Seven held his position, facing the creature with the knife still pointed at it — gripping it firmly — waiting for it to attack. But in that wait, nothing happened. The wanderer kept coming toward him, yet its steps were slow and unsteady.
Why ??
With fear being overtaken by confusion, as if feeling slightly safer, Seven looked at the creature more closely.
Is it wounded? Accentuated by its pale skin, he noticed dark red blood dripping from multiple wounds scattered across its body — cuts, bruises, bites, and claw marks.
However, when he looked at its head, his eyes widened and he finally understood.
That's why!! It's blind!
Even though the corridor was dark, he could see that above its mouth — which had sharp teeth protruding from it — a terrible horizontal gash tore across its face where its eyes and nose should have been.
For a moment, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Seven almost sighed in relief, but he held it back out of fear, knowing he couldn't let his guard down.
If it could see, I— He shook his head. I can't waste time on this! I need to escape first!
While analyzing the situation, the creature stopped walking. That alerted Seven, who tightened his grip on the knife.
— Snif Snif —
The wanderer moved its head from side to side, trying to pick up a scent.
Can it still smell something?
Even though it was badly disfigured, unlike its eyes, its nose seemed to still work, capable of detecting odors.
Is it tracking me by my scent? But that shouldn't be possible! We always rub herbs on our bodies to mask our smell and avoid attracting animals.
While he wondered, in the silence of the environment, he heard the sound of a drop falling to the floor behind him.
Without taking his eyes off the creature, using his peripheral vision, he noticed a small red puddle forming on the floor around him.
The rabbit! Its blood is giving me away. I have to get rid of it! If I untie it, I could try to escape by moving silently and use it as a distraction to lure the creature while I stay close to one of the corridor walls.
The space is wide, so the chance of it bumping into me is low.
In his haste to untie it, he moved quickly, causing some metal parts of his backpack to produce a small noise. Though faint, in the silent environment, it was enough to alert the creature, which suddenly turned its face toward him.
Taking a heavier step forward, it lowered its body slightly and spread its arms — one shorter than the other — preparing to lunge.
Realizing what he had done, Seven froze.
After some time in that position, the wanderer, hearing no further noise, began to relax its posture. Its body gradually lost its rigidity until it returned to normal.
— Snif Snif —
That was close… Realizing the creature had calmed down, he turned his attention back to the rabbit, but moved more carefully this time. However, when he touched the ropes, he stopped.
Oh no… my clothes — pressed against the animal — are soaked in blood. It's not possible…
Even if he separated himself from the rabbit, he wouldn't be able to hide. He was marked.
Looking toward the humanoid, he saw in the distance behind it the building's exit, where sunlight still shone.
I can't get past it — the smallest sound or scent and the wanderer would attack me. So the only option left…
Looking over his shoulder, he found a dark corridor where he could see nothing beyond a few meters. Feeling a chill, he froze.
I can't stay here! Leon is waiting for me outside… if I take too long, he'll come looking for me… Even though I told him to wait, he might get worried and enter the building after me.
Besides, if I don't escape, what will happen to Leon? He doesn't know this place, doesn't know the passages around here… and he doesn't even know about the wanderer.
Seven didn't want that. He had to escape quickly, or at least lead the creature as far away from his brother as possible.
If he comes in here and doesn't find me, he should hide until dawn or go back to the plain, where they'll find him tomorrow…
Looking behind him, he saw the dark corridor leading deeper into the building. There was probably another exit if he followed it, but he wondered what would stop another wanderer from being there?
Why is one of these here!? — Irritated, he clenched his teeth — Dad said they only live in the center of the city!!
Seven knew about them, vaguely, because it wasn't something he was supposed to encounter, but he knew where they lived and how dangerous they were.
Don't go near the forest in the center! None of what Dad said… so why!?
But, reining in his mind, he shook his head to push the thought away. He had to run down that corridor, even if he didn't know what he would find, because staying there meant certain death.
Looking ahead, he checked the humanoid. — It's badly wounded… — They weren't slow, so he knew he had to run with everything he had.
But he hoped its injuries would slow it down a little — at least enough for him to escape — since it had been walking slowly ever since it started following him.
Let's go! At first Seven began to back away with silent steps, never taking his eyes off the creature. Then, on his second step backward, a beam of light hit his face and momentarily blinded him.
This!?
Following the light, he looked to the side.
It came from a door beside him, leading to a bathroom with several stalls. On the opposite side was a large mirror and a long marble sink with golden faucets, and in the corner of the wall above the sink was a small window.
That's why! Remembering the rabbit's last actions, he understood why it had tried to enter there — it thought there was an exit — but because the window was high up, it had given up and tried to return to the corridor.
I still have a way out!
The window wasn't large, but it was big enough to pass through, and the height wasn't a problem for Seven.
Looking at the humanoid, which had resumed its slow advance, he realized it was time to run.
Now!
Without wasting a second, he turned toward the door and entered the room.
The humanoid, sensing the sudden movement and the sound of his footsteps, understood its prey was trying to escape. It let out a shrill scream — "AARHHH!!" — and charged after him.
Seven leaped onto the marble sink and ran across it toward the small window.
Please don't break!
He heard something reaching the door — the humanoid. In no time it had closed the distance from the corridor as if it were nothing.
Bracing itself on the doorframe, which cracked under the pressure of its hand, it launched itself toward Seven, but ended up hitting the marble sink, which partially shattered yet still held the creature back for a moment.
Taking advantage of that, Seven shifted his backpack forward and leaped through the window, using it as a shield to protect himself from the glass.
Falling outside, he rolled a little on the ground — This wall won't hold it! — before getting up and continuing to run back the way he had come.
In sequence, he heard an impact against the wall that made it shake, followed by another.
Running down a side street that, luckily, wasn't blocked or full of obstacles, he moved as fast as he could. Then he heard the third impact, along with the sound of falling bricks.
It got out!
As soon as he looked back, he saw it let out another scream.
"AARHHHG!!"
But this one was different — it was a scream of pain.
The wanderer used both arms to shield itself from the sun, which was burning its skin to the point that it began to bubble and darken.
Burning, it quickly retreated back into the building, into the darkness.
…
Passing along the side of the building, Seven headed toward where his brother was.
Reaching the front of the building and staying as far from the entrance as possible, he picked up the bow he had dropped in the middle of the square and went to his brother.
As he approached, Leon, who was still on top of the pile of rubble, noticed him and quickly climbed down, running toward him.
"You're okay?! — With a frightened look, he checked Seven over — Did something happen?!" He became even more alarmed when he noticed Seven's pallor and the small cuts on his face.
Pushing his brother away gently — "I'm fine, nothing serious happened." — Seven kept a smile on his face.
"But I heard some screams and the sound of something collapsing!"
I figured he would hear it. They hadn't been that far away when he was attacked, so of course he would have heard.
"The rabbit bit me while I was trying to catch it, and a wall collapsed after I passed by it."
"But it was really loud!"
"Ah, that must have been because of the echo from the buildings."
"…"
Faced with his brother's quick answers, Leon looked at him with some disbelief.
With a calm smile, Seven stayed silent.
You don't need to know this… there's no reason for you to know what happened in there, especially the encounter with the humanoid… especially if it reaches Ísis.
It was an answer he had been preparing ever since he left the building.
"I see…"
Leon nodded, though he still looked confused.
Thank goodness… A fight with the rabbit was an easy excuse to give, even though the screams had been louder than anything a rabbit could make, even with the echo from the buildings. He was relieved Leon had stopped asking.
I don't know if I should be grateful that the two roars from the humanoid sounded almost human.
Feeling a chill, Seven looked back toward the building, but saw nothing.
"…"
Trying to keep his tone controlled, he wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible so they could leave while the sun still protected them.
I'm sorry, Leon…
With the best forced smile he could manage, Seven changed the subject.
"Look."
He took off his backpack and showed the captured rabbit.
"You got it! Yesss!" Leon's eyes widened in surprise, his entire face changing as he celebrated.
"Yeah! Let's go home! Today we're having fresh meat for dinner!"
"EEE!"
Still celebrating, Leon turned and climbed back onto the large pile of rubble to retrieve what he had left there. When he was about to be followed by Seven, he stopped him.
"You don't need to climb up, Seven. I'll get your things for you! You must be tired from the chase."
"Alright…" Stopping, noticing his brother's excitement as he gathered the items, Seven sighed in relief.
It worked…
"Here!"
Leon tossed the quiver to Seven, who caught it in the air.
"Thanks."
Wrapping it around his waist, Seven tried to fasten it, but his hands were still trembling, making it difficult to close the buckle.
"…"
When he finally managed it, he placed his hand behind him and clenched his fists.
***
On the way home, already far from the square, the two walked in single file, with Seven in front and Leon following, humming softly.
"Meat, meat, meat, meat, it can be boiled or it can be fried, even smoked, but it always has to be well seasoned…"
However, unlike his brother, Seven had a cold expression on his face.
I've never come so close to dying…
The image of the humanoid wouldn't leave his mind, accompanied by a chill that ran up his spine. Even though some time had passed, his mind was still back in that place.
Sighing, he looked up, contemplating the tops of the buildings that surrounded them.
For some reason, some of them had more developed vegetation on the upper floors than on the ground level, even with trees, creating a strange sight.
That thing was a real monster… When it broke a wall with its hands and cracked one just by squeezing it, he had seen its strength up close.
The moment he saw it, he felt something screaming inside him to get out of there as fast as possible. It was a complex feeling he had never experienced before, yet somehow he recognized it.
Maybe that's what they call instinct. In that situation, that's what guided me.
Remembering the moment the humanoid reached the door so quickly, Seven felt another chill as his mind flooded with thoughts: What if I had run down the corridor? Or tried to pass it and run? Would I have…?
Turning his gaze back to the path, he continued walking.
If I hadn't found that exit… in the end, it would have caught me easily.
But why was it walking so slowly…? Was it trying to trick me? No… the wanderer didn't want to alert me. Even though it was blind, it wanted to catch me by surprise…
Feeling a chill run up his spine along with his hairs standing on end, a drop of sweat rolled down his face.
What the hell is that thing?! How the hell did they come into existence?!
Clenching his teeth, Seven tightened his fists.
A creature like that doesn't make any sense!
Seven knew concepts like natural selection and evolution, since his father had taught him and his siblings about them at home, saying it was basic knowledge for survival.
So when he thought about that ghost, he couldn't see it as something natural — malformed or overdeveloped, weak to sunlight, with a thin appearance that resembled a human, yet without any hair and with an unnatural superhuman strength.
It looks out of place, like it was created… but why the hell would anyone create that? Or release it??
Sighing heavily, Seven ran a hand over his face.
Thinking about this now won't help anything… but maybe Dad knows something. When I get home, I'll have to talk to him…
His thoughts were interrupted when Leon called him.
"Brother."
"Yeah."
"How are you going to ask Dad to prepare the rabbit?"
"Well… I haven't thought about it yet…"
It doesn't make much difference to me…
"Maybe as dried meat. I can ask Dad to trade the rabbit for the one we already have ready…"
"Don't do that, Seven!" Disagreeing, Leon shook his head frantically. "We already eat dried meat almost every day! What about fried? Or stewed and boiled?" As he spoke, Leon was practically drooling just thinking about it.
"Well, I'll think about your suggestion…" With a slight smile, he looked ahead.
Leon, returning to normal, watched Seven's back with a thoughtful look.
"…Brother, are you okay?"
At that question, Seven's body stiffened.
"Why?"
"You seem down… ever since you came back with the rabbit, even though you caught it."
"It's nothing… I'm just a little tired after running so much and fighting the rabbit. No need to worry…"
"…"
"Let's go. We're almost home."