Scarlett stood frozen in place, her body soaked to the bone as the relentless rain poured down. Her crimson tears, mingling with the downpour, stained the ground beneath her. Her shoulders trembled with grief, her sobs drowned out by the storm.
The words of the system echoed ceaselessly in her ears, intertwined with the guttural growls of the monsters stalking the desolate streets. They passed her by, their glowing eyes briefly flicking in her direction before continuing their hunt.
"I have to join the chosen mbers," Scarlett whispered to herself, her voice trembling but resolute. "If I don’t, there’s no way we’ll find the safe haven in ti."
Determined, she forced herself to her feet, the soaked fabric of her clothes clinging to her skin. Wiping at her face with the back of her hand, she froze as her palm ca away slick and red.
"What the hell is this?" she muttered, staring at her bloodied hand in horror. Her puzzled expression deepened, her heart pounding in her chest. "System, you want to build a safe haven, yet you keep finding ways to sabotage . If we don’t make it in ti, humanity will go extinct. Do you even care?"
Ding!
{Host. It’s not my fault. Everything has been preordained. I, as your system, can only provide you with the information you need to know. And again, your tears are now blood.}
Scarlett clenched her fists, her blood-stained tears dripping to the ground. "Damn this world!" she spat, her voice a venomous snarl. Pacing back and forth, her frustration bubbled to the surface.
Then, as if a new thought struck her, she stopped abruptly. "Wait a second," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Since I was able to program you, you’re still able to detect danger. Tell , are the others safe? Are Garvin, Ethan, Louise, Larry, and Maya all right?"
{Yes, Host, they are safe for now. You might also attempt to sense their presence yourself since you’ve reached SS rank. However, I understand that you may not have full control over this new ability just yet. With practice, you’ll be able to detect the presence of anyone within a certain range.}
Scarlett’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Fine," she replied, closing her eyes in concentration. She tried to channel her senses, but the effort left her exhausted and frustrated. She couldn’t sense anything.
"Just alert whenever they’re in danger," she ordered, her voice firm. "I can’t stay with them, I have to keep moving but I’ll co to their rescue if needed. This is the only way I can protect them."
Her breath hitched as another thought struck her. "What about Golden, Jaden, and Hope? Are they safe?"
{Jaden and Hope are out of range, Host. Their locations cannot be detected at the mont. As for Golden... her presence is peculiar. She feels close, yet distant. I cannot get a clear reading.}
Scarlett’s eyes widened with alarm. "What do you an, ’peculiar’? Did Victor hurt her?" she demanded, her voice rising with barely restrained fear. "Answer !"
{I cannot determine if a survivor has been hard, Host. My detection capabilities are limited to sensing their presence or absence.}
"Try again!" Scarlett snapped, panic creeping into her voice. "Golden has to be okay. Nothing can happen to the three of them. Do you hear ?"
{Processing... Golden’s presence has been detected. She appears to be among other survivors at the school. However, her signal is faint, almost imperceptible.}
"The school?" Scarlett echoed, her voice laced with disbelief. "Victor released her? Are you serious?"
Her hands clenched into fists, and before the system could respond, Scarlett took off in the direction of the school.
{Caution, Host. Monsters are going to track your movents. Your tears will further provoke them, as they perceive you to be in danger. They will attack anything that threatens you. Proceed carefully.}
"I’ll kill them all!" Scarlett scread, her voice sharp with fury and fear. Her heart pounded relentlessly, echoing in her ears as the thought of Golden consud her mind. She pushed herself forward, feet slapping against the wet floor while monstrous growls chased her into the distance.
Scarlett finally managed to reach the school, located precariously near the railway station.
___________
Inside the dimly lit room, the remaining survivors had already ford organized lines, their expressions a mixture of determination and dread. The air was thick with tension, every breath shared under the weight of uncertainty.
"Damn it! There are so many of them out there!" Louise muttered, peeking nervously through the grimy window. He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. "Didn’t you say they’d retreat to their hiding spaces by midnight? How the hell did they all end up crawling here?"
Outside, the horror symphony of monsters intensified, mingling with the heavy patter of rain against the roof. The sound sent shivers down spines, the oppressive fear settling over the room like a suffocating fog.
"Are we going to die here?" a young woman asked, her voice cracking as tears stread down her face. She clutched her chest as if that could steady her panicked heart.
Larry, leaning against the wall, tried to inject a calmness into his tone that his pale face betrayed. "We’ll wait them out," he said with a weak smile. "They’ll leave eventually..."
"Wait them out?" Another survivor, a wiry man with wide, fearful eyes, snapped. "Do you even hear yourself? Victor’s n are just as dangerous...no, more dangerous than these things out there! What happens when they show up before we could escape?"
"You can go outside if you’re so scared," Louise interjected sharply, his tone laced with irritation. He crossed his arms, glaring. "No one’s stopping you. You’re a man, after all."
"Louise..." Maya’s gentle voice cut through the room’s tense atmosphere. She placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to calm down. He sighed deeply but stepped back, muttering sothing under his breath.
The wiry man swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Listen, I’m just saying...even with all of us ard to the teeth, we don’t stand a chance against Victor’s n. They’re not like the monsters. They think. They plan. And if they want us dead, they’ll make it happen."
Louise smirked bitterly, running a hand through his damp hair again. "I swear, I’m one stupid comnt away from punching soone," he muttered.
______
At the door, Scarlett stood silently, her body tense as she observed the escalating argunt. Her gaze flitted over the survivors, her chest tightening with guilt. She knew the monsters outside were there because of her, yet she couldn’t bring herself to explain why.
’Did Victor n already find out about the school ?’ she wondered. ’Is it because Golden escaped? Where is she now?’
Her eyes settled on Garvin, who sat slumped in the corner, his face streaked with tears. Sothing about his despair tugged at her heart, though her bloody tears threatened to spill again. Scarlett quickly wiped at her face, knowing the crimson streaks would only unsettle the others. She couldn’t afford to draw more attention to herself, not now.
Steeling her resolve, Scarlett gave the window a sharp knock.
The sound startled Ethan, who sat apart from the group, staring blankly at the floor. His head snapped up, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw her pale face through the glass.
"Ghost!" he scread, scrambling backward like a frightened child.
The others froze, their fear amplifying as Ethan’s panicked cry filled the room. Whispers of "ghost" and "monster" spread like wildfire, and most of the survivors retreated farther from the window, their trembling bodies betraying their terror.
All except Garvin.
"Scarlett?" Garvin whispered, his voice heavy with disbelief. He stood slowly, wiping at his tear-streaked face. "You’re alive?"
Maya stared at Ethan, her brows furrowed. "I thought you said she was dead? You told us you buried her because she turned into one of them!"
Ethan’s lips trembled, but he remained silent, his body still quaking in fear.
Louise sneered, his expression dark. "Maybe she’s here to kill him," he suggested, his voice low and biting.
"Open the damn door, Larry," Garvin barked suddenly, startling everyone with his commanding tone. He strode toward the front, his jaw clenched. "There are monsters outside, she needs to co in!"
"What? Monsters outside, and yet they aren’t attacking her?" Maya’s voice was shrill now, her hands clutching the fabric of her shirt. "What if she’s one of them? Like Matthew at the shore, he looked human until he...transford."
"Stop talking nonsense and open the door!" Garvin yelled, his patience fraying.
When no one moved, Garvin snatched the keys himself. He unlocked the gate swiftly, and as the heavy door creaked open, a slick, twenty-centiter-long tongue slithered inside, its horror tip writhing as if tasting the air.
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