Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 29

"Haaa.... Haaaa...."

Asher didn’t know what was happening.

It was like being blind but still not blind at the same time.

He could sense all these unseen beings, but couldn’t see them at all.

Why was he able to sense them?

He had no idea.

What he was sensing was the same feeling he got off Nuel the previous night.

He could sense when she was approaching and avoid her... even though it was fruitless.

But the same couldn’t be said for humans.

He couldn’t really sense them the way he was doing now.

Which brought him to the conclusion that he was able to sense Shadow creatures, and that meant whatever was attacking him were Shadows.

Maybe that was why they were invisible to his eyes.

The street was currently dark, and no one could see a Shadow in the dark.

They were practically invisible to his sight.

’Right...’

He leaped to the left and hurriedly brought his tray in front of his face.

Something struck the tray hard.

But he was still able to withstand it.

’Why? Why? Why? What’s going on?’

Asher had never walked these streets at night, hence he didn’t know that during the day, humans owned the streets.

But at night...

His house was almost close.

Just a few steps away.

Looking up, he could still see that the lights were on.

Before leaving the woman’s house, he had noted the time.

7:20pm.

Which meant his family were probably waiting for him before they ate dinner.

Running with everything he had left in him, Asher panted and forced his legs to carry him as fast as they could, as if his life depended on running.

Well, his life did depend on that.

So he ran as fast as he could while ducking any invisible attacks he couldn’t see coming.

All by the skin of his teeth.

’But wait. Why me? Is it because I’m the only human on the streets? Is that why they are all coming my way?’

The gate was almost within reach.

’... No! That’s not right. Something is different.’

The gate was almost within arm’s reach when his foot was grabbed.

He glanced down with shock written all over his face.

His heart pounded as loud as it could get.

Feeling others already converging on his location, he instantly swung the tray in his hand downward.

He didn’t know what he was aiming to hit, but he hoped it would do something.

The tray hit the ground with a loud, echoing sound.

It worked.

His leg was free.

He quickly bolted towards the gate and pushed it open.

Spinning around, he immediately slammed the gate shut and locked it.

Then darted for his house.

Turning to his right for the slightest of seconds, he could see a Shadow staring at him from the woman’s house.

It was the damned woman.

’I know this is your own twisted way of payback for the boobs incident. That’s why you didn’t inform me about this. Wait till I survive this first. You will pay.’

He bolted into the house like a bullet.

The force he used to push the door open was so sudden that all his family members jolted upward in shock.

Their hearts pounding in sync.

"Asher? Where were you?"

"And why did you run in like that?!"

"Haaa....haaa.... Close-Cl-Cl-Lock everything down. Barricade everything now!" Asher shouted.

"...."

Everybody was now getting worried as they stared at Asher.

"Barricade? What’s happening, son?" Clara questioned worriedly.

Asher, on seeing that nobody was going to listen to him, immediately turned around and slammed the main door shut.

Running around the house, he began grabbing furniture and barricading the main door.

"Asher? What’s going on?!" Jack demanded with a glare on his face.

Asher didn’t reply as he ran towards the windows and began locking every single one down.

"Up-Upstairs." Asher mouthed as he was about to run off.

Jayden intercepted him and dragged him back with a glare.

"Explain yourself now. What happened?!"

Asher paused as he looked at his family with a cadaverous face.

"I-I-I... how do I explain now?"

Jack folded his arms across his chest with a frown.

"However you wish. Just tell us what’s going on with you. And the hell were you coming from so late?"

Asher took in deep breaths as he scanned the worried faces of his family one by one.

His chest tightened with the weight of unspoken truths.

"Vespers City is cursed. We are trapped in a world of death, guys."

"...."

Nobody reacted at first as their brows furrowed in confusion at the boy’s words.

Deciding to take advantage of the silence, Asher decided to blurt out as much truth as he could.

"This whole place is overrun by Shadowy creatures. If one sleeps, they will be dragged into a Nightmare where they essentially die. That’s why everybody in the city has bags under their eyes, including kids.

I got attacked by these same creatures. Look."

Asher explained as he removed his hand from his side.

This revealed his torn shirt and the smudge of blood around that area.

Clara’s face deepened in worry.

"What are you saying, Asher?"

"The truth."

’Wait. That didn’t come from me.’ Asher shouted inwardly with panic.

Flick! Flick!

The whole lighting in the house flickered in and out for two seconds, then collectively went out at once.

This plunged the whole house into darkness.

"Wh-What happened?" Jesse questioned as her body stiffened up immediately.

"Maybe the fuse got blown." Jack replied as he looked around the house.

"No, it didn’t. The Shadows... They are here." Asher shouted in panic.

Jayden shot him a glare.

"Oh, come on, Asher. See why Mum always complains about your horr—"

Wind began howling in the middle of the room.

Everybody froze.

The ground began trembling quietly as if an earthquake was seconds away from erupting.

Equipment, cutlery, plates, and furniture began clattering to the ground loudly.

This caused Jesse to scream with every fall of something.

"I’m-I’m getting scared, Mum."

"Relax. Maybe the windows—"

"But I closed them all," Asher replied.

"...."

"Hmph. Young boy...."

A deep voice that felt all shades of wrong immediately echoed through the whole house, as if it was bouncing off the walls.

Then,

A pair of crimson eyes burned in the middle of the room.

Their blood ran cold.

"AAAAAAAAAH—!" Jesse screamed like someone being disemboweled alive.

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