I was shaking so hard I could barely hold the sword. I'd sparred before, but seeing blood on the blade was something completely different.
Killing felt completely different.
It felt nice, though. The way that the sword stuck through its skull. Pretty nice, actually… Ehe… Maybe I shouldn't think about that, though.
I stared at the mangled thing on the floor. My longsword had punched clean through its skull; the hole still leaked dark and sticky. Its body was stretched thin and amphibian, skin glossy like damp leather. Its head was small and blunt, full of jagged little teeth that never quite fit together, like it was always smiling.
It was scary, yes. But also strangely… fascinating. The biochemist in me couldn't help noticing the way its jaws seemed built only for tearing, not holding. Evolution tailored purely for destruction.
Hear me out—no, I'm just kidding, lol. Jeez, who do you think I am?
Its three lidless eyes bulged across its skull, twitching in separate directions like a broken security camera. Its stunted arms curled into its chest, while its tail trailed behind it, still twitching faintly.
Ew. Ew, ew, ew. A killer salamander?
I shivered—and smiled, just a little. It was kind of cute, actually. If it weren't trying to kill me, I'd probably have wanted to keep it in a tank.
Strange how quickly this all felt… normal. I was soaked in blood, but it didn't feel that bad.
That said, I killed it… but it tried to kill me first, so that's fine, isn't it?
Careful, careful.
I prodded the body with the sword, nudging it into the bathroom corner. It was still kind of twitching a little as I moved it. I thought it was kind of funny, in a sad kind of way.
Before I sat down, paranoia pushed me to check everywhere—behind the shower curtain, under the sink, even the toilet tank.
I cleaned my sword with the shower curtain.
When I was done, I left a note at the desk. Maybe it was pointless, but… it felt polite. Just in case they come back.
[Dear Sir / Ma'am / Whomever this concerns, Thank you very much for letting me use your apartment. I don't know if anyone will ever read this, but… ehe, just in case. The world looks like hell now, so I hope you're safe. I didn't touch your things and only slept on the couch. Please forgive me. P.S. I'm sorry… you had a monster hiding in your bathroom. I killed it, but I wasn't sure what to do with the body, so I left it there. I hope that's okay…]
I lingered over the letter for a moment before tearing myself away. I locked the door behind me.
The ruins outside seemed more broken than yesterday. Buildings crumbled further, the air hung heavier. The sky was still blood-red. No monsters in sight… though that probably meant they were waiting somewhere else.
I hated this. But if I wanted to live, I couldn't stop moving.
Time to get back on the road.
- - -
I was heading down from the apartment when I heard sniffling. I wasn't sure from where, but as I climbed lower, it came from a room with the door torn wide open.
Is it a monster? It could be a survivor, too…
The room was dark so it *probably* wasn't the best decision to stand silhouetted in the doorway, but…
"U-Uhm… Hi? Is anyone there? Oh! Uhm. Sorry. I brang my sword for self-defense. I didn't really have anything else… I'm not here to hurt you."
I didn't hear a response for the longest time. Perhaps they were unable to speak? Like, maybe they hurt their mouth or something. How inconsiderate of me…
Or, they could be ignoring me. If they were ignoring me on purpose (say, they were perfectly capable and were just being rude), then uh… fuck them, I guess? At least show some courtesy, come on…
Nevertheless, I bowed."Sorry for bothering you. I'll be going now. I wish you the best, and I hope you're doing okay."
I turned away and was just about to leave when—
"Wait! Please."
"Hey, Ren—No! How can we trust them???"
"It doesn't really matter, you two. We've been stuck here for—"
"WAGH you're too loud… please, please please… *sniffle*"
"Jesus christ… Ren, apologize to Yun. You too, Park."
I waited at the door as there was shuffling in the shadows. Did I disturb them?
Oh, no, the blood on me. They might think that I'd hurt someone… but if I explained it, then it'd be okay, right?
I hesitated. "Uhm… are you all okay?" I stepped back out of the doorway and dropped down to squat underneath the banister. There was more of the bloodred substance that painted the railings. I thought that there was a strange beauty to it. It was like pretty paint. I had a strange urge to finger-draw a smiley face in it.
I didn't.
Eventually, four figures emerged from the room.
There was a uni-aged guy, a bit taller than me. I recognized him as Ren, one of the more popular freshmen in my major. We shared a couple of classes, but I don't think I've ever talked to him. He was wearing a hoodie and sweats.
There was another guy who looked a bit younger dressed in a sweater and jeans. He looked similar to Ren, so I assumed he was related somehow?
Then there were two girls.
One was tall and looked pretty strong, dressed similarly to Ren, while the other seemed small and withdrawn who wore a pretty skirt and button up shirt.
Ren took a look at me.
"Oh. It's a girl. Wait, why are you crouching?"
Ah. This was why we never interacted. He was always so confident and boisterous… You know, that one dumbass guy in your class that gave you the urge to kick in the balls to shut them up.
I meekly gestured to the banister behind me. "So I can hide behind this from anything that's looking… I mean, there isn't anything looking this way… I think? But still…"
The strong girl noticed me and dragged the others behind her.
"Wait." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Y-Yes?"
"You're covered in blood, and you have a sword." She started moving the others back.
"Oi, Hiyomi, what gives?"
"Don't be stupid, Ren," she snapped back. "She has a sword, and she's covered in blood. Where would you even get a sword? We can't trust her."
My heart sank. Oh, no… I knew that this was a bad idea.