Wind Breaker | 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘎𝘰𝘥

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 74

—

As they huffed and puffed, trying to catch their breath, Dom voiced his frustration. "Ahh...this is killing me... whew... This is so unfair. How can Yara have meat... I want to have some meat too..."

Jay and Vinny echoed his sentiments, their own exhaustion evident in their strained breaths.

"Whew... isn't this humanly impossible? Is he trying to kill us on this mountain? This is brutal..." Minu's words were punctuated by beads of sweat trickling down his face. "He isn't even giving us water..." he added, his frustration palpable.

"Dude, I'm starting to think Yara isn't human at all. How can she still continue until now? It's break time, she needs to rest..." June observed, casting a concerned glance at the pale girl who continued to pedal alone.

"We're going to have to train harder than this if we're going to beat Monster. We need to match Yara's brutal training..." Dom declared, his tone serious as they all turned to him, nodding in agreement.

"Monster will just beat us again if we enter the rematch with mediocre skills. You guys know that too. When he was chasing behind us. If Yara's bike was in good condition, we would've really won that." Dom's words hung heavy in the air, his gaze downcast with the weight of their defeat. "To be honest... I wonder... how we could beat someone like that... Though we have Yara on our team, I feel like a burden being carried again and again by her," June admitted, his voice tinged with self-doubt.

"Hahaha, you guys..." A sudden voice interrupted their conversation, and they turned to see the old man standing behind them, his expression unreadable.

"You must not know what it feels like to be chased by a real monster," the old man remarked cryptically, his grin sending a shiver down their spines as they exchanged puzzled glances.

~~~

GRRRRR

WHOOSHH

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!" Dom's scream pierced the air, drowning out even the sound of their frantic pedaling as they raced through the forest.

One member of the team had broken away from the rest, and it was already clear who it was. Yara.

"THAT'S ALL I SAID BUT THAT CRAZY OLD MAN!! HOW COULD HE UNLEASH A REAL WILD MONSTER ON US?!!!" Dom's voice cracked with desperation as he gasped for air, his legs pumping furiously to maintain their breakneck speed.

"AAAGGHH!! HEY, PEDAL HARDER, YOU GUYS IN THE FRONT!!!" Vinny's panicked echoed behind Dom as they raced ahead, the thunderous sound of their pedaling mingling with the approaching danger.

GRRRRRR

The menacing growl grew louder, the ground trembling beneath the weight of the beast that pursued them relentlessly through the small road. With every heartbeat, the creature drew closer, its ferocity palpable in the air. Panic surged through the group as they fought to outrun the wild boar hot on their heels.

Yara was the first to reach the intersection, her instincts guiding her to swiftly choose the safer path. With practiced ease, she skidded to a halt and parked her bike, waiting patiently for the others to catch up.

It didn't take long before she could hear their voices echoing throughout the place, their shouts and panicked cries blending into a cacophony of chaos. As they approached, she watched with a mixture of amusement and concern as they argued amongst themselves, splitting into smaller groups in their frantic attempt to evade the relentless pursuit.

In the midst of the chaos, Dom made a bold decision, veering towards the lake ahead. Yara's amusement bubbled into a laugh as she watched him leap from his bike, plunging into the water with a resounding splash, his screams echoing through the air. Despite the danger, there was a hint of exhilaration in his actions, a testament to the adrenaline-fueled thrill of their wild escapade.

—

"Jeez, that's cold~ I hope hot water comes out," Shelly remarked, shivering as she stepped into the chilly mountain air.

"You can wish all you want but we're up in the mountains," Minu quipped, commenting on Shelly's hope for warmth.

"Ah! It's so cold! Aren't you cold, Vinny?" Minu turned to Vinny, his teeth chattering after a sudden gust of wind hit them.

"Nope," Vinny replied nonchalantly, scratching his arm. "I'm used to showering with cold water in my house."

"Don't tell me you don't have warm water..." June sweatdropped behind Vinny, disbelief evident in his expression.

"Hahahhaa, are you all washed up?" The old man's sudden question drew their attention, his smile seemingly unaffected by the biting cold.

"By the way, don't you have to go to school tomorrow? Pack your bag in advance," the old man added, his words bringing a sense of reality back to their minds.

"Sir, we are just going to skip schooling. We've decided to train even harder up until the race," Minu explained, trembling as he hopped his way towards Yara and hugged her like a teddy bear. Yara, already accustomed to his hugs, simply scoffed in response.

"They say that persistence is more important than intensity. We want to focus on training for the last few days, there's nothing like sikhye after training," Dom chimed in, slurping down a gulp of water.

"We're going to take the first bus early in the morning," Yuna added, slowly approaching the group.

"First bus? There aren't buses that come all the way here. Come to think of it, except Yara. How did you guys get here?" The old man's inquiry brought a sudden chill to the conversation.

"What? We took a shuttle bus that comes this way..." Mia's voice trailed off, her reluctance evident beside Yuna.

"Hahaha, how strange... There was once a shuttle bus that used to come up here, but as far as I know, a month ago... a bus that was passing along these dangerous mountains late at night crashed and the bus driver died... as far as I know, the shuttle bus hasn't been passing through here since then..." The old man finished his story, leaving the crew speechless, except for Yara.

"Come on, Sir~ is that... true? We definitely took a bus here, what're you talking about? You're joking, right?" Dom's horror-stricken face turned towards the old man, while June remained too shocked to speak, trembling with wide eyes.

"Ah- come to think of it... When I was climbing this mountain at 3 am, there was the sound of a shuttle bus behind me. It sounded near, but when I turned around, I was alone. But the sounds followed up until the sharp curve, that place must have been the area where the shuttle bus crashed into... I could even hear muffled screams but I thought it was part of the song I was listening to. I guess not?" Yara recounted her eerie encounter, doubling Minu's fear as he clung tighter to her. Even Vinny's lips trembled slightly from fear as Dom and June looked at her in disbelief.

"Ah, that's why~ You're brave for climbing the mountain alone~" The old man smiled towards Yara.

Vinny suddenly grinned before saying, "You guys aren't kids. Haven't you passed the age where a story like that would scare you? This is lame... I'm going inside to get some sleep." With that, Vinny turned around and started walking slowly, but a small tremble and the big sweat on his back betrayed his attempt at bravery.

"Pfft-"

"I finally found out his secret..." Dom said, watching Vinny's retreating figure.

"You mean his back sweating?" Jay asked, also observing the boy.

"M...Mia, should we leave when they do?" Yuna asked the trembling girl beside her.

"Y...yeah, I... I guess so," Mia managed to answer, sweat trickling down their faces, their nerves frayed by the unsettling tale they had just heard.

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𝔗𝔬 𝔅𝔢 ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔲𝔢𝔡