"Without Arthur's intervention, you might have met your demise, never knowing he wasn't a monster." "But his heartbeat is just like those monsters," Carl mused, still perplexed.
"Perhaps everyone's physiology is different," William speculated after a brief pause. "Some individuals have their hearts on the right side."
"Let's not dwell on that," William cautioned. He glanced at his phone; the exam was drawing to a close. "Tonight, don't forget, Arthur will be with us. And you mustn't refer to him as a monster."
Through their shared experiences, William had learned to interact with monsters naturally, even in the presence of Carl.
Evening soon descended upon them. William ensured that the two monsters residing at his home were fast asleep before making his discreet exit.
At their designated rendezvous point with Carl, they were slightly ahead of schedule.
"William, is it true what Carl just told me? That the people around us are monsters?" Arthur inquired, rushing over upon seeing William.
Carl had exposed the monsters to Arthur, and while Lucy had faith in her brother's words, Arthur's expression was one of eerie disbelief.
"Are we truly escaping from here?" Arthur hesitated. "Is it also true, as Carl mentioned, that you once sacrificed yourself to save me?"
Arthur harbored numerous questions and an intense desire to pour them all out. "William, will you genuinely go back in time when you die?"
"It's all true," William affirmed, nodding. "Furthermore, we have no reason to deceive you." William recognized that Arthur wouldn't accept these revelations immediately. Without multiple brushes with death at the hands of monsters, he might not have believed in the existence of such creatures.
"We'll discuss this on the way," Carl chimed in, holding Lucy's hand as they approached.
"After you told me about tomorrow's events, I noticed on our way back that there indeed seemed to be a monster near the welfare home," Carl said to William as they walked.
"It was an elderly beggar who seemed somewhat delirious, wandering around and pleading for a drink." "The monster we'll encounter tomorrow may be him."
William briefly conveyed this information, assuaging any doubts Carl might have harbored. However, Carl found it somewhat surprising to learn that Arthur had saved both William and Lucy. "I never thought... that Arthur would come to my rescue," Carl admitted.
"He's always had a kind heart," William commented casually. "Sometimes, kindness can emerge from the most unexpected places."
"If it weren't for Arthur, you might have perished, never realizing he wasn't a monster." "But his heartbeat is just like those monsters," Carl pondered, still baffled.
"Perhaps everyone's physiology is different," William postulated after a brief pause. "Some people may have their hearts on the right side."
"Let's not dwell on that," William cautioned. He glanced at his phone, noting that the exam was drawing to a close. "Tonight, don't forget, Arthur will be with us. And you mustn't refer to him as a monster." Thanks to their shared experiences, William had grown accustomed to dealing with monsters, even in Carl's presence.
Evening soon descended upon them. William ensured that the two monsters residing at his home were fast asleep before making his discreet exit.
At the rendezvous with Carl, they were slightly ahead of schedule.
"William, is it true what Carl just told me? That the people around us are monsters?" Arthur inquired, rushing over upon seeing William.
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Carl had exposed the monsters to Arthur, and while Lucy had faith in her brother's words, Arthur's expression was one of eerie disbelief.
"Are we truly escaping from here?" Arthur hesitated. "Is it also true, as Carl mentioned, that you once sacrificed yourself to save me?"
Arthur harbored numerous questions and an intense desire to pour them all out. "William, will you genuinely go back in time when you die?"
"It's all true," William affirmed, nodding. "Furthermore, we have no reason to deceive you." William recognized that Arthur wouldn't accept these revelations immediately. Without multiple brushes with death at the hands of monsters, he might not have believed in the existence of such creatures.
"We'll discuss this on the way," Carl chimed in, holding Lucy's hand as they approached.
"After you told me about tomorrow's events, I noticed on our way back that there indeed seemed to be a monster near the welfare home," Carl said to William as they walked.
"It was an elderly beggar who seemed somewhat delirious, wandering around and pleading for a drink."
"The monster we'll encounter tomorrow may be him."
William briefly conveyed this information, assuaging any doubts Carl might have harbored. However, Carl found it somewhat surprising to learn that Arthur had saved both William and Lucy. "I never thought... that Arthur would come to my rescue," Carl admitted.
"He's always had a kind heart," William commented casually. "Sometimes, kindness can emerge from the most unexpected places."
"If it weren't for Arthur, you might have perished, never realizing he wasn't a monster." "But his heartbeat is just like those monsters," Carl pondered, still baffled.
"Perhaps everyone's physiology is different," William postulated after a brief pause. "Some people may have their hearts on the right side."
"Let's not dwell on that," William cautioned. He glanced at his phone, noting that the exam was drawing to a close. "Tonight, don't forget, Arthur will be with us. And you mustn't refer to him as a monster." Thanks to their shared experiences, William had grown accustomed to dealing with monsters, even in Carl's presence.
As night descended upon them, William made certain that the two monsters back at his house remained sound asleep before embarking on their journey.
"It's not a monster," Arthur whispered upon hearing the shouting. He was puzzled, pushing William and saying, "Willem, it's not a monster. It's your mother."
"Don't speak," William snapped at him, motioning for silence.
"But you said you left without being seen," Carl questioned as he peeked out from the bushes and looked at William.
"They were asleep when I left," William replied, equally perplexed.
William had sneaked out of his house, double-checking that the two monsters inside were asleep before leaving.
"Willem, why didn't you respond to your mother?" William grew increasingly anxious as his mother's voice drew nearer.
Carl was doing the same, tightly clutching the knife that had been in his bag. "William, come out, dear. Mother's here to take you home."
"It's cold in the mountains at night. You might catch a cold. Mother would be worried."
"Yes, and if you're sick, the meat would taste bad," William muttered to himself, clenching his teeth. "Willem, we're sure we're not going out?" Arthur questioned, seemingly shaken by the concern in his mother's voice.
Sensing something amiss, William frowned and said, "Something's not right. If the monster had caught me sneaking out, why wait until now?"
"Wouldn't it have been better to stop me on my way out or to attack us when we met?" William contemplated.
"Could it be... someone gave us away?" Carl pondered, eyeing Arthur.
Both of them turned their gaze toward Arthur, prompting him to deny any involvement. "Why are you looking at me like that? I swear I didn't tell anyone, and I don't even know your parents' phone number." "My bro—" Lucy suddenly tugged on Carl's sleeve and cautiously whispered, "The footsteps seem to have disappeared."
Lucy's warning sent a shiver down William's spine, for it wasn't just the footsteps that had vanished, but also his mother's voice.
The silence was eerie, as if his mother had never been there at all.
"Gone?" William wondered. "Did they give up because they couldn't find me?"
But that thought didn't sit right with William. If the monster had truly departed, he would have heard the fading footsteps.
The abrupt silence of the footsteps and his mother's voice disappearing indicated that the monster was still nearby.
As he contemplated this, William noticed that Carl's expression had grown extremely grave. With a trembling hand clutching the knife, Carl slowly raised his head and looked up.
Following Carl's gaze, William also looked up, and a chill ran down his spine, causing goosebumps to erupt all over his body.
"Willem, your mother has found you," Arthur uttered in disbelief, his eyes wide.
He opened his mouth to speak, his voice quivering, "Willem, why does your mother's abdomen have so many octopus legs?"
William's mother hadn't left. Instead, barbed tentacles erupted from her belly, coiling around a tree above William and the others.
His mother, sporting a peculiar grin on her face, hung upside down overhead, staring directly at William and his companions.
"Willem, disobedient boy, not a good boy," she chanted.
His mother's body began to expand, and six insect-like legs burst through her skin, slowly spreading out. Bright red blood trickled down from the ruptured skin, and sickle-shaped forearms extended.
"Run!"