Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 11

"...?!"

— What did you just do?!

Asher stood completely dumbfounded.

A woman stood before him, her face twisted with immense rage as though he had just committed some unforgivable crime.

"Yaaawn..."

Another long yawn escaped one of the children.

The sound seemed to suck the remaining air out of the room.

The adults stiffened in horror.

Several parents immediately rushed toward their children.

They crouched beside them, frantically tapping their faces and shaking their shoulders, desperately trying to keep them awake.

Panic was evident in every movement.

"What did I do wrong? I just yawned."

Asher’s voice was filled with genuine confusion.

— You don’t know what you did wrong?!

The woman’s face scrunched up in anger.

Before Asher could even react, her hand shot forward.

It was far too fast for him to move.

Pow—!

The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the store.

Asher’s head snapped to the side from the impact.

His hand immediately flew to his cheek as he stared ahead with a flustered, bewildered expression.

He couldn’t understand what was happening.

What was with this reaction?

Why was everyone acting as though he had done something horrible?

And why the hell had he just been slapped for something as simple as yawning?

— You have just doomed us all with your accursed yawn!

"What?"

Asher’s eyes widened.

Before he could ask anything else, another panicked voice rang out.

— Ohoy, champ. Stay with me.

A man could be seen desperately shaking his child.

The boy’s head lolled slightly as his eyelids repeatedly fluttered open and shut.

— Dad, I feel sleepy. Please, help me. Don’t let me fall asleep.

Asher’s confusion deepened.

He looked around the store.

Every adult was panicking.

Every child was struggling.

Some of the children were staggering around like drunkards, their movements slow and unsteady as their eyes repeatedly flickered in and out.

Then one small voice broke through the chaos.

— Mum, wil-will I die now?

Asher froze.

His expression changed.

Die?

Why would they die from simply sleeping?

What was going on?

Then his eyes caught something else.

One of the much older children gritted his teeth.

His face was twisted with determination as he pulled down his sleeve.

Asher’s eyes widened.

There were bite marks all over the boy’s arm.

Some looked old.

Others were fresh.

Before Asher could process what he was seeing, the boy raised his arm and bit down on it as hard as he could.

His eyes bulged from the pain.

His teeth dug into his own flesh as he held on.

Too tightly.

Little droplets of blood slowly began forming along his arm.

"Wha—? Stop that!"

Asher’s body moved before his mind could catch up.

He dashed toward the boy.

He was only a step away from reaching out when—

Thud—!

A kick slammed into his abdomen.

Asher was sent crashing backward.

His body hit the floor and slid for a short distance before finally stopping.

He stared ahead, completely astounded.

"What the hell...?"

But there was no time to dwell on it.

One by one, the children began breaking down in tears.

They were frightened.

They were exhausted.

And yet they couldn’t sleep.

Some began biting their arms.

Others inflicted pain on themselves in whatever way they could, desperately trying to force their bodies to remain awake.

The sight was horrifying.

These weren’t adults who understood what was happening.

They were children.

Children who were terrified of closing their eyes.

— Please!

A woman suddenly rushed toward the counter.

Tears were already streaming down her face.

— Do you have some pills? My child is in a lot of pain.

The middle-aged man behind the counter looked at her.

"I do."

The woman’s eyes immediately brightened.

But his next words crushed that hope.

"But you know how expensive they are? I can’t give them to you for free."

— Please.

She stepped closer.

— I will do anything. I don’t mind warming your bed up. I don’t have any money on me, so please help me. Give me the pills. I beg of you.

Serious tears rolled down her cheeks as she clasped her hands together in front of the man.

She looked desperate.

Completely desperate.

But the middle-aged man simply shook his head.

"I’m sorry. I can’t help."

The woman stared at him.

Her lips trembled.

Asher remained on the floor, watching everything unfold.

’Pills?’

Something suddenly clicked inside his mind.

His thoughts flashed back to the supermarket.

The cashier.

The bloodshot eyes.

The strange question.

**Should I get you some pills?**

Asher had refused.

At the time, he hadn’t understood why the man would randomly offer him pills.

Now...

His stomach tightened.

’What’s going on in this city that I’m unaware of?’

He looked around.

The exhausted adults.

The terrified children.

The bite marks.

The blood.

The desperate pleas for pills.

None of it made sense.

And yet somehow, it was all connected.

The woman’s gaze slowly shifted.

The man behind the counter had refused her.

Her child was still crying.

Still hurting himself just to remain awake.

The sorrow in her eyes slowly twisted into something else.

Rage.

Pure, desperate rage.

Her head snapped toward Asher.

Her eyes locked onto him.

The boy who had caused this.

The boy whose yawn had apparently doomed them all.

The cries of her child biting different parts of his body just to remain awake echoed through her ears.

Her face contorted.

Then she lunged toward Asher.

— AHH! You are the cause of all this! I won’t spare you!

The woman lunged toward Asher.

Her face was twisted with fury, tears still streaming down her cheeks as desperation consumed whatever restraint she had left.

Asher’s eyes widened.

The woman was about to crash into him when he quickly rolled to the side.

She missed him completely.

Thud—!

Her body slammed into the tiled floor.

But it didn’t stop her.

She immediately pushed herself up and pounced toward the boy again.

Fortunately for Asher, before she could reach him, several of the adults in the store rushed forward and grabbed her.

It took several people to restrain her.

She screamed.

She struggled.

She thrashed against their grip like a woman who had completely lost herself to panic.

— Leave me! Let me go!

Her voice echoed throughout the store.

— Because of his stupidity, my daughter will die!

"Aaaaaargh! LET ME GOOO!"

She twisted violently, trying to break free.

One of the men holding her suddenly yelped as the woman turned her head and bit down on his hand.

He immediately released his grip.

"Ah!"

Fortunately, the others reacted quickly.

They grabbed her again, forcing her back down and pinning her against the floor with all their strength.

The woman continued struggling beneath them.

Her daughter simply sat there.

Silent.

Tears streamed down the little girl’s face as she watched her mother being restrained.

Asher could only stare.

He was completely dumbfounded.

His mind couldn’t process what he was seeing.

What had his yawn done?

Why were these people so terrified?

Why were they acting like their lives depended on staying awake?

The man behind the counter quickly tied Asher’s shopping bag shut.

Then, with all the strength he could muster, he hurled it toward the boy.

Thud—!

The bag landed on the floor directly in front of Asher.

Everything he had bought was inside.

Safely packed.

— Now leave this place before they rip you to shreds!

Asher stared at the bag.

Then at the woman being restrained.

Then at the children still biting themselves just to remain awake.

His expression tightened.

"No... no, I can help. Let me do something fo—"

"—LEAVE!"

One of the women holding down the screaming mother suddenly shouted.

The force of the command jolted Asher back to reality.

His body reacted before his mind could catch up.

He quickly grabbed the bag and fumbled to his feet.

He turned and tried to run.

His foot slipped against the smooth tiles.

"Whoa—!"

He nearly crashed onto the ground.

At the last second, he threw his fist down and caught himself.

Pain shot through his hand.

He didn’t care.

— Come back here!

The pinned woman screamed behind him.

Asher staggered back to his feet.

Then he bolted.

He rushed through the entrance and out of the store, leaving the chaos behind.

He didn’t look back.

Not even once.

The door closed behind him.

The woman’s frantic screams continued for a few seconds before gradually fading into the distance.

Still, Asher didn’t slow down.

He clutched the shopping bag tightly against his chest and ran with everything he had.

His breathing became heavier.

His heart hammered against his chest.

His mind raced even faster.

He almost shoved people aside as he sped through the streets, weaving between them without even bothering to apologize.

’Wh-What was that?’

He couldn’t even form a proper conclusion.

His thoughts were a mess.

Everything he had seen inside that store kept replaying in his mind.

The children.

The bite marks.

The pills.

The woman’s desperation.

The fear in everyone’s eyes.

And most importantly...

His yawn.

He dashed forward.

His only thought was simple.

Get home safely.

Nothing else mattered.

He crossed the road and reached the other side.

Then—

His skin suddenly crawled.

A strange sensation passed through the air.

Something seemed to slither through it.

Then it slipped into his ears.

A voice.

Soft.

Almost a whisper.

Yet somehow, Asher heard it with perfect clarity.

As if someone had leaned directly beside his ear.

"Welcome to Vespers City."

Asher froze.

His feet stopped moving.

His entire body went rigid.

The shopping bag remained clutched tightly against his chest.

His eyes widened.

He slowly looked around.

Nothing.

People were still walking.

Cars were still moving.

The city continued around him as though nothing had happened.

But Asher stood completely still.

The voice was gone.

Yet he could still feel it.

Right inside his ears.

"Welcome to Vespers City."

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