ONE DROP OF BLOOD (ongoing)

CHAPTER 9: DINNER TIME

As she opened her eyes to see who's pulling her up, she's quite suprise to see who it is.

"Erin?" she asked. She hugged him tightly, her tears rolled away and her heartbeat steadied. She's thankful that she's safe.

"Allison, are you alright?!" he says.
"Good thing I found you!"

She's a little taken aback. She felt enthusiast in his voice. That's not how Erin speaks.

Suddenly, her eyes saw a silhouette of a blonde man behind, who apparently has the same gloomy expression she knows.

She releases the man who's in her embrace to see that it's not Erin but Orthyl.

"O-Orthyl? You saved me?" she asked. She wipes her face. Her vision clears up as she saw behind her Austus, lying on the ground, bleeding, with his bowels cut open, bleakly burnt, and his dead eyes didn't closed yet, but still trying to stare at her.

It's a horrendous sight for her to see. She felt like she's going to vomit and pass out.

But Erin takes away her focus.
"She's here." Erin said, who just arrived a while ago at the scene behind Orthyl. Then, he saw the dead cursed hollow near them.

He walks closer towards Allison.
"You idiot!! What are you thinking that you left the house?! Don't you know how dangerous it is outside?!!" he shouted.

"I-- I'm sorry! I just want to--"

"Are you trying to get us all killed?!!" Erin said, interrupting her from explaining.

"What do you mean?! I'm not--"

"You don't know how many of them are dwelling here outside!! It wouldn't take them long to find us!!" he said.

He remembered the group of them gathered in a dark corner. He's not far from them yet when he heard the bewailing sound from afar. It's not impossible for them to be disturbed by that and find where it came from, especially it happened in the middle of a dead night.

But what he saw is not only the sum of them, but hundreds or maybe thousands. Allison is just lucky to encounter one out of many.

Orthyl quickly understood what Erin meant. "We must leave then!.. And go back to the house!" he said.

"No... Allison is bleeding! They might be able to track us there just by the smell of her blood! I think we need to leave this place!"

Allison remembered that the right corner of her forehead is bleeding because of Austus. She touched it as she winced in pain. The blood is flowing down beside her right cheek. She didn't bother to look at the cut on her elbow since it's covered with a piece of cloth already.

"N--now?!" Orthyl replied. It's not that he doesn't want it, he just feel that he's unprepared.

"Yes! Now!!"

"But the spirit servants.. aren't they suppose to guide us through that underground tunnel they've found?! We also don't know where to go yet when we get there!"

Hearing the two guys talking about going somewhere, Allison felt a little fear.

"Wait! What underground tunnel? Where are we going?!" Allison butted in.

She was afraid to see another place. It means another unfamiliar things, another set of strangers, another cage where she needs to stay. She's simply afraid of what is unknown, now that she experienced how terrifying it could be.

Suddenly, they felt the ground shaking, like there are many horses running and going towards them. There are violent shaking of trees, and the air around changed drastically into a foul smell that sends out a trepid atmosphere.