Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 3

Slowly, the family could be seen moving through the streets while the people walking around cast brief glances in their direction.

Asher looked through the window, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings. He quickly noticed something strange.

The people on the streets seemed fixated on the moving family.

Whispers.

The people glanced at one another and whispered among themselves while occasionally pointing toward the vehicles.

And some of the people out on the street?

They simply ignored the vehicles altogether, as though they weren’t even there.

Through his intense observation, Asher could make out several tired-looking individuals.

Some of them looked like they had been working their asses off and could barely get any sleep. Dark circles hung beneath their eyes, while their sluggish movements made them look almost lifeless.

Then, something caught his eye.

Looking closely, he saw an old man walking along the street when the truck suddenly honked at him.

The old man paused.

He looked at the truck and then at the car before slowly shaking his head.

Without saying a word, he simply walked away, leaving the family to continue on their journey.

Asher’s brows remained knitted together as he settled back into his seat.

Jesse tugged at his sleeve and whispered,

"Why do the people here seem exhausted and... and almost zombie-like?"

Asher lingered for a few seconds, thinking about it before shaking his head.

"It might be that they had a night shift at work or something, hence the exhaustion. I’m sure it’s nothing."

"We will be pulling up to our new neighborhood in a bit. I hope you are ready?" Jack questioned with a small smile on his face.

"Yessssss!" Jesse shouted excitedly.

Sometimes, she acted like a five-year-old, making it hard to believe she was fourteen if it wasn’t for her height and physical structure.

The city looked almost lifeless.

Almost.

Vehicles were moving around as usual. Stores were blasting music loudly, as if desperately trying to attract customers.

People moved from one place to another and even interacted with each other, but every now and then, they exchanged glances at the moving vehicles.

Some shook their heads subtly before returning to whatever discussions they had been having.

Children walked alongside their families or guardians, moving from one store to another in order to purchase something.

Click!

Suddenly, the stereo began working again, a completely different song playing through the speakers.

’Huh? When was that one released?’ Asher wondered inwardly.

He prided himself on being current with the world, especially when it came to the music industry. He was a lover of music and barely did anything without a good song blasting through his ears.

And the music currently playing was strangely different from anything he knew.

It wasn’t just unfamiliar.

He couldn’t remember ever hearing it before.

So he quickly reached for his phone to search for the song, only for his screen to remain blank.

"Huh? Is it dead already?"

He tapped the screen a few times before toggling the power button repeatedly, but it refused to come on.

’Maybe it was already running low and I didn’t notice?’

He stuffed the phone back into his pocket before folding his arms.

’... I guess I will charge it when I get home.’

For the meantime, he closed his eyes and listened to the surprisingly pleasant music.

’Maybe it’s an upcoming artist who suddenly got the limelight? He’s good.’

A few minutes later, the car came to a halt, causing Asher to slowly crack his eyes open.

"Did the tyre get punctured again?"

Jack chuckled.

"Of course not. We are here."

Sitting upright, Asher looked ahead and saw the truck pulled over in a neighborhood filled with similar-looking houses.

Stepping out of the car, Asher looked at the houses in front of him.

They were all two stories high, with grey walls and slanting tile roofs. Each house had a synthwood porch, a neatly trimmed lawn, and a large window that offered a clear view into the spacious living room.

There were even garages for those who owned cars.

"Uh... which is ours?" Jesse asked as she looked around at the almost identical houses scattered throughout the neighborhood.

They all looked eerily similar.

The entire neighborhood was surrounded by a single, high-rise fence, while shorter wooden fences separated each individual house from the next.

"That."

Jack pointed toward one of the houses as the truck moved ahead and stopped directly in front of it.

The family car pulled into the garage.

Once everyone got out, the whole family immediately began the arduous task of unloading the boxes and turning their new house into something that actually felt like home.

Asher was carrying one of the boxes inside when he noticed something.

A blinder from one of the neighboring houses moved slightly before shutting immediately.

’Strange. They didn’t come to welcome us?’

He shrugged and continued moving the boxes inside, with the truck driver helping them whenever he could.

The entire process went by swiftly.

One box after another was carried inside and dropped into the spacious living room. Several sofas were already arranged around the room, while a fifteen-inch television was mounted against the wall.

The interior of the house was beautifully painted, with several paintings hanging neatly on the walls.

A staircase leading upstairs could be seen off to the side.

There was no time for sightseeing, however.

Asher was far too busy carrying boxes.

By the time they were finally done, the sun was already beginning to descend, and evening had settled over the neighborhood.

Jack pulled out his wallet and tipped the truck driver, who thanked him before leaving shortly afterward.

"Well, fam, welcome to our new home. Let’s go inside and get it settled."

They all smiled happily before walking into the house.

....

Meanwhile, the truck driver could be seen smiling happily as he drove away, still pleased by the generous tip Jack had given him.

With the heavy load gone from his truck and none of the other vehicles slowing him down anymore, he was finally able to pick up some speed.

He wanted to leave the city as soon as possible.

He drove through the streets while the people on them cast quick glances at the truck before shaking their heads.

One of them even silently muttered,

"It’s of no use."

The driver continued speeding happily through the busy streets until he finally saw the edge of the city.

The end.

His eyes lit up as he gladly picked up even more speed.

He was almost out.

He pushed the truck forward with even greater speed when—

Crash!

The truck suddenly smashed into something in the air as though there were an invisible wall occupying that exact spot.

The impact was brutal.

Because of his speed and complete lack of knowledge about something like this, the force of the collision violently crushed the front of the truck.

Metal bent inward with a deafening crunch while the remains of the destroyed front were blasted backward.

"Ahhhhh—!"

The truck spun violently through the air.

The driver screamed inside as his body was thrown around with the vehicle.

Glass shards burst forward, tearing into his flesh before—

Crash!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The truck came tumbling down onto the empty street.

Its massive body rolled violently across the road before finally coming to a stop.

Tchaaak!

A piece of the shattered gear violently drove through the man’s mouth with immense force, ripping through his throat.

Blood gushed from the wound as the truck driver lay helplessly inside the wreckage.

Dead.

For a few moments, the destroyed truck remained motionless on the empty street.

Then—

Flames roared to life.

The wrecked truck was quickly swallowed by fire.

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