FDD 11

4. Morning of the Living Corpses

Creak…….

The door across from the room where Luca and Noah were opened. Just like before, the man looked around the room. He made loud banging noises here and there before slamming the door shut. Now it was Luca and Noah’s turn. The chances of him leaving without seeing Luca and Noah standing behind the door were low.

Luca and Noah strained their ears as much as possible. Thanks to that, they could clearly hear the footsteps outside gradually growing louder. The two waited for the footsteps to stop. Just as the presence reached its peak, the sound suddenly ceased, replaced by the sound of a doorknob being turned.

Luca and Noah clutched their hockey stick and saw. One wrong move and they would be trapped like rats in a jar. Those few seconds waiting for the door to open felt like hours. They swallowed nervously.

Finally, the door opened.

Creak.

Click.

Light from outside seeped in through the ajar door, creating a bright surface. It gradually widened. Then, a single foot suddenly entered that bright surface, casting a shadow once again and staining it black.

Luca and Noah waited until the foot became two, and they endured until the long, curled horn gradually moved inward and revealed its full form. Then, the back of his head, covered in rough, dry fur, turned toward Luca and Noah. It was a good opportunity. Luca and Noah swung their hockey stick and saw simultaneously.

“Ugh!”

“Die!”

Pow!

Bang!

The hockey stick Luca swung missed and struck the horn. As a result, one of Baphomet’s long, curled horns snapped and fell to the ground.

Thump!

The sound of it falling was loud. The weight of the horn fragment was considerable. Given that the severed piece alone was that heavy, they couldn’t even begin to gauge the weight of the entire horns on Baphomet’s head. Any proper bipedal animal would likely suffer from a herniated disc if they were to walk around with something like that on their head. Baphomet staggered as the weight on one side of his head suddenly became lighter.

“That’s it…!

The saw Noah swung struck Baphomet’s shoulder. It was a good thing for the two of them. However, Baphomet wasn’t something that felt pain like a normal person. Despite having lost one horn and a saw deeply embedded in his shoulder, Baphomet only staggered slightly and stared at Noah as if nothing were wrong. Although he couldn’t see properly, the eyes of the stuffed goat on his head were gleaming toward Noah.

“…”

Baphomet swung his knife with a completely unhurried movement. It was an arrogant and powerful motion, as if he didn’t need to exert much strength to kill people like them. It was swung a little too briefly and didn’t reach Noah, but its power was considerable. If air had substance, it would have been a long and deep cut.

“D-die. Just die already!”

Luca swung his hockey stick again at Baphomet’s hand holding the knife, but Baphomet didn’t budge.

‘Fuck, this just isn’t working…!’

It felt as if he had swung the hockey stick at a lump of iron. Yet, Baphomet let go of the knife. However, it wasn’t because Luca had swung the stick. It was because the knife was getting in his way. Baphomet suddenly extended his thick arm, which was strangely veined, and lifted Luca up by the neck.

“Guh! Ugh! Haa!”

Luca was a young man of considerable height and weight, but he wasn’t a burden to Baphomet. His airway was constricted so tightly that Luca couldn’t breathe properly. He grabbed Baphomet’s big hand, but it was no use. He was held so firmly that it felt as if Baphomet’s hand and Luca’s neck were welded together.

“Y-you… bastard…!”

He punched Baphomet’s arm with all his might, but the arm felt like a thick tree.

“Hng… hngh…!”

Luca felt his oxygen levels dropping.

‘They say adrenaline kicks in when your throat gets strangled…!’

He was in so much agony that he wished he would just die on the spot, or that at least some adrenaline would come quickly… But far from getting any adrenaline, it hurt like hell. No, it was getting harder and harder to even think, and the pain was fading away. It was so stifling, and the time felt so long. His eyes started to close.

‘Ah, am I going to die like this…?’

His life flashed before his eyes. As expected, the first thing that came to mind was…

‘…Noah.’

It was him.

“…Noah, run..!”

Luca struggled to let out a strangled sound. He intended to be the bait. It would be a relief if he could at least repay the wrongs he had done to Noah in this way.

“No-Noah… go…!”

“Luca, Luca!??”

Despite having no weapon, Noah used his bare hands and feet to attack Baphomet. However, it was of no use.

“No-Noah, Noah…”

Tears ran down Luca’s cheeks.

‘Please go. I said go!’

Who was he to make Noah go this far?

“I’ve always just been sorry to you… it was all my fault…!”

If I can save Noah even like this, I don’t think I’ll have any regrets…

“……Ugh, ghk!”

Suddenly, his vision flipped upside down. Luca, who had fallen to the floor, clutched his throat as he coughed.

“W-what happened…?”

What had happened? Who on….

“Luca! Get out of the way!”

“…Noah!”

“I said get out of the way!”

Noah was in the middle of a power struggle with Baphomet. Thanks to him pushing Baphomet away with all his might, Luca had been freed.

“What are you doing! I-I told you to go!”

“Luca, I said go!”

“You…Stupid!”

I willingly volunteered to be the bait, why would you…..!

“Lu-Luca, Luca…Go…”

“…….”

“Luca…go.”

At some point, Noah was pinned down by Baphomet and being strangled. Even though he was trembling with a pale face and his eyes filled with tears, the moment his eyes met Luca’s, Noah managed a smile.

“……Go.”

“…….”

Noah’s eyes, with all their blood vessels burst, were completely red.

Idiot…

He even tried to comfort Luca in the midst of this.

“…Why are you doing this for someone like me?”

“Lu-Luca…”

“Why…because of me…you……!”

Luca lunged at Baphomet. He knew it was a stupid move. It went against every survival instinct he had.

“Ugh!”

But how could he leave Noah alone? Kicked far away by Baphomet, Luca endured the pain rising from his stomach and buttocks and crawled forward to save Noah, who was still being held captive by Baphomet.

…Thud!

“…Ah, ugh!”

He was kicked once more after barely managing to get back in sight. However, the culprit was not Baphomet. It was Noah. While a shocked Luca fell on his bottom and stared blankly ahead…

“I-I’m sorry…….”

…Noah muttered with a pale face.

“What…are you talking about?”

Noah, pinned down by Baphomet, threw his head back as far as he could to look at Luca. He looked like a pitiful victim about to be killed by that murderer at any moment. And indeed, that was what was to happen. Nevertheless, he…

“…Goodbye, Luca.”

…He smiled at Luca. With all his might. The smile was distorted and unsightly from enduring the pain. Noah, who had always been beautiful and radiant, looked so pathetic. Yet, his pure nature remained the same.

Barely able to move his body, Noah slammed the door shut right in front of Luca’s eyes as he crawled back toward him. Noah was in the room alone with Baphomet.

“…Noah?”

Crash, bang, boom! Cough, ugh! Hmph!

Terrible sounds echoed from beyond the closed door.

“I have to open it……!”

But no matter how hard he pushed, the door wouldn’t budge. It was because it was blocked by the weight of Baphomet and Noah.

“Noah! Noah! Th-this….! Idiot!”

In that brief moment, Noah had devised a plan to save Luca. To buy time so that Luca could escape.

“You idiot! Stupid idiot!”

It was a rather wise plan in a desperate situation. A method solely to save Luca. Noah did not want to lose his first love to a deranged serial killer who had died 30 years ago and been resurrected by some Satan follower. Wasn’t that just too absurd?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“……Noah! Noah! You, you bastard!”

However, Noah overlooked one fact. He had mistakenly thought that the affection of his first love, who had rejected him time and time again, was not all that great.

Boom, crash, crash!

“Ah, this…You want me to be the only one to survive? Only me? Bastard……!”

Instead of running away as Noah wanted, Noah’s first love pushed the door with all his might. Luca clutched his bleeding abdomen. He ran from a distance and slammed his entire body against the door.

“Shit, fuck…! It hurts…!”

Tears flowed down his face. It hurt so much. However, the desperation to save Noah outweighed the physical pain. He couldn’t rationally calculate that he wouldn’t be of much help.

“Noah, Noah!”

Because it was Noah who was in that room.

“Noah! No….”

“Luca, run!”

Someone shouted. It was Chloe. Behind Chloe, who was running, was Gerald, his face completely red.

“…Chloe?”

“Luca, I said run!”

Chloe wore a complex expression, feeling both relieved that Luca was still alive and frustrated [visit our site]by the urgent situation. However, Luca could not run.

“Noah is inside! Noah is there! Along with that damn murderer…!”

“I said we have to go!”

“Noah is there!”

“Luca! Look over there behind you!”

Chloe snatched Luca’s wrist and pointed toward the back.

“…Fuck”

A short curse rang out. Distinguishing whose voice it was wasn’t important at the moment.

“I said run!”

Because that insane boy was running towards them.

The boy’s shoulder was severed even further than when Luca had cut it. It dangled precariously, barely connected by skin.

The sight of him running with a dangling arm was something no one would ever want to witness again.

“Fuck, hah ha, doesn’t he ever get tired? I’m fucking exhausted!”

Gerald cried between a torrent of curses. Chloe’s stamina was still fine, but she didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, so she had to look after Gerald.

“But Chloe, Noah is inside…!”

“Why the hell did he go into the room in the first place!”

“…I think he meant to be bait.”

“…What a lunatic.”

Chloe clicked her tongue.

“…Luca, just run.”

“What?”

“It’s a shame Noah sacrificed himself, but we can’t die together! I said run!”

“Ugh!”

Chloe pulled Luca and he couldn’t win against Gerald pushing him from behind.

“Gerald, keep pushing!”

“What? I said I’m tired!”

“Push, you idiot!”

“Where are we even going!?”

Chloe ran ahead quickly and opened a door.

“I said hurry up, hurry!”

“W-wait… Ugh!”

Unlike Chloe, who was anxiously stomping her feet, Gerald and Luca were exhausted. Gerald was even gagging. Although he knew he was a burden, Luca couldn’t run away quickly because his feet felt heavy.

‘What happened to Noah?’

Noah kept coming to mind, and he felt like he was going to cry…

“Ugh!”

Someone grabbed Luca from behind. It was a strong grip. It wasn’t the superhuman strength that the already exhausted Gerald had miraculously displayed. It was the boy who had grabbed Luca’s backpack.

“…..You bastard!”

Luca kicked the exhausted Gerald aside, took off his backpack, and swung his knife.

“Come at me! You son of a bitch!”

It was a do-or-die situation. If it were Baphomet, maybe, but he wasn’t even afraid of this bastard anymore! He was just furious.

“Come at me!”

Because of this bastard, all of this had happened.

“Because of you, because of you! Because of you Noah–!”

Noah was the kindest person Luca knew. No one could be as good and pure as Noah. But this son of a bitch ruined everything. Noah should have met someone he loved and who loved him, and been happy for a long time!

“Come on, come here! I’m going to kill you one more time!”