Single for Eternity Chapter 55: Cracked Mind

The barmaid staggered back, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. Her wide eyes darted between the twitching corpse and the blood dripping from my hand.

"What have you done?" she repeated, her voice strained, teetering between shock and anger.

I flicked the excess blood off my fingers and sighed. "I saved your life. You’re welco."

Her expression twisted. Fear. Disbelief. Sothing else I couldn’t quite place.

She took another step back, pressing against the farthest corner of the room as if putting as much space as possible between us would sohow erase what had just happened.

I rolled my shoulders, already bored of her reaction. "So, are we going to pretend that wasn’t about to end with your throat getting slit, or are you going to start making sense?"

She didn’t answer imdiately. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Then, finally, her voice steadied. "You shouldn’t have interfered."

I raised an eyebrow. That’s what she took issue with? Not the part where I just exposed her not-so-human boss, but the fact that I stopped him from killing her?

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You’re welco," I repeated, voice laced with amusent.

Her jaw tightened. "You don’t understand."

I took a step closer, tilting my head slightly. "Then make ."

Her gaze flickered to the body at my feet. The thing that had looked like a man but clearly wasn’t. The headless corpse still twitching. Not bleeding like a human should, but oozing—sothing thick, sothing putrid, sothing that wasn’t right.

She swallowed hard. "He wasn’t—he wasn’t supposed to—" Her breath hitched. "You—"

I sighed again, rubbing my temple. "Look, I don’t have ti for whatever existential crisis you’re having. You knew sothing was off, didn’t you? You knew he wasn’t human. You’ve known for a while."

Her lips parted as if to deny it—but then she stopped. Because she knew I was right.

I watched as the fight drained from her expression, leaving only exhaustion.

She closed her eyes, exhaling shakily. "It doesn’t matter anymore."

I humd. "Oh, it matters." I gestured lazily to the corpse. "Because whatever the hell these things are, I’m not convinced they’re the only ones in this town."

She flinched at that. Bingo.

I stepped closer again, voice dropping just enough to be a warning. "So if you want to keep breathing, I suggest you start talking."

She hesitated. A war waged in her expression—fear, defiance, uncertainty.

Then, finally, she whispered, "You’ve dood us all."

I chuckled, tilting my head slightly. "And how exactly have I done that? Care to explain... Miss?"

Her grip on the hem of her dress tightened, knuckles turning pale. She ignored my oh-so-heartfelt question, her lips trembling. "You don’t know... what you’ve just done."

I leaned my head back dramatically. "Yeah? Then tell , girly. Don’t make lose my temper."

She flinched, her breath hitching at my sharpened tone. Then—

Tears.

’What?’

At first, just a sniffle. Then sobs, hiccups, a complete breakdown. Snot dripped from her nose, which she wiped across her sleeve, only saring it further.

I watched, equal parts confused and amused.

"You... d-don’t know... how long... I-I’ve been doing... th-this..."

Her words ca out broken, barely intelligible between her gasping breaths.

I crouched down, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She buried herself against , gripping my clothes as if I were the last thing keeping her from drowning. Her entire fra shook with the weight of her emotions.

’She’s so big, yet she cries like a child.’

I gently ran my fingers through her hair, patting her back in slow, deliberate strokes.

Minutes passed.

Her sobs softened into quiet sniffles.

Slowly, I unwrapped my arms, tilting her chin up slightly. "Are you fine now?"

She didn’t respond, just nodded subtly.

I smiled knowingly. "If you’re fine, then... care to share so information? I can help you—if you tell what’s wrong."

Her wide, teary almost a puppy like eyes t mine, uncertainty flickering within them. ’She’s so cute. Man... dogs are my weakness.’

I shook off my wandering thoughts.

She hesitated, biting her lip before finally whispering, "Can you really help?"

I assured her without hesitation. "Yeah, of course. I even have so other friends to help too."

Her dull eyes brightened—then dimd again.

"Then... I’ll tell you everything. But promise one thing."

I chuckled. "What?"

Her gaze flickered around the room, scanning every corner as if expecting sothing—or soone—to be lurking in the shadows.

"If I get attacked... save . I don’t want to die."

I placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Believe , if you’re useful, I’ll save you before anyone else."

Her hopeful expression faltered, sothing in my words unsettling her.

"I don’t know what... but sothing feels off."

I waved my hands dismissively. "Nahh. You’re just imagining things. Don’t think too much about it."

She took a deep breath, her composure returning.

Her voice steadied as she finally spoke, "Six months ago... people started disappearing one by one in this town."

I humd in acknowledgnt, urging her to continue.

"At first, it was subtle. The disappearances were minimal—one or two a week. People assud they had left the town for personal reasons or debts."

Her fingers gripped her dress tighter.

"But after two months... it got worse. Families started vanishing overnight—entire households gone without a trace. No screams, no struggle, just... gone."

My interest piqued. "So what did the townspeople think?"

"They panicked, of course. Rumors spread like wildfire. So said it was black magic, others claid demons were taking souls in the dead of night. Rituals, sacrifices... no one knew what to believe. But one thing was certain—whoever or whatever was behind this... it wasn’t human."

My lips curled into a smirk.

’Now this is getting interesting.’

She continued, her voice a hushed whisper. "By the fourth month, people stopped going out after sunset. Locked their doors, boarded their windows, kept weapons close. But it didn’t matter. The disappearances continued. People vanished even from inside locked hos."

I raised an eyebrow. "No forced entry?"

"None."

Now that was odd.

Her expression darkened. "By the fifth month... the town was nearly empty. Many fled, abandoning their hos, but even those who left weren’t safe. So disappeared on the roads."

"No bodies, no blood, nothing left behind. And that was when the people who stayed started looking eerie like dolls, repeating the sa sentence one by one, not reacting to anything or anyone."

I folded my arms, processing everything. "And the authorities?"

She scoffed bitterly. "They ca. Sent investigators, guards, even hunters. None of them returned."

Now that was sothing.

"And now?"

She swallowed hard. "Now... we’re the only ones left."

I locked eyes with her. "Who’s ’we’?"

She hesitated, then finally answered, "The ones too afraid to run. Or the ones who have turned into sothing demonic."

’Yeah, pour everything on demons. Of course, classic fantasy people.’

A heavy silence fell between us.

’A town that eats its own people, a predator lurking in plain sight, and no one left to fight it.’

I chuckled under my breath.

This was going to be fun.

’I’m sadistic or becoming sadistic, one thing for sure.’

[ System: Now, you’re finally gaining so self realisation. By the way you’re both sadistic and masochistic. ]

[ 〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜 ]

I wasn’t even mad, system’s banter was actually helping keep my sanity. ’If I had a ntal condition window. It would probably show that I’m unstable.’

[ ntal State: Cracked Mind ]

’Ohh.’