Vanilla Dusk ✓

Life Part 2

'Oh no, they're the MUTANTS!' warns Roy.

Akio, carrying his and Roy's bags, bolts out of the room and once he catches sight of the two MUTANTS charging at Roy, he tosses the bags to the ground and pulls out his two blade swords. He leaps over the stair railing and bounces on Mateo, attempting to decapitate him, but Mateo springs back in a flash, clasping one of Akio's swords skilfully and flings him across the room with a hoarse growl. Johan leaps towards Roy and he fires again. Johan ducks and the bullet merely scrapes his ear. He groans and glares at Roy, who keeps firing at him. Johan jumps onto a chair and then onto a table. He bounces around and hides behind large furniture. He is even clever enough to shield himself with hard decors. Noah and Tonni enter the house and growl. Roy fires again, this time shooting Tonni in the chest. He tumbles back but doesn't collapse. The two creatures pry open their mouths and rush towards Roy. Akio has propped himself up from the ground and starts battling with Mateo again, slashing and cutting him but Mateo doesn't seem to feel any pain even when his skin gets slit open. He blocks Akio's advances without much ado. He is powerful enough to clutch the tip of Akio's sword and swing him. Johan joins in the fight.

'Shann, help!'

Shann is still on the second floor. The moment he steps out into the corridor, he blanches. Elis has sneaked in through the backdoor and crept upstairs. Shann halts gingerly and takes out his pistol. He fires but it misses miserably as his hand is trembling and Elis is shifting violently. He fires again, the exact moment Elis grasps his wrist and the bullet strikes the ceiling, leaving a gap. He cusses as Elis shoves him down, knocking the pistol out of his hand. He punches Elis and kicks him off him. Elis crashes to the wall and grunts. Shann retrieves his pistol and aims at Elis's head this time, but much to his dismay, no bullets shoot out when he pulls the trigger. While Elis is still recovering from the impact of the forcible crush, Shann seizes the opportunity to dash downstairs. Somehow, Roy has managed to take down Noah and Tonni with the last two bullets, but they're not gone yet. Blame Roy's poor shooting skills. The bullets don't penetrate their brains.

Akio waves his two swords and stabs Johan, who lets out a furious groan before recoiling backwards. Mateo has grabbed Roy's throat and pinned him to the wall, almost choking the boy. He is ready to aim for his nape when Shann, jumping down from the stairs, strikes the back of Mateo's head with a vase. The vase shatters instantly, the shards delving deep into Mateo's head as he groans and releases Roy. He whirls around, clutches Shann with his sturdy arms, hoists him and flings him hard. Shann flies backwards and hits a wall near the stairs. His head suffers major a blow and begins to throb. He has slaughtered plenty of BEASTS but never has he encountered something this invincible. Just then, Noah and Tonni grunt. They have both risen from the ground and started scrambling towards Akio.

An ear-splitting honk stupefies everyone, followed by a screech of tyres. Jun's car has narrowly missed crashing in through the door. Akio, who is closer to the door, peeks through the windows. Three BEASTS have appeared out of nowhere chasing after Jun's car. The noise from the ruckus has attracted them from different directions.

'We have to go now!' cries Akio, catching a glimpse of Jun hopping out of the car with a rifle. He shoots down two BEASTS but around ten more loom from the buildings on both sides.

'Run, Shann!' shouts Roy, who has just managed to slash Noah with a Butcher's knife but gets his arm twisted by the MUTANT in the process. Akio delivers a final kick to Tonni's stomach. Both Roy and Akio are a few steps away from the front door. Shann is standing at the bottom of the stairs, far away from the other two boys. He looks at them and then at the creatures in front of him. On his right, Elis is standing at the top of the stairs, ready to bounce on him.

Trapped.

Shann picks up the two backpacks on the stairs and tosses them towards Roy and Akio. One lands close to them and another one lands in the middle of the horde, startling them.

'You two get into the car first,' says Shann. 'I'll join you later.'

With that, Shann gives up on the front door and races upstairs, smashing himself into Elis. They both fall on the ground. Shann punches the MUTANT ruthlessly and sprints into the bedroom at the far end of the corridor. He locks himself inside and runs towards the window. There is a little awning below and he might be able to make it if he lands on it or swings himself to the Red Oak in the yard.

Abandoning Shann is the last resort, but they are seriously outnumbered. Outside the house, their dented car is surrounded by more approaching BEASTS. Jun has cleared a few BEASTS with the rifle while Akio and Roy slash a few fatally before all of them hop into the car. Shann tries to open the window but it's sealed. As footsteps inch closer, he begins to panic, slapping and punching the window with hard objects. He grabs a chair and smashes it at the glass but it doesn't crack.

Another bang blasts his ears and he looks out of the window again. The MUTANTS have walked out of the house and joined the BEASTS, gradually engulfing the car. The four youngsters in the car all stare up at Shann hopelessly. The moment their eyes meet, they all know what it means. Shann refrains from crying and simply shakes his head, gesturing for the others to drive away without him. Jun refuses at first, with Akio shaking him frantically ordering him to leave, but is forced to start the engine once their car starts being crashed. They are breaking in through the windows. May keeps wailing and Roy is yelling something into Jun's ears, his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

'Go, idiots!' shouts Shann. The car springs to life and speeds off, followed by a horde of creatures.

The door is booted open and Elis storms in, roaring. Shann skids to the nightstand and picks up a lamp. He tosses it at Elis and then charges at him with a bayonet. The lamp hits Elis and the bayonet is lodged into his chest. Elis plucks out the bayonet effortlessly and with a glare, he hurls it at Shann, stabbing him a few inches below his left chest. Shann moans and limps towards the wall. Elis runs up to him and tackles him to the ground. He straddles him and leans in with his glowing teeth.

And then, something twinkles and trickles down the boy's face. Elis stops his action and stares at those drops of tears intently, wondering where he has last seen them and what his prey's contorted face means. Instead of going for the nape, he bends down and licks those tears off. They taste bitter but exceptionally pleasant, not as strong-flavoured and appetising as blood. Somewhere, beneath that cold, rigid chest, his dead heart throbs for a second when those drops meet his tongue, stimulating his taste buds with bitterness and a pang of...

Sorrow?

Elis loosens his grip on Shann. Catching him off guard, Shann kicks Elis in the stomach with his knee and struggles to hobble towards the door, only to be blocked by Mateo and Johan. Elis jumps in between Shann and his fellows. Before Mateo and Johan can lay their hands on Shann, Elis growls, so loud it awakens all the dead in the house. The two MUTANTS exchange a quizzical glance with each other. Never have they seen Elis so agitated and infuriated before, so infatuated with a particular prey.

The bayonet cuts into his flesh, but not deep enough to harm the fatal organs. His head throbs again and he feels numb. Groaning, he collapses while clamping his hand over his bleeding wound. In haze, he sees Elis chasing the other two out of the room before slamming the door, treading towards him in an awfully sane manner.