Chapter 15. Unimaginable Trouble
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"Plan? What plan?" El asked. His interest grew.
"Of course, to bring down that traitor. I believed you because I already knew about Sill. A few of us secretly investigated him. He used to go off on his own when no one was watching. Who knows what he intended to do? Don't tell anyone, alright!?? Sir Giles will nag me again later."
"Okay. So, what's the plan then?"
With a smirk, Ran replied. "We ambush him. Wanna join in?"
They all walked down the building, dividing into groups to trace their path back to the base. El found himself tagging along with Ran's group, which included three other members who had swapped with their original teams at the last minute for the sake of protecting Ran.
Two of the men appeared to be close to Sir Giles when El met them. And the last one was Gill, who was staring at him with even more dislike.
Currently, Ran led their group, which consisted of El, Gill, Sill, Nore, and two others named Leo and Zeke. This time, they took a different path, having encountered 'the cursed' on the previous road.
As they walked through the alleyway, Ran turned back to call El to her side. She whispered something, much to Gill's annoyance. "We're going to start the plan. Get ready when I give the signal."
"Ok," El nodded his head.
Ran then glanced at Gill, who also nodded in agreement. Except for Nore and Sill, everyone in the group readied themselves for this grand revelation.
Moments later, she suddenly exclaimed loudly, "Now!!!"
She swiftly turned and hurled a small device, shaped like a baseball, right at Sill.
Simultaneously, Leo and Zeke, positioned at the very back, threw two identical objects after pressing their buttons. However, instead of aiming at Sill as originally planned, they directed their throws toward El, Ran, Gill, and Nore instead.
The orbs exploded in mid-air, releasing a burst of faint red smoke. From within the smoke, metallic nets spread out, ensnaring the four.
Ran and El were caught in one net, while Gill and Nore were trapped in another. The nets contracted, forcing the trio to kneel on the ground as the four points of each net anchored themselves into the ground.
Meanwhile, the orb thrown by Ran herself did not explode; instead, it was easily caught by Sill's hand.
"Nice plan, little Ran. You get caught right in your own trap…" Sill said casually. A smirk played on his lips.
"Wha… how? You two?" in disbelief, Ran turned toward Leo and Zeke, while still struggling with the net. "Since when?"
"Since when?"
Leo and Zeke exchanged glances with each other, then spoke in unison. A hoarse, unfamiliar voice, that of an old man and an old woman, came from their mouths.
"Since we killed them both and took over their face, of course…"
The corners of their lips twisted into a grotesque smile, stretching unnaturally high until it reached their ears. Their cheeks split apart like a perfectly cooked mozzarella, exposing their teeth. Blood dripped down their sides.
Witnessing that, El, Ran, and Gill widened their eyes in horror.
The trio was left frightened and unsure of what kind of creatures the two actually were―whether they were still human or something else entirely.
On the other hand, Nore, who at first didn't understand what this was actually all about, widened his eyes for entirely different reasons than the trio.
He still remembers that day as if it were yesterday. The night, burning in crimson, blood pooling on the floor, ashes swirling in the air.
A wicked smile from a creature made of unknown roots, impaling his two friend at their heart and head, respectively. When Sir Giles and Aunt Celine came to help, it was already too late. The creature had gone, and he lost consciousness.
He exploded with fury as he shouted at the two of them, "That!!! I remember it. That's the smile of the creature who killed Ali and Rena. You!!!"
Nore turned his attention to Sill, who was smiling smugly at him. "So, you're in it too, right? B*stard!!! You b*stard. What do you know about their deaths?" he glowered angrily at Sill.
His voice rose, echoed in the empty, gloomy, and slightly dark alleyway, despite the sun shining brightly above in the sky.
Sill put his index finger playfully to his lips and gazed upon the sky, "What do I know about their deaths? Hmm… let's see. What I know is…" his smile bloomed. And just like with the two earlier, his lips stretched so wide they almost reached his ears.
"Because I'm the one who killed them. Ah, if only that bastard Giles had been busy with something else that day, I might have been able to steal another face and memories for my collection. And when I'm done, I could feast on their delectable brains. Sigh, it was a mess. I even had to kill some street nobodies to satisfy my urge to eat."
He turned his gaze to the four of them, saliva mixed with blood dripping from his mouth, a clear indication of his hunger.
"Uh, dammit…"
Ran gritted her teeth, struggling to free herself from the net. Alas, it was of no use. This net was something she had secretly bought with her own savings, and now it felt like a knife biting into her skin.
"Great investment, Ran. Really top-notch." She whispered helplessly to herself.
Turning to the side, she noticed El had closed his eyes instead.
And as if the ridiculousness couldn't get any worse, she saw him cross his legs like some kind of monk seeking enlightenment.
"Hey, what the heck? What are you doing now? Help me too!" she chided him, exasperation bubbling over. It felt like something was gnawing at her insides with anxiety.
Well, she couldn't be blamed. Whatever the three figures in front of them were—demon, devil, ghost, or whatever itty-bitty things they were—it would be damned if they really intended to kill and eat their brains, just like Sill had said.
"Shush! I need to concentrate. I think I can do something about this… Hope so!!!!" El replied, adding an uncertain remark by the end. Still in his monk meditating style, he murmured something under his breath. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…"
He knew how perilous their situation was. One look was all it took for El to realize they were in the deepest trouble imaginable.
The two of them had thought Sill was some kind of spy from the noble or upper side, or maybe a police officer investigating Sir Giles' base in the underside.
Who knew it would turn out to be this kind of supernatural horror show instead?
He hoped that the days when everything suddenly settled would come to help him again this time.
'I hope I'm not wrong. We're so dead now. There's no way we could fight these things. No need to hesitate anymore…' El thought to himself. Just like Ran, he actually felt equally desperate inside.
'Hope so, 'what,' now?' Ran thought, agape after hearing his reply.
Then, there was another headache that made things worse for Ran. It came from Nore, who was currently barking loudly, fearlessly challenging the three figures like an idiot.
"Arrrrggggghhh, you bastard—you devil! I'll kill you!!! Come here, you bastard! COME HERE!!!" Nore screamed at the top of his lungs, his face turning red with rage, completely oblivious to the danger looming over them all.
To all of this, Ran could only facepalm over herself.
"We're so dead!!!"
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