Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie
#014
T/N: UPDATE: Billy —->Willy. Makes more sense for a shortened cheesy pet name for William. Yeah?
#014
Watching Airi with a heart clouded by selfish thoughts, Seojun was suddenly pulled back to reality by Christina’s enthusiastic waving.
“Airi and William are safe!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos and bringing a wave of relief.
“That’s great, isn’t it, Jun?” Johan chimed in, coming over to give Seojun a comforting pat on the back.
Caught off guard, Seojun could only manage a shaky nod in response to Johan’s friendly gesture.
“Uh? Uh….,” he mumbled, his voice barely audible.
Johan’s forehead was dotted with sweat, probably from the intense atmosphere surrounding them. His damp hair stuck to his skin, and as Seojun reached out to touch him, a disturbing noise filled the air.
[SHREEEEK!!!]
A spine-chilling howl echoed around them, followed by a metallic screech that made their skin crawl.
The monstrous creature groaned in pain, its numerous legs twitching uncontrollably. Its milky, distorted body shook violently, its gills and mouth indistinguishable in its bizarre form.
Johan’s voice, strong and commanding, cut through the monster’s screeching.
“Christina! Take Airi and run!”
“On it!”
With Airi still shaky on her feet, William quickly scooped her up, and they took off running alongside Christina. They were heading away from Seojun, leaving him behind as they fled from the nightmare unfolding around them.
Just as Johan grabbed Seojun’s wrist to pull him along, a monstrous limb shot towards them. They could feel the rush of air as the tentacle-like appendage hit the ground with a thud, digging deep into the soil. It wasn’t an attack; the creature was just writhing in pain.
Adrenaline surged through Seojun’s veins as he sprinted, Johan’s grip firm on his wrist. The monster, despite its multitude of legs, seemed to favor just one, creating a bizarre and surreal chase.
[SKRIIIIEEEK!]
But their moment of absurd fascination was cut short as a chilling realization struck them – they were the monster’s new prey, while Christina, Airi, and William were left ignored.
Bang! A tree crashed down, victim to a wild swipe from one of the monster’s limbs.
“Jun!” Johan shouted, his voice filled with concern.
Seojun, who had just narrowly dodged losing the upper part of his neck to the blind tentacle, found himself gasping for breath in Johan’s arms. The monster’s speed was surprisingly fast.
Seojun’s eyes flicked between Johan’s empty hands and the monster’s remaining limbs. Finding their lost axe in this pitch-black darkness seemed like an impossible feat.
Swallowing hard, Seojun locked eyes with Johan, his neck straining from looking up.
“Johan, you need to listen to me. We have to get to dry land, away from any water.”
“W-water?” Johan stammered, his usual composure understandably shaken by the situation.
Seojun, urgency in his voice, pulled Johan closer by his collar. “Yes, now! We need to make a strategic retreat.”
Navigating through the darkness would be a challenge, but they had no other choice. Seojun took the lead, slapping Johan’s back for encouragement.
“Aaaah! Aaaargh!!”
Bobby’s screams echoed through the night, his struggle with the blood-soaked corpse continuing. His eyes were wide with terror, his gaping mouth revealing a trembling Adam’s apple.—he was the very picture of a living bait, completely unhinged and attracting danger.
The issue was, this living bait was running straight toward them.
“Bobby, stay away! Bobby, Bobby!!!”
Seojun never thought he’d find himself desperately calling out to Bobby. As Bobby ran past them, the sickening smell of blood from the corpse filled the air.
The monster couldn’t resist the temptation. Like Hansel and Gretel leaving breadcrumbs, Bobby was unwittingly leaving a trail of entrails. The monster followed, pecking at the gruesome trail like a fledgling bird.
Seojun and Johan found themselves in a mad dash, with Bobby, their unwanted companion, in tow. They made a beeline for a run-down building nestled against the mountainside, hoping to shake off the relentless monster on their tail.
“Jun, get the door!”
They barreled into the ramshackle building, a chaotic flurry of movement that ended with Johan and Seojun slamming the door shut just in the nick of time. A heartbeat later, a resounding clang echoed through the space as the metal door buckled from an impact. Seojun’s heart raced, pounding in his chest like a bird desperate to escape its cage.
On the other side of the door, an eerie, electric hum filled the air, a sinister reminder of the danger that lurked just outside.
Inside, the building was pitch-black, swallowed by darkness. The only sounds were the rapid beating of their hearts and their labored breathing. Seojun bit down on his lip, his breath shaky as it slipped through his clenched teeth. Drops of moisture fell from the corpse in Bobby’s arms.
Seojun and Johan stood there, frozen, their hands still clasped together. Sweat gathered in Seojun’s bandaged palm. Oddly enough, Johan’s presence was a distraction, a flicker of warmth in the face of impending doom. Death seemed to be breathing down their necks, just beyond the flimsy metal door, and yet, this trivial matter was bothering him.
But Johan didn’t let go. Not even when the ominous sounds from outside faded away, and Seojun’s breathing slowed, settling into a steadier rhythm.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Seojun gently shook Johan’s firm grip, a silent cue to let go.
“By the way, where are we, exactly?”
He subtly tried to pull his hand away, but Johan seemed to miss the hint, his attention now on finding some light. Instead of releasing Seojun, Johan picked up a lantern and lit it, bathing them in a warm, comforting glow.
The lantern’s light cut through the darkness, revealing a stainless steel pot neatly placed to the side, an oddly mundane object in this surreal situation.
“It’s a kitchen.”
“What? Here? A makeshift kitchen? Why is something like that here? Bobby!” Seojun couldn’t hide his frustration, his voice a mix of irritation and disbelief.
“He, hee… uh, what… mon, monster… Eeeeek!” Bobby’s reaction to Seojun’s outburst was to grip the corpse even tighter, resembling a child clinging to a security blanket. His state was worrisome; his eyes were rolled back, drool dripped from his mouth, and his nose was running.
Seojun, now thoroughly irritated, snatched the lantern from Johan and threw it at Bobby. He wasn’t exactly a star quarterback, but the close quarters ensured a direct hit.
The lantern grazed Bobby’s arm and clattered to the floor, its old-fashioned design preventing it from rolling away. Even its shape managed to irk Seojun.
“Why on earth are we using a lantern? Ever heard of flashlights?” Seojun couldn’t help but vent his frustration.
“Well, it kind of adds to the whole apocalyptic vibe, doesn’t it?” Johan responded, right next to him, scratching his cheek and wearing an awkward smile, as if trying to make light of the situation.
Seojun was so overwhelmed with frustration that he violently let go of Johan’s hand, suddenly finding his touch too much to bear.
“Seriously, when were flashlights even invented?”
Seojun moved toward Bobby, prying his fingers from the corpse’s lifeless form, determined to separate the man from his morbid attachment.
“Bobby, how much longer are you going to hold onto that thing?” Seojun asked, his patience running thin.
“Ugh.”
With a dull groan, Bobby collapsed onto the floor, finally letting go of the corpse. It was disturbingly light, probably because it was missing most of its insides. The stench emanating from Bobby’s soaked clothes and face was enough to make anyone’s stomach turn.
Seeing Bobby panting heavily on the floor, Seojun’s resolve to keep his distance from the protagonists in this bloody drama, including Bobby, momentarily wavered. He grabbed Bobby by the neck and shook him vigorously, desperate to snap him out of his stupor.
“Come on, snap out of it!”
“Ah, Eeeek!”
Bobby’s eyes finally cleared, and he looked straight at Seojun. Looking down at him, Seojun bit his lip in frustration. He had hoped Christina and the others would have headed straight for the guardhouse to call for help. But instead, they had run off in the opposite direction, leaving him, Johan, and a traumatized Bobby in this makeshift kitchen, with a monster lurking just outside.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Seojun’s neck as he let out a sigh, picking up the lantern he had foolishly thrown. Thankfully, it was still in one piece. However, the uneasy feeling in his stomach lingered. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, heightened by his sharp senses. Every creak from the metal floor under his sneakers and every eerie noise from the monster outside sent his heart racing.
Suddenly, a rustling sound caught his attention, and he quickly turned to see Johan crouched down, searching through items under a shelf. Johan looked up, a small kitchen knife in one hand and a barbecue skewer in the other.
“What are you doing, Johan Gentil?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing, Jun?”
Johan responded with a shy smile, casually flicking his wrist and causing the orange light from the lantern to dance softly on the blade of the knife.
“Which one do you want, Jun?” he asked, presenting Seojun with a choice between the two less-than-ideal weapons.
“Do you think my preferences even matter right now?”
Seojun couldn’t hide his irritation, but Johan just stood up, examining the pointed end of the skewer.
“What are you talking about? I’m just trying to figure out which one would be more useful against that monster outside. I wish we still had the axe, but it’s not like we can go searching through the bushes for it at the moment…”
Johan’s gentle voice managed to bring a sense of calm to Seojun’s chaotic thoughts, making him reflect on his recent rash actions – the lantern now resting on the floor and Bobby’s collapsed figure nearby.
Bobby’s fate didn’t really matter to Seojun, but he had to admit, chucking the lantern was a dumb move. What was he thinking, especially when their only other light source was the moon? If the lantern had broken, they would have been in deep trouble.
Seojun could feel his breathing start to slow down. He’d tried to stay rational, but the reality of their situation had nearly pushed him over the edge. He could taste blood in his mouth from where he’d bitten down on his cheek, a desperate attempt to keep himself grounded.
“Take the skewer,” he finally said, his voice steady as he made up his mind.
The lemon had already proven to be lethal against the creature. The knife was too small to do much, but the skewer could actually do some damage.
Johan nodded in agreement. In an ideal world, Seojun would have taken the skewer for balance, leaving the knife for Johan. But Seojun had always been the type to load up a single avatar with all the best gear in video games.
“Ah, actually, give me the knife.”
Their enemy wasn’t just the monstrosity lurking outside. Seojun felt a newfound appreciation for the resilience of the ordinary human body – immune to lemons and not requiring a gas mask to breathe.
“Here, but be careful and keep it in its sheath, Jun,” Johan warned as he handed over the sheathed knife.
The moment Seojun had the handle in his grip, he let out a sigh of relief. Clearly, he’d been more anxious about losing the axe than he’d realized. He took a deep breath, trying to reassure himself.
What’s our next move?…
He pocketed the knife and turned his attention to Bobby, who was still slumped on the floor. His color looked a bit better, but his eyes were still vacant.
Seojun grabbed Bobby by the collar and gave him a sharp slap across the face.
“Ow!”
The sound echoed around the room, leaving a bright red mark on Bobby’s pale face. Bobby screamed and squeezed his eyes shut, showing signs that he was finally coming back to life. Seojun didn’t hold back, his voice filled with urgency as he shouted at Bobby.
“Come on, Bobby, snap out of it!”
He slapped him once more, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction bubbling inside him. He was actually kind of thankful for this chance to knock some sense into Bobby.
Sure, smacking Bobby around wasn’t going to help them beat the monster outside, but hey, life’s about enjoying the little things, right? And besides, he was technically doing this to save Bobby’s life. Nothing to feel guilty about here.
“Stop, stop hitting me!” Bobby finally cried out.
“Sure, Christina might pack more of a punch than she looks like she can, but I still think I’ve got more potential, right?” Seojun said, his voice filled with a passion that seemed to hit a nerve with Bobby, who let out a choked yelp. Even with tears in his eyes, Bobby seemed more with it than he had since this whole mess started.
“Glad to have you back with us, Bobby,” Johan said, his voice full of relief.
“Right,” Seojun chimed in, “It’s nice to see that even though my hand is killing me, I’ve managed to knock some sense back into you.”
Johan gave Bobby a friendly pat on the shoulder, though Bobby clearly wasn’t on the same page.
“What’s so great about this, huh? Johan! Can’t you see this murderer has turned my cheek into a freaking sideshow?”
Bobby pointed to his red, puffy cheek, but Seojun was already moving on, brushing off Bobby’s complaints.
“Now that Bobby’s back with us, let’s figure out what to do next. What do you think, Johan?”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“You guys are just ignoring me!”
Bobby was surprisingly persistent, raising his voice to make sure he was heard. Seojun let out a sigh, and with a hint of reluctance, pulled out a small knife, a silent but clear threat that filled the air with tension.
“Bobby, you sound like a damn cuckoo bird. If you’re trying to broadcast our location to that monster outside, be my guest. But just know, our short-lived friendship is over.”
“What?”
Seojun just shrugged at Bobby’s confused question and leaned in, listening closely. Meanwhile, Bobby’s face gradually turned pale.
Right next to him was a skinny, mutilated corpse, its organs almost completely gone—a clear signature of the monster’s brutality. If Bobby didn’t get a grip and kept making noise, they were definitely going to be next.
Bobby quickly slapped a hand over his mouth and nose, holding his breath until he was practically turning blue. Finally getting a grip on the gravity of their situation, Seojun felt a sense of satisfaction and turned to Johan.
“Look, Johan, don’t even think about taking on that monster. Christina is the only one who stands a chance.”
Johan tilted his head, confused.
“What are you talking about, Jun?”
“I mean exactly what I said. We can’t beat it. That’s just how it is. Don’t throw your life away trying to do the impossible.”
Seojun was seriously worried about Johan, but Johan wasn’t convinced.
“Why so pessimistic? It’s not good for you, Jun. Besides…”
Johan’s eyes were intense, filled with a kind of earnest determination. It was as if he was silently asking Seojun, ‘Don’t you get it?’ While Johan’s words might have been rooted in truth, they weren’t helping. Seojun’s frustration was building, and he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“You just don’t get it.”
What else could he say? They were on completely different wavelengths, like they were speaking different languages. Johan, always the realist, trying to assess the situation logically, could never truly understand Seojun.
For Seojun, reality was this twisted, complex thing, a mix of what was real and what was in his head. They might have been standing on the same ground, but they were living in completely different stories.