«The sky is covered with clouds.»
«It is probably eight in the morning.»
The sounds of alarms rise.
People are running and screaming. All that matters to them is reaching the shelters.
"Run! The monsters have begun to leak into the colony! Everyone must flee!" The shouting voice of the guards rose through the streets and roads.
Amid all this chaos, Anas stands and stares at Lily, who has begun trying to avoid his gaze or open a topic of conversation to break the silence.
"E-Excuse me, Anas. Shouldn't we be running instead of you staring at me as if you're seeing me for the first time?" Lily spoke while holding her dress and gripping it tightly with nervousness.
Anas looks at her and tilts his head. "Oh? And why should I help you? I can escape easily on my own. Take care of your own matters." Then he turns and begins walking, placing his hands in the pockets of his trousers while thinking: Running will attract worse things as long as the monsters are already here. And I have no desire to meet that thing.
(He remembers his instinct that had been screaming at him to run when he saw those bloody eyes.)
I have no chance against it anyway. And no desire to die.
As he walks through alleys and turns to avoid danger, he hears the sound of footsteps following him, so he turns to see who it is, even though his intuition tells him it is Lily.
When he turns, he sees her.
As expected, she was following him.
He sighs and stares at her. "Let me guess, you don't want me to abandon you as usual, right?"
Lily looks at him. "A-Anas. I know you hate responsibility and hate taking care of us all the time… but I beg you, I beg you—" (tears begin to flow from her eyes) "Anas, I beg you to search for my sister. She was in the expedition that left yesterday to gather medicinal herbs."
Anas turns completely and stares at Lily. "Oh? First, I'm tired of taking care of you since your father left you to go with that noblewoman, especially since I gain nothing from it. Second, that idiot went and threw herself into danger even though she's weak. She was always watching me to learn what I know, yet she remains an annoying, weak fool. Third, your sister is probably dead. I have no desire to risk my life searching for a corpse."
Lily trembles for a moment when Anas says her sister is dead. Then she clenches her fist, runs toward him, begins crying, and punches his chest before biting his right hand hard.
A faint groan of pain escapes Anas, but he does not respond. Inside he thinks: Damn this idiot. I would crush her if she weren't only fifteen years old.
Lily does not release him as she speaks.
"Don't talk about my sister that way! She went and volunteered for that mission that no one would accept because of its danger just to bring some medicinal herbs and some money for me and my mother! She suffers for us so much that she says she's full so we can eat her share! You don't know anything about her!!"
Anas hears all her words and does not respond.
When she finishes, he says, "So that's it? That's why she went on the expedition. Fine, let's say she survived and returned or is on her way back. Why didn't you go to meet her at the gate? Why didn't you ask someone other than me to help you? I'm not the smartest, not the strongest, and I don't have any social standing. So why are you asking me?"
Lily opens her mouth and steps a few paces away from Anas.
The marks of her small teeth are deeply imprinted in his hand.
"I-I'm sorry, Anas. But… I don't trust anyone but you despite everything, and I don't know anyone who helps without payment here except you." (She lowers her eyes.) "Despite your complaints and harsh words, you help without asking for anything. Also… my mother's condition has been very bad since yesterday. So I couldn't go meet her if she returned. But I feel it in my bones. I know Bianca hasn't died."
Lily looks at what she did to Anas's hand and notices that he… did not hit her or hurt her despite that.
Anas stares at Lily and says, "I'm still not convinced. I have no desire to help you."
Anas turns and continues walking.
Lily runs after him, grabs his black coat, and follows him silently for a few minutes before saying:
"Anas, I'm sorry for what I did. I promise I won't repeat it. Let's just search for my sister. At least let's search on our way to the shelter. Please, Anas, please."
Anas places his hand on his face and sighs.
"Fine. We'll search for your sister. Just stop giving me a headache with your loud begging that will attract monsters to us."
Lily's eyes widen suddenly. She hugs Anas tightly and murmurs as if making a prayer.
"Thank you… thank you. You are truly my savior. I don't want to lose anyone from my family. Including you. You are part of my family now."
Anas freezes the moment Lily touches him. His eyes widen.
A hint of redness appears on his face for a brief moment before he returns to his normal state.
Anas lifts Lily. She lets out a soft gasp before wrapping her arms around his neck.
She is light for him.
After all, that is what one meal a day does.
Anas begins running quickly. Lily's eyes widen as she whispers:
"Everyone used to say you're weak and cowardly… even my sister, my mother, and even your father. But it seems you're not like that. And even though you're not like that, you always let me outrun you. I'm just an idiot. Forgive me for my previous stupidity."
"Do you think I care?" (Lily's green eyes widen when she hears his words.)
"I don't care about what people do in a moment of emotional eruption. Letting out what's inside you is better than suppressing it."
Anas becomes distracted for a moment while staring at the horizon.
"Now be quiet and let me focus so we don't become dinner for the monsters."
Lily immediately falls silent.
Only her fast breathing can be heard, but she holds onto Anas tighter while thinking:
Anas, you have been my world since childhood. I will not let you go as long as I can hold onto you.
Anas's eyes move in every corner and direction.
He avoids places where monsters might be and continues moving like an unnoticed shadow.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
When he reaches the shelter, he gently puts Lily on the ground and pats her head.
Lily trembles for a moment, then pushes her head forward to increase the contact with his hand.
Anas raises his hand and begins running toward the gate.
Before he leaves, he hears Lily's voice:
"Take care of yourself, come back alive!"
When Anas hears her voice, the corners of his mouth rise slightly.
It seems this idiot hasn't and will never change. Perhaps I won't be able to get rid of her unless I die. Maybe she'll follow me to hell. Ah, Lily… Anas thinks while continuing to run.
Then he rushes faster toward the weapon shops.
I need a weapon if I'm going to run in this dangerous place. I hope I find good things before… I encounter something.
He knows that facing an enemy while unarmed is considered suicide.
Let alone facing a monster while unarmed.
When he arrives, he finds the place nearly deserted.
Swords scattered on the ground.
Arrows, bows, the iron furnaces still working.
Hammers and iron pieces still red from heating.
But he does not care about all that.
Instead, he heads toward the nearest shop, enters, and begins searching for a weapon.
"What is this? Do they only make swords, bows, and axes? Damn their stupidity. It seems they took everything good with them. Greedy." he mutters while walking among the weapons.
After a minute he decides, picks up a dagger and a short sword, and exits heading toward the gate.
Then he hears a rough male voice speaking.
"You hide yourself skillfully. Who taught you how to do it?"
Anas turns and stands without a stance, staring at the source of the voice.
He sees a large man with scars on his face holding an axe and smiling.
"No one taught me. Just watch animals in the wild and you'll learn everything." Anas says while scanning the man before him with focused eyes.
The man claps and smiles wider.
"Amazing! I like you. What do you think about working together? I'm heading to fight that strange monster. We'll make a good team."
Anas tilts his head.
"Oh? But I don't want to die. If you want to die, die alone."
Anas turns and begins running again toward the gate.
The man stares at him, then begins walking in the opposite direction.
"Don't worry. We will meet again. I feel it, young man."
After minutes of running and scanning the place that has become a miniature execution field.
The smell of blood mixed with fear fills the place.
Dead people.
But the reason is not monsters.
They were trampled by the fleeing crowds.
Humans… we become worse than animals because of a little fear. Anas thinks while running without stopping.
After a few steps his body suddenly feels something heavy pressing on his soul.
It is the same feeling he felt earlier from that strange monster.
He turns quickly without thinking twice and runs in the opposite direction.
He slows his breathing and slips through shadows and debris quickly.
As expected, this thing is dangerous. I must deal with it carefully.
He whispers to himself and continues running.
While running, he catches sight of a body lying on the ground.
He approaches cautiously and finds a blonde girl who resembles Lily slightly. Her hair is dark blonde.
It is Bianca. Lily's older sister.
Blood flows from her forehead and bruises cover her body.
He stares at her for a moment, then lifts her and runs carrying her to take her to the shelter, avoiding the place where he felt that strange presence earlier.
But…
Suddenly the monster appears and stands before him.
Its imposing size makes its shadow cover Anas completely.
Its red eye with a black pupil like that of a cat stares directly at him.
Its breathing is clear from this close.
Calm.
Steam comes out with each exhale.
Its mouth is filled with a sticky red liquid…
Human blood.
Anas freezes.
His breathing becomes rapid and shallow.
His heart pounds violently and its rhythm grows faster and faster.
What is this? The scent of a predator is so strong it almost suffocates me.
His mind tries to calculate probabilities.
Suddenly—
Fwoosh
Blood splashes from Anas's hand.
The monster's eyes widen slightly as it stares at this human standing before it with greater focus.
Anas has cut his hand with the dagger.
His usual expression returns—one devoid of fear… or at least he is controlling it now.
He slowly places Bianca on the ground.
Then he draws the short sword and dagger, standing without a combat stance while staring at the monster.
"As long as you breathe, eat, drink, and have a heart pumping blood inside you… then you are something that can die. And that means I can kill you. Isn't that right?"