Chapter 21: The Prey and Predator II

Haeun POV

All of a sudden, I heard a baby crying in the dark, and it scared me, It was something I least expected to hear.

Slowly, I approached the sound, tightly gripping the wrench in my hand. The sight that greeted me made me hold my breath for a minute

I found a lady on the ground, covered in dirt and torn clothes. She was struggling to even breathe, blood staining the floor around her.

Despite her best efforts to stand, she couldn't. Instead, She started crawling, as if afraid something would come for her anytime she stopped moving away from the door.

I didn't have much time to think. I dropped the wrench and hurried to the door, closing it swiftly to keep out whatever danger might be outside. She kept crawling away from whatever it was.

The door made a loud sound when it closed, and the lady yanked her head towards me with wide eyes.

Inside, it was quiet and kind of scary, like something bad was out there.

The lady kept crawling as if running away from a danger that only I couldn't see.

"What... what happened?" I stuttered, hurrying to help the lady up. But no matter how hard I tried, she couldn't stand up. Panic filled her face, and she begged like an last resort,

"Take him with you... please. They are coming!... Kill... Just take him far... far... promise–" Her plea hung there, unfinished, as she fell like a puppet with its strings got cut.

I could feel the tight grip around my hand, pleading for a response, slowly loosening its grip as she took her last breath.

"Who's coming?" I asked again, my words blending with the heavy breathing and the baby's cries echoing through the huge place.

Moved by the baby's desperate cries, I bent down and scooped the tiny figure into my arms.

The baby felt cold, very unnaturally so, with traces of blood marring its innocent face. A pang of sadness shot through me as I checked for injuries. Finding none on the baby, I took a breath of relief.

Then, I realized where it came from as I looked at the lifeless body of the lady in front of me with pity and with fear that whatever was hunting her would be here any minute.

Feeling sad, I looked at the mom for the last time before going back, who was now free from her misery.

I had to act fast. Holding the baby tight, I ran into the next room, trying to find safety from whatever was following them.

My heart raced as I tried to figure out what to do next, the baby's cries echoing in the huge hall was making me panic as I hadn't touched a baby ever in my life.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haeun POV

"Ryu... Ryu... WAKE UP!" I cried, my voice shaking. A heartbreaking sniff escaped as I pleaded, "Please... wake up. Please." I started hitting his chest, but there was no response. He lay still, not moving at all. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized my loneliness in this situation.

Each moment felt like forever, and I felt really uncertain. The dim light in the room made long shadows, and it felt like I was all alone.

The baby's cries reminded me of the delicate life in my arms. I kept holding Ryu's hand, hoping for some warmth, a sign that the night would end soon.

In the pouring rain, I checked my phone, hoping for help, but there was no signal. The rain cut off the connection, leaving me alone in this storm of despair. The streets, usually busy, were empty. Not even a dog ventured out in this relentless rain.

Just as I was panicking and feeling my mind empty, unsure of what to do, I remembered something that made me stop overthinking. When I was little, I remember a special time with my dad.

'It is better to do something than to do nothing while waiting to do everything,' he said, comforting me after I lost a science exhibition competition in kindergarten.

Dad's advice felt like a strong hand on my shoulder now ,giving me courage. "You are right, Dad," I talked to myself as I wiped away my tears. "It is better to do something than to do nothing while waiting to do everything."

Determined, I closed every door, lighting up the space with all the available lights. Quickly changing into warm clothes for both me and the baby, I moved with a clear goal. If someone or something was coming, I aimed to buy us as much time as possible.

Urgency guided my steps as I headed to the space farthest from the entry points, setting some traps, hoping they would be dumb enough to fall for it.

Despite my best efforts, including even punching his face, Ryu stayed motionless, not responding to anything I tried. Trying to move him with all my strength, now my hands are hurting, he was heavier than the V12 engine hanging a few feet away.

In my frustration, I covered him with some blankets and some big cardboard boxes with my best effort, creating the illusion of a harmless pile of garbage.

Looking at him, a mix of anger and helplessness overwhelmed me. The only relief was that now the baby had stopped crying, likely tired from crying for so long.

However, a new concern gripped me as I noticed the baby's face growing paler and paler. It became apparent that he needed to get to the hospital as fast as possible