51. Helping Lu Li, helping oneself

The campfire flickered erratically, its light dimming as the cold wind swept recklessly into the cabin.

The sudden turn of events left Anna, who had been ready to act, stunned and unsure what to do, her mind a chaotic mess. Had Lu Li not aimed properly? Had the gun gone off by accident? Was Lu Li hallucinating?

It wasn't until she saw the woman's headless body sway a few times and then slowly turn around, raising her hands, unsteady as she approached Lu Li.

Above her lips, everything was gone, revealing a fleshly, broken stub that once was a mouth, with a constantly quivering tongue.

An indistinct voice, along with the flow of air, emanated from the base of that remaining tongue, "You... are not... the guest..."

She, or rather it, took a few steps forward, knocking into a stone on the edge of the fire pit. The woman, now mostly brainless and blind, didn't react, spilling the boiling meat soup over the campfire, causing sparks to scatter erratically.