Daniel's heart raced in a way it never had before. His mind fired wildly, frenetic. Every scenario that crossed his mind seemed worse than the last.
The grenade was an option. Brutal. Loud. Lethal. It could clear a path or cause some kind of accident, since he didn't know the blast radius. Not to mention the absurd explanation he'd have to give later about why he had left a bag with explosives in the care of a teenage girl. It was a last resort. And last resorts always came with consequences.
He also didn't want to provoke the creatures unnecessarily, at least not before gathering the information he needed. What would he even gain from that?
He wouldn't make the same mistake Boyd did, antagonizing them for nothing, only to end up caught in a trap later.
"Don't listen to them!" Boyd shouted, his words cutting through the air like a knife. "They're not what they seem!"
"What?" Jim snapped his head around. "They're offering help!"
"Kenny," the sheriff ordered, his voice cold and urgent. "Shoot one. Now."
"Sheriff, what the fu—" Jim froze in shock at the order.
Kenny swallowed hard. His hand slid toward the gun, but his fingers trembled. With one hand, he was holding Tobey's leg, his muscles stretched too tight. Sweat slicked his palm as he tried to steady his aim. For a moment, it felt like his breathing stopped.
But he pulled the trigger anyway.
BANG!
The gunshot exploded through the silent street, echoing between the houses. The smell of gunpowder spread through the air.
Beside the pickup, Tabitha screamed, the sound sharp and desperate. Julie covered her mouth with both hands, pupils blown wide. Ethan began to cry, his small body shaking with sobs.
Jade stared, incredulous. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" he screamed, his voice breaking. "Tobey's bleeding, damn it! He's dying, and you're... you're SHOOTING PEOPLE?! What the fuck is going on?!"
His desperation was almost tangible, a mix of panic, rage, and total denial.
The bullet struck the creature's shoulder. The impact made it sway back, a movement that was almost human, almost normal.
Then it looked down. Saw the hole. The fabric of its shirt is soaking red.
The creature tilted its head, studying the wound the way someone might look at a coffee stain on their clothes. There was no pain. Just a bizarre politeness.
And it kept walking.
The smile didn't fade. It widened. As if the shot were an inside joke, only it understood.
"What... what..." Jim staggered back, nearly dropping Tobey.
Daniel's heart pounded out of rhythm, his hands shaking, but his mind stayed cold, calculating. The passive skill was doing its job. As expected. A handgun shot made it flinch. At least the grenade would work. Better save the magic trick for when things are completely fucked, he decided.
Absolute silence.
No one moved. No one breathed.
"EVERYONE INSIDE. NOW!" Boyd shouted, breaking the trance.
The priest began pushing Tabitha and Ethan toward the clinic. "GO. GO."
Gina had opened the door, eyes wide with terror.
Julie stood frozen, her gaze locked on the creatures.
Daniel grabbed her arm hard, the firm grip snapping her back to reality. "Move. Now."
She stumbled, but he held her steady, pulling her inside, his other hand still gripping the bag.
Jim saw what was happening. When he was about to drop Tobey and rush to Julie, he noticed Daniel already had her and let out a breath of relief.
Jade staggered into the clinic, pupils blown wide with fear.
Boyd, Kenny, and Jim entered last, carrying Tobey with difficulty.
As soon as everyone was inside, Gina locked the door with a heavy click.
Outside, the creatures kept walking. Slowly. Smiling.
They knocked on the door.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Boyd... open the door. We just want to help."
The nurse's voice was soft, casual, like she was asking for a glass of water. "I can take care of the injured man. I'm a professional."
Kristi ordered them to carry Tobey into a room and lay him on a gurney. She began examining him again, asking Gina for assistance.
Inside the clinic, the silence was deafening.
Tabitha held Ethan tightly as he cried into her shoulder. Julie leaned against the wall, body rigid, face pale. Jim sat on the floor, gasping for air.
Jade knelt, fingers tangled in his hair as if trying to keep his world from collapsing.
Daniel leaned against the opposite wall, his breathing still uneven. He pulled the lighter from his pocket and began flipping it open and shut again. Click. Click. Click.
[Now you understand why everyone here looks like they have PTSD.]
"I know. What a shitty experience."
Boyd turned to face them all, his expression tense but controlled. "I know everyone's in shock. But I need you to listen."
Jim lifted his head, eyes red. "What... what were those things?"
"They're not human," the sheriff said bluntly. "They look human. They talk like humans. They act like humans. But they aren't."
"This is insane," Tabitha whispered, hugging Ethan tighter.
"You saw it. We shot one. It didn't die. These things come out every night," he continued, his voice low and hard.
He pointed to the talisman hanging beside the door. "That's the only reason we're still alive. With the talisman up, they can't come in."
Jim shook his head, still trying to process it. "No... this can't be real."
"It is. And after you saw the fallen tree..." Boyd rubbed his face, exhausted. "...there's no leaving this town. Everyone here went through the same thing."
Julie, Jim, and Tabitha exchanged stunned looks, but they were less shocked than Boyd had expected.
He noticed.
His eyes went straight to Daniel.
"You told them," he said. Not angry. Just stating a fact.
Daniel met the sheriff's gaze, shoulders tense, posture firm. "I did." There was no apology in his voice. "I thought it was better they knew beforehand."
Boyd grunted, not quite approval, but acceptance. "At least it wasn't a complete surprise."
Jade blinked a few times, as if trying to reorganize his thoughts. At that moment, he looked more lost than afraid.
"But... wait." His voice came out hoarse, cracked. "What do you mean there's no way out of town?"
He swallowed hard, looking around, searching for some logic in it all.
"I was asleep, man." He pressed a hand to his forehead. "Tobey was driving. I didn't see the road, the fallen tree, none of that shit."
His gaze locked onto Boyd, desperate for answers.
"How did I get trapped in a place I didn't even realize I entered? How does that work? This makes no sense. I just... nodded off. And now you're telling me I can never leave?"
He looked down, his breathing speeding up.
"This is... fucking insane."
The priest placed a firm hand on Jade's shoulder as he began to spiral.
"Son... none of us chose to come here. Most of us didn't even notice when it happened," he said softly. "You're not alone. We all arrived the same way. Confused. Scared. With the feeling that it was a mistake, an accident... something impossible."
He waited until Jade looked up before continuing.
"But it's not your fault. It's no one's fault. And right now, your friend needs you to be calm. That's what you can do for him at the moment."
That helped Jade steady himself a little. He needed to stay strong for Tobey.
Julie moved closer to Daniel, still trembling. Her legs barely held her up. "I... I froze out there."
"That's normal in a situation like that," he said, his voice steady despite the slight tremor in his hands.
She swallowed. "Thank you for... for not leaving me there."
"You're welcome." He tried to smile, but it came out tense. "We look out for each other, right?"
Julie nodded, still processing everything. Her eyes drifted to the lighter in his hand. "You're flipping that open and shut like crazy."
Daniel was silent for a moment. "I told you... I do that when I'm nervous."
She nodded and lightly touched his arm. The contact was brief, but sincere. "Even so, you moved. You helped me."
"I wasn't going to leave you there," he said firmly. Unless it was a guaranteed death sentence, he thought, but didn't say.
Julie gave a small, fragile, but genuine smile. "Thank you. Really."
"You're welcome."
"Can I sit next to you?" she asked hesitantly, as if afraid of hearing no.
"Sure. The traumatized survivors club is open," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
[Look at that. Nervous hero, but functional. Who would've thought.]
"Stop being annoying."
[And where would the fun be in that?]
Daniel sighed, resigned to the System's antics.
"You know things about this world. Like how to leave this town. How to kill those creatures?" That question could change everything for him.
[Actually, I do. But I can't share certain information directly. It can come through missions. Don't worry, though. I am authorized to reveal things if it helps you in a critical life-or-death situation.]
As expected. He had already suspected it would be like that; he only asked to confirm
Daniel and Julie stood there for a while, in silence. After a moment, she opened her eyes, startled by the knocking on the door.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Does this happen every night?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Daniel nodded. "Looks like it."
Her chest rose and fell in short breaths, searching for rhythm. "How do people here... live with this?"
"I don't know," he said seriously. "But we'll figure it out."
They don't live with it. They just survive until their luck runs out.
As everyone struggled to absorb the shock and fear, the silence inside the clinic was shattered again. The knocking returned, louder, more insistent.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Kristi, open the door," the voice outside said pleasantly. "We want to help Tobey. We know his condition isn't very good."
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Jade exploded, his voice nearly unrecognizable with panic. He stumbled back. "How... how do they know Tobey's NAME?! How?!"
He looked around like a cornered animal, crushed by his own terror.
Jim recoiled instinctively, his body stiff as if he'd been punched in the gut. "They... they know who we are?"
Julie felt her blood turn to ice. Reality hit her hard. Her fingers trembled as she hugged her own arm, a self-soothing gesture. "That doesn't make sense. How can they—"
"Easy, everyone," the priest said, raising his hands. His voice was firm but gentle. "For those who don't know me, I'm Father Khatri."
Khatri wasn't wearing a cassock. He carried no visible crucifix. Still, something in his posture, in his relaxed shoulders and calm voice, made it clear he had spent years guiding desperate people. Here, though, desperation was literal. And permanent.
He waited a moment, letting the weight of silence settle before continuing.
"We're all going to the basement. Only Kristi and Gina will stay up here with Tobey."
"There are no windows down there." Khatri pointed toward the back door of the clinic. "And those things won't be able to talk to you. Or try to trick you."
"BUT WHAT IF THEY BREAK IN?!" Jade shouted hoarsely. "ARE WE LEAVING TOBEY HERE ALONE?!"
"Hey. Breathe." Boyd stepped closer, firm. "Stop yelling. You're making it worse."
He waited until Jade steadied his breathing before continuing.
"They can't enter as long as the talisman is hanging and everything stays locked."
"So don't even think about touching it," Father Khatri finished, his tone heavy with bitter experience. "Or opening a window."
Boyd guided everyone toward the basement. Only Kristi and Gina stayed behind with Tobey.
Jade stared at the stairs leading upstairs, where Tobey was. Indecision tore him in half.
"And if... if something goes wrong? If he needs me?"
"Kristi's a doctor," Boyd said firmly, not unkindly. "And Gina knows this place better than anyone. Your friend is in the best hands possible here."
"But—"
"You need to be okay to help him tomorrow," Father Khatri added, placing a hand on Jade's shoulder. "And for that, you need to rest tonight. Understand?"
Jade swallowed, the lump in his throat nearly choking him. He nodded. A short, defeated motion.
Julie went down the stairs beside Daniel, her arm brushing his, as if the contact made her feel safer. His warmth was real. Solid. Unlike the cold creeping up her spine.
When the door opened, it revealed a space that looked like a school conference room. Peeling walls, a few folding chairs stacked in a corner, and an improvised bed at the back.
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