CHAPTER 99: THE MADMAN (PAST)

Joshua almost didn’t hesitate at all before bolting out of the room, following the sound as he dashed down to the first floor.

But the moment his foot touched the last step, he froze. It was as if his soul had left his body—he stood there blankly, eyes wide, staring at the corpse sprawled across the staircase.

The body was riddled with bite marks, torn flesh, and blood splattered everywhere, forming a crimson trail that flowed down the stairs onto the floor below.

The corpse’s eyes were wide open, fresh blood seeping from the sockets. Even though the face was barely recognizable—blurred and ruined by blood and mangled flesh—Joshua could still tell.

It was his father.

A wave of nausea surged up from Joshua’s stomach.

His heart pounded at an absurd rate, his mind spinning as though he could no longer find his footing.

He bent down, raising his trembling hand—he couldn’t even tell what shape it was taking anymore.

Blood... it was really blood... hot and real...

"Aaaahh!"

At that moment, a piercing scream echoed through the house. His mother—his mother was in danger!

Without a shred of hesitation, Joshua sprinted down, his feet splashing through the blood, racing toward the source of the sound.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind—what kind of monster could have done this?

A terrorist? An enemy of the family? Or something else entirely?

But when he reached the kitchen, he froze again.

His mother was cornered, tears of fear and despair streaming down her face.

And standing before her—back turned toward Joshua—was unmistakably Louis. The same clothes Louis had worn the day before.

What... what was going on...?

Joshua didn’t understand. He couldn’t.

But then, Louis suddenly lunged forward—his target clear: their mother.

The gruesome image of his father’s body flashed through Joshua’s mind. He didn’t even think—he threw himself forward, grabbing Louis and dragging him down to the ground.

"Joshua!"

Mrs. Adonis screamed in horror; she hadn’t expected her son to appear out of nowhere.

As for Joshua—he felt like he’d lost his mind. Or maybe the whole world had gone insane.

His brother, his perfect, brilliant brother—how could he look like this?

Louis’s skin had turned an ashen gray, mottled with dark spots. His once-strong body had become grotesquely thin, his eyes clouded with a sickly film, pupils glowing a vivid red.

Cracks ran across his flesh, oozing fresh blood and some strange, viscous fluid.

He opened his mouth wide—the corners splitting apart as jagged, shark-like teeth emerged, dripping with blood and shreds of flesh.

There was no doubt about it—he was the one who had bitten their father to death.

A scene that should’ve only existed in movies was now unfolding right before his eyes.

Joshua was pinned to the floor beneath Louis, completely overpowered—his strength was nothing compared to his brother’s.

He shut his eyes tightly and wrapped his arms around Louis.

"Rip!"

The sound of sharp teeth tearing through flesh echoed in his ears.

A blinding pain flashed through Joshua’s mind, his vision darkening as agony spread from his shoulder, every nerve screaming.

He couldn’t lift his head, couldn’t see his mother—he could only cry out, voice trembling and hoarse, "Mom! Run! Go to Uncle Harry’s house—run!"

Mom, run... please run...

But what had the world outside turned into by now?

Mom... please, be safe...

He should’ve protected her. He was useless—so utterly meaningless.

Tears streamed down Joshua’s face, he didn’t even know if it was from the pain or something more profound.

He clung tightly to Louis, the foul stench of decay filling his nose—the smell coming from the brother who had been perfectly fine just yesterday.

"Brother... brother, I don’t hate you... I’m sorry..."

"Brother, it hurts... it hurts so much, sob... brother, it hurts..."

Maybe it was because he was on the verge of death, but Joshua suddenly remembered when he was three years old—Louis had accidentally broken a vase, and Joshua had stepped on a shard of porcelain.

He’d cried so hard, the pain unbearable, feverish for days.

Through the haze of that childhood illness, he had seen his brother holding his hand, swearing that he would never let Joshua be hurt again.

And he had kept that promise. Louis had always been the perfect big brother—Joshua only needed to live his life freely. Everything else, Louis would take care of. Always.

A piece of Joshua’s flesh was torn off. Louis growled as he chewed and swallowed—the flesh of the little brother he had cherished and protected since childhood.

Joshua bit down on his own lip so hard it split, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

It hurts so much, brother... it hurts so much...

"Sob... sob... you’d better just kill me, brother... I don’t want to turn into what you are..."

Joshua broke down completely, crying uncontrollably—like that day long ago when the shard had pierced his foot. His vision dimmed, his world fading into murky black as thick shadows crept over his consciousness, heavier and heavier, until everything went dark.

Then, suddenly, something brushed his head.

Louis’s withered, stiff hand slid through Joshua’s hair and gently patted it.

The monstrous creature that had been devouring flesh and blood... let a single, dry tear fall from the corner of its eye.

.

Joshua felt as though his entire body had been crushed by a truck, every muscle screaming in pain. His head was foggy, his thoughts clumped together like a tangled mass he couldn’t unravel.

He forced his eyes open and struggled to sit up. It felt like he’d just woken from a nightmare. In the dream... in the dream...

Suddenly, Joshua jolted upright, even though the motion sent a flood of pain crashing through him like a tidal wave.

He could barely stand, but he stumbled toward the door anyway, urgency driving him forward.

Outside—his parents and his brother were wandering aimlessly, pounding madly on the front door as though desperate to escape.

They saw him, but did nothing. They just kept banging against the door.

Joshua looked up at the clock on the wall—and froze.

Twenty days had passed.

Instinctively, he reached up to touch his own face. The texture felt normal. He remembered Louis biting into his flesh, but those wounds... they were completely healed now.

But then—why? Why had his mother turned into one of them, too?

Unbeknownst to Joshua, even before he woke up, Mrs. Adonis’s body had already been covered in wounds.

He stood there in a daze, surrounded by his family.

His family—this was his home. They couldn’t leave!

Out there... out there had to be dangerous!

Desperation flooded him. Joshua rushed around the house, moving as fast as he could to find anything—anything-to tie them to the chairs.

They were obedient, mostly. Even though they growled and snarled, they didn’t fight back.

"Everyone... everyone can still hear me, right?"

"It’s me, Joshua. I’m your son... your little brother."

"It’s me."

They sat quietly at first, still and docile—but after a long while, they suddenly went wild again, thrashing violently.

Joshua didn’t understand why. Panic set in.

"Brother, what’s wrong with you?"

Louis wasn’t attacking him anymore—or at least he hadn’t been—but the moment Joshua got close, Louis turned his head sharply and tore a huge chunk of flesh from Joshua’s arm.

Joshua screamed, pain shooting through him so intense he could barely stay upright.

He stared in shock as Louis chewed and swallowed his flesh.

It hurt—so much—but Joshua’s eyes gleamed with sudden realization.

So that was it... they were hungry.

He hadn’t kept track of time. But it didn’t matter, right? He could heal... couldn’t he?

He clearly remembered Louis eating his flesh before—and yet, he was still alive.

Excitement surged through him. Joshua jumped to his feet and rushed into the kitchen.

"Don’t worry, everyone," he said breathlessly, voice trembling with a twisted kind of relief. "I won’t let you go hungry."