Shadow of Death (SOD)

EPISODE 67

"...."

"Aaaaaah!"

Asher’s scream tore through the air as he stared at the creepy figure holding his leg back and grinning at him with its head turned upside down.

As if relishing the fear oozing from the boy, a long, swirling tongue rushed out of its mouth.

It slowly crept upward, running along Asher’s leg.

A look of fear, disgust, and horror immediately appeared on the boy’s face.

"Ash! Asher?! Are you okay?!" Rick shouted from the other end, worry creasing his voice.

"Of course not! This bastard is gay!" Asher screamed as he glared back down at the creature trying to pull him down.

Its tongue continued exploring every inch of Asher’s leg as it slowly ran upward.

"Oh, hell no! Let me go!" Asher shouted as he swung his second leg.

Bam!

It crashed into the figure’s hands.

However, its grip was tight, as if it were holding onto a precious treasure and unwilling to let go no matter what.

If the creature was stubborn, then unfortunately for it, it hadn’t met a breed like Asher before.

Slamming his leg against the hand once more, it refused to budge, and the tongue was beginning to tickle him.

Even though his pants were long and covered every inch of his legs, it still felt like the tongue was touching his bare skin.

It disgusted and tickled the boy to no end.

"Are you trying to turn or seduce me, you motherfucker?! Unhand me now!" Asher bellowed as he spun his other leg around before bashing it into the side of the creature’s neck.

Asher didn’t know where the strength had come from or how it was even possible.

But for a moment, a hairline crack appeared on the creature’s neck.

Pain shot through every vein and vessel of the creature’s body.

Its tongue retracted back inside like a slingshot, crashing into the back of its throat like a rubber band.

An ear-piercing scream that made it seem like a thousand needles were poking into one’s ears rang out with immense intensity.

The creature’s hands slid down from Asher’s legs as the creepy figure continued screaming in pain.

"Oh? You can scream? Damn. I wish I could stay longer to check if you could bleed too. Tsk."

Lifting his head upward, Asher inhaled deeply and held his breath before pulling forcefully with both hands.

His body shot upward almost like a broken arrow soaring through the night sky.

He flew over the fence while looking back at the cemetery with a conflicted look on his face.

Something was bothering him.

It felt like he had forgotten something crucial—something that should help him moving forward.

But what?

"...."

Bam! Thud! Thud!

Asher crashed onto the ground before rolling a few times and finally coming to a halt in front of a worried Rick.

"Ugh... that was annoying." Asher scoffed as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet.

"Oh, thank goodness." Rick cried out in relief as he rushed forward and pulled Asher into a tight hug.

"....?!"

".... I thought we would die there. Thank goodness we are both okay. Jeez. Let’s not do that again, Asher. I-I was scared out of my wits."

"....?!"

"Uh... Rick?" Asher called out softly.

"What?"

"Ahem... why can I feel something poking me down below?"

Rick’s closed eyes snapped open at the sudden accusation.

He immediately recoiled backward in confusion before glancing down at himself, only to see that it was all a lie.

Glancing back up, his face reddened in both embarrassment and anger.

"How dare you make such a crude joke at a time like this?! Are you mad?! I know that you aren’t scared right now, but I—"

"— Are you still scared?" Asher cut him off smoothly.

"No. If anything, I’m more furious at your foolish prank."

The corner of Asher’s lips curled upward into a smirk.

"Mission accomplished then."

"....?!"

Rick blinked once.

Then again.

"Huh?"

When they had hugged just now, Asher had felt Rick’s body trembling from the sheer amount of fear he was feeling.

And for some reason, it brought back strange, invisible feelings and memories into Asher’s mind.

Even when the creepy figure had caught him, he had felt his own body trembling too as he thought that maybe he would be buried there alongside the countless graves.

But when he began taunting and mocking the creature, for some reason, it managed to distract his mind from the fear he felt at that moment.

That was what gave him the confidence to escape instead of remaining frozen like every fool in a horror movie.

That was the same technique he had just used on Rick....

The art of distraction.

"Come on, let’s go." Asher urged as he held out his hand to his friend.

Rick scoffed.

He folded his arms, then threw his head to the side.

"I ain’t going anywhere with you."

"...."

Asher sighed.

He shrugged, shook his head, and then turned away.

He began walking.

"Suit yourself."

Rick maintained his stance with his head still fixed to the side—staring at the lush green grasses being illuminated beneath the pale moonlight.

The sound of crickets chirping became louder and louder as Asher’s figure grew more distant with each passing second.

Rick gulped.

His resolve began weakening beneath the threatening night sky.

Then, his skin crawled.

Every hair on his body rose as he slowly turned around.

His gaze settled on the fence.

He waited for a second.

Then another.

And then—

The image of the creepy figure suddenly flashed across his mind.

"Aaaah! Mummy! Save me!" Rick screamed.

Nobody needed to tell him twice.

He turned on his heels and bolted forward with such speed that even the world’s top athletes would be put to shame.

"Mummy! Daddy! Asher, wait up, you bastard!" He bellowed.

Dust trailed behind him.

Then his slippers hindered his movements.

Without hesitation, he crouched down, grabbed both slippers in his hands, and immediately resumed his race.

"Asher!" Rick screamed as he bolted forward.

Soon, he passed the very person whose name he was still screaming.

"Asher, wait for me!"

"....?!"

Asher paused.

He stared at the rapidly vanishing figure of his friend ahead of him with a confused look on his face.

"But I’m here."

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