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In one of the upper rooms, Karem sat on the edge of his bed, head lowered, hands tightly clasped until his veins stood out from the tension. His voice was low as he spoke to himself:
"I wish I had gone with them… Why did I let them go alone? How can I call myself their friend if something bad happens to them?"
He suddenly raised his head, as if something broke inside him, and shouted toward the ceiling with tearful eyes:
"Just… come back safely! My cousin… and my friend!"
No sooner had he spoken than he heard rapid knocking at his door. He jumped to his feet and rushed toward it, opening it quickly to find Ray standing there, panting as if he had run a long distance.
"Hey! Hurry… our friends are coming!"
Karem's eyes widened with overwhelming joy, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. He ran with Ray at a frantic speed downstairs, the stairs creaking beneath their feet. When they reached the gate, they found Lily, Vivian, and Jason waiting eagerly at the door.
Moments later, the rest entered… one after another, all of them safe.
Emotions flooded Karem's chest. He ran instinctively toward Camellia and Jude, hugging them tightly as if afraid they would disappear if he let go. But another shock filled the place when Elias finally entered, carrying an unconscious, unknown girl on his back.
Jason shouted in a broken voice, his eyes nearly popping out:
"Wha—what?! A girl?!"
Everyone turned in astonishment, their faces pale with disbelief. Jude looked at them nervously:
"We found her in the forest… unconscious."
Ray said in a hoarse voice:
"Alone?"
Jude: "Yes."
Lily stepped forward, her gaze fierce:
"What?! There's no such thing as a girl being alone in the forest… and how long has she been there? This is strange…"
Linda intervened, her voice calm yet laced with hidden concern:
"We have no idea. Maybe she'll explain once she wakes up."
Elias nodded and said:
"Yes… now I'll take her upstairs. Jude, please help me carry her."
The two worked together, lifting the girl gently until they brought her to one of the empty rooms. They laid her on a bed covered with a simple white sheet. Karem stood beside the bed, studying her strange features, then muttered aloud:
"How could she have survived among the ghouls alone? Or maybe she had a group… we know nothing about her."
Vivian approached, narrowed her eyes at the girl, and said:
"What if we're not the only ones here? What if there are other humans we haven't found yet?"
Jason shook his head quickly, objecting:
"Impossible! If there were others… we would've run into them one way or another."
The room filled with murmurs, each one asking a new question, while the unknown girl remained sunk in her deep sleep, like a riddle hanging over all their heads.
Meanwhile in the village, the scene was entirely different. The rotting corpses of the ghouls lay scattered on the ground, and the smell of blood hung thick in the air. Dante was sprawled on the ground, Black Withe above him, holding her tightly against his chest as his tears fell onto her cheeks while he whispered:
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Black Withe lifted her head, her face so close to his that she could feel his hot breath against her lips. She whispered in a trembling voice:
"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault… I'm the one who caused all of this."
Dante replied hoarsely, his voice so sincere that his words pierced her heart:
"I didn't want to lose you like the others… I don't want to be alone."
It was the first time since his arrival that he revealed his vulnerability. Black Withe was taken aback, feeling something strange stir in her chest. She spoke without thinking:
"Dante… what do I mean to you?"
He wiped his tears quickly, trying to regain his composure:
"You're… one of my friends I don't want to lose."
She smiled bitterly and said:
"But we've only spent… a few days together. I don't know how many, but they're few."
Harmon approached them, and without hesitation, spread his arms to hug them both, saying in a trembling yet genuine voice:
"I love you both too… and I don't want to lose either of you, my friends."
Suddenly, Black Withe burst into tears, grabbed Harmon's outstretched hand, and cried in a broken voice:
"Ah… I'm sorry for being reckless! Sorry for worrying you… I love you both too… and I don't want to lose either of you!"
A gentle, calm atmosphere settled over them—a rare moment amid the ghouls' hell. They expressed their feelings freely, without masks. After they calmed down, each of them stood and began packing food into their bags.
While they were busy searching, a sharp scream echoed from Black Withe. Dante and Harmon ran toward her quickly, their bodies tense with worry.
"What is it? What happened?!"
She turned to them with a wide smile and raised a transparent bag in front of her face:
"It's… popcorn!"
Dante and Harmon exchanged stunned looks, then put their hands on their heads and each burst into laughter.
They finished collecting what they needed. Once done, they left the house together. But this time, Dante was holding Black Withe's hand, guiding her ahead of him. Her heart beat strangely; she glanced at him secretly and saw something different in his expression… as if he was trying to protect her.
But that comfort didn't last. Suddenly, in one of the narrow alleys, three ghouls appeared at once.
Harmon froze in place as he stared at the ghouls:
"For heaven's sake! Haven't we had enough?!"
Dante smiled as he tried to pull out his rifle from behind his back, but then came the shock… Dante's weapon wasn't there. He remembered he had left it in the house because he was focused only on Black Withe.
The ghouls charged toward them with astonishing speed. Harmon and Black Withe drew their pistols and began firing, but the ghouls were unnaturally fast, dodging the bullets with ease.
Black Withe screamed sharply:
"Dante! Help us!"
Harmon: "Dante! What's wrong with you? Come on!"
But Dante stood frozen in place, powerless without a weapon, looking like a tiny insect before the massive ghoul, his expression paralyzed with shock.
Before he could move, one of the ghouls lunged and struck him with a brutal blow that sent him flying. He crashed into a stone wall, saliva flying from his mouth from the force, then collapsed to the ground trembling.
Black Withe stared at him with trembling eyes, her heart close to bursting. Harmon ran out of ammunition, and suddenly one of the ghouls struck him, sending his pistol flying from his hand. His fingers shook as he stood there, terrified, staring at the massive ghoul drawing closer, its sticky saliva dripping onto his hair and face.
Black Withe was the only one still aiming, but the sound of her gunfire attracted the attention of all three ghouls. They turned toward her. She had no choice but to lure them away.
She ran with all her strength, fury and fear battling in her eyes. The ghouls chased her, leaving Dante lying on the ground and Harmon trembling where he stood.
---
At the mansion, where everyone was safe, Linda sat by the window, worry etched across her features. She said in a shaky voice:
"Why are our comrades late? The sun is about to set… and they still haven't returned."
Ray replied, running his hand through his hair in agitation:
"I don't know… I'm afraid for them. They didn't seem like a coordinated team."
Elias intervened, his voice firm yet hiding many emotions:
"On our first mission, we were attacked by an unprecedented ghoul. At the time, Vivian and Linda were in the basement while Dante and Harmon guarded the place. When the attack occurred… they vanished completely. They ran away, leaving me alone. My only goal was to protect Vivian and Linda. I was ready to sacrifice myself to save them… but at the last moment, Dante returned. With immense strength, he destroyed the ghoul, then Harmon joined him, and we worked together. True, they betrayed me at first… but they came back."
Elias continued, placing his hand over his heart:
"I know they will return alive… and they won't abandon Black Withe."
At that very moment, rapid knocking echoed at the door. Linda rushed to open it and found Harmon standing there, drenched in sweat, carrying Dante on his back, gasping for air from sheer exhaustion. But the biggest shock… Black Withe was not with him.
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