After spending the entire day questioning anyone they came across, the young men finally gathered again.
The gray sky that had dominated the day now gave way to the darkness of night.
The nights in Berlin were strange.
Dark.
Starless.
Rey had once heard someone say it was because of the smoke from the factories or something like that.
But honestly…
He had never cared much about it.
"So, what did you find out?" asked a boy who looked even younger than Rey.
Henry answered first.
"Nothing special. Just that the guy showed up mysteriously a few days ago."
The boy nodded and looked at the others.
"And you?"
Another youth replied, his expression heavy.
"Pretty much the same… but it seems the house used to belong to someone connected to the traffickers."
Silence fell over the group.
They all knew what that meant.
And they all knew what they were supposed to do.
Even so…
No one seemed willing to take the first step.
Rey sighed and started walking.
Truthfully, he didn't want to do this.
Something deep inside him told him this mission was a terrible idea.
A bad feeling.
But he didn't have the luxury of hesitation.
Every second that passed was another second Sther remained sick.
When the others saw someone finally move, they gathered their courage.
And followed him.
The house stood at the back of a small lot.
Like most houses in Berlin, it was built from black stone.
But unlike the traffickers' house, the stones weren't polished.
Even so, it was still far more elegant than anything those young men could ever afford.
One of them stepped forward.
Without thinking much about it, he grabbed a metal rod and smashed the window.
Everyone was armed with whatever they could find.
Metal pipes.Pieces of wood.A few rusted knives.
One by one, they climbed through the window.
Rey and Henry followed.
As Rey climbed in, a shard of glass cut his hand.
He ignored it.
Pain was the least of his worries.
While the young men searched the house…
Outside, someone was watching.
A man standing in the street.
"What a headache…"
He sighed.
"These kids are going to make my life even more complicated than it already is."
Then he slowly began walking toward the house.
Inside, the youths passed through the kitchen.
Nothing.
No sign of anyone.
Then they entered the living room.
In the dark corner of the room stood a rocking chair.
Someone was sitting in it.
The dim lighting made it impossible to see the figure's face clearly.
But no one had any doubt.
That was the target.
One of the youths — seemingly older than the rest — stepped forward.
He looked hardened.
Without hesitation, he raised his knife.
And drove it straight into the man's skull.
The sound was dull.
Then he pulled the blade free.
And stabbed again, this time into the temple.
The body collapsed to the floor.
Motionless.
Dead.
Or at least…
That was what should have happened.
"Is it over?" one of the youths asked.
The attacker answered,
"It's over."
But in the next instant—
Something pierced his body from behind.
A grotesque tentacle of flesh erupted from his back.
Everyone recoiled in terror.
The open window allowed moonlight to spill into the room.
At that moment, a cloud shifted.
The light illuminated the scene.
The thing impaling the boy was a dried flesh tentacle.
Twisted.
Grotesque.
As if completely dehydrated.
Then a voice echoed through the room.
Rough.
Broken.
"What a nuisance…"
"All of you invading my house without even asking."
The man everyone thought was dead…
Stood up.
As if nothing had happened.
Now they could see his face.
It was horrifying.
His skin looked far too dry.
In some places, it seemed stuck directly to the bone.
The knife was still lodged in his temple.
Piercing through his skull.
Yet he acted as if it were nothing.
One of the youths asked, trembling,
"W-what… are you?"
But Rey didn't wait for the answer.
He turned and ran.
Straight toward the kitchen.
The others stared at him in shock.
For a moment, they thought he had betrayed them.
Then they realized something.
If Rey was running…
Maybe it was the only intelligent decision.
Suddenly, everyone started running too.
No one wanted answers anymore.
They wanted to survive.
The man's voice echoed again.
"Now that you've come…"
"You're staying."
Three grotesque tentacles burst from his back.
They shot through the air toward the fleeing youths.
Before Rey even reached the window, he heard the screams.
When he glanced back for a split second, he saw the tentacles tearing human bodies apart.
Blood splattered across the room.
Bodies ripped open.
He finally reached the window.
And threw himself outside.
The moment he hit the ground, he heard footsteps behind him.
Then something slicing through the air.
Like a whip.
Suddenly, a voice echoed inside his mind.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Ethereal.
"Jump forward."
Without thinking, Rey threw himself forward.
At that exact moment, a whip of flesh cut through the air where he had been standing.
The hoarse voice spoke again.
"You dodged."
"Congratulations."
Rey raised his eyes.
The grotesque man stood in the window.
Covered in blood.
Watching him.
The air left Rey's lungs.
"A few annoying intruders managed to escape…"
"What a shame."
The man tilted his head.
"But since you were the first one to run…"
"I'll give you a reward."
His smile was cruel.
"At least you won't escape."
Rey clenched his teeth.
"You freak bastard!"
His heart pounded wildly in his chest.
Then another voice appeared.
"You have no shame killing children, senior?"
Rey turned his head.
A man was walking calmly down the street.
He wore the uniform of Euphrates, a widely known organization.
His black hair was perfectly trimmed.
He approached without hurry.
The grotesque man looked at him.
"They sent only you?"
He laughed.
"It seems they're underestimating me quite a bit."