Chapter 11: Signal Light
Lucy vanished for a short while.
As Zed started to feel his throat drying up and his sharp fangs threatening to pierce his lips once more, she returned.
With her, she brought a name of a place.
"Old Town Road."
Zed nodded and asked:
"Are you alright?"
He wasn't worried that Lucy would suffer any substantial harm; at least he didn't believe these criminals could hurt her in a way he couldn't fully understand.
His greater fear was that Lucy had seen something she have never seen before.
After a few seconds, Lucy slowly nodded at Zed.
"You really should have killed them."
Without a sound, Zed quietly checked the bullets, magazine, and chamber.
The vibe he exuded in his serious state was enough to kill a Brute. He resembled a master artist, meticulously preparing his brushes for a grand creation. Lucy found he is really different from others.
Even though she knew that Zed's preparations were meant for taking lives rather than creating, she couldn't move her eyes from that hands.
His proficiency didn't seem like that someone who'd been sitting behind a desk for a long time should possess.
It was like a real killer.
*Click**clack*
The crisp sound of a round being chambered broke the peaceful silence of the night.
Let us hunt those who have fallen into darkness...
****
"Please, don't hurt me!"
A wretched cry cut through the night sky. There was no beauty in the darkness here, no glimmering stars like those that adorned the ruins above.
In the eyes of the trapped, the darkness was an absolute nightmare.
"Then be quiet!"
A deep male voice growled.
He fast yanked on a chain, and after a jangle of metal, the sound of swallowing filled the air under a willow tree.
"Eat up, and then be ready for work!"
The girl seemed lost and unsure of why she was being subjected to such terror. But when she saw the numb face on the other girls' faces.
The sound of chains meant it was time to eat, a cold breeze was a harbinger of torment.
Finally, amidst the chorus of swallowing, she broke down in tears, grabbing a woman who looked to be in her late twenties and shaking her.
"What did I do wrong? What have I done?"
The woman glanced at her and sighed.
Continuing to eat, she lowered her head even further, as if she were trying to bury it in the metal bowl. It was as if she had no face left to show.
The darkness was so intense that it was impossible to tell if they were eating with their hands or simply gobbling up the food directly.
Her name was Selene.
She knew she was in an open space surrounded by broken bricks and crudely cemented walls, with a large tree blocking all the starlight.
She saw men in the distance, some missing arms or legs. Beyond the blue iron door, she could hear two men conversing.
"I hope the stupid stiff works this time! I've heard the city is working on those organs from monster for their new Inernet. We should record our performances!"
"Yeah, it's been so long, we need some relaxation..."
"Right, those new guys are fast at catching 'inventories,' never heard of such a thing before."
"Really? Superpower? just like boss."
"Shush, don't even mention it. You want to be chopped in pieces for feeding Brute?"
Hearing their conversation, Selene felt even colder, disgusted that living human beings were being referred to as mere 'inventory.'
As her mind gradually returned, an even greater fear made her shudder uncontrollably.The air was thick with despair, and Selene couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up in this wretched place.
Hearing the sound of chains from the woman next to her who had finished eating and retreated back into the corner, she was filled with even more regret.
Selene should never have went out these days, at leats not on her own. She certainly shouldn't have been so disinterested in the spores before. Most importantly, she should never have passed up the chance to become an Awakened.
She had dreamt about the Awakens and the tower that each of them was said to encounter in their dreams. But she had refused the call, simply because she was afraid of the pain.
Now, more than ever, she wished she were an Awakened. Although it wouldn't guarantee her escape, at least she would die a more natural death.
Time had lost all meaning for Selene as she spent what felt like hours, or perhaps even longer, in the darkness.
Suddenly, the sound of gunshots rang through the dark.
It followed by more gunshot like rain and a symphony of bullets hammering on the iron door. The terror was overwhelming, causing Selene to curl up on the floor, clutching her head.
But part of her even hope that perhaps, through this chaos, she could find a quicker, less agonizing death.
In moments like these, one's judgment could be completely clouded.
Strangely, the people around her remained numb, as if the deafening gunfire could not evoke even the slightest reaction from them.
It was horrifying.
That was Selene's last coherent thought before she was briefly stunned, and then she saw the stars.
Yes, the stars shone brightly once more, illuminating her world. She watched in awe as an entire willow tree was lifted from the ground, followed by a brief, earthquake-like tremor.
Her body was unnaturally shifting with the vibration, but after a series of even more violent noises, she heard a frustrated curse.
"Damn power spore... The description wasn't joking! A whole willow tree? For real?"
As the thick smoke cleared, she saw a young man dressed in rugged work clothes and black boots, flexing his arms and shoulders.
"Never knew..the vampire power feels just exactly like in the dream."
Selene worried if she should stand up, as the iron door had opened.
Not only had the door opened, but the entire wall had disappeared, leaving her uncertain about whether or not she should run.
Finally, she crouched down again, noticing the multitude of bodys and, more importantly, the heart held in the young man's hand.
He sniffed the organ for a second, then toss it to the ground hard.
"I'm not trying this. Forget it. That would be too twisted."
"What, you're saying it's not what I think?"
"Oh, well, that's good."
"Okay... I got it."
Selene had kept her eyes closed the entire time, her heart pounding in her chest. She was even afraid that the young man would hear her heartbeat, but her curiosity eventually got the better of her, and she opened her eyes.
She had a feeling that he wasn't a bad person – after all, he had killed the bad guys and dropped their hearts like feeding dogs.
When she opened her eyes, she was immediately blinded by a piercing scarlet light.
Rubbing her eyes, she saw a young figure with outstretched arms, adorned in a exquisite dark red gown.
He had white hair, the silhouette looked like he was doing some kind of ancient tantric ritual or curse.
He was like Vine Gogh in this starry night. Painting with blood tho.
Countless floating corpses were enveloped in a web of crimson, the blood-red line swirling like celestial trails in the sky, eventually converging on the young man's chest like a newly risen blood moon.
Right, where was the moon?
Selene searched the sky for a long time, finding only stars and no trace of the moon. She couldn't recall the last time she'd seen the moon or even thought of it, and nobody seemed to mention it either.
Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. In the end, everything just seemed strange.
When she looked back at the young man, he had returned to his original appearance, standing in front of her.
The darkness seemed to favor his face, shrouding him in an balck alluring haze.
He handed her a short, cold rod that was surprisingly heavy.
"You used signal before?"
Selene nodded dumbly.
"Twist it open after I leave."
Before Selene could react, the young man turned and ran off.
She watched him take each step, moving at a pace slower than any Brute she'd ever seen. It was as if he was deliberately taking his time.
Selene blinked her eye.
She turned back to the trapped people and ignited the signal in her hand.
Followed that, a heavy rain was coming.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone