Philippe dashed into the alley, his breaths already coming in short gasps.
Ahead of him, the stalker moved like a shadow. Their feet made barely a sound on the cobblestone path, their body weaving agilely through piles of crates and abandoned carts.
Philippe, on the other hand, unaccustomed to such chaotic terrain, nearly tripped several times.
People in the alley jumped aside as the cloaked figure rushed past.
"Hey! What's going on?!" shouted a plump merchant, his apple cart shaking until several fruits tumbled and rolled away.
Anger and confusion flashed on their faces, curses and shouts hurled at the stalker's back, then shifting to Philippe following behind.
"Sorry, excuse me!" Philippe called out between ragged breaths.
The stalker leaped onto the wall to their left, tapping it twice, then bounded to the right wall before landing back on the ground without the slightest wobble.
Their movements were so light and fluid that Philippe was momentarily stunned.
After a sharp turn, they entered a crowded market. The stalker blended seamlessly into the throng.
Philippe followed, pushing through the sea of people while muttering apologies.
They finally cleared the market, and the stalker ducked into an even narrower alley.
Philippe forced his way in, his shoulders occasionally scraping the damp brick walls. The distance between them closed.
Suddenly, the stalker halted. They turned briefly, staring at Philippe, then looked up. With a series of gravity-defying leaps, they climbed from wall to wall until reaching the rooftop.
Philippe followed suit, though his movements were far slower and clumsier.
On the rooftops, the crack of tiles under his feet and angry shouts from windows below accompanied his pursuit.
He could only respond with an awkward smile.
The stalker then jumped back down into another alley.
Philippe followed. After a turn, the stalker's steps stopped.
Before them loomed a tall brick wall. A dead end!
Atop the wall, Emilie sat casually, a victorious smile on her face.
She had been waiting there for several minutes, still and silent.
She trusted Philippe to herd the stalker here!
The day before, she and Philippe had wandered around while devising the plan and selecting the perfect spot to corner the stalker.
And she had found this place ideal for the scheme!
She hadn't expected the stalker to appear today. But since they had, she instructed Philippe to chase them, guiding them from one location to another until reaching the final spot—here!
She then leaped down as lightly as a feather, landing soundlessly and blocking the exit.
The stalker, with their terrifying smile unfading, turned.
There stood Philippe, panting heavily, bracing himself on his knees, sweat soaking his face and neck. He lifted his head, a satisfied grin forming on his lips.
"Finally…"
***
Facing the two who had cornered them, the stalker merely stood still. No fighting stance, no defensive gesture. They simply tilted their head slightly, observing Philippe and Emilie in turn.
The eerie silence made Philippe's hairs stand on end.
Once his breathing steadied, Philippe asked firmly, "Why are you following me?"
The figure's smile only widened a fraction.
Philippe took a step forward. The figure immediately retreated a step.
Philippe advanced again; they backed away again. Their movements were panicked, clearly showing fear only toward Philippe.
This made him feel certain that he was the one this stalker was targeting!
When Emilie tried approaching from behind, the figure didn't budge, its eyes fixed on Philippe.
Forcefully, Philippe kept closing in, while Emilie moved swiftly to cut off the stalker's retreat.
Now, the creature was trapped between them.
"Where will you run now?" Philippe said arrogantly.
For him, this was quite entertaining, considering how many times this stalker had psychologically tormented him.
How could it not be? Imagine being in the bathroom, knowing someone was watching you!
This made the corner of his mouth twitch involuntarily.
The figure began to writhe silently, like a trapped animal.
Philippe stopped a few steps away, then looked at Emilie. "What should we do now?"
Emilie shook her head. "I don't know. I'm sure they can't speak."
Given how they hadn't responded to Philippe's question, she assumed the person before them couldn't speak at all, despite having a mouth.
"I thought so too," Philippe replied. He turned back to the figure, his gaze shifting from their smile to their hood. "At least, I need to know who's hiding beneath it."
He stepped forward, reaching for the hood. The figure struggled more fiercely, but Emilie held them in place.
Carefully, Philippe pulled the hood back.
In that instant, a chill crawled up his spine, but he forced a stiff smile.
Reflected in his eyes was a expanse of pale, smooth skin without eyes, nose, or ears. Only a mouth stitched into a perpetual, terrifying smile.
That was the appearance captured by his eyes.
"Just as I suspected…"
But it was still far more horrifying than he'd imagined.
***
In her opulent palace room, granted by His Majesty, Madeleine stood by the window, gazing at the city sprawled below.
Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes.
***
In the silent alley, Philippe stared at the blank face before him.
Suddenly, the air around them turned bitterly cold.
Philippe and Emilie's eyes widened.
From the stalker's mouth came rapid, hysterical gasps, like someone drowning.
Their body began convulsing violently. From arms to face to stomach, their skin rippled as if something alive writhed beneath.
A gruesome stretching sound echoed, like thick fabric pulled to the brink of tearing, accompanied by rapid, small cracks.
Their stomach began bulging unnaturally!
Then, a pinpoint of light emerged from within their abdomen, growing larger.
At that moment, an overwhelming sense of dread seized Philippe and Emilie. Without thinking, Philippe grabbed Emilie's hand.
They had to flee!
Just as the light in the stomach became blinding, the world around them cracked like glass, and they were sucked into a momentary void.
Seconds later, the stomach swelled even more.
BOOM!!!
The massive explosion rocked the entire alley, obliterating everything nearby in a shower of blood and flesh fragments.
The wet thud of body parts hitting the ground echoed briefly, then the alley fell silent once more.
Only a chilling hush remained, soon broken by panicked screams from afar.
***
A/N: If you want to read the 7 advanced chapters with a faster update frequency than the webnovel, you can read it on my patreon whose link is below:
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