Farewell (2)
The darkness had already settled heavily around us, making the countless trails of light from the gunfire stand out with stark clarity. Even from a distance, it was obvious that something terrible had happened in the village. The moment I saw that sight, the faces of Mom, Jin-ho, and Ina flashed through my mind. They were all still inside the village right now.
Yeon desperately grabbed me as I reflexively tried to bolt forward.
Yeon stubbornly held onto me. There was no time left to argue, and with my heart racing, I had no choice but to bring her along as I headed toward the village. I tumbled down the mountain slope several times in my frantic rush, but I felt no pain at all.
Soon the village was hidden behind the trees. Now only sounds reached us.
-Ratatatata…
-Boom! Kwaaang…!
The explosions that had been ringing out noisily for a while gradually began to die down. I prayed desperately that it was nothing serious. I begged over and over that the security chief—who always acted so full of himself—had done his job properly.
"Huff… huff…!"
After running for what felt like forever, we finally made it down the mountain. Before our eyes, gasping for breath, a horrific scene unfolded.
I couldn't even begin to guess what had happened in such a short time. Uncontrolled flames blazed everywhere. The barrier surrounding the village was badly crumbled in multiple places. Where the main gate should have been, there was only a gaping, empty hole. Around it, marks that looked like animal hooves were scattered chaotically. Every single one of those hoofprints pointed straight into the heart of the village.
I then spotted a corpse lying atop the barrier. Its neck had been savagely torn away by something, leaving only the torso—an utterly gruesome sight. Below it lay the necklace of the guard uncle who had greeted me warmly just that morning.
The moment I saw the body, my heart pounded even harder.
I shook off Yeon's grasp and ran into the village. I slipped back through the hole we'd come from and sprinted down the path behind the settlement. The scene inside was even more devastating than what we'd seen from outside. Houses had collapsed into rubble everywhere. Sticky, dark-red liquid was splattered across the ground. Flames that hadn't been put out flickered here and there, and thick black smoke stung my eyes and throat.
As I moved forward cautiously, scanning my surroundings, I discovered a body lying on a side path next to the square. It was the security chief. As if resentful that he had failed to protect the village, even in death his eyes were wide open. The blade he always wore at his waist lay broken on the dirt ground.
The fact that the security chief had ended up like this meant the situation had spiraled into the worst possible outcome. And then I noticed something strange. Several more corpses lay beside him, and the ground around them had turned into a pool of blood that had seeped from the bodies.
They looked vaguely human, but they were twice as large, covered in thick black fur. Where feet should have been, massive hooves were attached. Atop their necks sat the heads of beasts with long, curved horns. The sight was so horrifying that I froze for a moment, but the sound of footsteps approaching from afar snapped me back to my senses. They were rough, crude sounds—like those of a horse or a goat.
Instinctively, I hid behind a large tree trunk off the side path as the noise grew closer. At first I thought it might be a survivor from the village, but that hope was instantly shattered. Instead of survivors, what appeared were bizarre monsters with black, curly fur and beast heads. Though there were slight differences in size and color, they looked almost identical to the corpses I'd just seen. Dark-red bloodstains mixed with saliva glistened around their mouths. Their vertically slit pupils were utterly terrifying. One of them was even gnawing on something with loud crunching sounds. I didn't want to know what was in its mouth.
They exchanged what sounded like animal howls as a form of language. Then the one in the lead snorted roughly and twitched its nostrils, sniffing the air. I reflexively covered my mouth to hold my breath. It occurred to me that they might have caught my scent and come looking. Fortunately, the smoke and flames blanketing the area must have masked it, because they tilted their heads in confusion before moving on.
Only after they had completely disappeared did I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
I had no trouble identifying what those monsters were. The demon race. Sinners cursed by the gods, transformed into hideous beasts. They had been driven beyond the barrier to the north, but they were a vile race that constantly watched for any chance to invade. The monsters from the stories Yeon had once told me had just walked right past me.
But there was no time to feel even a moment of relief. It didn't take long for me to realize that our house lay in the direction the monsters had come from.
I forced my unresponsive body to stand. I clutched my violently trembling limbs and my heart that was pounding like it would burst. I continued forward, hiding behind the debris. And soon, I witnessed the unfamiliar forms of people I knew well.
The grandfather at the grocery store who always gave extra change. The older sister at the film theater who always greeted me with a smile. The uncle next door who would belt out songs at the top of his lungs whenever he drank. The people I had laughed and exchanged greetings with just yesterday were now cold corpses lying on the ground.
-Thud!
It was becoming incredibly difficult just to hold onto my sanity. Then someone suddenly grabbed me. My heart nearly stopped, but I soon heard Yeon's panting voice from behind.
The moment I heard Yeon's words, it felt as if something was crushing my chest. Even with a somber expression, she kept trying to pull me along by the hand.
-Grrrr…
But then. A low, eerie howl suddenly came from behind us. We spun around and saw three monsters standing not far away. The creatures from earlier had come back looking for us.
The monsters that spotted us wore wicked smiles that looked like they would split their faces. One of them tilted its head back toward the sky and let out a scream so loud it felt like it would tear our ears apart. Soon after, the sound of dozens of hooves shaking the ground began echoing from afar.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, the monsters offered no answer. They simply swallowed their drool with those vile, hideous smiles, as if staring at a tempting meal.
Only after things had reached this point did I manage to regain some semblance of reason. It was painfully obvious that after killing the villagers, they intended to kill us too. The first thing I thought of was Yeon's survival. She had only walked into this hell because of my stubbornness. It was already too late for the others, but I had to save her no matter what.
If the alarm system had worked properly, the neighboring areas should have already been alerted. Considering when the first explosions were heard, if I could just get her outside the village, help would arrive soon. That meant now—before the other demons could close in—was the only chance.
The decision came in an instant. As I shouted to Yeon, I charged forward. I rushed recklessly at the demon right in front of me, desperately trying to create an opening so she could escape.
-Thud!
-Whack!
But I was only a sixteen-year-old who hadn't even finished growing, and I had always been rather small for my age. There was no way I could hold back three demons that were larger than most adult men. The moment I latched onto them, they began beating me all over. I rolled across the dirt ground. The metallic taste of warm blood filled my mouth—my lip must have split.
I was briefly puzzled why they hadn't simply snapped my neck and killed me, but when I saw the look on their faces—like they were watching a monkey perform tricks—I understood immediately.
But my efforts were in vain. Yeon only stood there with tears streaming down her face, showing no intention of running away. The demons seemed to change targets, ignoring me and moving toward her.
I staggered to my feet with great effort and once again stepped between Yeon and the demons. But the monster easily dodged my all-out attack with the slightest movement. Then it raised its sharp claws and slashed at me as I lost my balance from the swing.
-Slaaash!
I managed to avoid a fatal wound by reflexively turning my head, but a burning pain erupted from the skin beneath my eye. I could feel a warm liquid trickling down my face. As I collapsed to the ground again, one of the demons approached. It grabbed my neck roughly with one hand and lifted me into the air.
The merciless grip around my throat was crushing. In the distance, I could hear Yeon screaming my name. Just as I thought I would be strangled to death, the demon hurled me toward a nearby stone wall with all its strength.
-Kwaaaang!!
The impact against the stone wall sent an intense pain through me, as if every bone in my body had shattered. My head felt heavy, and my thoughts grew hazy. The last thing I saw was Yeon running toward me—and the demon turning to aim for her neck.
Having seen my miserable state, Yeon screamed as if in agony.
The moment our eyes met as she ran toward me, I lost consciousness completely.