This story is also on Royal Road.
{Rough Draft Phase}
Harlow Blackburne, an enthusiast of the famous manga known as "Gods Don't Bleed", finds his life turned upside down when a routine test reveals a shocking truth: he's a 100% monster.
Thrust into...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Harlow searched the soft grass for his missing manga, his brow furrowing in confusion. Sitting up, he scanned his surroundings.
How...How did I get here?
The laughter in the distance drew his attention. Through the trees, he spotted movement - a squirrel, or something similar, darting through the undergrowth.
"Okay, then," Harlow shrugged, stepping over the leafy barrier.
His manga was still missing, and he had no idea where the doctor or the officer had disappeared to. Pushing through the trees, he emerged into a clearing and froze. People. Not the shambling horrors of the mall, but actual people, milling about and chatting. It didn't make sense.
"Whatever, I'm going back to the mall." Harlow decided.
As he approached the crowd, a prickling sensation made him pause. Someone was watching him. Squinting, he scanned the faces until he found her - a small girl with white hair and a black and white striped shirt, her expression flat and unreadable.
Before he could decide whether to approach her, she moved towards him, her gaze unwavering.
"What's your name?" she asked.
Harlow crossed his arms.
"Tell you what. you get me back into that mall and find me the manga I want, and I'll tell you." Harlow replied.
The girl's expression didn't change, but the air crackled with tension. Suddenly, her hands lifted, and the crowd around them erupted in a gruesome display of violence. Blood and gore splattered across Harlow, who recoiled in disgust.
"Gross! What did you do that for?!" Harlow exclaimed.
The girl lowered her hands.
"Are you not afraid?" she asked.
"Huh?"
Harlow wiped gore from his face.
"--Of dying? Since you entered the mall, I sensed something... monstrous. My father always said monsters deserve no kindness, that they can't tell right from wrong. Maybe he was right..." The girl began.
Harlow scratched his head, her words barely registering. He just wanted his manga. The girl turned and pointed towards the mall.
"I'll ask again. What's your name?" She asked.
Harlow sighed, and replied: "It's Harlow."
"Harlow...Walk with me. Let me show you the pain monsters have caused... the pain they caused my sister..." she repeated, a single tear tracing her cheek.
Trauma dump? Seriously? Harlow thought, but he followed nonetheless.
...
Yowaya shuddered, his breath catching in his throat as he huddled beneath the desk, the hollow groans of the monstrous horde echoing through the store.
