Why me? ᴷᴺʸ

피 냄새~ A familar scent

The smell of blood was overwhelming this far deeper into the cave.

Blood stained the walls, there were several weaker scents that spoke of other humans who'd been brought here. It was unlike Izumo's scent that still emitted strongly of life. Sumiko's heart sank as she caught a whiff of that foul smell the demon had been giving off. It was getting stronger along with the smell of human flesh and muscles, raw and gruesome. It sickened her when she understood that this was the place where the demon ate those children.

She paused in her step as she realized that she caught no sign of human life, finally able to confirm it with her nose. Something wasn't right because then–

"A-Are you still there?" The voice from earlier spoke again, seeming to echo in the silence of the cave.

Nezuko was fighting the demon.

Then what was with this scent that kept getting stronger?

Sumiko couldn't turn back at this point. She didn't have Nezuko's sixth sense but her nose could identify the smell of danger. She'd assumed previously that the demon's scent had merely been lingering here because her sister had been pursuing it outside. Yet, the concentrated smell told her that the demon was here.

It was confusing.

"H-Hello?" It called again.

Shaking her head, she steeled herself and carried on to see over a cluster of rocks.

She froze, eyes wide as she saw a snake-like creature curled by the end of the cave. It was technically a large mass of long muscle with numerous mouths spread across it. Though, what horrified her was the sight of several small limbs being chewed on. There was no living child here. No more. She and Nezuko were too late as she heard a particularly vicious crunch from one of the mouths. A small pair of lips were moving by its tail end.

"A-Are you here to help me?" It was the voice of a young girl.

The moment Sumiko finally stepped out was when she'd gotten an entirely different reaction because the entire thing screeched.

She covered her ears at the bloodcurdling screams.

Too many voices speaking all at once. It was an earsplitting sound and her ears were literally ringing. She jumped to avoid as the demon suddenly slithered forward towards her, scaling the walls as it carried the deafening noise with it. Though, she realized where it was going so she went after it with a dropkick. However, a mouth had materialized there and caught her ankle. She growled as it pierced through skin, stabbing it with the tip of her umbrella before it could tear off her flesh.

The shriek was harsher than the first.

She staggered back as the mouth released her, careful not to put too much pressure on that leg.

"Girl," The demon suddenly spoke, all of the mouths moving with several voices in tandem. "This is now my territory, I don't share hunting grounds," It was unnerving to say the least and she watched as the creature's muscles shifted and distorted until a woman, not unlike thedemon that Nezuko had been chasing, formed.

Multiple mouths were scattered across her skin and a pair of pitch-black eyes stared from her face.

"You killed..." Sumiko clenched her hands in anger, taking a menacing step forward. "...those kids." She snarled as the smell of blood continued to reek.

Those lives that had been lost wouldn't ever return.

She remembered now. The boy she'd recalled earlier. That was Takeo. She and Nezuko had buried him. Along with other younger kids named Hanako, Shigeru, and Rokuta together with their mother. Nezuko's tears continued to fall as shaky fingers carried on digging into the soil. Sumiko had been the one to close the eyes of Takeo, burgundy eyes hollow in death. At the time, everything had seemed so hazy, it had been like a dream.