Crisis In The Dead Of Night [Pt 2]

The door to the dilapidated house groaned as it creaked open, its rusted hinges protesting against the intrusion of the world outside.

A figure shrouded in darkness slinked inside, hunching over as he stepped forward. A bandana was tightly wrapped around his head, his eyes gleaming with a malevolent glint that spoke volumes of his depraved nature.

With a perverted expression fixed on his face, the bandit scanned the interior of the humble abode, his bloodshot eyes scouring every nook and cranny. He was a master of stealth, but this time, he had no need for caution. After all, the villagers inside the house were sound asleep, completely unaware of the peril that awaited them.

"This is too easy," he chuckled to himself, his grin widening as he continued his stealthy advance. The bandit's heart raced with anticipation, his mind already calculating the spoils that lay within his grasp. A fresh maiden to violate would be ideal, but he wouldn't turn down a child or two. As long as there was prey to be had, he was satisfied.

As he navigated his way through the shadows, his excited laugh echoed through the empty halls of the house. But then, he heard another sound.

A stifled bloodlust that emanated from the darkness, and it wasn't his.

Puzzled, the bandit halted in his tracks, his senses on high alert. He scanned the darkness, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He didn't realize that his presence had been detected by a child lurking in the shadows, whose stillness made him appear like a mere piece of furniture in the room.

And then, in a sudden blur of motion, the little boy closed the distance between himself and the bandit with absolute precision. Without any wasted movement, he delivered a swift, silent strike that left the intruder writhing on the ground, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

This silhouette of a child easily circled the already comfortable bandit—whose focus was now more on whatever he was imagining—and brandished the blade in his hand.

"Hm? Did something just—"

>FWOOOOSSSSHHHH!<

With the grace and fluidity of a seasoned warrior, the shadowy child leaped from his hiding spot, launching himself at the bandit with deadly intent. In one swift motion, he sliced through the man's throat with his dagger, causing blood to spurt out in a gruesome arc. The bandit was caught off guard, his hands instinctively grasping at his throat as he gagged and gasped for air.

But the shadowy child was not done yet. He moved with the speed and precision of a viper, snatching the fallen dagger from the ground and leaping once more towards his prey. The bandit could only watch in silent horror as the child closed in on him, brandishing the very weapon he had once wielded.

In an instant, the dagger found its mark, plunging deep into the bandit's flesh with a sickening squelch. The man's upper left side was pierced, and he felt a searing pain that left him unable to scream. His body convulsed and twitched as he tried to make sense of what was happening, but it was too late.

Time seemed to slow down as the bandit's life ebbed away, his consciousness slipping into a void of darkness. He had barely had time to register the fact that he was dying before his body went still, his last breath escaping him in a gurgling wheeze. The shadowy child stood over his lifeless form, his eyes gleaming with an intensity that spoke of a hidden power lurking within. In that moment, it was clear that he was not to be underestimated.

>THUD!<

The bandit's body hit the ground with a dull thud, the impact absorbed by the unyielding stone floor. The sound was surprisingly muted, almost as if the floor had willingly accepted the lifeless form that had been unceremoniously dropped onto it. The shadowy child stood over the body, his small frame rigid with tension as he looked down at the dead man with a cold, unwavering stare.

For a moment, all was silent except for the child's labored breathing. He had just taken a life, and the weight of that fact hung heavily in the air. The darkness seemed to press in on him, the shadows thickening around his small form like a shroud.

Finally, the child spoke, his voice betraying his youth. "As I thought...you are the enemy." His tone was flat and emotionless, as if he had been expecting this outcome all along. He had come to this place with a purpose, and now that it had been fulfilled, there was no room for hesitation or regret.

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The kidney thrust, a ferocious attack that could kill a person within five seconds, was not an easy maneuver to execute. It required expert precision, and if done right, the victim would be left unable to scream, writhing in excruciating pain until their last breath.

Liu knew this well. He had just attempted it on a bandit who had threatened his family. He struck the carotid arteries first, rendering the bandit stunned and helpless. If the attack had been successful, the bandit would have been dead within seconds, but Liu's strike wasn't precise enough. The carotid artery had been reached, but it wasn't severed entirely, and the bandit wasn't going to die instantly.

Liu stared at the bleeding corpse beneath him, feeling a sense of disappointment and frustration at his incompetence. He was still too small, his reach too limited. He had to improvise quickly and grab the attacker's dagger, searching for a more reasonable target that would ensure his enemy's instant death.

The kidney was his next choice. It was a risky move, but it was the only option he had. Liu would have preferred to strike the region below his collarbones, where the subclavian arteries were located. A precise strike in that area could cause near-instant death. But he didn't have enough reach to cover a grown adult's mouth while also trying to kill him. He had to make do with what he had.

With the dagger in hand, Liu thrust it into the bandit's kidney, causing him to writhe in pain for a few seconds before collapsing in a lifeless heap. The threat was extinguished, but Liu couldn't shake off the chill that ran down his spine. He knew there was more danger lurking in the shadows.

He looked around, scanning the area for any signs of movement. He could only think of one explanation for the lingering feeling of unease: the bandit wasn't the only one. There could be more lurking, waiting to pounce on his family. Liu's heart raced as he realized he needed to be on high alert.

He took a moment to observe the outfit of the dead bandit, confirming his suspicions that he was a lowlife, a petty killer, and a danger to society. Liu knew that he had done the right thing in protecting his family, but he also knew that the danger was far from over.

Liu knew he lacked the skills of a trained assassin. The idea of expert killers lurking in such a remote village seemed far-fetched, but the encounter he had just experienced left him shaken and full of questions. In his five years in this world, Liu had never encountered someone from outside his village, let alone killed another human being.

His thoughts were jumbled, and his heart raced as he grappled with the realization that he had taken another person's life. The thought of more killers like the one he had just dispatched lurking in his village filled him with fear, but Liu knew he couldn't afford to freeze up. For his own survival and that of his family, he needed to act quickly.

"I must prepare for the others," Liu said to himself, gripping the dagger he had taken from the bandit, as well as the butcher knife he had on hand. He needed to dispose of the body and hide any evidence before the others came searching.

Time was running out. Liu needed to return to his position before the intruders arrived. "It doesn't matter how many come here," he thought, his eyes glinting with a newfound sense of violence and purpose. "I'll kill them all!"

With a sense of grim determination, Liu set to work, making sure that his village and his loved ones would be safe. As he disposed of the bandit's body, he braced himself for the inevitable confrontation to come. He was ready for whatever lay ahead, knowing that he would do whatever it took to protect his home and those he cared for.

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[A/N]

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