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The tension in the room was thick, as if the very air was saturated with anger.
Black With shouted arrogantly, waving her hand:
— Damn it, I'm just telling the truth! You're nothing but disgusting people… I don't even know why I was put here with you!
Silence fell among everyone, eyes exchanging glances. Suddenly, Dante exploded, his features tight and veins bulging:
— You bitch*!
Black With smiled mockingly, raised an eyebrow, and said with contempt:
— Bitch*? Mmm… no, little boy, you're the son of a bitch*, you bald dwarf!
Dante burst with rage, lunged toward her:
— Damn you! I'll beat you so you'll know who the real son of a bitch* is!
But Herman grabbed him hard before his fist reached her, pulling him back as he shouted:
— Don't dirty your hands with her, Dante. She isn't worth it…
Black With cackled slyly, brushed a lock of her black hair, and said:
— Hmm, cowards… all of you are cowards.
Jude stepped forward with firm strides, his deep voice cutting through the tension:
— That's enough! We are in no position for you to judge others. We are all here together, and we must work as one if we want to survive and find a way out.
Camellia nodded in agreement, folding her arms:
— Yes… unity is the only thing that will keep us alive.
But Dante turned his face away with disdain, his voice bitter:
— Damn it… I don't need to work with scum like you. You're all the same!
Ray jolted, eyes flashing with anger:
— Watch your words, boy…
The two were about to attack each other when the others rushed in to calm things down. But suddenly Jude's voice rang out, trembling as he whispered urgently:
— Lily… turn off the light, now! Hurry! Everyone be quiet… the ghouls are coming!
Breaths quickened, hands shook as they switched off the lamps. Darkness fell at once, and the silence grew so heavy they could hear their own hearts beating. They sat pressed together, bodies trembling as they listened to the strange footsteps outside—heavy steps dragging across the ground, savage breaths filling the night… then, little by little, everything grew quiet and the sound faded.
Exhaustion overtook them, and they fell into restless sleep.
In the tree, the night was harsher. Elias sat alert, watching below where the ghouls moved like lost ghosts, lifting their heads and letting out hoarse moans, but their blind eyes had not yet sensed their prey.
Both Elias and Linda were taking turns on guard up in the tree.
— The ghouls beneath them kept gnawing at the trunk as if competing for a prize. Linda, whose turn it was to watch, stared at them trembling in the darkness, gripping the pistol as she shook.
Rosie's screams still echoed in her ears. It was hard for her to move past the death of her friend—no, her sister—who had grown up with her day by day.
Elias placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, his eyes steady despite his tension:
— Rest now, Linda, while I take the watch.
Linda looked at him silently as she lay back on a branch of the tree:
"You were brave then, standing up to the principal, while I was simply happy that we would live under the same roof and be together."
Elias lowered his head, pain tearing at his heart, but he tightened his grip on her hand:
— It's okay… none of us knew what would happen to us, and it's not as if it's your fault. Now we just have to think about how we'll survive. Believe me, I'll find a way…
With the first thread of daylight, the ghouls retreated, crawling as if melting into the forest. Elias jumped to the ground, then reached out a hand to Linda. They continued walking in silence until they noticed almost-abandoned houses ahead.
— Look, there! — Elias said, pointing. — Maybe we can find someone to help us…
They crept quietly, approaching one of the houses, and when they entered they found it empty of people… yet clean and unnervingly tidy. Elias headed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and his eyes widened in astonishment:
— Food… fresh!
At the same time, Linda found cupboards full of bread and grains. She grabbed the food with both hands, eating ravenously as her tears mixed with each bite. The sound of her sobs cut through Elias's heart.
He moved closer, his voice unsteady but firm:
— Linda… please, don't be like this. We need your courage, the girl who always amazed us with her strength and intelligence… don't let despair swallow you.
She didn't answer. She only cried and ate in silence.
In another room, Elias opened the wardrobe and found it filled with new clothes. He changed out of his worn garments, then took a set and handed it to Linda. She went into the bathroom and put on clean clothes…
She lifted her head toward the mirror—and the past pierced her heart like a knife.
Her wretched face reflected back at her, and something inside recalled an old conversation with Rosie in the orphanage yard:
— "You know, Linda? My parents came to take me… but I refused."
Linda gasped that day: "Are you crazy?! You should have gone, better than staying in this prison."
Rosie smiled shyly: "No… I don't love them anymore, I just want to stay with you all. I love you."
And Linda answered, her eyes shining: "Me too… we'll live together forever."
She returned to the present, her hands trembling as she clutched the necklace still around her neck—a half-heart pendant whose other half was lost with Rosie. Tears streamed down, and her anger erupted. She struck the mirror with her fist, shattering it into scattered fragments.
The crash hit Elias's ears like a thunderclap, and he rushed to the bathroom at lightning speed.
He leapt to the door, pounding frantically:
— Linda! Open the door! Please, are you okay?
No answer came. He tried to break the door, throwing his body against it again and again until blood ran from his shoulder, but the bathroom stayed locked. He dropped to his knees, head bowed, his voice choked with sobs:
— Don't go… please don't leave me too… I've lost them all, and I don't want to lose you… you're all I have left…
He wept like a child who had lost everything, his cries echoing through the empty house. Elias was terrified of losing Linda—she was all that remained of the painful past.
It was hard for him to remember arriving too late to find what was left of William and Rosie as the ghoul devoured them.
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I hope for your support and comments. 💗