____'_'
Dante began to run with all the strength he had, while the massive ghouls chased him in madness. The sound of their heavy footsteps shook the ground beneath him, and their savage roars pierced his ears. In that moment, he felt his breath choking, the hands of death reaching out for him, and he knew that if one of them caught him, nothing would remain of him but torn shreds. His heart pounded wildly as he sensed the end drawing closer, little by little.
But suddenly, his terrified voice broke into another scream, and the sound of approaching footsteps came from behind. He wasn't alone. Elias rushed forward at full speed, heedless of the imminent danger, and at that very moment, he collided with Herman, who had returned with a look of stubborn determination on his face, as if he had sworn not to let his friend face his doom alone.
Herman raised his gun and began firing like a madman, rage blinding him so much that his hands trembled as he pulled the trigger without stopping. The bullets hit the ghouls' legs, making them stagger and fall to the ground. Beside him, Elias was far more composed, his eyes focused with precision, his bullets piercing the skulls of the monsters directly, striking them dead without hesitation. For a few moments, it seemed as if they were one soul in two bodies—a silent alliance greater than anything Dante had ever imagined.
Within seconds, the ground was covered with the corpses of five ghouls, piled atop one another, their green blood seeping out and filling the air with a sharp, foul stench. Dante, who had thought himself as good as dead, stood stunned, gasping heavily, his eyes wide in shock at what had just happened. They had saved him. Herman and Elias together had saved his life at the very last moment.
He approached them, his mind still struggling to comprehend what had occurred, when suddenly a strange sound of crying pierced the air. Dante turned right and left, searching for the source of the sound.
It was a weak cry, almost like that of a child, but mixed with a strange creaking noise that sent chills down his spine. He moved slowly, his heart pounding violently in his chest, until his eyes fell upon a ghoul much smaller in size compared to the beasts his companions had slain. It was lying on the ground, bleeding, the bullets had struck it—but it was not dead yet.
Dante moved closer, overcome by a strange curiosity.
That creature didn't look much like the others; its features were deformed, yet carried something faintly human. It was crying real tears—tears like those of a child! Dante froze in place for a moment, torn between fear and pity, then took another hesitant step toward it.
"H... hey, are you—!?"
Herman's voice called out, sweat dripping down his forehead:
"Dante! Why are you standing there? Come on, hurry!!"
In that split second of distraction, as soon as Dante got closer, the small ghoul lunged at him with unexpected force, knocking him to the ground.
Dante screamed, struggling to break free, his eyes widening in terror as the ghoul's tears fell onto his face. But they weren't tears of hatred—they were a strange mixture of pain and sorrow. It let out guttural sounds, something between a roar and broken, slurred words, as if it were trying to say something.
"Ghh... ghh... I... a... hu..."
At that instant, a loud gunshot shattered the air. The bullet tore through the ghoul's skull, and its blood splattered across Dante's hot face, freezing him in shock. Trembling, he turned to see Herman—the one who had fired. His face was dripping with sweat and fury as he ran toward Dante, shoving the corpse off his trembling body. Then, suddenly, he grabbed him and pulled him into a crushing embrace, almost breaking his ribs, shouting with a shaking voice:
"Damn you, Dante! I thought you were done for! You idiot... my heart almost stopped from fear! Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again, you coward!"....
Herman's tears poured out against his will, a rare moment when his weakness showed. Dante felt a strange tightness in his chest, unsure if it came from Herman's crushing embrace or from the weight of the emotions that had suddenly overwhelmed him.
_____
At the same time, Linda and Vivian were trapped in the basement, their breaths quick and shallow in the suffocating darkness. Every passing minute was hell. Linda had completely lost hope, her tears soaking her face as she pounded on the basement door with trembling hands, screaming in despair as she tried in vain to open it. She looked on the verge of total collapse, her features pale as if she were a refugee fleeing death itself.
She turned to Vivian with tearful eyes and said in a broken voice:
— "It's all over… If Elias dies, I won't be able to live… There's nothing left in this life for me without him."
She raised the gun with a trembling hand, put it in her mouth, and whispered bitterly:
— "I'll follow him… at least we won't be separated…"
Vivian screamed in panic and threw herself at Linda, grabbing her hand to stop her from pulling the trigger:
— "Have you lost your mind, Linda?! Enough of this madness! I can't lose you too! I watched my friend die before my eyes, and I won't let it happen again. I won't let you die in front of me!"
She snatched the gun away, threw it aside, and pulled Linda into a tight embrace, her tears falling onto her shoulder. Pain united them—both screaming silently inside, both terrified of losing the other.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard above them, followed by a heavy thud at the basement door. The door creaked open with an eerie sound, light flooded in, and Elias appeared, his face glowing with a reassuring smile. Linda froze where she stood, then completely broke down, rushing toward him. She climbed the stairs trembling, and the moment she reached him, she collapsed into his arms, knocking him to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably as she muttered between gasps:
— "Don't leave me… please, Elias, don't leave me alone…"
Elias wrapped his arms around her, gently running his hand through her hair, smiling despite his exhaustion as if trying to plant calm in her heart.
Moments later, Dante and Herman arrived, all of them looking drained and disoriented. Emotions filled the space—fear and love, sorrow and relief—all blending together in a single, overwhelming moment.
____
They entered the basement together, only to discover a storeroom packed with weapons and food. The place was full of everything they needed to survive the coming days. But the greatest surprise was not that.
While Herman was examining the weapons in astonishment, Dante noticed an old photograph placed on one of the shelves. He walked toward it, his expression slowly changing, his eyes widening, his hand trembling as it touched the frame. He froze in place, as if time itself had suddenly stopped.
Linda asked anxiously:
— "Dante? What's wrong?"
He answered in a hoarse voice, his face pale:
— "This... this child... I saw him just a while ago..."
Vivian rushed toward him, grabbing his hand:
— "W–where... where did you see him..!?"
Dante replied, the look of shock still frozen on his face:
— "He... he was the small ghoul that attacked me a few minutes ago... the same torn clothes... the same face!"
Everyone stood stunned, speechless at Dante's words. A heavy silence filled the room; all eyes fixed on him in disbelief. Vivian stammered in a trembling voice:
— "What? You mean that ghoul... was a human child?!"
But Herman had a different opinion:
— "That's impossible... there's no way it was human."
Dante said firmly:
— "I swear... I swear it was him! Even the birthmark on his face and the clothes... exactly the same!"
Dante nodded slowly, his eyes drowned in a shock unlike anything he had ever known. Silence fell over everyone as a terrifying thought crept into their minds: Were the ghouls once human?
____
When they returned to the mansion, the others were in a state of extreme tension. Ray was pacing back and forth in his room, unable to bear the waiting any longer. Every passing minute felt like a blade cutting through his heart. The moment he saw them approaching from the window, a wave of relief flooded his chest. He rushed downstairs to tell everyone.
— "They're coming… they're alive!"
Jude jumped to his feet as if he had been waiting desperately for those words.
— "That's good…"
They threw open the doors, joy lighting up their faces as they welcomed them with tears of relief. Jude couldn't hold himself back—he rushed to Vivian and pulled her into a tight embrace, as if he wanted to melt away the pain of their separation in that single moment. But Ray and Jason shouted sharply at him at the same time:
— "Get away from Vivian right now, you idiot!"
Their shouts mixed with nervous laughter; the scene became a chaotic blend of love, fear, and relief—as if they had all just stepped back into life from the very gates of death.
____'_'