𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐊𝐎𝐊𝐔 𝐍𝐎 𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐌𝐀 [✓]

[4] ⟹ Aftermath

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▏𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐇▕

꧁꧂

A few nights after the incident, the once-lively Rodriguez home stood abandoned. Whispers spread through the neighborhood like wildfire, each rumor more twisted than the last. Some claimed Renee's parents had a brutal falling out, tearing their own home apart in a fit of rage before vanishing without a trace. Others said the family had simply packed up and left Japan, leaving their house to decay. No one knew the truth-until Yuki returned.

The sight of the house made her stomach churn. The windows were shattered, the walls marred with deep scratches, and the door hung loosely on its hinges, creaking with the wind. The eerie silence sent a chill down her spine. Something was wrong.

Swallowing her fear, Yuki stepped inside.

The stench hit her instantly-rotting flesh, decay, and the sour tang of death. She gagged, covering her nose as she hesitantly moved forward. The once-cozy home was now a graveyard. Maggots wriggled over decomposing flesh, and rats scurried between the bodies, feasting. The walls were smeared with dark stains, a sickening reminder of whatever horror had unfolded here.

Her heart pounded as she stepped over debris, forcing herself to look. Her breath hitched when her eyes landed on the familiar face of Cassius-her crush. Or at least, what was left of him. His body was torn apart, his flesh picked at by rodents and insects. His once-bright eyes were dull, lifeless, staring at nothing. A scream ripped from Yuki's throat as she ran toward him, frantically swiping at the creatures feeding on his remains. They scattered, but the damage was done.

Tears streamed down her face as she knelt beside him, cradling what was left of him against her chest. His body was cold, stiff. Her warm tears dripped onto his forehead as she ran trembling fingers over his lifeless face.

"Cassius... Please... How did this happen?" she whispered, voice cracking.

She scanned the room, eyes darting over the other corpses. The mangled bodies of Renee's parents and brothers lay strewn about, so mutilated they were barely recognizable. But there was one person missing.

Renee.

A flicker of confusion pushed through her grief. Yuki carefully laid Cassius back down and stood, her mind racing. Everyone was dead-except Renee.

She searched frantically, moving from room to room, calling her friend's name. Nothing. No sign of her, no trace of where she had gone. When she reached the second floor and found it just as empty, dread settled deep in her chest.