In the cellar, the dim candlelight flickered, casting shadows on the pale faces of the middle-aged couple.
The man tightly gripped the wooden stick in his hand, his knuckles white from exertion, his eyes fixed firmly on the entrance to the cellar as though a beast might charge in at any moment.
His wife huddled in a corner, clutching their two children tightly in her arms, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes full of terror.
"Daddy, what's... what's going on outside?" the young girl asked with a quivering voice, tears lacing her tone.
The man did not answer. He simply tightened his hold on the wooden stick, his gaze still fixed unwaveringly on the cellar entrance. His ears pricked high, trying to catch any sound from outside. Yet, there was nothing—just silence.
A peculiar expression flashed across the man's tense face.
