Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?

They say fiction is sometimes stranger than reality. Whooo~.... Whooo~.... What were those? Owls?

Sometimes, it was hard to distinguish what was what in this grimly place.

The moon hung low over the sprawling cornfield, casting an eerie glow on the rustling stalks. RUN! RUN! RUN!

Two people could be seen sprinting through the maze of corn, their breaths ragged and hearts pounding. Sweat trickled down their necks, as they gasped for air while constantly throwing their heads behind their shoulders with unfocused pupils. And far behind them was the unmistakable sound of metal scraping echoed, a chilling reminder of the hellhole they now found themselves trapped in.

"Keep running, Izzy!" Ciel gasped, his voice barely audible over the rustling corn. "We can't stop now!"

"I know," Izumi whispered with her eyes still feeling like they weighed 50 pounds.

The couple pushed through the corn, as the stalks slapped against their faces like ghostly fingers trying to pull them back. The air was thick with the scent of earth and fear, and every shadow seemed to twist into a sinister silhouette.

Suddenly, the cornfield gave way to a massive, decrepit mill, which now seemed like a sanctuary to them.

The old, worn-out, abandoned-looking mill had a towering structure loomed like a giant, skeletal guardian in the night. It was better to hide in there and find an opportunity to kill wha was chasing them, rather than keep running and running for hours and hours. Thus without hesitation, they dashed inside and immediately cooperated to slam the heavy metal door shut behind them.

'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Something unnatural kept slamming on the door so hard it left printed images on the thick metal door.

Seeing this, they knew they had bought themselves a little more time.

"Izzy, we have to get ready."

"I.. I know Ciel…" Izumi nodded stiffly. "But how long do you think we will be in here for?"

She wasn't referring to the mill, but the current world they were now in. Her life before seemed like a distant memory, one she desperately missed. Slapping her cheeks, she told herself not to think of the past any longer. For now, her task was to ensure she and her darling husband get back home in one piece…

For her son, THEY MUST!

.

Drip, drip~

The distant and echoey sounds of water droplets rhythmically splattering on the ground was all they could hear. The mill was a labyrinth of shadows and creaking machinery, with the air being very cool and damp, carrying the strong scent of decay. However, after staying in this world for so long, they've grown nose blind to the rotting stench. Ciel's eyes scanned through the darkness. "Izzy, you must get ready because once we deal with it, we'll only have 5 minutes at most before we move out again… We can't stay here."

"Yeah…" Izzy knew more than anyone else that staying here was too compromising, as these monsters seemed to be able to trace the scent of their dead comrades, and would soon appear here once they sense one of their kind dead. Sure enough, barely seconds after moving deeper into the mill, they heard the faint sound of the creature's claws scraping against the walls in a haunting melody that made their legs clam. Ciel and Izzy looked at each other tactfully, before splitting up as they typically did. Sure enough, Izzy made a great damsel in distress. Because the moment she ran out, the terrifying creature was fully focused on her. AHHHHH~

She ran, stumbled, ran, stumbled and stumbled through the maze of rusted gears and broken beams, her footsteps now echoing like a heartbeat in the silence.

"Why the rush, human," Its voice cut through the darkness, dripping with malevolent glee. Till now, they haven't seen what the creature looks like. They've only seen his tall shadowy silhouette hunting them with every step it took forward. Izumi screamed as she bolted down a narrow corridor. And right behind her was a silhouet whose shadow was now imprinted on the mill's walls that seemed to close in around her.

.

"1, 2, 3~... I'm coming for you~" The creature sang in raspy delight, with its shadow on the walls showing 2 hook-like hands raised high. Soon, Izzy reached a large chamber that had moonlight filtering through the cracked roof, casting eerie patterns on the floor.

Where to go? Where to go? Trapped!

There was no way out except through the one she came through. "Going somewhere?" Izumi slowly turned around, only to see a grotesque being with hail overflowing over its face and 2 hooks for hands. It was odd to say that although its face was covered with overly long and damp-like hair, she could still see his unnatural smile that stretched from ear to ear. Izumi stepped forward, trying to muster courage. "Leave us alone! Why are you doing this?"

Why?

It chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Izumi's spine. "Why so many questions? I'm just getting started and you're already this curious?"

Whoosh!

Time stood still, as Izumi felt death's doors once again within her grasp.

Terrible!

It lunged at her, his claws slicing through the air with a vicious intent. But just when it was inches from touching her, Izumi quickly moved her head to the left, and then—

Bam!

"Izzy, are you alright?" Ciel had appeared at the scene, plunging a heavy rode through the creature's right face. And sure enough, its heart was right where he guessed. After being in this world for long, he knew that these creature's had weird heart displacements compared to human's who had their hearts in one single spot. Very quickly, he yanked out the rod and stabbed another part of the creature, taking out its second heart.

Dead…

Both hugged each other, thinking so. But just when they were about to rest, the room seemed to warp and twist with the shadows now dancing to a cruel stream of laughter they heard from behind them.

WHAT?

They could hardly believe their eyes when looking at the corpse that was now slowly rising from the dead.

"...Boo." AHHHHHH!

Izumi screamed inwardly, as Ciel had already started pulling her forward. (x0x)

.

"Run, Izumi!" Ciel shouted, now stumbling towards the exit with a heavy heart.

Did it have 3 hearts? Never have they encountered a creature with 3 or more hearts before. "And where do you think you're going?"

Whoosh!

The creature with black blood oozing from its eyes and other parts, now appeared at the exit with a tilted head and eyes that glowed maniacally. Too late! Too late!

Ciel and Izumi felt their entire body tremble when seeing the enemy enlarge to 4 times its original size. And the more it enlarged, the louder and heavier its voice became. Was this the end? Was this how they were going to die here?

SWISH!

The creature's claws moved like lightning, and Ciel hurriedly hugged his darling wife, allowing his back to face the creature's incoming claws. "I love you, Izzy…"

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