Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 47

The Reid family immediately moved back to the living room and settled on the sofas.

And for the first time in days, the mood wasn’t heavy or tense.

Because the kids didn’t want to let the mood return to what it had been before.

Hence, Jesse rushed towards her mother with a grin on her face.

"So tell us, how do you see Judy? Personally, I kinda like her. She could be the sister I never had."

Clara looked towards Jayden, who edged forward to listen to what his mother had to say.

Asher was quiet.

He was trying his best to suppress a yawn while also combating the headache slamming at his brain.

Even still, he remained attentive, listening to what was being said.

Even though a thought was floating around in his mind.

’I just realised something... I can sense the presence of Shadows? If they are weak, the sense is stronger, and the stronger they are, the fainter my senses become. But how come I have this ability?’

His brows knitted in deep thought as he went over all the events of the past two weeks they had spent in this city.

’... Do I have a superpower like those anime protagonists? Or is this something everybody has in this city that I’m unaware of?’

His thoughts were cut short as Clara began to speak.

"Jay, how much do you like this girl?"

"...."

Jayden’s heart began beating rapidly in fear.

Why was his mother asking such a question?

Was she asking to gauge how far gone he was in order to refuse the relationship?

He couldn’t go against his mother’s wishes even if he truly loved Judy.

So he would have to let her go if Clara didn’t approve.

"Mum... Mum, I really like her a lot. She’s fun to be with and makes my boring work at the factory fun," Jayden replied with a slight blush in his voice.

"Uh-oh. Someone is head over heels for a girl." Jesse burst out laughing.

Jayden shot her a sharp glare but didn’t say anything because she wasn’t even wrong to begin with.

Clara beamed with joy.

"Great. I was worried that you would say you didn’t like her that much. Otherwise, I would have spanked you hard."

"...?!"

Jayden blinked a few times while looking at his mother, trying to make sense of her words.

"So... So does that mean you approve? What you told her earlier—"

"—came from my heart. I like her vibes." Clara replied with a soft, genuine smile.

"Yipeee!" Jayden squealed in joy as he bolted forward and threw himself over his mother with a joyful smile.

Asher chuckled silently.

’Truly, he is gone. Mehn... I hope I don’t become like this because of a girl. It all feels cringe.’

"Thank you, Mum," Jayden said.

Clara rubbed his back with a grin on her face.

"You’re welcome."

"Uh... What’s taking Judy so long? She should be out by now," Jesse uttered.

Jayden broke the hug and lifted his head to look in the direction of the kitchen.

"That’s right. Let me go check."

He sighed and stood up, then began walking away, leaving the others in the living room.

Unwilling to leave Clara alone with her thoughts for even a moment, Jesse immediately tried to pull her into a conversation, seeing as she was finally in a good mood.

Asher allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief as he settled back into his seat.

His eyes were heavy.

He really wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t afford to.

So, he simply lifted his gaze towards the ceiling, staring at it while listening to Jesse chatter endlessly beside him.

Jayden was just about to turn the corner and head into the kitchen when he suddenly paused.

"Oh, Judy. I was just coming to ge—"

TCHAAAAK—!

With a sound like ripping canvas, something tore through Jayden’s chest in a clean, savage arc, carving downward in a perfect line.

Crimson droplets burst into the air.

Jayden’s eyes widened as a terrified scream of pain tore from his throat.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Asher bolted to his feet almost immediately, his already heavy eyes snapping wide open in alertness.

Thud—!

Jayden’s body crashed onto the floor with a wet thud.

And with that, his attacker was revealed.

Clara’s gaze sharpened in fright the moment she saw who was standing there.

"Ju-Judy?"

"....."

Silence descended upon the living room.

Asher’s heart began pounding loudly, resonating with the throbbing pain in his head.

His eyes widened in horror.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

"Sh-Sh-Shadow."

The aura.

His senses.

They were unmistakable.

The person standing in front of them wasn’t human.

It was a damn Shadow creature.

A butcher’s knife hung from its hand, the blade dripping with fresh blood.

...Jayden’s blood.

Judy’s hands flickered several times, like a television station struggling to maintain a signal.

"Aaaaaaargh!"

Clara released a painful scream the moment she saw her son’s body lying on the floor.

Jayden was completely unmoving in his own pool of blood.

Judy’s obsidian eyes slowly lifted, catching sight of the woman.

"...."

A second passed.

Then another.

And then—

She smiled.

It was the kind of smile that made one’s stomach twist violently.

Her lips stretched unnaturally wide, revealing a bottomless abyss inside her throat.

Clara’s entire body stiffened.

She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t even scream.

The creature stretched one hand behind itself.

Its limb elongated like rubber, disappearing into the kitchen.

Something scraped against the ground.

Screeeeech...

Screeeeech...

The horrible sound echoed through the room.

Then, with a sudden hurl, something flew through the air.

Thud—!

It landed directly in front of the family members.

"Ba...thump..."

"Ba...thump..."

Asher’s heartbeat seemed to fall into sync with the sound as his gaze slowly drifted downward.

It was a body.

Not just any body.

But—

But—

But...

The lights in the house flickered on and off several times.

Flick—! Flick—!

And for a brief moment, the entire scene was illuminated clearly.

Asher’s pupils contracted.

His blood ran cold.

The body lying before them belonged to—

Judy.

Her body had been stabbed multiple times.

Blood covered her clothes, while a dark strangulation mark wrapped around her neck.

"...."

Asher’s mind went completely blank.

His breathing stopped for a moment.

’Ho-How?’

How was Judy standing in front of them...

When her corpse was lying right there?

Before the question could fully form in his mind, the Shadow wearing Judy’s appearance suddenly sank into the ground.

It disappeared into Clara’s shadow.

Asher’s eyes widened.

"No!"

The Shadow moved with terrifying speed beneath the darkness before suddenly shooting out from Clara’s shadow.

A blade flashed through the air.

Straight towards the woman.

Deadly.

Fast.

Unstoppable.

Clara’s eyes widened as the blade rapidly approached her.

Asher, Jesse, and Jayden could only stare in horror.

They were helpless.

Unable to react.

Unable to move.

And in the next instant—

Clara’s death was upon her.

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