CHAPTER 43: GHOULISH ENCOUNTER, PART ONE

With caution guiding his feet, the unshaven man raced down the left corridor, checking to make sure each door was closed. He listened in, confirming there were no unusual noises coming from any of the rooms.

As he passed through the corridor, a woman’s scream rang out from within the room to his left. It was a bloodcurdling cry, making the hairs on his arm stand as he froze in place.

Jon quickly looked towards the closed door, "Hey! I’m coming in!"

Trying the handle, it didn’t budge, only earning another horrific yell from within the room as he tried it.

"Help me...! Help–!" The desperate pleas for help came from within the room.

"I’m tryin’--!" He hurriedly shouted in return, backing up as he caught his breath, staring at the door. "Alright–if you’re near the door, then back away! I’m coming in!"

Setting his back across the hall, he got a running start before slamming his shoulder right against it. The momentum was enough to burst the locked door right off its hinges as he stumbled inside. He quickly huffed, wielding his silver lance as he took slow, cautious steps into the room. It was a complete mess, with sheets tattered and hanging from the ceiling, along with furniture thrown around.

Against the wall on the other side of the torn bed, he found a brunette woman clutching her knees to her chest, whimpering weakly.

"Hey, I’m here–what’s going on?" Jon asked in a hush voice.

As he approached, he noticed something in the left of his vision, a pair of children–twin brother and sister, huddled up in the corner with expressions overwhelmed by fear. He stared at the trembling siblings, who stared at him with their teary eyes.

’Kids?’

He thought.

"Mister...That’s not...That’s not..." The brown-haired boy stammered.

"Not what?" Jon asked, staying where he was.

The boy forced the words out as he clutched his sister close, "That’s not...our mom!"

–With the words granted to him, a chill ran over the lonesome adventurer’s body as he looked ahead again at the whimpering woman. He gulped, gripping his lance readily, not dismissing the child’s guiding remark.

"Ma’am...Can you stand up for me?" Jon quietly asked with tentative eyes.

The woman draped in blood slowly stood, her face hidden by her messy, unkempt hair, gripping her arms with her hands, "It hurts...It hurts..."

"What hurts? Miss, what did this to you–?" He asked hesitantly.

Not for a moment did his grip loosen on the handle of his lance, keeping it ready as his eyes stayed on the bloodsoaked woman. As the strange woman stood there, her fingernails dug into her own arms, her teeth chattering as if experiencing a hellish blizzard.

"It hurts...It hurts...It hurts..."

"--" Jon kept his eyes on the perplexing woman.

Without warning, the bloodied woman raised her head as her hair parted, revealing a jaw that parted like a serpent, within her jaws thousands of teeth laid.

"I have to eat–!" The monstrous inhuman screeched with a distorted voice.

The bloodlust of the fiend was pointed towards the children in the corner as it sprinted with sloppy steps towards them, keeping its repulsive jaw parted.

’Shit–!’ Jon thought.

He lunged forward, thrusting his lance as it acted as a blockade between the human-posing monster and the siblings, "Get out of here–! Hurry up–now, you two!"

By some miracle, the frightened children managed to move as the brother helped his sister run through the room.

The split-jawed inhuman yelled, desperately swiping her claw-like hands, "No...! They’re mine! Mine!"

He stepped back, pulling his weapon away as the sharp fingers nearly eviscerated his eyes. The aggressiveness of the humanoid monster put him on the backfoot, forcing him to weave around the persistent swipes.

"Mine! Mine...Give them back!" The woman screeched, lunging forward.

"Ghh–!"

The back of his knees hit the side of the bed, forcing him to roll backwards over the mattress. As he landed on his feet at the other side, the cushioned material was cleaved apart by the bloodied claws.

’A Ghoul...It must’ve possessed this woman. Was she marked by it before she came in?!’ He questioned.

"Don’t take them away—!" The ghoul shouted without any reason backing its words, running around the bedframe.

It moved faster, dashing with such force that it broke the floorboards beneath its right step, lunging for him. There was hardly any time for the lancer to react, attempting to step back, though he misjudged the range produced by the ghoul’s single push.

He used his lance like a shield, placing it between himself and the fiend as it grabbed ahold of it, pushing him back. There was no control over his own momentum when met with the ghoulish strength, being shoved through the wall as it shattered entirely.

"Grhh!--" Jon struggled.

Through the wall, he was thrown across the hall, only stopped as his back slammed against another doorframe. It took the wind out of him, leaving the adventurer breathless. An effort was taken in picking himself up as bits and pieces of wood shavings cascaded from his shoulders.

He huffed, looking towards the hole in the wall across the corridor where the ghoul stood there, scratching at its own body while murmuring curses.

"Mister...!"

The voice of the boy brought his gaze to the left for a moment, seeing the siblings standing in the hall, clutching one another.

"What–? Get going! The hell are you doing standing around here?! Hide somewhere!" Jon shouted, waving his hand sharply.

Hardly any words could be spared to the kids as he was forced to lift his lance again as the ghoul stepped out of the hole of its own making, looking towards the children. Its bulging, reddened eyes latched onto the sight of the twins, its teeth chattering with a ravenous hunger.

"Mine–!" The ghoul hissed.

As the kids screamed, frozen in place, the adventurer found himself having to intercept the fiend of a one-track mind once again. He slammed his lance towards it from the side, though its sharp reflexes allowed its nimble body to contort itself out of the way, flipping back on its hands.

Jon placed himself between the ghoul and the kids, blockading the corridor as he shouted to the ones behind him, "If I have to tell you brats to get out of here one more time, I’m feeding you to this damn thing–!"

From the glance he took, it seemed his scathing words had an effect, getting the twins to flee, much to the dismay of the voracious fiend.

"Get...back here!" The distorted ghoul screeched, lunging forth with wobbly steps.

"Alright, you want to do this! Let’s do this, then–!" Jon committed with a sharp exhale, swiping his free, left hand. "Blizzard!"

A gust of cold air was released from the motion of his hand, manifesting shards of ice that shot towards the undead monster. The sound of bones reconfiguring filled the corridor as the ghoul manipulated its own joints, moving like a doll to maneuver around the sharpened frost.

’Usually, a ghoul is something a fighter with a bit of experience can handle, albeit with some trouble. This one...It’s damn tenacious–got some strength behind it, too. Is it the Eclipse?’ He questioned, staying sharp as he pulled his lance in readily.