Chapter (30):quick truth part 1
Emma was directing her handheld flashlight towards the cave as she walked with Smiley. She was searching carefully-the cave had many paths. It felt like she was inside a strange maze.
"Wow! This cave is really like a dungeon, don't you agree?"
"Yeah, I feel like we're walking in circles... Smiley, question-can you see in the dark?"
Emma had entered the cave around midday, but the cave seemed to swallow the light itself. Outside, it was bright, but inside, the cave was so dark that she needed her flashlight to see the path. Yet, for some reason, she felt something off about Smiley.
As they advanced, Smiley walked normally and playfully, as if strolling through a park-completely contrasting the cave's atmosphere. Emma couldn't even see her own feet due to the darkness, which made her suspicious.
"Hmm... You could say I have slightly better vision in the dark, like an owl," he said, placing his hands in a makeshift binocular shape.
"Really? Sometimes I jealous you."
"No way! You Re jealous of ME?"
"Yeah, Smiley, don't act so surprised like it's the end of the world for you."
"I mean, if anyone should be jealous, it's me, Emma, not you."
"You? Why?"
"Isn't it obvious? Because you're the chosen one!"
"What? That's not-"
*Crunch!*
Emma felt something break under her foot. She pointed her flashlight down and saw she had stepped on a bone. Somewhere to the right-
"Human bones? But where-"
Emma turned her flashlight to the right and saw a vast space in the cave filled with bones and corpses everywhere, piled up in multiple heaps.
"Oh damn! This stench is horrible! How many bodies are in this cursed place?!"
"Haha, we're now in the boss room. But where's the boss? Did he leave?"
"I don't know... But this place looks... like a storage room?"
"What?"
"This can't be the monster's lair because it's filled with mountains of corpses. It's more like an animal storing food for winter. That means we're close to it, and it's not alone."
"An expected analysis from Sherlock."
"Yeah,yeah,Wait a second... The shape of these bones looks oddly familiar? These... these are the bones of a fast, light animal with antlers."
Emma scanned the area with her flashlight and saw strange footprints. After a moment, she recognized them clearly.
"Oh hell no, Smiley, I think I know exactly what monster this is!"
"The math teacher?"
"What? No! Do you remember, Smiley, the first monster I faced when I met you?"
"Yeah, of course-it was the Lycan Deer. Why ask such an obvious question? It was the first monster you named."
"That's because we're inside it-inside this monster's lair!"
"Ooooooooh! (╹▽╹) (Emma's cold stare:(●__●)) Oh, that's bad (• ▽ •;)"
"Right now, we're in its lair. From what I know, it's not alone, and I don't want to know how many of them are here. We need to leave before-"
The moment she pointed her flashlight toward the exit, she saw glowing red eyes in the darkness. When she focused the light, she saw it again... the monster that traumatized her. Three Lycan Deer appeared before her, and before she could say anything, they lunged at her.
Emma couldn't move her body due to her deep-rooted fear of them. They were one of the reasons she was in this cursed forest. She tried to move her legs and scream, but-
Smiley suddenly rushed forward, kicking the closest one with such force that it flew backward. He grabbed the other two and threw them back.
"Wow! That was really unexpected, wasn't it, Emma? Emma? Are you okay? Do you have a stomachache or something?"
Emma stared at Smiley and the Lycan Deer, her body trembling. Then, in a burst of anger, she slapped her own face hard.
*Slap!*
"Woah! Did you just slap yourself?"
"I'm fine... Just let's-"
*Grrrrraaaahhhh!*
From deep inside the cave, Emma and Smiley heard the cries of many Lycan Deer. The sound of countless footsteps echoed through the cave. Panicked, Emma rushed forward.
"Smiley, let's get out of here, now!"
"What? But what about these guys?"
"Later! We need to leave before more of them come!"
"Alright, alright, if that's what you want. (┐(￣ヘ￣)┌)"
"Let's move now!"
Emma and Smiley ran quickly. As they sprinted, Emma saw countless red eyes chasing them from behind, moving unnaturally fast.
"What the hell?! Why are there so many of them?!"
"Whoa! Are they angry because of what happened to their friends? I barely touched them!"
"Smiley! Do you think this is the time for jokes?!"
"My little candy, jokes help lighten the mood. You should relax, or you'll get wrinkles on your cute face."
"You really... I don't even know what to say to you at this point."
"Brilliant comedian?"
"More like-"
*Grrrraaah!*
Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted as a Lycan Deer appeared out of nowhere in front of them. Before Emma could draw her gun, Smiley grabbed it and threw it into the pack behind them, and they kept running.
"Oh, come on! We were in the middle of a conversation! How rude!"
"Hmm? What's wrong? Stomachache again?"
:
"No I just remember the way out here!"
"So are we on the right path?"
"I don't know! This place is too dark."
Smiley saw a faint light shining from outside the cave in the distance.
"Oh look, it's light! Maybe that's our way out!"
"Thank God. Once we get out of here, we first need to focus on getting rid of them somehow."
"Why don't we just take them out here and now?"
"No... that's too dangerous. You just saw a moment ago how that beast pounced on us out of nowhere. Fighting inside the cave gives them the advantage. Let's get out first."
"Good point."
As they ran, they saw the light in the distance growing bigger and bigger until they approached and reached its source.
"Good, now let's... Oh sh*t!"
When they crossed, they were shocked by what they discovered. This wasn't the exit—it led them to a large chamber in the cave, and the light they had seen came from a glowing yellow stone being moved by two lycan deer.
And it wasn't just two—there were many of them, far more than the ones chasing them earlier. Many stood on all fours, ready to pounce, yet they remained eerily still.
The same thing happened to the pack that had been chasing them earlier. When they arrived behind them, they blocked the path and stopped their frenzy, falling into a terrifying silence—as if waiting for something. She felt something bad was coming, but she had no time to react before it appeared.
Something moved ahead, and the creatures made way for it. It was a lycan deer, but different—it stood like a normal human, wearing a deer skull on its head as if it were truly a deer. It carried a large cleaver, and its body was more muscular, bigger, and stronger than the others.
When Emma witnessed this scene, she was horrified and readied her gun, preparing for what was to come. It was clear at first glance—this was their leader.
"Emma, look at this... seems we've found their leader. Let's go—"
"PreY... daREs... HerE...?"
The moment the beast spoke, a furious silence fell, and both Emma and Smiley looked at it in utter shock.
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Somewhere else....
In Frank's room, Marcus and Niles had just finished watching the video. Niles looked at Detective Marcus with concern.
"Detective Marcus?"
Marcus's hand trembled as he gripped Frank's phone tightly, veins bulging on his forehead. His entire body shook with rage.
Marcus stood up and calmly handed the phone back to Frank, despite his furious appearance.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"What!? but Marcus!"
"We're done here, Niles. Let's go."
Marcus hurried out, passing Mrs. Wilson at the door.
"Detective, about Frank, is he-"
"Don't worry, ma'am. Everything's fine. He's not involved. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must leave immediately."
"Hey, Marcus! Just wait!"
Marcus stormed out, leaving Mrs. Wilson bewildered. Niles followed, apologizing to her, and caught up to Marcus at the car.
"What's wrong, Marcus? Why did you leave so suddenly? We didn't even-"
"He's the one who did this..."
"What?"
"He's the one who did this! That bastard is responsible!"
"Calm down, Marcus! What are you talking about? Was it about that girl in the video?"
"That girl was my daughter! And you know where I saw herast time,Outside school, she gets beaten by some bastards!"
"Jesus!... Listen, Marcus, I know this is painful, but remember we're here to solve a murder case, not deal with personal matters."
"No, you don't understand! Because that bastard is my son, Niles!"
"What?!"
"My daughter was bullied relentlessly. Guess who was behind it? My son, Andrew. My son ruined her life, left her isolated, and destroyed her future!"
"You know what's worse? The people who beat her up were with Andrew. Even that insect bastard was with him!"
"Marcus, he's dead! It's wrong to call a dead man an insect, no matter who he was!"
"What idiot said that?!"
" It was You!,you said that from a minute !"
"Uggghhhh...hah....(Sigh).... Can you do me a favor?"
"What favor?"
"Can you tell the chief I won't finish my shift today? I'm leaving early-just this once. Cover for me."
"Fine, I'll tell him. After all, you covered for me too."
"Thank you,really thank you"
"Your welcome,my friend"
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Inside the cave...
You....you can speak?!"
"Well, that's a bit surprising, but it's not a big deal. Come on Emma, let's kick's__
"Wait a minute! Let me talk to him. I want to know something."
"Hmm? As you wish? But be careful not to get bitten! Haha!"
"You...can you understand me?"
The leader of the lycan deer looked at her with his pale black eyes, gazed at her, and felt a sense of familiarity when he saw her.
"sEe....hUMan...aGo..."
"Were there other humans? What happened to them?"
"They left....waiting..."
"Then what exactly are you?"
"PreDAtor.....hunTS.....pREy....liVEs..."
"TIMe...hUNt...fOR prEY."
Suddenly, all the lycan deer bared their fangs, and Emma felt terrified. She saw Smiley eager to fight them and felt angry. She knew Smiley was a supernatural being, but he was no match for an entire army of transformed deer. She had to find a way—and she did.
"Hey hey! Calm down.iam not prey,I have a name it's Emma. You... hey, do you have a name?"
"NAme....? What....naME."
"A name that symbolizes you, distinguishes you as having an identity different from others. Did your family give you one? Do you have one?"
"NaMe....preDaTor."
"That's not a name, it's a meaning. A name is something unique to you, something that sets you apart from others."
"NaMMe... NAME?"
"Oh, let her give you one! She's good at naming things!"
"What?"
"NaMe...giVe..."
"Ah... okay... let's see. Your name will be... hmmm... what about....no is bad....ammm..."
*Grrrrr*
Emma felt terrified and frightened, her thoughts raced, and she felt dizzy around her. She didn't know if it was because of the red eyes staring at her, or because of what happened at school, but she had to choose a good name or she would be in an unenviable position.
"Malphas! What about Malphas?"
"Mal...PHAS?"
"Yes, Malphas! It's a good name, isn't it? It symbolizes something strong and terrifying, and it suits you, doesn't it?"
"I...MALPhaS.....MALPHAS!"
The lycan deer, now known as Malphas, moved and looked toward the herd, shouting his new name at them.
"MALPHAS.....saId.....iT."
"Malphas!"
"MalP.....HAS."
"Ma....LPHAS."
Suddenly, the lycan deer began speaking, albeit haltingly, and both Emma and Smiley grew suspicious.
"These things can talk too?"
"Man! If I'd known he could talk, I wouldn't have done to that one!"
"You don't kill him remember?"
"Oh right!"
"HiGHer!"
"MALPHAS!"
"MALPHAS!"
"MALPHAS!"
(*Note: An asterisk indicates they're whispering to each other.*)
*By the way... where did you get that name from?*
*I don't know? I improvised.*
"Yes....MalPHas... the predator MALPHAS!"
"Now that you have a name, can you let us... I don't know... let us leave in peace?"
"In peACE....yeSSS..."
"Really?.... That was way too easy! Don't you agree, Emma?"
"You will.....in peace.....sleep."
Suddenly, all the lycan deer slowly moved toward Emma and Smiley from all directions.
"What!? Hey, you can't be serious!.... Let's at least talk this out!"
"Death.....is inevitable...and in my hands...it is mercy."
"Looks like I jinxed it, haha!"
"You! Ugh! Whatever... I give up (눈‸눈), let's do what you want."
"For join the party?"
"For death, Smiley. We can't defeat all of them unless some kind of miracle happens____
She saw a small crack in the ground below, watched it grow larger until it stopped, and then—
"Boooom!"
Suddenly, the ground cracked and exploded, releasing a massive amount of smoke. The area became foggy, making it hard to see anything, but a large shadowy figure emerged from beneath the earth.
"The EaRTH.....reVolTs?....No.....aGAiN!"
"Cough! Cough! What the hell just happened?....!!!!! ('◉⌓◉')"
What emerged was a humanoid scorpion, its entire body covered in hard scales. The beast's shoulders and jaw were unscaled, and there were burn marks on its body. Its left arm was in terrible condition.
"Oh, hello there, friend! If you're still alive, I'm so happy to see you. I see you've gotten a bit of a tan—did you go to the beach without sunscreen?"
Emma looked at the injured scorpion man and couldn't respond to Smiley's remark. The moment she realized this wasn't her imagination, she cursed herself.
"You've got be kidding me!"