Chapter 28
Everyone was running at full speed, terrified, as if being hunted by something.
“What is going on?”
Aurora stared blankly at the scene, unable to comprehend what was happening. She couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.
Then, ‘it’ finally came into her view.
A creature so grotesque it couldn’t possibly be considered human was prowling the streets, devouring people.
A memory that remained like a trauma washed over Aurora. No. 61 Notium Street. The monster she had seen that day looked exactly like that.
The streets were filled with people’s screams, and blood splattered everywhere.
Aurora’s legs gave out, and she collapsed where she stood.
‘He-help me.’
At the same time, the Brunel Police Station.
[Exclusive! The reason Cherry Sinclair has been in hiding is because of Eden, the heir to the Lancaster family!?]
[Cherry Sinclair’s secret tryst with Eden Duncan Lancaster in a rural village…!? “The Egret and the Crow, an unexpected pair.” High society in shock…!]
Eden crumpled the newspaper in his hand.
“Sigh…”
He rubbed his temples and let out a weary sigh. What kind of ridiculous scandal was this?
The lack of mention of Knox was likely due to the impact. To cover something up and divert attention, linking the ‘Heir of the Duchy of Lancaster’ and the ‘Socialite Star’ Cherry would be far more effective in terms of shock value.
This was an article the Duke of Lancaster would never have allowed, which left only one person.
‘Is this Crown Prince Theodore’s doing?’
All the articles focused on Cherry. Since she was a rising star in society, everyone was interested in her.
‘I feel sorry for Cherry Sinclair.’
Thinking he should speak with her, he pulled a pocket watch from his jacket and checked the time.
It was currently around 4:00 PM. He recalled Cherry saying she would go to Kintne and return around 6:00 PM. Of course, she hadn’t told him directly; he had overheard her talking to Knox.
Just then, Inspector Hans returned to his seat and glanced at Eden.
“Oh. You saw that newspaper too. The villagers are in quite an uproar over it.”
Eden was slightly surprised by the implication of Inspector Hans’s words.
“Has everyone seen this newspaper?”
“Brunel was mentioned, wasn’t it? It seems Sophie from the grocery store in Kintne spread the word that Brunel appeared in the papers. Since it’s about our village, everyone’s actually interested and reading the news for once.”
This would undoubtedly interfere with Eden’s investigation going forward. Eden felt a headache coming on and let out another sigh.
“More importantly, I had no idea the lady from the haunted house was the famous ‘Cherry Sinclair.’”
At Inspector Hans’s remark, Constable Colton, who had been watching from the side, chimed in.
“The villagers are in a frenzy now that they know her identity. Everyone’s reflecting on whether they did anything wrong to her. Some people even say they want to shake her hand.”
Despite this, even Constable Colton was still calling her ‘the lady from the haunted house.’
Eden shook his head and stood up. It seemed about time for Cherry to return, so he thought he might go out to meet her.
“M-murder!”
Just then, a man burst into the police station shouting.
“A murder has occurred at the carriage rental! Officers! Please help!”
A heavy silence fell over the police station for a moment. Everyone thought the man was talking nonsense.
Constable Colton, who was standing closest, approached the man.
“What are you talking about? Come over here, calm down, and tell us exactly what happened.”
“There’s no time for that!”
As the man struggled with the constable, a loud commotion erupted outside the station.
“What’s happening?”
Constable Colton opened the door first. A village turned into a chaotic battlefield met his eyes.
Aaaaaaaaah!
A woman’s scream pierced his ears. Simultaneously, he saw people fleeing across the street.
Crash!
A gas lamp, seemingly ripped from the ground, flew through the air and smashed into a house opposite the police station.
“W-what on earth…”
Startled, Constable Colton took a step outside, unable to continue speaking at the horrific sight.
Graaaaaagh!
Then, an unidentified monster running from the alley near the carriage rental entered Colton’s view.
“W-what is that…?”
Before long, the monster lunged and snatched a fleeing person in its mouth, devouring them in an instant.
Aaaagh!
Screams erupted from everywhere.
Even as they watched the village descend into chaos, the police could do nothing but stand there helplessly.
“Dammit, Colton! What are you doing just standing there? Save the people!”
Except for Eden, who spat out a string of curses as he pushed past Colton and headed out to take the lead in rescuing the citizens.
I had been waiting for Harrison at the Kintne train station the whole time.
When we spoke on the phone, Harrison said he had booked a train ticket for around 4:00 PM.
However, I waited at the Kintne station until past 6:00 PM, and he never appeared.
Harrison was nowhere to be seen even after the sun had set and all the lines had finished running for the day.
‘What is it? Did something happen?’
I tried calling the Sinclair mansion in Benton from the station, but no one answered.
A sense of foreboding washed over me.
I stayed at the station for a while longer before finally boarding a carriage back to Brunel alone.
‘I hope it’s nothing serious…’
Just as I was leaving Kintne, there was a sudden commotion behind me.
“What was that?”
As I poked my head out of the carriage to look back, the coachman asked, “Should I stop and head back?”
“Pardon? To Kintne? No. Please just keep going.”
I shook my head at the coachman’s words and sat back down, facing forward. I thought I heard a scream from somewhere…
My nerves had been on edge lately, so I must have misheard.
‘There are still ten days left.’
Harrison is probably fine too. At times like this, the lack of a cell phone was truly inconvenient.
Anyway, I arrived at the outskirts of Brunel and stepped out.
Splat. My boot stepped into a pool of blood.
‘…Blood?’
Kyaaaaaah!
A terrible screeching sound from somewhere, mingled with the screams of people begging for help.
“Aah! Help! Help me!”
Only then did the chaotic village come into view.
People in the streets were in a state of panic, fleeing in all directions.
Just yesterday, it had been a lively village bustling with a market.
Thud—
I was knocked down in the middle of the road by people running away. The ground where I fell was also soaked in blood.
Behind the crowd, grotesque monsters were lunging at them.
Craaaaagh!
The mouth of a creature that looked vaguely human split wide open. Between rows of tightly packed teeth, a person was swallowed in an instant.
“Damn it.”
I had faced monsters twice before.
But fighting a few monsters like back then was on a completely different level from this.
So many people were being torn apart by monsters and turning into monsters themselves in the blink of an eye.
‘There are still ten days left! Why…?’
The world was ending. And it was happening faster than scheduled.
And in the midst of that carnage, what caught my eye was—
‘Why is that man there…?’
In the middle of the street, a man in a police uniform was fighting a desperate battle against the monsters while helping people escape.
It was Eden.
‘I expected as much, but to think he’s actually doing that.’
The man who, above all others, must not die was risking his life to save someone else.
Thanks to him, I snapped out of it. I realized this was no time to be sitting around.
‘If that man dies, how am I supposed to develop the cure?’
I got up and ran into the heart of the village. I saw a weapon shop with its glass doors shattered.
Avoiding the fleeing crowds, I ran inside, found an axe—a weapon I could handle easily—and came back out.
Then, I swung it ruthlessly at a monster charging toward me.
Splatter—
Green monster blood sprayed all over my face.
Gurgle?
This time, a monster standing nearby raised its head.
The creature had four eyes, each the size of my fist, fixed on its face. Our eyes met.
I stood still for a moment, trying not to provoke it.
Its four pupils repeatedly contracted and dilated as it watched me.
I stared back without moving a single finger. I planned to bury the axe in its head the moment it let its guard down.
Just then, I saw a pair of sturdy black combat boots stepping through the pools of blood without hesitation.
Bang—!
Then, the sound of a gunshot rang out, deafening my ears.
A tall man appeared in my field of vision. He had killed the monster in front of me with a single shot.
“Dammit, there’s no end to them.”
The man, Eden, surveyed his surroundings and spat out a curse before turning toward me.
