Chapter 37: Fighting the Wax Brothers
Nick shielded his sister, Carly, behind him, muscles tensed, eyes sharp as knives, staring intently at Edward.
"Nick, I was captured by that family. I remember clearly—he wasn't one of them." Carly, protected behind him, poked her head out. Though her voice still trembled, her reasoning was crystal clear.
Edward's hands remained in his pockets. Hearing her words, the relaxed expression on his face didn't change at all; instead, he nodded approvingly: "Smart to be cautious around strangers, especially in a hellhole like this."
He met Nick's gaze directly, with no hint of hostility in his tone, as if merely stating a fact. "So, you planning to bail now?"
This question caused a slight loosening in Nick's taut nerves. Leave? Hell yeah he wanted to, but he couldn't.
"Our friend's still inside," Nick said, gritting his teeth and nodding toward the creepy wax museum. "The guy I mentioned earlier—Dalton."
"Oh, that loud dude." Edward understood. "I'll help you look for him. More people, faster search."
"Really? Thank you so much!" Hope instantly lit up in Carly's eyes.
Although Nick still had his doubts, the current situation didn't give him much choice.
His friend's safety was priority number one. He glanced at Edward, and finally, reluctantly, nodded.
The three of them wasted no more time and pushed open the creaking main door of the wax museum.
A smell of dust, old wood, and melted wax hit them. The hall was dimly lit, with only a few rays of moonlight filtering through the grimy windows, illuminating the lifelike yet disturbing wax figures. They seemed to be silently watching the intruders from the darkness, making your skin crawl.
"Let's split up, cover more ground," Nick suggested, gripping his makeshift weapon tighter.
"I'll check the basement." Edward voluntarily took on the sketchiest area. With that, he walked straight toward the stairs leading down.
Nick and Carly exchanged glances, then cautiously began searching the first and second floors.
The air in the basement was even nastier. Edward didn't even need to concentrate—he could already pick up the faint, mixed scent of chemicals and rotting flesh.
Following the smell, he quickly found his target in a corner.
Dalton was strapped to some kind of specially designed chair, his mouth gagged, and a layer of semi-solid wax already poured over his face and body, making him look like a failed, half-finished wax sculpture.
His eyes were wide open, filled with sheer terror. Upon seeing Edward, he let out muffled cries for help and struggled violently.
Edward walked over, quickly tore off the gag from his mouth, and then efficiently broke the ropes.
"Dude, this is not a good look for you."
Just as Edward was leading the still-shaken Dalton, who was covered in wax chunks, up the stairs, a sudden explosion rang out from upstairs.
"BOOM!"
It was the blast of a shotgun.
Immediately followed by Nick's shout and Carly's scream.
Edward pushed Dalton out of the basement door, instructing him, "Find somewhere to hide," then in a flash rushed toward the first-floor hall.
The hall was total chaos. Nick was using a pillar for cover, facing off against a burly man wielding a shotgun—Bo.
Bo's face was twisted with homicidal rage, and he fired continuously, the buckshot tearing splinters from the wooden pillar.
Nick tried to fight back with his improvised weapon, but the guy's firepower was too intense, pinning him down.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, another masked, slender man—Vincent—was holding a blade, casually stalking the panicked Carly, like he was playing with his food.
The situation looked bad for the siblings.
Bo roared, pulled the trigger again, emptying his shotgun.
Now!
A glint flashed in Nick's eyes. He suddenly darted out from behind the pillar, his weapon ready.
"Thwack!"
His makeshift projectile ripped through the air, accurately striking Bo's thigh as he was reloading.
"Agh!" Bo cried out in pain, his body swayed, and he dropped to one knee.
Just as Nick was about to rush over to finish him off, a silver-white blur beat him to it.
"BANG!"
A sharp gunshot rang out. Edward had appeared on the other side of the hall, the muzzle of his White Ivory still smoking.
A bullet hole appeared dead center in Bo's forehead. The pain and madness on his face instantly froze, and then he toppled to the ground, dead.
Almost simultaneously with the gunshot, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from the basement area.
"BOOM—!"
A shockwave mixed with flames surged out from the basement entrance, instantly igniting the surrounding flammable wax figures and old wooden structures.
The fire spread like wildfire. The entire wax museum looked like it had been doused in gasoline, burning out of control.
Under the intense heat, the wax layers on the walls and ceiling began to melt, dripping down like thick syrup. The entire building groaned and creaked, ready to collapse.
"Carly!" Seeing this, Nick—forgetting to thank Edward—his face went white, turned and bolted toward the second floor.
Edward glanced at the first floor being rapidly consumed by flames, and calmly retreated outside the wax museum, watching the situation unfold.
On the second floor, Vincent was caught off guard by the sudden fire and explosion. He abandoned his pursuit of Carly and tried to escape.
But melting wax cascaded from the ceiling like a waterfall, instantly blocking his path.
He tried to push through but was drenched by a massive wave of scalding molten wax, instantly trapped in place. He let out a bloodcurdling shriek, ultimately becoming a twisted, smoking "new wax figure," buried in the very art he was so obsessed with.
On the other side, Nick finally found his sister, but they too were blocked by the raging fire and melting wax.
Below them was an inferno, and all around were constantly dripping hot wax and crumbling walls. The two were completely trapped.
Just as Nick and Carly were losing hope, the wall beside them suddenly let out a harsh, grinding sound.
"CRASH!"
The wax and wooden boards were forcibly torn open by an invisible force, creating a massive hole. Night air, mixed with the scent of grass and pine, poured in through the opening.
Outside the hole, Edward's head appeared. He looked at the stunned siblings inside, a corner of his mouth curving into his usual smirk.
"Miss me?"
Nick froze for two seconds, then his face broke into a look of pure relief and genuine gratitude.
"Thanks, man!"
He didn't hesitate, grabbed Carly, and leaped out through the hole Edward had created with telekinesis, landing hard on the grass outside.
No sooner had they cleared the building than the burning wax museum behind them finally gave way. With a series of thunderous crashes, it collapsed, turning into a massive inferno shooting toward the sky.
The fire burned all night.
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight hit the devastated scene, the piercing wail of police sirens grew closer.
Nick, Carly, and the still-shaken Dalton sat by the roadside, watching cops and firefighters cordon off the ruins.
After a night from hell, they all looked exhausted, but the relief of being alive overshadowed everything.
Nick and Carly stood up and walked over to Edward, who was leaning against a tree, watching the activity in the distance.
"Yesterday... thanks." Nick's expression was incredibly sincere. He didn't know how to properly express his gratitude. "If it weren't for you, we'd..."
"Yeah, you saved our lives." Carly nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with admiration.
"Don't worry about it." Edward waved dismissively.
He glanced at the cops walking toward them, deciding it was time to split.
He turned around. While the police weren't paying attention, with a thought, the badass Fenrir motorcycle materialized out of thin air beside him.
The siblings once again gaped at this supernatural display.
Edward straddled the motorcycle, put on his aviators, and casually waved to them over his shoulder.
"Well then, catch you later."
"VROOOOM—!"
The engine let out a beast-like roar. The black heavy motorcycle transformed into a bolt of lightning, speeding away under the astonished stares of the cops, vanishing down the highway in the blink of an eye.
As he cruised along, Edward felt exceptionally good.
"Alright, vacation's over. Time to head home," he murmured to himself. "Just gotta wonder—what the hell is this surprise Alan mentioned?"
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