. I don’t know what’s happening, but I hope you’ll find me again someday. My mind is fading. I don’t want to die alone.”

Sunny collapsed to her knees beside the remains.
She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her forehead on her knees. Tears streamed down her face, soaking the fabric.

The foul stench of decay filled the air — but Sunny didn’t flinch.
It was the only smell in this place that reminded her of something that had once been alive.

She sat there, unmoving, for a long while.

Then she heard it — faint footsteps. Voices.
A group of people, talking and laughing softly somewhere nearby.

Sunny froze, listening carefully.
No, it couldn’t be her imagination.

“I wish my cat could talk! Look at this — it can actually talk like this!”

The voice sounded familiar.

“Come on, that’s AI, isn’t it?”

Another familiar voice followed.

…!!! That’s Belle’s voice!! Sunny’s eyes widened as she jerked her head up.

— To be continued... —

Slip #1,  Slip #2 , Slip #3,  Slip #4,  Slip #5, Slip #7, Slip #8,  Slip #9,  Slip #10