Chapter 87: S#15. From Twilight to Space (1)

S#15.

It was a creepy situation.

Living without knowing there was a secret space beyond the garage wall…

Moreover, the space was filled with unknown surveillance and eavesdropping devices.

Without hesitation, I immediately reported it to the police.

Bob Bojangles arrived. He left coffee stains on the evidence and covered it with donut crumbs.

What incredible investigative skill. I decided not to expect him to catch the culprit.

Ellen Strode contacted a demolition company and had the house bulldozed.

It was an expensive house, but Ellen didn’t regret it. She was rich.

She said this was the only way to feel at ease.

She found a new house in the neighboring town of Tromaville. The move went smoothly.

A new setting-

The word ‘Chapter 2,’ mentioned earlier by the narrator, came to mind.

Now I understood why.

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Raei  Translations
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“Alright, here’s your room, Summer.”

Nancy Strode took me to the second floor, not the garage.

Unfortunately, it was between Nancy’s room and Ellen’s bedroom.

It felt a bit overwhelming to be given such excessive trust.

It was about time I became independent.

But whenever I brought up the word ‘independence,’ the Strode women’s hands would turn into pliers and grip my sides.

In a creepy situation, being watched by an unknown entity, they said they absolutely couldn’t allow me to leave, as a bodyguard was necessary.

Since it made sense, I couldn’t really argue.

A new room in a new house.

Nancy looked out the window.

The sparkling sunlight touched her white skin. Her golden hair fluttered beautifully in the gentle breeze.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Brooke.”

Nancy said as she looked beyond the window.

Brooke, who lived in the house on the left, was a quiet-looking man in his forties, an African American.

He always wore red round sunglasses. I rarely saw him outside.

Maybe he’s nocturnal.

No information about his family relations has been revealed yet.

Is he single? Living alone in such a big house is a tremendous waste of space.

“Mr. Brooke lives on the left. Who lives in the house on the right again?”

“The Miller couple, Summer.”

“Right, the Miller couple… that’s right.”

“There’s quite an age gap between them~. The wife is almost like a mother.”

The Miller couple, with an older wife and a younger husband, had a young daughter.

Nancy saw her once, but I hadn’t yet.

Someone passed in front of the house.

A young woman walking a big dog. The large dog looked like a wolf.

The streets of Tromaville were peaceful. The clear sky, without a single cloud, scattered dazzling sunlight.

In the evening, I went grocery shopping with Ellen.

Not forgetting the mask incident from last time, Ellen put a shotgun in the trunk.

Nothing special happened while shopping.

A bit strange was that Ellen was looking at baby products. Why would a widow look at baby products…

Anyway, the shopping started and ended pleasantly.

I thought Tromaville would be a messed-up town, but surprisingly, it was full of normal people.

We came out of the market, pushing a shopping cart.

As we headed to the parking lot, a raspy voice called out from somewhere.

“Oh ho ho~ You two over there!”

It was a shabby old woman in old clothes.

She had placed a flat table in the corner of the parking lot and was sitting in front of it.

She looked like a homeless person buried in shadowy darkness.

A crystal ball was on the table. But it didn’t feel mystical like Reiko’s crystal ball.

It looked like a cheap one bought from a stationery store.

“Oh ho ho, have you two gotten married yet~? If not, come here. I’ll read your compatibility and love fortune~.”

The old woman waggled her rotten salad-like fingers.

Ellen whispered to me.

“She must be a fortune teller, Summer. Shall we get our fortune told?”

“That old lady is calling us a couple. How can someone who can’t even recognize relationships read fortunes?”

“But you never know. She might be a fortune teller who can see the future.”

“Reiko is the expert in such things…”

“Miss Ishikawa is no longer our neighbor. Come on, let’s try it for fun.”

No matter how I looked at it, the old woman seemed like a fraud. I refused Ellen’s suggestion.

Ellen clicked her tongue and glared. She said she would get her fortune told by herself.

True to her stubborn nature, typical of Nancy’s mother, she was impossible to stop at times like this.

Ellen, making it obvious she was upset with me, headed towards the table.

“Pretty lady, let me read your palm first~. Hold out your left hand!”

Ellen held out her left hand.

The old fortune teller mumbled with her wrinkled lips as she examined Ellen’s palm.

Then suddenly, she opened her drooping eyelids wide.

It was as if she had found a treasure.

“Oh ho… this is unique! A very rare palm line!”

“Why?”

“Look at this line. Isn’t it abruptly cut off?”

“Oh, it really is. What does that mean?”

“This is your lifeline.”

“My lifeline…?”

“A broken lifeline means you’re fated to die today.”

The old woman grabbed Ellen’s wrist and bit her arm.

“Kyah-!!”

Ellen screamed.

It was an unexpected situation. I ran and hit the old woman’s head.

It was a strong enough blow to send her to the other side, but the old woman didn’t lose consciousness. It meant she wasn’t normal.

Her eyes, raised menacingly, glowed red. It was the gaze of a beast, not a human.

“Kyaahahaha!!!”

Wolf-like ears and a tail sprouted from the old woman.

Her wide-open mouth was full of sharp teeth. They were pointed, especially the canines, which were like sashimi knives.

“Give me your blood!!”

The old woman leaped into the air. It was an astonishing jump.

Her landing target was me.

She performed a fancy somersault in the air and came down, aiming her sharp nails at my face.

I raised my arm to block. Her strength was immense.

This old woman… what kind of power…!

Then a thin object cut through the darkness and flew towards us.

It lodged into the old woman’s temple. It was a shining silver arrow.

“Who dares…!”

Someone was standing at the parking lot entrance. A formidable black silhouette.

He fired the crossbow again.

A silver arrow pierced the old woman’s eye. It sounded like a walnut cracking.

“Kyahaaaooo!!”

The old woman roared in pain and charged at the man.

The man also charged back. He lowered his stance mid-way and slid.

Ssshhh-

The man’s lower body scraped the ground swiftly and fiercely, intercepting the opponent.

Hit by the deadly tackle, the old woman, with her ankle shattered, fell howling.

The man quickly got up and showered her with crossbow bolts. Silver arrows embedded into the old woman’s body.

The old woman, now a silver hedgehog, stuck out her tongue and died.

Dazed by the sudden killing, I saw the man in the darkness.

Tall, with black skin. Red Leon sunglasses…

“Mr. Brooke…!?”

It was Brooke, our neighbor from the house on the left.

“What the hell is all this?”

“I know you’re confused. But listen to me first.”

Brooke folded the upper wing of the crossbow attached to his wrist.

He nudged the silver-hedgehog-like old woman with his foot.

“As you can see, this is not a person.”

“Right. It’s a corpse.”

“That’s not what I mean. This is an alien wolf vampire.”

“Alien wolf vampire?”

“A creature bitten by a werewolf from another planet and turned into a vampire.”

An alien werewolf and vampire at the same time?

It’s a jumbled-up setup.

“She is the enemy who took away my beloved wife…”

Brooke said in a bitter tone. It felt like a solemn background music was playing.

I never imagined the neighbor was a vampire hunter.

Just then, Ellen, standing beside me, staggered and collapsed. I threw myself to catch her.

For some reason, Ellen’s body was burning hot.

Her thin wrist had clear bite marks from the old woman. Bite marks that looked like those of a wolf.

Brooke extended his arm. He unfolded the folding crossbow and shot a silver arrow. The target was Ellen, who was in my arms.

I caught the flying silver arrow in midair.

Brooke flinched in surprise.

“My god, catching an arrow…”

“What are you doing right now?”

“Move aside. Anyone bitten by an alien wolf vampire becomes one!”

Brooke aimed the crossbow again.

“That girl was bitten too, so she won’t last long. Soon, she will become a bloodthirsty creature.”

“Isn’t there another way? Like cutting off the bitten part…”

“It’s already too late! She must be dealt with!!”

I was confused, but I couldn’t sacrifice Ellen’s life.

“Move aside.”

“……”

“If you don’t move, I’ll have to deal with you too.”

Another silver arrow flew. The needle of death pierced the night air.

I dodged while shielding Ellen. The arrowhead grazed my ear.

Brooke rushed in and threw a punch. It landed squarely on my face.

It hurt, but I endured it. This was part of the plan.

I grabbed Brooke from behind as he got close. Holding him tightly like hugging a teddy bear, I bent my back forcefully.

My body arched like a bow.

BANG-!

Brooke’s head hit the ground. A small crater formed around him.

Brooke was knocked out.

“Whew…”

Seeing Ellen groaning and Brooke unconscious made me feel hopeless.

Where did everything go wrong?

Ellen’s canines were becoming sharper.

-The axe murderer knows how to turn a vampire back into a human.

The narrator’s voice descended like a rope.

By killing the vampire leader, the subordinates return to being human… a common setup.

I ran to the market and bought a leash and a muzzle for large dogs.

I tied Ellen’s hands and feet with the leash and put the muzzle on her.

I loaded Brooke and Ellen into the car and headed home.

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