Chapter 18
Crash!
“Kuhuk.”
For a moment, my vision turned white. Unable to see, I blinked repeatedly for a while. As the world hazily returned, my lungs felt like they were being stabbed. Not understanding the situation, I flailed my arms and legs, but only one hand responded to my commands.
Around the time I noticed something strange about my other limbs that had gone stiff, intense pain swept through my body. I tried to grip anything within reach to endure the pain, but my cramped hand couldn’t grasp anything. I realized that the things scattered around me were kitchen utensils that had fallen with me.
Hook-like, elongated fingers were dancing before my eyes, flicking their nails. Only then did I realize that the creature had thrown me. The creature tapped my Adam’s apple and made a whooshing sound again. It hunched its body, wriggling its neck muscles as it examined me, then bared its teeth.
Bang!
“Ahh!”
I was thrown again. Colliding with the refrigerator, I curled up and trembled violently. I couldn’t breathe, and my entire body twisted in pain. The world before my eyes kept alternating between blurry and clear. I tried to locate the black creature with my barely functioning eyes and move my feet to escape, but my powerless feet kept slipping. The creature crouched in front of me again. This time, it jabbed at my waist while showing its teeth.
With my numbed mind, I thought the creature’s repetitive behavior was strange. Its sharp claws could easily pierce through my body, and if its massive teeth bit my neck, my head would come off immediately.
But the creature only threw me around without killing or eating me. Why?
The creature’s mouth twitched as it met my gaze. Since it had its back to the window, the light emanating from its torn eyes looked even brighter. It shoved its hideous face right in front of me and kept moving its mouth. It seemed to be trying to express something with its mouth since its face couldn’t form expressions. The corners of its mouth twitched oddly.
Ah, it’s smiling.
Like a satiated predator playing with a mouse, it was treating me the same way. My head was spinning. I couldn’t tell if it was because I’d been tossed around like a ball by the creature, or because of this absurd situation. Feeling my consciousness slightly returning from the pain of my struck hand, I groped the floor.
My fingertip stung again when it touched something sharp. I felt around for it, moving downward until I grasped something solid that stuck firmly to my palm. I thrust my body toward the creature and spat out curses. Something sticky flowed down my throat.
“…Kuk. Ugh, huk. You… bastard.”
Thwack!
Kieek kieek!
The creature, which had been watching my appearance, twisted its waist and fell backward. Seeing it covering its eyes and writhing, I stood up shakily. Throughout standing up, I almost dropped what I was holding several times because I couldn’t put strength into it, but I barely managed to grip it. I wiped my bleeding mouth with my hand and spat. Bloody foam left a dark stain on the floor.
I firmly gripped the kitchen knife and glared at the creature. My arms and legs trembled with fear, and my feet slipped. But I endured out of spite. I felt that even if I tried to run away in this state, I would be caught quickly, and if I was going to die anyway, I wanted to at least take something in return for my life.
This is just… recklessness before death.
Even knowing that, I raised the knife even higher.
The creature lowered its body, distorting one of its torn eyes. It was a similar posture to the monster that had attacked its companion in the forest. Seeing that it had finally resolved to kill me, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Bang!
The creature threw itself at me. I firmly gripped the kitchen knife and rolled with it. The knife flew away with a swing of its hand, and my shoulder burned hot as sharp claws tore into it. But it was just slightly torn; my body wasn’t badly injured. Despite the monster’s incredible strength that could tear down trees, I was fine.
Why? I looked up in bewilderment, pinned under the creature. The creature standing over me was twitching its lips. Its foot gripping my neck seemed like it could cut off my breath at any moment. But it didn’t. Instead, it slowly raised its hand and poked around my eyes.
Its slow movement seemed to hint at what it was doing. From the blood dripping onto my face, the creature’s implication approached me in a stronger form. It seemed that the creature intended to crush one of my eyes just like its own. The pain had subsided, but fear overwhelmed me.
“…Heok, hik.”
My heart was beating frantically, and my startled body thrashed about. It was agonizing not being able to breathe properly, as if someone had shoved a hand down my throat. I scratched at my neck with my hands and struggled.
Shiiik.
The monster’s neck caved in and then bulged out. The slow, deep breathing sound was strangely rough and loud. As if it was imitating and mocking me.
“Huk, ugh… I won’t die… without a fight…”
At the same time, I grabbed its arm that had come down, seemingly contemplating how to tear my eye. And I bit down hard. Black blood overflowed in my mouth, and the nauseating fishy smell stirred my nostrils, but I didn’t let go. The creature writhed and raised its hand. It was a movement not aimed at my eye but to surely cut off my breath. Finally, I’m going to die.
Quite a few thoughts flashed through my mind in that short time. I wanted to apologize to Kim Doyun, who would be watching from outside. Behind the monster, I could see the hanged corpse swaying with the commotion, as if dancing. Kim Doyun would probably survive steadfastly on his own, but seeing the suicide corpse made me uneasy about that too. I hoped he wouldn’t come inside looking for me. I hoped he would notice the monster and run far, far away. I closed my eyes tightly.
Kwang!
But the pain I had expected didn’t come. They say there’s no pain if you die instantly—is that really true? More curious about that fact than death and fear, I felt my face. My face, wet with sweat, stuck to my palm. Strange. I can feel my body, so why doesn’t it hurt?
I slowly opened my eyes. Though my trembling eyelids didn’t provide a clear view, I could clearly see something black blocking my front. At first, I thought the creature wasn’t killing me but playing with me again. But the moment I saw the pitch-black hair, my worry disappeared. It’s Kim Doyun.
Kim Doyun was pushing the monster against the refrigerator and forcefully driving a curtain rod into the monster’s chest. The monster, convulsing in pain, let out unpleasant screams. Due to the monster writhing and shrieking loudly enough to make the kitchen shudder, a long wound appeared on Kim Doyun’s arm. Though the massive refrigerator shook with the creature’s tremendous strength, Kim Doyun didn’t budge and drove the iron rod deeper. As the creature’s head, which had been swelling and trembling its neck, drooped, Kim Doyun turned to look at me.
“…Do, Doyun…”
I tried to call him gladly, but I couldn’t speak properly. That’s because Kim Doyun slung me over his shoulder and started running. Surprised, I grabbed his shoulder, but he didn’t stop. Seeing us instantly leave the building and move away, I could understand his actions. Inside the dark doorway, blue eyes were gleaming. With one eye lost, the eye burning bright blue didn’t care about the iron rod stuck in its chest.
The creature lowered its body and then screamed so loudly that the forest seemed to explode. The metallic scream hurt my ears. I hurriedly let go of Kim Doyun and covered my ears, but the scream lingering in my ears left a long echo. The creature, unable to come out into the light and watching us leave helplessly, disappeared into the doorway.
Seeing it fine despite such an injury gave me goosebumps again. How many of these creatures exist in this land now? I had seen two creatures attack and devour each other, and it’s unlikely that all the creatures I’ve encountered so far were the same one, so there must be quite a number of them.
I looked up at the sky while carried on Kim Doyun’s shoulder. The bizarre sky that I couldn’t get used to despite seeing it for several days was still there today.
I realized that this world no longer belonged to us. Humans have disappeared into the grass, and everything has transformed into those monsters, the residents of the night.
* * *
Kim Doyun put me down and looked at my shoulder with a serious face. I tried to wave it off as nothing, but every time I tried to raise my arm, my entire injured arm hurt. I grimaced and tilted my head back, and Kim Doyun tore a tablecloth and wrapped it around my shoulder.
Blood was also dripping from Kim Doyun’s arm. Despite having a wound no less severe than my shoulder, there was no hesitation in Kim Doyun’s movements. He didn’t change his expression at all, making me feel like I was a terrible hypochondriac.
After the rough treatment, I tried moving my arm to check, but intense pain rushed in, making me clench my teeth.
“…Doyun-ssi.”
“Yes.”
Kim Doyun answered in a clear voice. In contrast, my voice was hoarse and cracked. I paused briefly to clear my throat, and Kim Doyun waited for me without rushing.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
Only then did Kim Doyun look at his own arm. His action was so natural that it seemed like he just realized he was injured. Kim Doyun didn’t grimace with pain or swing his arm around like I did. He was indifferent to his own wound as if looking at a roadside insect, and instead, he was concerned about my shoulder. I was dumbfounded watching him check if anything was missing even though he had already tightly wrapped the tablecloth around it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
