____'_'
Elias and Linda both felt a warmth they hadn't known in a long time — the warmth of family — as they looked at the anxious faces that had waited for them eagerly, and the smiles that filled the place the moment they returned. That welcome wasn't just joy; it was a spark of hope that restored in them the feeling that they weren't alone in this dark battle.
Looks of gratitude and relief were exchanged among them all, and in their hearts, something gleamed as if they had come back to life again.
And while emotions intertwined, Black With stepped toward Dante and Herman, her expression tense though she tried to appear composed, and said in a slightly complaining tone:
— "Why didn't you invite me to go out with you? Aren't we one team?"
Dante raised his eyebrows in surprise, then replied with a mocking smile:
— "But you yourself said yesterday that you didn't want to work with us in one team."
Black With interrupted quickly, her eyes avoiding direct contact with him:
— "Even if I don't want to… I'm required to work as part of the team. You shouldn't have left me behind."
Herman added calmly as he placed his hand on his waist:
— "It's alright, we didn't want to burden you. Besides, you seemed to be in bad shape too, so we didn't invite you."
Black With hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and said in a barely audible tone:
— "Dante… I'm sorry… sorry for hitting you last night."
Dante's smile widened mockingly as he stepped closer to her and said:
— "What?! Is that an apology? I didn't hear you well… say it again."
Her face flushed with anger and embarrassment, and she raised her voice:
— "I said I'm sorry!"
Dante laughed lightly and replied with sarcasm:
— "Ha! I can't believe it… is that a real apology or a heavenly miracle?!"
Black With's face grew redder, her eyes narrowing in fury before she shouted:
— "Stupid idiot Dante! I'm not sorry for hitting you anymore!"
Herman laughed and shook his head, while Dante raised his hands in surrender and said:
— "Alright, alright! I'm sorry too for dragging you last night. By the way… I brought you a new tracksuit. There are two colors — white and black — pick one, and I'll take the other."
Black With paused for a moment, then said seriously, trying to hide her unease:
— "Alright… I'll take the black one."
Dante smiled and said:
— "And I'll take the white one. But… why did you choose black? Why do you like those two colors in particular?"
She looked at him with a mysterious gaze before replying in a calm voice:
— "I don't know… maybe they represent my life. Black and white… nothing between them but mystery."
Dante let the question linger in his mind while everyone continued their preparations.
Jude approached Linda with a gentle smile and said:
— "Welcome back safely, Linda."
She smiled shyly and replied:
— "Ah… uh… thank you, Jude."
______
As dinner time came, everyone sat around the large table and began talking and sharing stories as they ate. The laughter came in fragments, a mix of trying to hide fear with cheerfulness. But amid all that, Dante sat before his plate, staring at it blankly, as if the food had lost its taste.
He kept thinking about the little ghoul — its tears, its strange voice. Something inside him was screaming that this place hid secrets far greater than they imagined.
Herman turned to him and noticed how pale he looked, asking with concern:
— "Dante… what's wrong? Why aren't you eating?"
Dante slowly raised his head and replied in a hesitant voice:
— "Ah… it's nothing, I just… don't feel like eating."
Linda added as she held her cup:
— "Today was really hard… I felt like I was going to lose everything."
Lily lifted her head with interest and asked:
— "What exactly happened?"
Suddenly, Dante pushed his chair back and stood up, his voice hoarse as he said:
— "I'm sorry… sorry for being a coward. I ran away like coward … I left you to face death because of me."
A heavy silence filled the room. Everyone stared at him in shock, before Herman added bitterly:
— "Even I… I ran away fast. I didn't have an ounce of courage to go back and save you."
Vivian raised her eyebrows in surprise, since neither she nor Linda knew anything about that. Only Elias did. But he said in a steady voice:
— "It's alright… what matters is that you came back and helped us in the end. Without you, we wouldn't be here now, sitting and eating. Thank you."
Linda smiled through her tears and said:
— "Yes… I'm grateful to you all from the bottom of my heart."
But suddenly, Dante felt a severe dizziness. He put his hand over his mouth, then rushed away from the table, vomiting unexpectedly. Herman and Black With hurried to him, holding him anxiously as he struggled to breathe, his eyes unfocused.
Dante muttered in a hoarse voice as he staggered:
— "Is it… is it possible that the ghouls… are humans?!"
The words froze in the air. Everyone trembled as a chilling silence filled the room. Jude jumped to his feet and shouted in agitation:
— "Impossible! Why would you think that?!"
Dante replied with trembling eyes:
— "That ghoul… it tried to say something to me… it didn't even eat me… it looked like it was trying to ask for something…!"
Jason slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily:
— "Enough madness! Even if it didn't eat you, that doesn't mean it's not a ghoul!"
But Vivian stood up from her seat, her face pale, her body shaking, and said in a trembling voice:
— "Linda… do you remember the family photo we saw in the basement? I think I remembered it… two or three years ago, I saw that same family's photo on the news… they were missing! And their disappearance was linked to an immigration program!"
Linda's eyes widened in shock, and she replied:
— "I… I don't know… this sounds really strange…"
Jude spoke seriously, placing his hand on his forehead:
— "Then… that means the ghouls were originally human… but how did they turn into this?"
Karem sat with his hands on his head, shaking it hard as he muttered:
— "How? How can this be real?!"
No one had an answer. Silence fell over the table and each sank into dark thoughts. They did not dare continue speaking. One by one they withdrew to their rooms, weighed down by a shock they did not know how to face.
______
At dawn, Linda woke early and sat alone in the mansion's back courtyard. The morning breeze touched her face and her mind was still stuck on yesterday's events.
Jude appeared behind her smiling and said:
— "Good morning."
She turned to him tiredly and replied:
— "Ah... Jude. You woke early... how was your night?"
Jude sighed and sat beside her:
— "Actually... I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about yesterday's matter."
Linda nodded slowly and said:
— "You're right... I didn't sleep well either."
Jude added as he looked at his hands:
— "I don't know how I can hold my rifle and aim it at the ghouls anymore..."
Linda lowered her gaze for a moment, then said:
— "But... our priority now is survival. Don't forget that. They remind me of zombies."
Jude laughed lightly and said:
— "Yeah… it was fun killing them in video games… but in reality, it's completely different."
When the others woke up, it was the second team's turn to go on a mission to find food and a way out. Jude looked fully prepared as he checked his weapons, and even Camelia put on her gear seriously, while Karem tried to hide his fear—but his nervousness gave him away.
Ray laughed mockingly and said:
— "I have a feeling Karem's going to slow you down with all his crying and screaming!"
Jude smiled and placed a hand on Karem's shoulder, saying:
— "Karem's just pretending to be scared… in reality, he's the most terrifying and frightening one of all. Right, Karem?"
Karem stammered, his voice trembling as he said:
— "Y-y-y-yeah… let's go!"
The three of them set off together on their new journey… a journey into the unknown, where no one knew what awaited them.
____'_'