Several minutes passed, and Mael remained seated, happily devouring his meal—until something suddenly caught his attention.
Click-click-click—the soft tapping of footsteps echoed across the empty restaurant.
"Excuse me, young boy," a worker's voice called, breaking the quiet.
Mael, still shoving fries into his mouth, slowly turned his head toward the man standing beside him.
"Ymmhhh?" he mumbled, his voice muffled by the food.
"I just wanted to let you know we're closing soon… so, could you make your way out?" he said, clasping his hands together in a pleading gesture.
Mael stared at him for a moment, chewing through the last bite before swallowing it down.
"Phew… almost choked on that one," he laughed, reaching for his drink and taking a long, satisfied slurp.
Seeing the boy still sitting there, engrossed in his food, the man tried again. "Plea—"
But Mael cut him off.
"Okay, fine. I'll be going home now."
Mael grabbed the last pack of fries from the tray and stood up from the chair, taking one last glance at the table before heading for the exit.
Ting-tong—the sliding door chimed as it opened.
The echo of his footsteps slowly faded as he walked away from the building.
The man let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally… I can go home.
He bent down to grab the tray from the table, but his eyes caught a wrapper left behind.
That kid has quite an appetite, he thought, shaking his head with a small smile.
With that, he shrugged it off and headed back into the kitchen to finish closing for the night.
Ting-tong.
"Sorry, we're closing soo—"
The man's words cut off abruptly as he turned toward the doorway.
Tack! The tray slipped from his hands, clattering to the floor. He froze, heart hammering.
"W-what… what are you?!" His voice shook, barely more than a whisper.
Sniff… sniff…
The grotesque creature swung its head from side to side, as if following some unseen scent.
A woman's voice called from the kitchen, "Hey Edward, I'm done cleaning—have you asked the kid to go ho—"
Her words caught in her throat as she stepped out and saw the creature looming inside the building.
Edward turned toward her, eyes wide, and hissed, "Jennifer… get back inside. Now."
Sniff… sniff… sniff…
The creature paused, a demonic grin spreading across its grotesque face.
"Aannggeell?" it hissed, stomping toward the spot where Mael had just sat.
Its nose pressed against the seat, sniffing with unnatural intensity.
Then it straightened fully, letting out a chilling, unearthly laughter that echoed through the empty room.
"HAHAHAHAHA! FOUND YOUUUU!"
The creature's hand twisted and morphed into a jagged, gleaming blade, slashing down toward the chair.
"JENNIFER! RUN!" Edward shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
Suddenly, blood sprayed across the floor, thick and dark, as the creature sank its jaws into Edward.
With a sickening crunch, it tore his upper body clean off. The lower torso collapsed to the floor, legs folding awkwardly beneath it.
SPLAT!
A dark puddle of blood spread outward, pooling from the remains of Edward's body.
"TOOO LOOUUDD!" the creature bellowed, its voice muffled by the grisly feast.
"EDWARRRDDDDD!!" Jennifer screamed, her voice cracking in pure despair.
"TOOOOO LOOOUUUDDD!" the creature let out a muffled growl.
The last thing Jennifer saw was the monster's massive, gaping maw lunging toward her. Through the dark crimson inside, she caught a horrifying glimpse of Edward's lifeless body cradled in its jaws—before everything around her went pitch black.
Floating high among the clouds, an angelic figure hovered, an open scroll encircling him in multiple loops.
He gazed downward, speaking to himself as he recorded his observations:
"Patient Zero. Demonic overtake within one day. Appearance: unrecognizable after infection. Ability: metal construct. Human awareness: none. Intelligence: minimal. Instinct: destroy anything with an angelic scent and react violently to sudden loud noises."
He meticulously wrote each note as he spoke.
"Conclusion: Subject Zero—failure. Does not meet the criteria to proceed to Stage Two. End report."
The scroll rolled itself back neatly and settled gently in his palm.
Sighing, he shook his head. A disappointing test subject, he thought, before lifting off and disappearing into the sky.
Night had turned to day. Stepping out of the shower, Mael stretched and felt surprisingly refreshed.
"Phew, that meal really took the edge off the pain," he said, letting out a satisfied exhale as he grabbed the towel hanging on the door handle.
"Alright," he muttered, glancing at the schedule taped to the front of the door.
"Today, Lily will learn mathematics and physical education."
After changing into a simple black T-shirt and pants, he opened the door and froze for a moment at the scene outside.
On the street below, several police officers in full black attire blocked the road, flanking their vehicles.
"What's going on down there?" Mael asked aloud.
Step by step, the sound of approaching footsteps and a trolley echoed in the hallway.
"Good morning, young boy. Would you like me to clean your room today?" a familiar voice asked.
Mael nodded absently. "Yeah… but do you know what's happening down there?" he asked, pointing toward the street.
The cleaning lady peered over and shook her head.
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but they've been here since around 3 a.m., when I woke up."
"Okay, well, I'm off now. I'll leave the doors open, okay?" Mael said, heading toward the stairs.
He made his way to Mrs. Joann's office, ready to start Lily's lesson for the day, his curiosity about the commotion still lingering in the back of his mind.
At the area enclosed by the police, several curious bystanders pressed forward, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening.
"Stand back! This area is off-limits!" barked a uniformed officer.
Several people ignored the warning, shoving past anyway.
"This is your last warning!" Another officer cocked his gun and fired a shot into the air.
Bang!
The sudden gunfire scattered the crowd, forcing them to retreat.
"Finally…" one muttered under his breath.
A shout rang out from the cordoned-off area: "Move out of the way! The president has arrived!"
The command was enough. Officers quickly cleared a path, allowing a long black limousine to park dead center in the chaos.
The door opened, and a towering figure stepped out. His hair was slicked back, his grey tailor-made suit immaculate, and sunglasses masking his expression.
"Good morning, President!" The men saluted in unison.
The president surveyed the scene before him—a destroyed building, gore-strewn floors, and mangled bodies. He removed his sunglasses, whispering,
"Dear God…"
Shock quickly twisted into rage.
"Those damn freaks did this!" he bellowed, pointing toward the wreckage.
"Men! Secure the building and gather as much evidence as you can!"
"YES, SIR!" The officers barked in response before rushing inside.
"We are the saviors of humanity," the president declared, his voice echoing across the street,
"and we will bring justice!"