Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#034Reader Mode

#034

In the chaos of battle, Golden emerged as an unexpected trump card.

Even if Brass had been captured, killed, or interrogated, Gas Mask could have only known about Golden fleeing the Hamon campsite following Richard’s death. But surprisingly, Golden returned for some reason. Maybe his judgement was a bit off thanks to his drug use.

So, Seojun decided to take advantage of this situation and handed a knife to the somewhat bewildered Golden.

While Golden’s reliability was questionable, he certainly appeared more intimidating with the knife in hand. Their plan, thrown together on the fly, surprisingly worked like a charm. As Seojun, Johan, and William distracted Gas Mask, Golden stealthily descended the dormitory wall, ready to jump in if Gas Mask attempted an escape down the stairs.

To put it bluntly – Seojun, Christina, and the others were no seasoned hunters. In this cliche story, they were more like prey, destined to be killed off one by one.

So, these young students prepared themselves. Ready to face whatever came their way, fighting desperately to extend their survival, even if just for a moment. Without such efforts, their chances of survival were slim.

Their efforts paid off when they managed to disarm Gas Mask and cause him to fall from the third floor. Although he reduced the length of his fall by using Seojun’s leg as a makeshift rope…

“Ahhhh!” Golden’s battle cry, more strained than fierce, echoed as he shook, muscles trembling. It made sense, really. Facing the raw power of Gas Mask up close probably exceeded his wildest imaginations.

Golden’s worst nightmare was some vague and grotesque monster, not a lunatic in a gas mask wielding a Hamon knife. But even so, Golden’s hand obediently followed the orders of the being he distrusted and desired the most. He stabbed Gas Mask’s thigh deeply and twisted the blade, tearing through flesh and muscle.

[Arrgh… Ahhh!]

The effect was immediate. Gas Mask’s muffled screams were bone-chilling, yet for Seojun, they brought him joy.

Yes!

As expected – Gas Mask’s legs weren’t well protected. Seojun remembered how his axe had barely grazed Gas Mask’s knee previously. Back then, he’d used the axe more as a threat than a weapon. But the true power of a blade lies in stabbing, especially into a spot like the inner thigh, filled with major blood vessels.

While Seojun wasn’t sure about the specifics, he knew one thing from horror movies: serial killers often keep coming back until the Final Girl delivers the decisive blow.

So, Seojun changed his strategy. How could he effectively immobilize Gas Mask without dying in the process? The answer was obvious: aim for the legs.

When the knife struck, blood gushed from a severed artery.

[Gargh!]

Before Golden could savor his moment of success, Gas Mask’s foot slammed into his chest. The forceful kick sent Golden flying backward, breathless and unable to scream.

Incredibly, Golden managed to keep his grip on the knife handle, though the blade remained stuck in Gas Mask’s thigh.

A sound like a heavy angry exhale escaped from behind Gas Mask’s mask. He made no effort to remove the blade from his leg – nearly palm-sized and buried deep. As one clearly experienced in the art of killing, he likely knew removing it would lead to excessive bleeding. Rage overtook him as he flung the now-useless gun away.

Looks like he knew he was tricked.

Since pulling the trigger had no effect, it would have been absurd if he hadn’t realized it was out of bullets. Seojun swallowed hard, his throat dry.

Seojun couldn’t see Gas Mask’s expression, but he imagined a twisted smirk, a strange mix of pleasure and anger warming his icy demeanor.

You look good, you little bastard.

Seojun fought to keep a grim smile off his face and glanced over at Johan. They bought themselves some time. Johan’s hand was in bad shape – his fingers were hurt and he had balled his fist so tightly that his whole hand just looked mangled.

Yet Johan, pushing past the pain, met Seojun’s gaze with a refreshing smile. His endurance was nothing short of amazing. Seojun knew if he had suffered such injuries, he would have been rolling on the ground with tears and snot on his face. He forced his gaze away from the injury Johan was trying to hide.

“Jun, you’d be a great actor,” Johan said unexpectedly, his cheerful voice cutting through the tension.

Seojun idly picked at his ear, responding, “You mean I’m good at lying without batting an eye?”

“I wouldn’t call your pessimistic outlook is a flaw,” Johan teased.

Judging by his words alone, it seemed enough to consider it a flaw. His narrowed eyes studied Johan, from his dirt-smeared face to his refined features, deep blue eyes, and blood-stained lips, slightly parted.

“Just… I think I like you more now.”

Johan’s unexpected comment came as he crouched down, selecting a large, sharply-edged rock from the ground with his less injured hand, expertly choosing it from among the many stones.

“What?”

Seojun, taken aback, felt his lips awkwardly purse in embarrassment. But this wasn’t the moment for intimate details. They weren’t celebrating at prom in fancy suits, giving each other flowers. No, they were trapped at Camp Hamon – dealing with a monster and a serial killer. Now wasn’t the time to demand he explain his words, unravel their meaning or justify his reasoning.

As Seojun turned to Johan, Gas Mask made his move towards them. The presence of the deranged killer filled Seojun, despite his deep-rooted oriental sensibilities, with a fear more intense than any mythical demon. His skin crawled, and his stomach clenched in dread.

Gas Mask approached with an unnerving crack of his neck. The rush of adrenaline that had warmed Seojun’s toes and fingertips vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving him feeling cold. Each of Gas Mask’s steps seemed to intensify the scent of blood in the air.

Johan, opting for action over words, silently stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Seojun. His broad, muscular back blocked Gas Mask’s menacing glare. His shoulders and muscles visibly tensed and relaxed, ready for action.

“Don’t be nervous… just stay relaxed and move like you normally would.” Johan said softly, his face out of view.

Seojun watched as Johan, clearly making an effort to contain his tension and excitement, stood firmly before him, putting this demand into action.

Pressing a hand against his pounding heart, Seojun worked to calm his body. His limbs, once stiff with fear, began to relax. Johan was right – they’d be doomed if they couldn’t stay composed, regardless of their numbers.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Following Johan’s lead, Seojun also picked up a similar rock. Its rough surface scraped against his palm, but they needed every advantage they could get in this situation.

His eyes darted anxiously to the steep roof of the old dormitory, thinking of Christina. Airi was one thing, but Christina, not exactly a gymnast, would take much longer to get down.

Seojun had silently set a goal for himself. With the situation escalating rapidly, all they needed was to incapacitate Gas Mask long enough for Christina to strike the final blow. If they could hand over a subdued Gas Mask to her, they might just break free from this nightmarish ordeal. A cruel determination took root in Seojun – was he always capable of such dark thoughts?

Incredibly, Gas Mask seemed to be gaining speed despite having lost some fingers and sustaining an injury to his leg. Even with those wounds, he was bearing down on Johan and Seojun at an even faster clip than before. They were rapidly running out of options – the situation had become dire.

“Here he comes!”

Seojun’s voice, strained with stress, rang out. But unbeknownst to them, Gas Mask wasn’t the only threat approaching.

The noise was faint, but with the serial killer nearby, Johan and Seojun couldn’t afford to lose focus. High above, Christina and Airi were the first to notice.

“What is that?”

Christina pointed with a pale finger under the moonlight. In the distance, a small white speck was rapidly growing in size. Her eyes widened in shock. No, it wasn’t just growing – it was barreling towards them.

In an instant, it was upon them.

Trees fell like dominoes in its wake, the once dense forest obliterated in mere moments. Tree roots were violently ripped from the ground, and massive trunks snapped effortlessly like twigs.

A tidal wave of tentacles, frenzied and relentless, surged forward like a living tsunami. The alien, Monster X, known by its complex government designation name, made its presence known with a thunderous roar, plowing through the trees. Its white body and countless tentacles glowed eerily in the dim light.

The unearthly sounds pouring out of the monster were deafening. Golden, still reeling from the force of Gas Mask’s kick, clutched his ears in pain. Even Gas Mask staggered as its howl generated vibrations powerful enough to assault his entire body.

Seojun gaped in shock. The monster was terrifyingly close now, barely a dozen steps away.

Sometimes perspective can change everything, Seojun realized. He had seen Monster X from a distance at the mountain cabin, safely in the back. But now, up close…

“It’s massive…”

He couldn’t help but laugh hollowly at the sight. The monster’s size hadn’t changed, but from this angle, the towering tentacled behemoth was staggeringly immense. Seojun felt like fainting on the spot.

In that moment, he finally understood what the soldier had meant about aliens. Such a vast, formidable being couldn’t possibly be from Earth.

Then he spotted something odd – one of the writhing tentacles was abnormally short. Ah, it was the one Johan had severed. As the realization struck him, he noticed Johan making a funny expression, his mouth stretched open ridiculously wide.

It was strange. Johan appeared to be gasping and mouthing words frantically. But it wasn’t just that. Seojun realized he was hearing nothing but ringing in his ears – tinnitus. Johan was yelling, but Seojun couldn’t hear a thing.

Then, piercing through the endless ringing in his ears, Seojun began to make out Johan’s shouts – at first indistinct, like bubbles rising murkily to the surface of water, before finally bursting into clarity.

“Seojun!”

Johan swiftly grabbed Seojun’s forearm, pulling him into a brief, reassuring hug before they took off running together. But it seemed the monster’s attention was elsewhere. As one of its gigantic tentacles stretched skyward, it cast a vast shadow over them, reaching for the old dormitory looming above.

“Ahh!”

Terrified screams pierced the air – Christina and Airi cried out in unison, scrambling backwards across the roof as the tentacle closed in. Thankfully, they maintained their footing and didn’t fall off the roof. The tentacle slammed down hard near them but didn’t withdraw, instead shooting through the third-floor window with lightning speed. Airi’s face went deathly pale.

“No, Willy!”

Her cry was immediately followed by a gruesome sight of blood pouring down from the tentacle inside the window. Airi, precariously hanging from the roof to get a better view, nearly lost her grip. Only Christina’s quick reaction saved her from a dangerous fall.

“Airi, come on, snap out of it!”

Christina slapped Airi’s cheek in a desperate attempt to jolt her back to reality. They had to move, and fast. Gradually, the tentacle pulled back from the window.

Seojun, though not particularly close to the victim, was still disturbed by the sight of someone being brutally killed right before his eyes. But the torso falling from the tentacle’s grasp wasn’t William’s.

It was the soldier’s.

The soldier, alive but in terrible shape, had been gruesomely bisected by the tentacle. His body was cut in a near-perfect golden ratio, just above and below his navel.

Seojun, who had never been one to closely study or appreciate art throughout his lives, could only let out a stunned curse.

“Damn, what is that…”

It was a deeply unsettling sight.