jason and Ray both turned quickly, raising their weapons toward the shadows, their fingers tight on the triggers, their hearts pounding violently.
But… there was nothing—only a branch swaying under the touch of the wind.
The three of them exhaled in relief, as though a heavy weight had been lifted off their chests. Yet the relief didn't last long. Suddenly, Lily collapsed to the ground, her eyes glistening with tears, her body trembling like a drenched bird. Then she gasped and whispered in a broken voice: "Ah… I thought it was a ghoul… I'm scared… so scared."
Ray approached her calmly, knelt to her level, trying to make his voice warmer: "Don't worry, Lily… we're with you. Nothing will happen to you, I promise."
But Jason cut in harshly, his voice dripping with tension: "Enough, Lily! This isn't the time for crying… we're in a situation that doesn't allow for weakness."
Her lips trembled as she replied, her voice a mix of guilt and despair: "I know… I know that. But I'm a coward… weak… I can't do it."
At that moment, Jason exploded in anger, grabbing her arm with such force that the veins in his hand trembled, shouting: "That's enough! If you keep acting like this, you'll be a burden on all of us!"
Lily gasped from the pain and shock, while Ray rushed to grab Jason, his voice firm: "Stop, Jason! You've gone too far."
Lily's tears fell hot and fast. She stared at Jason's face with a broken look, then screamed at the top of her lungs—a voice that came from the depths of her wound: "You… you always say that! You always see me as an obstacle… since when have I ever been of any use to you?! Since when?!"
Her words fell like a knife, stabbing into the hearts of the two brothers before they could respond. But the forest gave them no time… heavy footsteps began to echo around them, the trees groaning in a terrifying chorus, their branches swaying as if trying to flee from something infernal approaching.
Lily screamed again and turned, running with all her strength, tears flooding her eyes. Jason and Ray had no choice but to chase after her, shouting her name—but the sounds of the ghouls were drawing closer, loud and growing clearer, like the beating of death's drums.
Jason stopped suddenly, raising his pistol, his eyes shining with desperate resolve: "Ray! Go after Lily. I'll hold the ghouls off."
But Ray stood beside him, pulling the rifle from his back, his expression a mix of stubbornness and loyalty: "Do you think I'm a fool?! I won't leave my brother to become a meal for the ghouls."
Suddenly, two massive ghouls emerged from between the trees—their cracked skin dark as coal, their red eyes burning with hungry fire. Thick strands of saliva dripped from between their sharp fangs, and their deep voices rumbled like the roar of beasts.
Jason raised his pistol, but his fingers trembled as he pulled the trigger to no effect… not a single shot fired. He froze, his face pale, his voice broken: "Ah… the ammo… I forgot to reload after leaving the mansion…"
His eyes fixed on the empty weapon as if it were a great betrayal.
Ray shouted while aiming his rifle at one of the ghouls: "Jason! Come on… aim!"
But Jason screamed in panic: "Th… there's no ammo!"
The ghouls gave them no time. One of them lunged at Jason with incredible speed, knocking him to the ground and sinking its claws into his face, tearing a deep wound covered in blood that splattered across the soil. Jason's strangled scream rose as the ghoul pressed down on his chest with crushing force, nearly breaking his ribs, then leaned its massive head down, mouth wide open, trying to bite off Jason's head.
But before its jaws closed, Ray threw himself forward with all his strength, shoving the ghoul aside, then aimed his rifle, his bullets trembling like his hand. He pulled the trigger… the shot pierced the ghoul's neck, green blood burst out, and the massive body collapsed on top of Jason.
Ray panted as he pushed the ghoul's heavy corpse off his brother, then grabbed Jason's shoulders, shaking him violently: "Jason! Wake up! Can you hear me?!"
Jason's eyes were glassy, staring into nothingness, his face drenched in blood, his features like the shadow of a man who had already said goodbye to life. Ray splashed water from his flask onto his face until Jason gasped suddenly, regaining a flicker of consciousness, then broke into sobs, his voice trembling: "Ah… my face… it's burning… the pain is unbearable!"
Ray pulled him into a tight embrace, tears streaming uncontrollably: "It's okay… it's okay, brother… we'll make it, just hold on to me."
As they struggled to stand, Jason asked hoarsely: "Lily… where's Lily?!"
At that moment, Lily had reached the edge of an abandoned village. Her steps were unsteady, her hands clasped tightly over her chest, fear closing in on her from every side. The path was terrifying, devoid of any life, except for the whispers of the wind swirling between the crumbling houses like wandering ghosts.
She whispered to herself in a desperate voice: "Why… why did I run away? Like an idiot…!?"
She looked back to find the path empty, her brothers nowhere in sight. She gasped in despair: "Damn it… why… why was I always such a coward? All I ever do is cry."
Her thoughts drifted to a distant memory, back when she was ten. The family had gone on a camping trip in the forest. The three of them—she, Jason, and Ray—got lost, far from their parents. She remembered Jason pretending to be brave despite his trembling, and Ray repeating reassuringly, "We'll find the way… don't be scared." As for her, she was just a crying child: "I want my mom… Daddyyy!" And when she stumbled and fell, Jason carried her on his back, walking a long distance despite his exhaustion.
Her tears flowed harder as she returned to the present. She murmured: "He always protected me… and I never did anything but cry."
She decided to take shelter in one of the abandoned houses. She pushed the worn-out door open and stepped inside. The silence was suffocating, and soon dust began to spread over the furniture, glimmering under the sunlight filtering through the windows.
Meanwhile, Ray and Jason were nearing the village. Sweat dripped from Ray's forehead, his hands trembling as he asked in a hoarse voice: "Jason… is… is your wound okay?"
Jason smiled bitterly: "The pain… is nothing compared to what I feel from losing Lily."
Ray looked at him with eyes full of guilt and said in a choked voice: "All this is because of me… if I had aimed faster, the ghoul wouldn't have hurt you."
Jason gave a faint smile, placing his hands on Ray's shoulders to lift the weight of guilt off him: "It's not your fault… maybe it's mine alone, because I yelled at my sister and let her wander off alone here."
Meanwhile, in the mansion, the scene was different. Dante sat on the couch, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling, when suddenly long strands of hair dropped down in front of him. He jolted in shock: "Ah! Get your hair out of my face!"
Black Withe appeared before him, a mysterious smile curling her lips. She said with childlike cheerfulness: "I wanted to show you something."
Dante sighed in annoyance: "Mmm… and what is it?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her room, her bright smile stirring a feeling in his chest he couldn't understand. He was flustered, trying to hide the faint embarrassment showing on his face.
When they arrived, they found Herman standing by the door, his arms crossed, his voice dry: "So you two finally made it."
Black W smiled with childish excitement: "Wait for me here, I'll be right back!"
Dante and Herman stayed by the doorway, exchanging silent glances before Dante whispered curiously: "I wonder… why did she call us?"