1 - My World Is No More

My story is not one to dwell. For it only brings about pain for my mistakes, my stupidity, and also my carnage for power. I was a young child at that point. A normal one, as much as one could be from the streets that groomed me while the continuous hunger never being filled.

But I soon became something else entirely, I was no different to those abomination called; Demons.

If you want to listen, then you will have to first understand the beginning of how this whole thing started…

XXX

There was no real words of when it came to the house that looked to be ready to fall apart. The location was dark and empty. And yet the family lived there with some comfort. It was something they had for themselves, a place to be called their own as a family.

The family consisted of 3 members. The mother, the father, and the young boy - their son. This family was of no special aspects to society, they weren't rich nor poor but they lived...normal.

A father who works and earns for the family while the mother cares for the house and their only child. There was nothing special that would grant an appeal to any of these people. The child they took care of, a dark haired boy with blue eyes wasn't one who was adorable but not hideous at the same time. He was named Joshua, a common but nice name which the parents took the liking to.

He was an enigma to the streets from where the family lived. Joshua was not gifted the privilege for education at a early age and had to learn from brief information by his parents, the child was provided more freedom with regards to such broken education as is the things that was not meant to be learned at his age. The random shady people were aware of the child constantly being around the dangerous parts of the area, it was an easy way for the boy to be kidnapped indeed. However, the opposite had occurred. Joshua grew onto those random strangers who was constantly near those neon light bars and shops with weapons being the common a certain area.

They gave him stories of their petty fights and thievery. Joshua didn't know what was good or bad and the people who was around him took that as a mean of teaching him various things.

He was street smart, that was what several people had acknowledged, there was several people who had come to attack him out of their drunken state and the boy had led them to a corner with their staggered limping body following along for stress relief. The loud noises of objects falling over them was clear for anyone near the alley to hear and see the boy tower the men with a look of curiosity.

The boy wasn't taught anything but from the basic of stuff from both people and parents. He was still a child nevertheless, and children learned from their surroundings more clearer than any other people could.

XXX

*Sizzle!*

"Joshua! Dinner is ready~!" The one who called out for the boy was his mother.

The mother raised her voice in the direction of the stair in which Joshua's room was, her hand holding onto the handle of the stove with the food nearing the time for it to complete it's job. The father was simply sitting at across from her, near the table reading a book in a stereotypical manner. He looked at his wife who was continuing to shout out the child's name before the man brought her attention to him.

"If you're calling for Joshua, he left quite a bit ago. Most likely he went to the nearest park."

"What?! When was it that he left?" The woman got too close to the man's face causing him to back away with a slightly sheepish smile. "He didn't even say anything."

"Mm... I think he may have left around an hour and a half ago?" The man scratched his head, "I didn't notice it right away either what the time was and must of just let him go without actually focusing."

The mother glanced towards the door worriedly before the woman held her hand and caressed it. "Don't worry dear, he's always been adventurous at the most confusing of times, this is nothing new."

"…But to not tell us? It doesn't seem normal at all."

"Well, he has been quiet lately. A friend of his has just left and now he's all alone, after all."

"..That's true, but then, where could he have gone? Even if he's sad, even more than that, he doesn't like being alone." She rubbed her temple before sighing. "It wouldn't make sense for him to go to the park with no one…I accepted the fact he hangs around those gangs in the slums but…"

"He's a strong boy, at least he's happy everyday rather than being stuck here." The man calmly reassured. A knock on the door caught the two adult's attention being a smile to his face. "That must be Joshua right now, see. Nothing to worry about."

XXX

The subtle sound of rusted metal. An empty swing moving back and forth, slowly. A boy was swinging on the next swing oh so slightly. Alone. Looking to his feet with a melancholic expression, his shoes not fully reaching the ground below him.

"That old man wasn't here today, huh…"

The boy said meekly, to no one in particular. It seems the person he had expected to see was not present. He was the only one in the park. The park was an unusual time to go at this time, but it never worried him like the other children his age had felt with their parents. The people who noticed the people from the slum acted differently, Joshua couldn't tell why but he would never receive an answer even when he asked as such from those people. The sky was slightly cloudy, it was probably time to eat.

"Guess I'll go home then." He said half heartedly. No matter how odd it would seem, the boy felt like there was possibly someone listening. Or at the very least, he never truly felt alone. He wondered why he always felt that way, despite his newfound loneliness. Arthur stood up from the swing and proceeded to make his way home in silence.

He felt odd. For some reason, he felt like he wasn't at that park for that long. And yet, it was somehow already sunset. He had arrived at the park around 3PM. It couldn't have been that he was sitting there doing nothing for that long. Not only that, but it seemed like there weren't many people around as well. Usually, more people would be at the park so that he could at least play with someone else while he was there.

But, this time, nobody was there, all day. From the time he arrived, to now when he was leaving. It's almost as if they were avoiding it. To be fair, not many people actually went to that park altogether, but there were some kids and their parents.

Circumstances aside, there should be at least one family, or a couple of kids.

As a matter of fact...it didn't even seem like there were people around in general. That was nothing new though, but the atmosphere gave a different vibe to him.

The boy didn't see anyone outside of their houses on his way to the park, but that much was normal within a such a troubled area. The problem was that you would see a car pass by the park occasionally on weekdays. People heading to and from work, or to the store, or elsewhere.

But he didn't see any cars today. He didn't even hear them. It was like he was the only person left on earth...

As he strolled his path home, he noticed something. A smell. A pungent, and unfamiliar smell. An unpleasant smell.

But he could not pinpoint where it was originating from. Almost like it was all around him. It made him feel uneasy. He decided to walk a bit more quickly towards his home.

His home….wasn't this far...?

For some reason, even though he was walking down the right path, it seemed like he should've already reached the exit of the large park….It was a longer walk than he truly expected.

He felt incredibly uneasy. He felt like his instincts were trying to warn him of something. Something was behind him? But there was nothing there. No, maybe it was something that was "all around" him. He certainly felt like that was the case. As if he was locked in some never-ending dome.

"Haah... Hah…" His breathing became ragged. What's going on? He wasn't tired. He was walking a bit quickly, but definitely not enough to warrant him being out of breath. The reason was simple.

He was afraid.

He doesn't know what it is that he fears, but he can feel it. It's right next to him. It's over him. It's all around him. In this "dome" of a world. A world that never ends. A place he can't escape.

Just as he was feeling paranoid, the sky began to curve. It looked as if the evening sky was now visibly a ceiling. The path he was going down began curving upwards as well. Almost like he was peering over a hilltop that was gradually rising before. He could only think one thing.

It was like a dome.

Joshua started running. It wasn't a full on sprint, but nevertheless, the boy was making his way quickly down the path.

He was right. The ground below him was curved upward. The more he ran, the more he would just see more of the same concrete rolling over the top. It was as if the path was endless. As if the world was contained within some sort of fisheye lens.

He then felt something approaching him from behind. Yet when he glanced back, he saw nothing.

No, something was still there. The feeling of something, he can't get rid of it. What should he do?

As if answering his call, something 'indistinct' answered. A slam to the corner of the road which joined with a loud screech.

?!

The boy was in a full sprint. He was running with everything he had.

He could feel It! "It" was behind him! Something was chasing him! It was closing in! It was right behind him! He could feel its presence with every fiber of his being!

He didn't want to see it. He wanted to keep his eyes shut. He didn't want to see the same path stretch further and further. He simply kept his eyes closed out of fear, and sprinted.

It was there! It was going to touch him! It was mere inches away! It was reaching out towards him! It's going to touch him!

And only one last feeling was surging through his body—

DEATH.

*BAM!*

The boy suddenly tripped and tumbled over, falling onto his back. He looked up at the sky. It was no longer the same odd color from before, it just seemed like your average evening sky... It wasn't in any bizarre shape like a dome either, it was just his regular perception of a sky...

...And most of all, the "feeling" from before was gone…

He picked his upper body up to look around. He was no longer in the park. In fact, the park was behind him. Somehow, it was almost 30 meters away, hardly even in sight... Had he really ran that far? But he was just in the park, wasn't he..?

That's right, he tripped over something.

The boy looked down to whatever caused him to lose his footing.

It was the corpse of a small squirrel.

"Ah!"

He couldn't help but squeal. After what he had been through he was already paranoid enough. Now, there was a dead animal in front of him. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the squirrel had been spuashed by something.

"Oh. You must've been run over, huh…." Despite seeing the corpse of an animal, He had calmed down a bit. It must have given him a sense of reality after the surreal nightmarish feeling he was experiencing earlier.

He decided to forget about the previous event out of fear.

The poor squirrel lay there, lifeless. The death was most certainly instant. It must have been a truck. It looked like it had been crushed completely over its midsection. After all, nothing else could have done something like that. Joshua stood up straight, despite the subtle weakness in his legs.

Oh well, there was nothing he could do now. The poor thing was long gone. The best he could do was tell the dog owner. He was in the suburban area now after all. Joshua walked over to the nearest house, without a fence blocking it off, and decided to knock.

After a few minute, a response never came.

"Oh." Well, maybe he should've rang the doorbell first. He shook his head from sort act of losing some common sense and rang the doorbell. The cutesy doorbell rang, and the boy waited patiently for someone to answer the door.

That's odd. It seems a bit too easy to hear the doorbell from the other side of the door, doesn't it? It's not a loud doorbell, so for it to be heard clearly through the door was odd. That must mean the house is intensely quiet.

Not to mention, there was no answer. Could no one have been home? No, that can't be. All of the lights in the house were on. As a matter of fact…There we even light was peering through the door frame.

He pushed the door a bit. There was no restriction. The door was open. He wasn't able to tell immediately because it was almost fully closed, but indeed, the door was left slightly open.

Another feeling of fear came over him…

He wanted to go home. But, something else urged him forward. It was like he was comprised of two clashing personalities. One telling him this place was dangerous, the other telling him he needs to check inside. Possibly because. There was someone there..? Was it his instincts telling him these things?

It certainly didn't sound like anyone was in the house. So, why does he feel like there is? And why did it feel like that same "incident" from earlier, 'run'? His better judgment would've been to listen to the feeling and back away. Walk home. But, If there was someone in there, then why does it feel like he shouldn't leave them in here either?

Joshua finally decided to open the door.

He didn't announce his presence. A wise decision, unbeknownst to him. The lights were on just like he thought. The first thing he saw was the staircase leading up to the rooms, presumably. To his left, he saw a living room. It was empty, but other than that, everything seemed relatively normal. The TV was left on, playing some random talk show.

*Meow~*

"..Oh!" A cat scurried by his legs, running out the door. Well, if the family is here, then he might as well apologize for letting their cat escape. The next room was to his right. It was a kitchen—

"..Brother?" A girl was standing there. She was standing near a kitchen table, staring at him. She was a small girl, probably around 4 years old, with blue eyes, a brown haired bob cut, and wearing a large pink shirt that basically went down over her knees. But most of all—

—She was drenched in blood.

?!

Joshua approached the little girl without hesitation, despite his fear.

"..Brother?"

The girl stared up blankly at him. Her eyes were empty and dull, like a dead fish. Her expression was blank and she didn't move, aside from her head. She had her arms hanging down loosely, with a rabbit plushie in her right hand. But why was she covered in blood? There was nothing in the kitchen that indicated anything bad happened.

And what kind of thing could happen that could bathe her in this much blood—

*Bom* *Bom* *Bom...*

The sound of heavy footsteps... Coming from the left of him, where another door was leading into the back section of the house was close to the side. Meanwhile, the entrance which he came through was behind him. For some reason, he had the feeling that he would need to get ready to run.

That reason was…

"..Eh?"

A tall creature with an elongated body of black, leathery skin— No eyes and no mouth— ducked its head under the doorway it entered from. And in the grasp of its elongated, three-pronged claws - was a severed woman's head.

!?—?!

The boy grabbed the girl and ran outside of the house!

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

A blood curdling, ear piercing scream was let out from behind him. It was undoubtedly the monster's. It screamed and yet it had no mouth! The sound of glass breaking, originating from the house.

It's going to chase after them!

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

It's above them! It's running and jumping across rooftops! No matter where he turn he took, it jumped to an adjacent rooftop and effectively caught up! Only his fear ridden mind ran faster than the monster itself.

"Run faster! Faster faster faster faster faster faster faster! FASTER!"

He was running with all of his might, but along with the girl's weight, and his previous sprinting, he was already at a disadvantage. It's hard enough carrying another child, when you are a child yourself.

No! That didn't matter! This monster was certainly faster either way! A monster! A real monster! Is this what was at the park?! Is that what was following him originally?! If that was the case, why didn't it get him right away?!

No! Wait! If it's the one from the park..! Then I can outrun hi—! The moment his thoughts had become optimistic—

The monster had slashed his back open.

"Ahrgh." He tumbled over, while still maintaining his grip on the girl that was latched to his chest. He rolled over multiple times, sliding against the hard ground to a stop, smearing a blood trail across the street. As a result of the attack, he was left discombobulated.

Where was he? He doesn't even know. It had to be some neighborhood near his house. It wasn't far from here. Ah, that's right, wasn't he running from something..? Why does he have this girl with him?

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

?!

The monster!

He sprung himself up and realized he was sitting on the floor, with a searing pain and wetness on his back. His eyes darted everywhere around him.

'I can't see it! Where did—?!'

*DON!*

The monster suddenly landed on the ground ahead of him, cracking the floor beneath it. Slowly, it stood. 2 meters tall, and with an unnatural, elongated form. As if the creature was made from black steel and bone only. And slowly, it approached.

"...No!"

The boy tried to scurry back, but…

*Clang!*

He was met with the fence of another person's residence.

"S-SOMEBODY..! H-HEELP!" The boy cried out in terror, hoping that someone would hear him.

Are there even any people around? Did this thing kill all of them? No, something like that couldn't be possible. Yet there was no one. Do they just not hear them? Do they not hear the monster's screams?

For all of that was happening, only one thing was certain.

—No help was coming.

"S-S-Stay back!"

He mustered up the last of his courage and extended his left arm, hoping to halt the monster. Of course, he knew that was futile. The monster only continued approaching slowly, while clicking its fingers and head in a disturbing manner.

"I-I S-S-S-SAID STAY BACK!" Was this it? Was this how he was going to die? Without even saying goodbye to his parents?

…He didn't even get to save the girl..?

"KIIIIIIIIIIIII!!"

'I don't want to d-die! Not here! Please! At least if I die here..! At least..! Not this girl..! Don't let her..!'

As the monster approached, clicking its body, stepping closer and closer - something moved. From the inside of his body, something moved...

*Click click click.*

'PLEASE! Just..! Just..!'

In one instant, something happened..

"STAAAAAAY BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCKKKK!"

*Bang*

A loud flash blinded him along with the monster and forced it away from the two children.

"KIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeee!"

The light was so bright and powerful, that it caused the monster to flee. Its screams died down as the light did, and when he could finally see…There was nothing. The monster was gone.

".What happened?"

A shadow loomed from the side and looked up to a figure running on the rooftops. A sharp blade on his right hand as he sliced the monsters that appeared from some sort of whirlpool in the sky.

There was more behind him! He tried to call him out but saw no reason to utter a word when noticing the person merely point his gun at the monster and blow its head away from its body.

Joshua felt a modicum return to him after realizing how the monster was easily handled by the figure.

'I don't know what he did, but he scared the monster of...'

"Ah... Hahaha… I'm alive.."

He laughed tiredly. For some reason, he felt truly exhausted. His childish body could not keep up with the extraneous physical activity he forced upon himself. Not to mention, he felt even more exhausted after he stopped screaming. And his left side felt loose and light for some reason…

Joshua looked down to his left arm in curiosity.

"...Eh?"

His arm was gone...how did he not notice, was it because of the light?! The sudden pain was noticed due to the adrenaline but soon after, the blood continued to leak. He covered his mouth with his right and now his 'only' hand to make sure his weeping was not heard.

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts IT HUUUUUUUUUURTSSSSS!!!

He looked at the girl who was knocked unconscious and without any major injuries except for some scratched and blood which his left side had plastered on her face.

XXX

This was a disaster, how could this have happened so suddenly?! He had the power and skills to prevent himself from death from these demons and yet...he was too careless. This all soon happened when that man came into his shop.

The tower that rose from the ground and the presence of his brother inside such thing. The tower was big and dark. No doubt filled with even more deadly monsters...no demons. It was a mistake on his part to not take it seriously and appear outside to see the massacre of normal humans being slaughter in front of him.

The anger he felt erupted inside him as he charged forward with his blade and guns slaughtering the one that were close to the humans ready to be killed. He took no precautions for when the demons with scythe stabbed him from every side of his body but continued to dash ahead.

"Go! Get out of this place!!!" His loud command frightened the people he saved who just merely ran away from the scene and wanting to forget the situation ahead.

The town was becoming disastrous. Cars charged ahead with no proper navigated and crashed into demons and humans before erupting into flames and explosion when coming into contacts with other vehicles.

"Just what are you planning, Vergil?"

XXX

What was he supposed to do with her?

No, now wasn't the time to leave her behind either way. If he don't find somewhere safe soon, then he'll surely get killed. There are many looming threats far greater. The tower that erupted and shook the earth only made the loss arm of his ache even more and pulse.

The creatures; all moving in separate directions, randomly. They looked like-minded beasts with no true direction, wreaking havoc across this place he lived in. Noises of the monsters was soon heard, no longer silent but loud and clear for everyone to hear which was merged with the screams of the people who was slaughtered by them.

His throat felt unbelievably dry. He couldn't even begin to imagine what else could be out there, even more dangerous than the he came out alive. He needed to find somewhere safe. He needed to go hom—

?!

"Mum! Dad!"

He unconsciously shouted. His parents! That's right! He was so distracted by thoughts of self preservation that he'd forgotten about his mother and father! He planned to run forward but halted himself, what could he do if they caught him. They didn't look like monsters that are smart.

It was amazing how he had the capability to calm down a little and notice the aspect when he noticed one of them attack one of it's own.

He needed to be stealthy, quiet and silent.

If the planned failed, he can only hope the person who saved him and the girl would somehow appear and finish them off.

'When you rely on others too much, you lose confidence on your own ability.' The boy shook his head of the memories from what the old man once said. A memory of what an old man said to him was replayed at the weirdest of time. He shook his head of the memory and tried to calm himself as much as he could.

He needed to muster some courage. Those constant sneaking he did when he watched people practicing something interesting was the key to surviving this moment. Their laughter and jitters made him frightened and furious at the same time as they continue to slaughter people running for their lives. He couldn't stop them, he didn't have the strength...the power to stop them. All he can do at this moment is escape unnoticed with his parents.

Joshua looked ahead of himself. Indeed, that was the direction of his house. So he can only assume they haven't moved yet at the general direction. Even though he lost his way, he should know his way back if he reached a certain street.

?!

Several dead bodies, some headless and some ripped apart like they were cheese strings laid on the side of the road and the scene made him puke his stomach out. The sight was horrendous and was something he could possibly never forget ever again. That's right. People are dying. Just like this random girl's family. People are dying and there was nothing anyone could do…Nothing he could do.

The image of the random girl's decapitated mother flashed through his mind. It was quickly replaced -- with his mother's own.

'I have to go! I have to find them!' He stuck to the shadows and tried his best to stay quiet. He took many different turns, preferring to cut through different adjacent pathways and only crossing streets when necessary.

His body felt absurdly heavy. His legs hurt, his back hurt, the phantom pain of his loss arm hurt. Even his head hurt, the throbbing caused by his blood pumping didn't help either. 'I want to go home. I want this to be a dream. I want to wake up. I want to go home.' He continued running. He quickly crossed another familiar street—

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONN…"

He's body froze…

'What is that?"

There was a sound. A vibration. A rumbling.

A grumbling.

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN…" A deep rumbling that resembled a bellow. Like the snarl of a beast. He ran to the closest thing that can hide from it's view.

—Too late.

*Splllllgg….*

The disgusting sound of something like moist skin.Something wet, like a squishing sound. But it was large. And it originated from directly to his right. Morbid curiosity forced his head to creak slowly to his right…

He was met with...

*Spllgg...*

A giant, glowing red eye.

?!

He bolted without hesitation.

'Another one! It's another monster! Again! Not again! It's big..! Too big! Bigger than a house! Huge!— It moved! Its eye opened! It looked at me! It saw me! It had white skin! But I couldn't see its body! It was too big! Too close!— Run! I have to run!'

Once again, The boy was sprinting more than he ever had in his entire life. It felt like his legs would give out at any moment. Only his sheer will was keeping his body moving.

"Hah! Hah! Hah, hah, hah!"

Joshua forcefully halted himself. He attempted to catch his breath, but he could only wheeze painfully and violently.

"Haaaah!…. Haaaaah!... Haah!..."

'It hurts! It hurts a lot! It feels like my chest and head are being crushed!— Help! Somebody, please help! It hurts! Mum! Dad! I'm dizzy! I can't breathe! I wanna go home!'

—A sudden feeling of the world crashing down on his body.

'..?! Wha—?! What is this feeling?!....Above me?"

Joshua looked up, and what appeared in the sky was..

*Shiin!*

Whirlpools. Oh no, they're coming! He ran away as soon as he noticed the monster's head pop out from the portal.

'Please let this nightmare end!'

There was once a time when the old man, had warned him of such existences.

Something that did not belong in this world of theirs. Those beings who "take the souls of innocents". Those who had no sense of morals but was prideful to the point of believing themselves as superior.

These were those same beings? They were real? The boy looked around the sky. Most of the monsters that had populated it were now no longer in sight. They must have scattered and went to the tower from what he can see. No. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that he knew they were all around him, just like the beasts.

A loud roar interrupted his thoughts. It was close. Ahead of him, a few shadows appeared above the rooftops of certain houses.

*ZIN!*

The sound of something being pierced, followed by a painful howl.

Then, suddenly, the body of a tall monster with a scythe fell.

'..?! Wha—?! Is it dead? What did—! What is that thing even?!'

"GAAAAAAUUUUUU!"

The boy hid behind a bush and placed a hand sternly over his mouth in order to silence himself. Multiple figures landed near the corpse of the beast that struck the ground. Three figures, to be exact.

Hollow faces with scythe. Red shredded robes which flowed continuously with the wind. They looked bigger than the others.

The trio stood around the corpse and seemed to have began speaking even though to Arthur it was just them screaming.

"Urgh..."

?!

The boy looked at the girl he carried and silently snarled at her. The noise may have given their position away.

The fear of being caught and killed caught his mind, he heard the sound of skin walking towards them and decided to stay quiet. The silent growl that came from the monsters was terrifying close but he held his breath along with covering the girl's by pushing her onto his chest.

When noticing the presence to have disappeared, he immediately jumped out from the shrubs and ran towards where his house should be, not caring for anyone to hear.

'Mum! Dad! Please be okay! I'm coming home, so please be okay! Please!'

—His body felt heavy. Heavier than ever before. He couldn't believe the physical stress he was under. His entire body was on the verge of collapse. Pure will was what was moving him.

His sides hurt. He was hungry. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. He was hardly aware of anything around him anymore. This really did feel like a dream. It was surreal. It didn't feel real in the slightest. But that's okay. When he saw his parents, it would all be alright. He would wake up when he saw them. They would have breakfast and his mother would comfort him after his bad dream. He knows it.

He would apologize for everything he's done. He would be the greatest son ever. He would make his parents proud. No more meetings with the old man. No more meeting the people in the slums. No more being sad about his friends leaving. No more difficulty making friends. No more troublemaking.

He'll take that martial arts class his dad wanted him to take seriously. He'll ask his mum to color coloring books together with him like when he was a toddler. He'll kiss him mum every morning. He'll hug his dad everyday. He'll never ask for anything he doesn't need. He'll never cause problems for his parents ever again.

He'll do all of that, and more. That's why,

'That's why, please be okay!'

*Slip!*

"Ah!"

Out of nowhere, Arthur slipped and lost his balance. He landed flat on his back.

*Thud!*

The girl dropped to the side as well with his mustered strength no longer able to carry her with one arm. "Rrgh…" He groaned in pain. If he wasn't already in pain from the physical stress, then he was hurting now even more after landing on his left side.

And his back was wet..

'What..?'

A liquid. A thick, almost "sticky" liquid. It smells. He lifted his hand. He couldn't see the color of the liquid because he was currently lying in the shadow of a house; the moonlight couldn't reach him from his position. He put his hand up to his nose and tried smelling the liquid.

...Copper? A familiar "copper-y" smell.

Arthur lifted his upper body up with a small groan. He could feel the thick liquid seep into the back of his shirt and shorts. It was on the back of his legs too. It was in his hair. All over his back. It felt gross.

Once again, he decided to put the liquid up to his nose. It does smell familiar.

'Doesn't this smell like…..when I saved the girl—'

*Crack!*

The sound of something cracking. A different sound to the cracking of wood. It sounded more like..

…Bones?

*Crack!*

—The boy slowly turned his head to the right, opposite of the house that was blocking the moonlight to the left of him.

He caught sight of a tree. There were giant lizard-like creatures sitting on one of the rooftop. One of them was eating something small, like a grape. The roof they were sitting on had broken and been bent from their large weight.

*Drip…*

But…the roof were dripping wet.

In fact, they seemed more like rope than vines…. They were bumpy and thick…. And they're torn at the ends…

The liquid dripping from the rope…. Joshua followed it to the ground. A thin streak of moonlight gave the tiniest bit visibility to the things on the ground, including the liquid that surrounded them….

Human torsos and blood.

"..Ah." The thing that was below the tree, and Joshua's body, was blood.

The rope was human intestines.

One of the lizards holding a grape, took a bite out of it.

*Crunch!*

—It was a human eyeball.

"BLERGH!"

The boy violently vomited onto the ground. The vomit mixed with the blood pool on the ground below him, only disgusting him further. He hadn't eaten in maybe 8 hours and didn't make it to lunch. And now, he threw up again, his stomach not having much in the first place.

"Haah…! Hah..! Hah.."

He was wheezing painfully. His dry throat now burned, and his stomach was empty. He didn't get a good look at the deceased mother of the unconscious girl…. But now, he didn't need to…. He was able to get his fill of death properly.

"Mmm—!"

He placed a hand over his mouth, as if to instinctively prevent something from escaping it. He felt the urge to regurgitate again. Probably nothing would come out, just some saliva and mucus, maybe.

He had to escape...he can't stop now.

He stood up unsteadily. His knees almost buckled under his weight. Whether that was because he felt weak or his body felt heavy, he didn't know. He didn't care either.

All he felt, aside from physical stress, was fear and despair.

The girl who still laid on the side of the ground was still not awake. He couldn't escape with her but he didn't want to leave her to die as well. Leaving her here will only guarantee such thing to happen.

The sight of the dead only reminded him of the possibility of his parents no longer being alive. He wrapped an around the girls waist and carried her and limped forward as fast as he could.

'No! I'm home! I'm almost there! Just one more minute! I'm right here!'

He was right. He was just a street down. It was far but he could make it. He turned the corner...

'There! There it is!'

He could see it. His house was down there, on the right side of the street. He could see it a few houses down.

He was almost there. He was almost home.

'I'm home! I'm home! I made it! Mum! Dad! I'm here! I made it! I'll never make you mad again! I'll be the best son in the world! I'll always make you happy! I promise! So please! Please!'

He threw the small fence of his house open loudly with his shoulder and limped as quickly as he could with the girl in tow, towards the front door. It was closed.

Nothing was broken. Everything seemed intact. In fact, it looked like the entire neighborhood was alright.

'It's okay! They're okay! Mum! Dad!'

He slammed the door open.

"Mother! Father!"

The house was empty.

He looked around. Nothing was out of place. The TV was off unlike the other house. The lights were off. He didn't smell anything rancid.

"Mum! Dad! It's okay! You don't have to hide anymore! I'm okay! There's no monsters around! Are you in a closet?! Are you upstairs?! It's okay! It's the real me!"

He ran upstairs and frantically searched the rooms. His room was empty, nothing in his closet. He went across to his parents room. This was the most logical place to be. Their closet would be the obvious choice. He approached it and slid the door open.

"Mum! Dad!"

….Nothing

...

...

'No....'

That's right. The police could have extracted them from the nearest station. They most likely already have been saved. The boy breathed a sigh of relief. It looks like he'll have to rest in the house by himself and the girl then.

He slowly descended down the stairs.

He was so unbelievably tired. Maybe he should eat something, he could already smell the food coming from the dining room. His parents might be mad at him when they see him.

Ah, that's right. Now that he thought about it, the dining room. He didn't check there. They couldn't possibly go there to find me right?

Nowadays, he always watches TV in the living room. So now, the dining room was quite far from the room since the space was not suitable space for other stuff.

"Aaaaah…I'm hungry…"

He stepped into the kitchen and saw some food made. There it is. He just threw up so he'll just eat a lot. The spaghetti looks nice.

*Clang.*

After deciding to serve himself some, he sat down at the table and ate it quietly.

He could see another door from the kitchen. Or at least part of it. With everything that's happened, he has thought a lot about his short life. So he was feeling randomly nostalgic.

Before he knew it, he had finished the food within minutes. That was enough for now. "I gotta get going.. I have to see where they took Mum and Dad. At least I'll stay in the safe area which was probably set up. Maybe even I'll be able to save some people…... Actually…. Maybe I'll just sleep in the living room…. Everything hurts…"

He looked to his left side, "...How am I going to explain this to them..."

Joshua made his way to the playroom out of nostalgic curiosity. He could see his old box of toys sitting at the corner of the room. He couldn't see the middle of the room from his angle though. Not until he turned the corner, at leas—

"—Ah."

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"Aaaah…"

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"Aaaah…. Aah…."

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The only thing visible, in the middle of the room, was a pond of blood with a severed human hand resting in the middle of it. A plate of food sprayed with blood.

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"Aaaah….. Aaaah….. Ah…"

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He groaned robotically, before he fell to his knees.

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"Aaah…. Aaah...? Aaaaaaah..."

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The hand was inherently feminine. Soft light skin.

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—And wearing a wedding ring on its finger.

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"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

XXX

That was only the beginning of his torment, you see...fate also began to turn when I saved something impersonating as a girl...

XXX

"Hugh!" A sharp object impaled his legs while halted his loud cry. The boy turned his head slowly to notice the girl's arm transform and darken into something crystal-like. The smile on her face made her more frightening that the boy didn't know how to react...

....Blood.

He fell holding on to his impaled leg as the girl walked towards the woman. The mouth was open before a gulping was heard. Did she…eat it?…The boy stood up with wobbly legs and walked towards the girl. Mother...Father...They didn't deserve such fates, these monster will pay.

The throbbing of his limbless arm started to burn as the anger built up from inside him. I'll kill you, "I'LL KILL WITH YOU!!!!" Joshua on impulse pulled the sharp crystal object and pulled it from his leg before charging at the girl.

The girl was no human but a monster in a human body. Her emotion never changed and continued to smile even as he charged with fury and rage.

The girl's hand turned into sharp weapon like blades which she thrusted forwards towards him but, he was faster and ducked before leaping up, with his rage and fury came with new found strength as he pushed her down. The pain from pulling the blade from his leg didn't register and only came into contact with the girl's throat before the girl can even attack.

The girl made a loud snarl that soon turned into whimpers as the boy continued to stabbed until there was no life in those eyes of hers. Black dust started to leak out from the girls body before seemingly disappearing. Not inspecting closely or it moving to dwell in his body.

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"...I...I promise to bring you back…Mum, Dad...so please, please wait for me..."