13 Rain and Screams {2}

Wearing his dark robe, with green flames flickering in his eyes, Lucas descended the stairs.

The prisoner holding Ella hostage shouted in fear, his breath heavy, as he pointed the knife at her neck and tightened his grip. "Whoever you are, stop right there, or I will kill this bit*h!"

Lucas fixed the prisoner with a cold gaze and spoke in a chilling tone. "Let her go, or you will soon regret it."

The prisoner, hearing this, clutched Ella more tightly. The gleaming knife pricked her neck, drawing a trickle of blood. He retorted, "Do you think I'm falling for your 'oh so scary' nonsense, or that we're playing games here?"

As Lucas moved a little closer to the light coming from the single bulb in the room, Ella noticed his face, her voice muffled by the cloth in her mouth, as she tried to shout. "Mmph! Hmmp!" Her desperate cries were stifled by the gag.

Lucas gestured with his hand, signaling for her to remain calm. He maintained unwavering eye contact with the prisoner as he warned, "Don't test me. I won't be lenient."

With those words, Lucas disappeared into the shadows within seconds.

Startled by Lucas's sudden disappearance, the prisoner exclaimed in confusion, "What? Where are you? Is this some shadow-traveling skill of yours? Come out, or I will make a hole in his neck!"

In the midst of the prisoner's panic and confusion, Lucas materialized out of the shadows, appearing on the wall behind him.

Lucas moved in silence, drawing near the prisoner's ear, where he whispered in a chilling voice, "Peekaboo."

The sudden sound of Lucas's voice sent a shiver down the prisoner's spine, and in his shock, he attempted to attack. He flung Ella aside, swinging his knife wildly at Lucas.

Lucas calmly dodged the frenzied attack with nimble agility, slightly leaning to the right to avoid the blade's path.

Swiftly, Lucas seized the prisoner's neck, his grip unrelenting. The man's hands trembled, and in his fear, he released the knife.

With cold, unforgiving eyes and the eerie green flames flickering within them, Lucas peered into the prisoner's soul.

His face was speckled with drops of blood from the previous struggle, giving him the appearance of a Demon of Death lurking in the darkness.

Lucas mouthed a phrase in a cold voice, "I told you that you would regret it. Now, die."

As he uttered these words, he raised the prisoner with one hand, murmuring, "Life Siphon."

As Lucas pronounced the incantation, his hand, clamped around the prisoner's neck, began to emit an eerie, dark green light, tinged with a malevolent hue.

The dark energy transformed into slim tendrils, snaking their way inside the prisoner's exposed neck.

The prisoner hung in the air, his face reddening, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

He cried out, "What... is this? Ahhh!" However, his agony cut his plea short as the sinister tendrils delved deeper, beginning to drain his life force.

As the life force was extracted from the prisoner, he struggled desperately, attempting to break free from the implacable grip that held him.

But his efforts were in vain. All that escaped his lips were agonized raspy gasps "guh..plea..se.. let me.. go".

Lucas, his voice resonating with fury, tightened his hold on the mummifying prisoner.

He asked through clenched teeth, "Did you and your friends spare the lives of those you killed? 'NO,' right?"

The prisoner's anguished screams persisted, but his form continued to wither and shrink with each passing second.

In the end, he transformed into a desiccated, mummified living corpse, devoid of muscle or blood, only skin-covered bones remained.

The other people held in the cabin, who had been mere hostages to the escaped prisoners' cruel whims, stood there, paralyzed by fear and disbelief.

The gruesome fate of their captor had unfolded before their eyes, casting an ominous shadow over the cabin.

Lucas, with a cold and resolute demeanor, flung the lifeless mummified corpse aside.

He lowered his hood, revealing his face, while the flickering green flames in his eyes gradually subsided.

His sister, Ella, who had been bound and gagged, was initially shocked by the horrifying spectacle. As she gazed at the lifeless remains of her captor, a mix of fear and relief welled up within her.

Lucas turned towards Ella, his expression softening as he met her eyes, and hugged his sister tightly, the weight of worry lifting from his shoulders as he felt her presence safe in his arms.

His voice was filled with a blend of emotions as he spoke, "Ella, are you alright? They didn't harm you, did they?"

With a gentle smile, Lucas began to remove the ropes that had bound her. "I'm here now, Ella. You're safe," he reassured her.

Tears welled up in Ella's eyes, and her voice quivered as she spoke. Her hands trembled, and she clung tightly to her brother's robe for support.

But still as beautiful as she was, with her long jet-black hair and black eyes.

"Oppa, I'm... I'm scared the world became like this," she said, her words punctuated by shaky breaths.

As Lucas wiped away her tears with a gentle hand, he could feel her heart racing as she whispered, "But I'm okay, Oppa. I knew you'd come for me."

Lucas extended his hand to his sister, offering support as he said, "Come on, let's get you out of here. It's not safe."

Ella's concern for the other prisoners who had been held hostage was evident.

She turned her gaze toward the other people, her voice filled with determination as she addressed her brother, "Oppa, we have to save these people too. In a world like this, we should stick together."

Lucas, looking into his sister's eyes, felt his heart soften as he nodded and replied, "Well, okay, but I'll only take them as far as the forest's edge. I don't want to be the caretaker of them right now. After that, their survival will be up to them."

Ella smiled warmly and said, "That's good enough."

Lucas and Ella then began cutting the ropes that bound the other people, setting them free.

Lucas addressed all of them, saying, "We will go up now. When you see my servants, do not attack them. They are under my control."

The people, understanding the situation, climbed up one by one using the small ladder, with creaking sounds coming from the wood stairs.