Chapter 6
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Episode 1 - Stories from a circus train [6] ─────────────────────────────────
Falling to the ground, I struck my cheek against the corner of a wooden crate the moment I tripped.
'Damn it…'
Cursing, I tried to get up, and just as the others ran past, Sohel stopped and extended his hand.
"Come on."
I took his hand and got up from the ground quickly; however, when I thought I could continue running, a crate suddenly fell in front of us.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
The heavy objects inside the crate were flung outward: huge nuts, tools, and gears.
"..."
Frowning, I realized that the Anomaly was behind us.
I looked at Sohel and said:
"There's no other option."
Sohel nodded, as if he understood what we had to do.
Searching the tailcoat vest I was wearing, my hands touched the cold metal of a revolver.
I wasn't sure how many bullets it had, and I couldn't place too much hope in an ordinary weapon while we were fleeing from an Anomaly with supernatural powers.
I took the revolver from the vest, pulled it out, and moved the weapon swiftly.
The tip of the revolver's barrel pointed toward the Anomaly's head.
As it advanced, the Anomaly began to extend its long, black tentacles emerging from its back.
At an incredible speed, the tentacles reached right in front of me.
Sohel, who seemed to be good at agility, rolled toward a crate; then he jumped and extended his hand to touch the tentacles.
Meanwhile, I pulled the trigger of the revolver, causing a bang that echoed throughout the warehouse.
Bang!
The bullet, golden in color, flew through the air toward the Anomaly's head, covering a distance of five meters in less than a second.
Burst!
At the same time, Sohel had touched two of the six tentacles, causing them to swell and explode.
Black flesh, fragments of bone with protrusions, and a dark liquid that melted everything in its path scattered across the area.
Simultaneously, the bullet struck the Anomaly's right temple, shattering a fragment of pale flesh.
The Anomaly's head tilted to one side and, suddenly, it emitted a deafening sound from its distorted mouth.
"Cover your ears!!"
Sohel shouted in alarm upon realizing that the Anomaly might use a power that attacked the mind.
I brought my hands to my ears and did everything I could to cover them, preventing even the slightest sound from getting in.
Screech!
The grotesque, distorted, and reverberating sound echoed throughout the warehouse.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
At the same time, the animals locked in cages went mad upon awakening to the Anomaly's scream.
"..."
"..."
Immediately, some cages were smashed, and bizarre creatures with indescribable corporeal forms began to emerge, crashing into anything in their path.
'Shit, this turned into complete chaos.'
Still unable to find the exit door, this became a situation where desperation was inevitable.
When the Anomaly stopped screaming, it lowered its head and raised its hands and the remaining tentacles.
I quickly raised the revolver and aimed at its head again.
Sohel, seeing the Anomaly about to move, looked around and spotted a doll similar to a voodoo doll, with a drop of black liquid right beside it.
Sohel grabbed the doll, brought his thumb to his mouth, and bit it. Then, with the drops of blood that came from his thumb, he smeared his blood onto the doll, which already contained the Anomaly's blood.
Upon seeing this scene, I thought:
'He's going to cast a curse…'
I pulled the trigger of the revolver, and the bullet was fired immediately; however, I didn't stop with just one.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Two bullets were aimed at the head, and the other two at the shoulders of the Anomaly.
This was because some Anomalies performed hand gestures to activate certain supernatural powers.
Taking the announcer from the previous stage as an example, he could lift anything and pull it toward himself, similar to telekinesis. To use that ability, he made a hand gesture.
Bang!
All four bullets hit their targets. Of course, they didn't cause significant damage; however, they left the Anomaly temporarily stunned.
At the same time, Sohel brought his hand to his hair, searching for a fastener. When he found it, he stabbed the needle-sized object into the doll's chest.
"..."
Boom!
Suddenly, the Anomaly shook violently, as if feeling intense pain in its chest. The tentacles on its back retracted and covered that area.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sohel and I ran toward where the others had gone.
However…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The animals that had previously escaped seemed to have noticed our presence and began chasing us.
'No, damn it! Animals are usually faster than a human; if I don't find a hiding place or the exit door, it's most likely they'll ram into both Sohel and me.'
Clenching my teeth as I ran, I suddenly remembered the people from before.
'I don't see them… it's as if…'
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I suddenly noticed a door. It was red, with a common, ordinary shape, nothing special about it.
However, upon seeing it, I noticed that the teenage girl was completely alone in front of it.
'That's the exit.'
Sensing the chaos around her, the teenage girl looked in our direction.
When she saw Sohel and me, she waved her hands, pointing at the door.
"It's the exit, hurry!"
Sohel and I looked at each other for a second before nodding and running as fast as we could.
At the same time, I felt how the flowers slowly covered my entire torso and back, descending down to my waist.
'Just in time. Most likely, the ghostly seed will finish infecting me completely in half an hour. Fortunately, once I get out, it'll be as if I was never infected.'
Finally, I reached the red door and, in a hurry, entered without hesitation along with Sohel and the teenage girl.
Instantly, darkness flooded my vision, causing me to pass out.
***
At some point, I felt that I was sitting and that there was some weight on my legs.
With my head muddled, I opened my eyes almost immediately.
I immediately realized that I was sitting inside a hall; moreover, there were more people seated around me.
'As far as I remember, only six of us escaped, but here there are at least thirty, and all of them are wearing very elegant work suits…'
Then I noticed that my clothes were different. I was wearing a black suit with gloves on my hands, a vest similar to the one I had before, plain trousers, and black shoes.
On top of that, I suddenly looked at the box resting on my legs. I had both hands placed on top of it, as if I were preventing it from opening.
However, I quickly realized what box it was.
'The prize box I won in that raffle… This…'
I couldn't finish my thoughts when, suddenly, the lights on a podium turned on.
This time, I could see my surroundings better; all the people in suits were seated in organized rows.
The hall was large, and there was a turned-off projector right behind where the seats were located.
When I looked forward again, I saw a podium toward which all the lights were pointing.
In the middle of the podium stood a thin man, clean-shaven.
He wore an elegant suit, though with clear differences compared to the others. The man smiled and wore a mask that only covered his eyes and caused a sense of distortion in the rest of his face.
Just then, the man opened his mouth and spoke into the microphone in front of him.
〖Hello, hello… Looks like it's working fine. Well then, congratulations to the candidates who passed the entrance test for the Department of Supernatural Registration〗
The man gave a loud clap; however, no one did the same, watching with confusion what was happening there.
〖Oh, right, the Supernatural Registration Department on the surface is a real estate agency that sells houses. Perhaps that's why some got confused, but most should already know this, right?〗
He looked at several people in front of him. At that moment, I saw that some were nodding.
In passing, I could see Sohel and the teenage girl sitting at a distance of at least one meter.
'The Supernatural Registration Department… Isn't that a place where Anomalies enter for various purposes, such as identity protection, for example? And it just so happens that Sherlock Holmes is known as a criminal, and that woman managed to find him when I took over his body…'
A general idea began to form in my mind, giving me a clearer view of the situation and of why that mysterious letter was sent to Sherlock.
〖Then, congratulations on passing the test. Now I will talk to you a bit about the Supernatural Registration Department, and then I will announce the ranking and the rewards for having passed the test〗
The masked man cleared his throat before continuing.
〖First, you chose to enter this place mainly for your safety, which we can guarantee. Second, you will be assigned to different Squadrons and Schools depending on your ranking; if you become Worker of the Year, you will be greatly rewarded〗
〖Of course, there is a lot to talk about, but I will only say what might catch your attention the most for now; the details will be given to you later. Third, the money you will receive will be generous. Fourth, the Supernatural Registration Department will give you a Supernatural Fragment of Path 9. Fifth, there is a variety of rules you must follow; they will be given to you later. Sixth, I previously mentioned a prize for the best worker of the year, so I will show you what kind of reward it is. So this will be everything that could capture your attention〗
The man finished speaking.
Then I turned my head to one side, where there was a table covered with a cloth that hid something relatively large.
The man walked over to the table and removed the cloth.
What was on it appeared to be a Potion; the liquid inside was extremely strange.
It had a black color with purple hues, and in addition, small stars could be seen floating within the liquid, as if outer space were trapped inside a bottle.
'What is that?'
I didn't seem to be the only one asking the same question.
The man took the Potion, or what seemed to be a Potion, and spoke as he returned to the center of the podium.
〖This is what will be given to the Workers of the Year. It is called
'Isn't that too unreal? Besides, I never heard that such a potion existed in
The mystery of the
'A wish…?'
What was my greatest wish, or the greatest question I had never found an answer to?
'I have no intention of returning to Earth, unless I can no longer endure staying in this world.'
If I obtained that potion, I would not wish to return to Earth.
But I also wouldn't use it immediately.
'Forget it, I barely know of its existence. I don't even know if I'll be able to obtain it in the near future.'
The masked man, noticing the silence of the audience, burst out laughing.
〖Impressive, isn't it? Well, I also reacted like you the first time I heard about this potion, but I can assure you that its effects are real〗
Placing the potion back on the table, the masked man then took a box that was behind it and said:
〖Now I will proceed to mention the rankings and deliver their respective rewards〗