_____'_'
The ghouls stormed the house like a dark storm, their roar piercing through the walls and making the air tremble.
Elias, who was in one of the rooms exploring the surroundings, suddenly caught a loud sound in his ears. He rushed to the door and saw a group of ghouls speeding toward it, while Dante and Harman had completely vanished.
He had no idea what to do or how to survive, as the ghouls surrounded the house, exhaling their heavy breaths. Their red eyes seemed thirsty for human blood, and their sharp claws looked like knives eager to shred their prey.
Elias turned right and left, searching for Linda and Vivian, only to find an open cellar….
Down below, Linda and Vivian were holding their breaths inside the cellar, both of them aware that death was approaching with heavy steps. In that deadly moment, a quick memory slipped into their minds about their two friends who had died before their eyes, leaving them alone in this nightmare.
But Elias, though his body trembled, stood firm at the door, insisting on fighting. Linda quickly climbed upstairs, her eyes blazing with worry, and called out to him:
– "Elias! Come with us to the cellar quickly!"
He shook his head in refusal, his eyes filled with desperate stubbornness:
– "Linda… if something happens to me, please take care of yourself. You must survive, even if I don't."
She screamed, almost exploding from within:
– "Get inside, you idiot! We don't have time!"
But before she realized it, Elias slammed the cellar door shut on her, leaving behind final words that pierced her heart:
– "Take care of yourself…"
Linda collapsed, pounding the door with her fists and screaming in madness:
– "No… Noooooo!"
Her tears streamed down with burning heat, while outside the echoes of the ghouls pounding against the door rose like the drums of hell.
Elias gripped his weapon tightly, waiting for his final moments, his tears whispering that he had already taken his share of life.
Moments from the past began to slip before his eyes.
___________
Flashback:
At the age of fourteen, William was sitting on a rock, staring at Elias, who was gazing at the sky with shining eyes. William smiled:
"Elias, is there something in particular you want to do once you get out of this orphanage!?"
Elias looked at him with surprise:
"Something I want to do!? Hmm, well, there are many things… among them visiting my mother's grave. What about you!?"
William felt embarrassed, his words stuttering:
"I… uh… I want to marry Rosie when I get out of here…"
Elias burst out laughing at William, while William rushed at him, covering his mouth:
"Shut up, you bastard! Is that funny… What about you, don't you want to marry Linda…!?"
Shock appeared on Elias's face as if he had heard something he never expected:
"Wh-what? Me and Linda? Stop being ridiculous. She's like a little sister to me, and there's nothing like those feelings between us…"
End of flashback
_______
On the village road, Dante and Herman had already escaped, running across the stone paths to flee that fate. Dante gasped hoarsely:
– "Why? Why did we run away?!"
Herman answered sharply as he kept running:
– "We had no choice! We couldn't face that many ghouls, there were more than five of them. Anyone in our place would've done the same."
But Herman's words never reached Dante's heart. In his mind, the face of his sister Nina appeared, the one who always defended him even if it cost her punishment. He remembered her gentle voice saying to him:
"Friends and siblings are meant to stand together. If we don't support each other in hard times… then our bond will never grow stronger."
Dante suddenly stopped running, the echo of her words thundering in his chest. Herman turned to him, eyes wide:
– "What are you doing?! This isn't the time for empty heroics!"
Dante smiled bitterly, freeing himself from his grip:
– "Keep going on your own… As for me, I won't leave them alone."
His eyes revealed something Herman had never seen in Dante before, and he shouted loudly as he watched Dante turn back:
"Come back here, you fool… don't try to be a hero…"
Dante ran back toward the house, the machine gun trembling in his hands. At that very moment, the wooden doors shattered under the force of the ghouls, and Elias, alone, fired wildly, ready to die. But suddenly, another burst of gunfire rang out from outside, forcing the monsters to turn toward the source of the sound.
Dante, his face filled with resolve and regret, stood as bait for them, firing his weapon while knowing the end was near. The ghouls surged toward him like an unstoppable flood, and he turned to run with all his strength, drawing them away from his companions.
With every step, he heard their ragged breaths closing in, and with every bullet leaving his gun, his heart grew heavier. He lifted his eyes to the sky and muttered in a trembling voice:
– "I'm sorry, Nina… maybe I finally did what you said… and this is my end. Forgive me… because I'll never see you again."
His voice vanished into the howls of the ghouls and the clash of gunfire… leaving behind a bitter question: would his sacrifice be enough to save the others?
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