After descending into the underground sewage system, a few minutes easily passed by with the brothers in a tense state, especially Xavier, who felt like he had been placed into an icy crucible.
The rotting stench hit his nose like a physical blow, thick and cloying as if they were wading through the rot of a thousand bodies. His fingers clenched around the grip of his gun, palm slick with sweat, but it wasn't just the smell that bothered him.
Something was peering at him. He could feel it- a pair of eyes lurking within the depths of the endless darkness that surrounded them.
Indescribable shadows seem to last longer, with the sound of their footsteps constantly resounding throughout the eerie, silent sewage system.
Each echo sends light, frosty currents along their veins and lungs.
As they walked deeper, their mind on the verge of being completely overwhelmed by the constant fragments of desolation, coming together to form a surreal mountain that pressed onto their lungs and backs, cold sweats running across their back with their urge to gasp for air growing more intense with every passing second.
Xavier's mouth slightly twitched at the smell; it felt as though they were walking within the waste of a thousand rotten corpses. The damp, musty smell that permeated the air slowly grew denser and more stomach-revolting.
'Perhaps even a rotten corpse of a thousand-year-old wouldn't smell this bad.' Xavier commented inwardly, his hand tightly gripping onto his gun whilst they continued walking forward.
A faint trickle of water echoed in the distance, the only sound aside from the rhythms and tempos created by their heavy footsteps and rapidly beating hearts.
Moss clung to the stone walls, slick with moisture as the brothers made their way deeper into the maze of a sewage system.
At some point in time, the tunnel would cut into various branches, creating a constant headache for the brothers on which path to take.
Beside them, a dark greenish water flowed down the canal whilst faint beams of light slowly enveloped them, causing the brothers to raise their heads. They realized that rays of light from the sun were seeping in through the small openings surrounding the manhole cover above them.
And the deeper they walked, the more abound the manhole covers became. Leading them to conclude that the shapeshifter was making use of them to rapidly transverse through the city.
Above them, rays of light filtered through occasional manhole .covers, but the light grew dimmer the farther they ventured. Soon, they'd be in total darkness.
Xavier swallowed hard, his gaze darting towards the amorphous shadows that seemed to stretch for as far as his eyes and...soul could see. Is it just my imagination? He thought, his mind on the verge of crumbling into pieces and crumbles of dread and a slight tinge of hesitation.
His breath hitched, his heartbeat quickening as his mind raced. The shapeshifter was down here somewhere, lurking just out of sight, perhaps even watching them right now.
As they walked further, various pipes cut through the tunnels, some leaking or hissing with the escaping steam of gas. The tense and oppressive atmosphere was broken by the constant sound of their footsteps, which seemed to create a desolate echo that resounded into the distance. Yet despite the absolute desolation, the eerie silence, and the mind-wrenching shadows that seemed to envelop the entirety of the sewage system, there were still signs of human activity.
Discarded items, old clothes, and other kinds of debris littered the floor. As they walked deeper into the tunnels, the sporadic lights slowly started to dim, and the occasional rays of light slowly came to a stop, forcing them to resort to the use of torches.
The entire surrounding suddenly went cold, and a terrifying chilling wind blew forth, causing their heart to almost skip a beat. They immediately accessed their surroundings but were met with an eerie silence that was probably enough to send cold chills running down the spine of an ordinary man.
Klaus struggled to remove his unease, he let out a sharp exhalation whilst his gaze lingered on the floor. The mangled flesh and torn skin on the ground proved that they were getting closer and... Closer to the shapeshifter.
They slowly moved forward whilst making sure that their steps weren't too heavy, in order not to alarm the shapeshifter or bring about any unnecessary disturbance which would in turn foil their plans.
The tensed aura pervading the surroundings grew to greater heights, the oppressive silence gnawing on their bodies to their soul...each step they took felt heavier than the last, with streams of sweat drops trickling down Xavier's forehead. His hand gripping onto the gun where slightly sweaty as he tried his absolute best to control the incredulous pace at which his heart was beating.
The air seemed to grow colder, more frosty, and more chilling. It's every howl sending shivers down their spines, biting and gnawing on every cell of their bodies.
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Xavier had a grim look on his face, his hand tightly wrapped around the gun.
Ahead, Klaus slowed, kneeling. "Look at this Xav." His voice was a low rasp as he pointed to a smear of sticky, mangled flesh mixed with blood. The dark liquid glistened in the beam of his flashlight, fresh and sticky.
Xavier's stomach twisted and grumbled, "It's close."
Klaus nodded, rising onto his feet. His expression was cold, his voice barely above a rasping whisper.
"Already shed its skin again. The bastard is in a new body."
Xavier said nothing, trying to appear calm. But the tightening of his jaw, his clenched hand, and his subtle shaking hands said another story entirely.
They both got ready, their heart thumping at a rapid pace, lungs burning with a fiery glint. They cautiously walked forward, each step of theirs sending unheard echoes across the ground.
With the desolate silence threatening to shatter their minds into fragments of constant fear and wariness.
Yet despite the endless darkness that enveloped their body and mind to the very essence of their being, they pressed on, their movements slow and cautious.
Torches barely cut through the thick shadows before them. Each step of theirs' sends weird electric currents across their body. The tunnel ahead suddenly yawned open, and a figure emerged- familiar, too familiar.
Xavier's blood ran cold as his brother's face stared right back at him with an unholy grin.
'Fucking Bastard!' Klaus hissed. He didn't hesitate. His gun was up and ready in an instant.
BAAANG!!!!
BAAANG!!!
BAAANG!!!
Bullets easily pierced through the air at a rapid speed. The shapeshifter darted to the side, dodging the silver bullets with unnerving speed. Klaus's shot ripped through the pipes behind him, some piercing right into the wall behind him.
Klaus continued shooting, the pierced pipes sending steam hissing into the air, clouding the tunnel in thick vapor. By the time the gas cleared, the shapeshifter was far in the distance.
The shapeshifter rapidly disappeared from Klaus's line of sight, who despite knowing that he couldn't make an accurate shot kept on shooting.
"Damn it!" Klaus slammed his fist into the wall, frustration rippling through him.
Xavier who stood frozen felt a cold feeling wash over his skin. It was almost like he had just woken up from a dream. His entire body was filled with an eerie strange warmth and his heartbeat seemed to have slowed down considerably.
Why hadn't he shot?. He could have ended it right there and...there. His grip tightened on his gun, and his fingers trembled. But his hesitation had cost them. Once again.
Perhaps it was the fact that he knew he would have probably done the same thing if he were in the shapeshifter's shoes, or perhaps it was the fact that the men the shapeshifter was killing weren't all that good either.
And to be honest, he had to say... The actions of the shape-shifter to enact his revenge were very well okay and highly plausible. He would have done the same thing in its shoes... perhaps even worse.
Yet he knew he couldn't allow his emotions to mess with his judgment skills.
Who's right or wrong at this point no longer matters. The only thing that matters and the only thing that I need to keep in mind is that the shape-shifter is a source of great danger to the society as a whole. Hence, he has to go down.
Whether he's right or wrong. At this point, that no longer matters.
After a few seconds of standing rigid on a spot. Xavier heaved a light sigh, his churning mind slowly coming to a halt.
Klaus paced back and forth, obviously trying to control himself, inhaled and exhaled continuously before he suddenly stopped, his gaze shifting towards Xavier.
"What is wrong with you Xav?
"You had so many opportunities to shoot, yet you threw them away as though they didn't amount to anything."
"I..." Xavier's voice trailed off. There was no excuse. He'd hesitated and it had cost them greatly.
Silence fell between them, heavy and thick. Xavier's mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but one thing stood clear: the shapeshifter had to be stopped. It didn't matter if it was right or wrong. It was dangerous...and that was enough.
"I...I won't make the same mistake."
Klaus glanced at him. He wanted to say something but, in the end, chose to keep quiet; he let out a sharp exhalation, "I hope so."
"Now, where did we come from?" Klaus added, his eyes moving around, assessing the various tunnels that surrounded them.
Tsk... Xavier's mouth slightly twitched, and he chuckled inwardly, "I wonder how you have never gotten lost with such a short memory."
Klaus awkwardly scratched his head, and a wry smile slowly crept up his face.
Under Xavier's lead, they made their way back through the labyrinth, except this one was filled with pipes; occasionally leaking gas, with a stench more dreadful and mouth twitching than a thousand year old corpse.
'A result of the waste of thousands...'
Xavier shook his head with a wry smile before taking one last look at the underground sewage system beneath him.
When they finally emerged from the manhole, Xavier took a deep breath of fresh air, grateful to be out of the claustrophobic tunnels.
They both headed for the car; Klaus was about to start the car engines when a voice suddenly rang into his ears.
"Since the shape-shifter has already escaped from us. What should be our next course of action." Xavier said, his fingers tapping on the window whilst his arm laid to rest on it.
Klaus was silent for a second, before letting out a light chuckle, "Of course, do we have any other choice than to wait."
Um- That's true. Xavier nodded, his gaze slightly narrowed before he shifted it towards his brother, "Um- So basically, we wait until night time.
"Yeah. We wait for it to make a move on the Tulane guy. Then we take it down."
"Hopefully your hands will be able to fucking move, then." Klaus added with a light chuckle.
Xavier smiled wryly, a calm look slowly crept up his face, "You don't have to worry."
He paused for a second, his voice turning icy cold and eerie dark, "I won't make the same mistake."
'Definitely not.' He added inwardly, his eyes blazing with an inferno-like confidence.
Klaus sighed lightly, "Hopefully, you won't."
Both brothers were quiet for a while, the situation was getting awkward before Xavier finally broke the silence.
"H-mm Since shape-shifter hunting is out until nighttime." He paused for a second, a light smile slowly crept up his face, "Guess it's spirit hunting time."
"Alright, spirit hunting it's then," Klaus replied, a light smile on his face as he started the car engines. The car engines roared to life before the car immediately busted forth with great speed. The car easily bypassed multitudes of other cars and vehicles as they prepared to burn some remains!