Reborn as a Prophet in a Horror Movie

#040Reader Mode

#040

A distant rumble echoed through the shadowy kitchen, causing Christina’s hand to freeze mid-reach.

“Christina? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s just…” Christina’s voice wavered, lost in thought.

Responding to Airi’s voice, Christina looked over. In the dim light from the open fridge, Airi’s features were faintly illuminated, while the rest of the kitchen lay in oppressive darkness. Christina, resuming her task, replied with a hint of unease, “It’s nothing, really. Just hard to see in here.”

Their eyes had somewhat adjusted to the dark, but the kitchen, deep inside and devoid of any windows, was pitch black, forcing them to rely on their sense of touch. Airi bit her lips lightly in frustration.

“Turning on the lights is too risky, might attract that thing. If only we had a flashlight.” she muttered.

“Yeah, that would’ve been helpful.” Christina agreed softly.

Luckily, the monster hadn’t noticed them slipping away. Whether it was too absorbed in its feast or their bait plan had worked, they couldn’t be sure…but now was their chance.

Silently, they navigated the chaotic restaurant, tiptoeing around the chaotic landscape of upended tables and chairs.

“I don’t trust that guy at all. Lemonade, really? That’s such a serial killer cliche beverage…” Airi whispered, trying to crack a joke as her eyes fell upon a pot filled with sliced lemons.

Christina could almost feel the tension radiating off Airi, her muscles wound tight. Her friend was trying her best to help her stay calm, an effort that warmed her heart. She knew without Airi’s presence, her own frayed nerves would have snapped already. If not for Airi being with her at the dorm earlier, she would have already passed out from fear.

Christina sighed quietly, not wanting to worry her friend further. Her chest ached, like there was a scream trapped inside. She forced her fists to unclench and discreetly brushed away a tear. They had a mission, friends to return to, and a nightmare to escape from. She steeled herself to press on.

But it wasn’t just a sense of duty weighing on Christina’s heart. As she gathered the necessary items, her voice was a soft murmur, her fingers deftly selecting and combining ingredients.

“You know, Airi, sometimes I feel like my name just attracts alien encounters or serial killers. It’s terrifying.” she confessed quietly.

Airi, focused on her task of cutting the top off a plastic bottle to transfer lemons, stopped to offer reassurance. “Oh my god, Tina! How could that possibly be your fault?” she insisted, her grip tightening on the tongs, accidentally causing lemon juice to splatter.

Christina smiled weakly. “Why did my Mom have to love Grandma’s horror roles so much? She did romances, too, you know.”

She conveniently overlooked the fact that her grandmother’s romantic films had flopped. Not wanting to rattle her bestie who was working with knives, Christina quickly wrapped tape around their improvised lemon container with a snap.

“Um, maybe your mom felt odd watching her own mom in rom-coms? If my mom, well I don’t have one, but let’s say I did. If she was a romance movie star and then named me after one of her female lead characters? Yeah, that’d be awkward.”

As Airi chattered away, she scoured the shelves, her hands quickly exploring. A can, illuminated by the fridge’s glow, caught her attention. She read the label, still chatting amiably.

“You know, if we’re pointing fingers, it’s Bobby’s fault. Always going on about Rumpelstiltskin babies, Wraithwood Warren legends. And don’t get me started on his obsession that everyone born around here must visit the Red Lake at least once…” Her laughter faded. “Ugh, never mind. I shouldn’t talk about the dead.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Seojun’s breath came in desperate, ragged gasps as he pushed himself beyond his limits. He mentally kicked himself for not taking Johan’s earlier piggyback ride offer. Now regret and anxiety hit him as he ran, his lungs burning with the effort of keeping up.

“Huff… puff… argh!”

Why did hindsight always have to be so painfully clear? Managing to keep his tongue from lolling out almost felt like an achievement. The frantic sprint stripped away any pretense of caring how he looked.

“Insane! You absolutely crazy Fortune-teller!”

At least he wasn’t alone in this undignified dash. Golden was right there with him, unleashing a torrent of curses that Seojun graciously accepted.

“Jun, do you want me to carry you now?” Johan’s voice, still brimming with energy, cut through the night with an offer that sounded almost too good to pass up.

“Just shut up and keep running!” Seojun barely managed to shout back, his voice teetering on the edge of exhaustion. He sneaked a quick glance at Johan, whose face drooped a bit at the response.

Seojun was usually the first to jump at shortcuts, but right now, piggyback rides were a luxury they couldn’t afford. Looming behind them was Monster X, its deep rumblings shaking the ground. Its pursuit seemed leisurely, like a well-fed beast on a casual stroll, yet the power in its massive form was unreal as it gained on them.

Bathed in moonlight, the alien’s glistening white body had an otherworldly allure, slick and shimmering. It looked like a sculpture crafted by a renowned artist, both overwhelming and surreal. If it weren’t for them running for their lives, the sight might have been mesmerizing to watch.

But the monster’s putrid stench, emanating from its maw and tentacles, shattered any sense of awe, dragging Seojun back to their grim reality. The overpowering odor sharply reminded him of the imminent danger.

“Gag…. huff… puff!”

Forcibly swallowing down bile, Seojun risked a backward glance and instantly regretted it. He struggled to shake off the sight of guts clinging to the monster’s body like ketchup stains, but the horrific image was seared into his mind.

Gritting his teeth, Seojun forced his tired legs to move faster, hoping they would make it in time. Soon, the campsite came into view under the blue moonlight. Tents fluttered like ghostly specters, an eerie welcome for the exhausted trio.

The distance, thankfully, was short. The clearing between the old dorm and the bonfire site was relatively obstacle-free. Signs of his earlier scuffle with Gas Mask – toppled tents, disturbed earth – were near the giant pile of firewood.

The bloody fight with Gas Mask seemed like a lifetime ago to Seojun now, but he didn’t have the time to walk down memory lane – danger was still too close for comfort.

Seojun cast a worried glance around. “Where are Christina and Airi?” he muttered, noticing their absence. Johan, sharing his thoughts, shouted,

“They’re not here yet!”

“Let’s lure it over there!”

Seojun’s thin, slender finger pointed toward the towering firewood pile. Monster X, with its tentacles lazily unfurling, seemed ready to drag them to a grisly fate at any moment. Seojun shuddered involuntarily.

The mere thought of being grabbed by those tentacles again was terrifying. He didn’t want to experience that horror once more. But to slightly increase their chances of survival until Christina arrived, he had to force his stiff legs to move.

With a grimace, he pressed on his bleeding arm, forcing more blood out of the gaping injury.

“Ugh!”

“Jun, stop it!”

Johan’s protesting voice boomed in his ears. Seojun looked up sniffling, unintentionally opening his mouth to explain, but the words died at the sight that greeted him.

Johan’s expression was nothing like what Seojun had imagined. His eyes, usually a comforting shade of blue, now held a depth of pain as if his heart was being torn apart.

“Jun, I’m not just nagging for no reason.”

Under the weight of that caring gaze and voice, inexplicable guilt gripped Seojun’s tongue. He wanted to argue that reopening his wound wasn’t another act of self-harm, but those words felt hollow, even to him. Still, deep down, a tiny voice cried out in protest, feeling wronged.

I’m just trying to keep us all alive…

He wasn’t a pervert indulging in bloodthirsty sexual fetishes by harming himself. There was a purpose, a desperate goal behind his action. But facing Johan’s pained gaze, Seojun found himself speechless. He didn’t know why. He just felt that way.

The troubled silence between them shattered when the monster, enticed by the bait, surged forward with a piercing shriek.

[SHREEEEK!!!]

Sinuous tentacles lunged at Seojun as if embracing a lover.

“Damn it, go away! No, come here!”

Seojun bolted towards the firewood stack in a desperate bid to draw the monster’s attention. He poured every ounce of energy into fleeing, silently swearing this would be the last time he’d ever run again. His muscles, often neglected, now worked hard for him, effortlessly carrying his lean body over the rugged terrain.

Each rapid blink brought the firewood stack closer and closer. Then, just as he was about to collide with it, a chilling sensation crept up his spine – a tentacle was snaking towards his head.

“Jun!”

Suddenly, his world spun wildly. Instead of his head, his shoulder was yanked back violently. The ground vibrated fiercely, sounds around him dimming to a distant echo, as if his ears were slowly sealing shut.

But it wasn’t a loss of hearing – the overwhelming noise was from Monster X’s colossal collision with the firewood stack.

“Jun, Seojun!” Johan’s voice cut through the muffled chaos, pulling Seojun into a rough hug. The hand that was on his shoulder now wrapped around his waist in an iron grip.

“Ugh, uh….”

Weakly turning, Seojun saw the monster buried beneath a cascade of firewood, its tentacles spasming as the full picture came into focus.

Johan had snatched Seojun away just in time, sparing him from a violent crash. Monster X, in hot pursuit, couldn’t stop its own massive bulk and slammed into the firewood pile. The deafening crash resulted from the firewood tower tumbling down.

Staring at the surreal scene that unfolded exactly as they had hoped, Seojun’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

Then, a second miracle happened that night.

“Guys!”

It was Christina and Airi. They were out of breath, their clothes stained with sweat and what suspiciously smelled like blood. Leaves were stuck in their hair and on their dirty clothes, showing how frantically they had rushed to reach them.

The bonfire site and the dining hall were quite a distance apart. Moreover, they had to not only find lemons but also take the time to prepare Molotov cocktails, explaining their disheveled appearance after such a delay.

Airi had ingeniously strapped duct tape around her waist, where multiple plastic bottles dangled, their contents – sliced lemons in liquid – were visible through the transparent plastic. Christina, meanwhile, had a fierce grip on what she carried: a Molotov cocktail in one hand and a torch in the other.

Airi then sprinted towards the mass of white flesh still buried underneath the woodpile. The monster stirred agitatedly, a sign it was still alive. No words were needed; they all knew the plan – it was time for Airi to pour out the lemonade she had prepared in the kitchen.

Her eyes briefly met William’s. Was it their deep connection that sharpened his intuition? A fleeting curiosity bubbled in her mind before dissolving. It didn’t matter. William had seen her look and, suppressing his own pain, rushed to her side.

“Willy!”

“Airi!”

William and Airi, an unlikely yet perfect pair – the stoic football star and the vivacious cheer captain. He, the second son of a large family of eight brothers. She, an only child raised by a single parent. Together, they were the most famous couple at school.

Whenever William took to the field, Airi’s cheers were always there to support him. And without fail, William’s eyes searched only for her during the games. Her delicate blinks, fluttering eyelashes, slender fingers gripping the pom-poms – these were the sights that strengthened his resolve to win.

Similarly, Airi’s gaze followed William’s every move. His determined jawline beneath the helmet, elbows scarred from countless falls, and the joyous smile that couldn’t be contained in moments when victory was won.

Their bond was forged from countless little moments that wove together into something unspoken but deeply felt. They took pride in their own secret language, where one glance spoke more than a thousand words, like performers who have practiced their routine to perfection.

Airi felt a familiar surge of energy in her legs, her muscles tensing in anticipation. Her body was like a well-oiled machine, perfectly calibrated from endless hours of training under the relentless sun. Every drop of sweat had fused with her spirit, preparing her for moments like this.

William was ready too, squatting down with his hands interlocked, forming a solid base for her to launch from. His hands, though roughened with calluses and scars from years on the football field, were as reliable as ever. As Airi stepped into his waiting palms, he propelled her upwards with all his might, sending her flying into the crisp night.

Airi Stone. The sexiest cheerleader at Wraithwood Warren and squad captain without peer. In other words, no one could fly as high as she could.

Airi soared through the air, carrying the lethal poison toward Monster X.

T/N: “Sinuous tentacles lunged at Seojun as if embracing a lover.” Author, what do you mean by that? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Also, these little romance moments between the horror are so cute!