Is he coming to…?

The thought barely formed in Luca’s mind before it was answered. No. Not towards him. Chainsaw Man turned, his heavy boots scraping against the asphalt as he walked toward the house where Luca had first ‘woken up’.

Ah. The locked house.

The killer raised his weapon against the blocked entrance. With a roar, its jagged teeth tore through the door like it was nothing. Wood splintered and exploded inward, the sound echoing through the night. Chainsaw Man stepped inside, his massive frame silhouetted against the dim light spilling from the street, crushing the fragments under his boots.

Luca stayed crouched by the window, his body pressed against the wall. Then –something happened. The door at the back of the house opened, and someone came inside. The person –a woman, apparently– didn’t eve glance around but stumbled straight to the wardrobe, yanking it open and climbing inside.

At the same time, the noises of destruction came from the house next to them.

Was ‘she’ hiding in the hallway and then came inside due the killer? Could be. However –that person hadn’t assessed the room, hadn’t looked for better hiding spots or potential threats. Hadn’t even noticed him, when he moved from crunching to standing against the door.

In their line of work, that kind of oversight was a death sentence.

Chainsaw Man wouldn’t be fooled for long. And when he realized the house was empty, he’d come back. Luca’s eyes flicked to the wardrobe, then to the door. Well. He couldn’t stay there and wait for death like her. But running away so carelessly wasn’t an option either.

Options, options.

A scream resonated outside. Luca’s eyes widened when the back door opened again, this time without any consideration, and then slammed shut. This new person was quite scrawny but had some hidden muscles as he yanked open the wardrobe doors. When he noticed it was occupied, he clenched his teeth and closed it again.

Luca raised his eyebrows.

The man’s eyes widened when he saw him next to the door, and a thousand of thoughts seemed to cross his face. With a gesture of his hand, Luca pointed the kitchen cabinet. The message seemed to be get –but it was soon clear that he didn’t trust on him. What an expressive fellow.

No insisting, Luca peered out the window. The street looked empty.

Thud, thud, thud.

The footsteps… seemed to come from the other side of the wall. The alley.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Luca caught the movement of the baby–faced man, who moved quickly towards the front –straight to the kitchen cabinet. Ah. So, he taken the risk. Good for him. It was less obvious than the giant wardrobe just on plain sight of both doors.

As the man closed the cabinet door Luca’s mind raced. He cracked the door open just the tiniest, and the instant he heard the chainsaw roar to life, he slipped out, closing it softly behind him a split second before the back door exploded, shattered. When the chainsaw deaccelerated and the sound of wood being crushed under a boot reached his ears, Luca finally moved from beyond the entrance.

Out of sight of the killer, Luca sneaked towards the recent abandoned house. The front door was in splinters, the wood scattered across the entrance like the remains of an explosion. He had to step carefully, avoiding the rubbish, without sacrificing too much speed.

As he stood inside, the first clear thing was the wardrobe. Open wide but untouched. The back door, however, had been shattered.

So, that was the noise. No the wardrobe but the door. How interesting.

Something was slammed open –and a scream followed it. Luca’s eyes grew sharp, and he reached the kitchen cabinet an instant later. The space was cramped, the stench of dampness wasn’t quit faint, but it was better than being in the open in a house without doors.

To be able to make easier the noises outside, he didn’t close the door completely.

The rising pitch as the chainsaw accelerated, followed by a buzzing, even high–pitched whir when it sliced through something, someone shouting and screaming in between…

Well. It was quite clear what was happening.

[Eight Applicants remain.]

There you go.

As the seconds passed, another door shattered in the distance, the sound unmistakable. It should be the front door. Luca stayed quiet and silent, listening. The thud, thud, thud became louder as the killer passed near –and for a moment, it stopped. He had the feeling it was looking inside this house. But then, the noise grew lower, distant.

Chainsaw Man had left towards another direction –probably attracted for other locked door.

Seconds later, Luca emerged from the cabinet, careful not to make sound. He peered out from the window above the cabinet, cautiously. The van occupied a big portion of the view, which was both good and bad. However, he still could see Chainsaw Man if he moved and spied from the corner, looking through the window of the house and the window of the van.

So Mr. Chainsaw was walking towards the house directly across the street.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Luca’s mind flashed back to earlier, when the killer had paused, his head tilting as he surveyed the area. Mmm. He’d looked at that house before choosing this one, where he stood right now. The chances were someone had blocked the door.

[30 minutes left.]

As the message flashed in Luca’s mind, more welcome the other kind, the thought about how there was also the small matter of the end appeared on his mind. Although he knew more or less what would happen, he had to find the clues find or it wouldn’t count.

While Chainsaw Man busied himself again, demolishing another door, Luca seized the opportunity. Slipping toward the back door–or what was left of it; that guy could make a killing in the demolition business if he ever got tired of, well, actual killing– Luca suddenly stopped before leaving. His eyes caught something on the floor. A ring handler, barely visible in the light that reached the back.

A scream pierced the air, sharp and fleeting.

[Seven Applicants remain.]

Mr. Chainsaw would be still occupied for a bit more of time.

Crouching, Luca grabbed the handler and pulled. The floor groaned as a hidden panel shifted, revealing a small, dark space below. The sound of rusty mechanisms grated against his ears, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. The space was too dark to see clearly, except for a faint glint just within arm’s reach.

Mmm. It looked like another hiding spot, although he wasn’t so sure he could really fit in there. But that thing…

If this were any other situation–any other place–Luca might have hesitated more. But this was the Tutorial. ‘Risks’ were part of the game. He stretched his hand into the darkness, his fingers brushing against something warm bur foggy. It felt like reaching into the heat of an open oven, but there was nothing solid to grasp.

[You’ve found a Gem.]

Luca’s eyes widened. He knew what it meant. Such a precious opportunity was rare, especially on the Tutorial –the ‘Interview’ as they call. He would find what it was later –he hoped it was what he was thinking, please let it be that one– but for now, he let the spark of satisfaction on his chest spread through his body. Everyone loved advantages.

A scream echoed on the night.

Luca’s eyes grew sharper as he glanced back toward the shattered door. The heavy, predatory footsteps were growing louder again.

The movement came beyond the door–at the front of the house. His pulse quickened as he carefully closed the trapdoor, trying to muffle the sound. But the rusty hinges betrayed him, letting out a low, grating screech that seemed to scream ‘I’m here’ in the now–quiet night.

He kept his breathing under control as heavy footsteps reached his ears.

Chainsaw Man was nearby.

Too close.

He could hide on the trapdoor –make more noise, take some risks, right?– but he didn’t. Luca slipped out through the shattered back door, stepping into the alley. Half of it was swallowed by darkness and the faint glow of the streetlights spilled onto the pavement, casting a game of shadows over the other half. The silhouette of the killer loomed near the entrance of the house Luca had just left.

Crouching low, Luca pressed himself against the wall, and walked slowly towards the end as the killer moved inside the house. The heavy footsteps grew louder, accompanied by the noise of a mix of smaller fragments and larger chunks shifting around and breaking underfoot with sharper sounds.

There were no windows from where none of them could look outside from the house or inside from the alley. Reaching the end, Luca encircled and crunched down, glued to the house, making sure his shadow wouldn’t betray his position.

Then, he waited.

Finally, Chainsaw Man appeared on the back door –it was obvious due the noise of the wood shards under his boots. The shadow stretched to the end of the house. Luca could touch it if he wanted. He settled in simply looking at it, quiet. Very quietly.

The chainsaw’s idly grow echoed on the alley but the killer didn’t step out. Luca soon heard him inside the house.

Taking his chances, he slipped in the alley again, taking the way towards the back door. But stayed out until the heard Mr. Chainsaw getting out the house, and peering in, saw a hint of the tainted jacked as the killer left. He seemed to be heading toward the other end, and he had the feeling it was house at the far corner–one of the spots he’d fixated on earlier.

After going to the front to look out for the killer confirmed this notion.

Now he had some time, Luca turned around and fixed his attention in the table. There was a piece of newspaper left there, as a random detail. But in an empty place like this it drew certain attention when you could afford to look over the place. Picking it up, he turned the paper at the light.

‘Brutal Murders Shock Neighborhood: Five Families Slaughtered in One Night’ said the title. The picture under it showed a familiar street of dirty little houses with two cars parked. Not more information could be acquired as the rest of article was blurred.

There must be in other house…

He let the newspaper on the same spot it had been and turned around, listening. Mr. Chainsaw was still in the other ‘zone’. Reaching the window, he saw the killer at the other side of the red car, its figure impossible to conceal with such low vehicle.

Where to go? His eyes flicked to the house next door. The man was still hiding there, wasn’t he? He had no heard anything that contradicted this. Even if not, going there wasn’t an option. Instead, he crossed through the messy entrance and snuck to the white van, using its bulk as cover. The familiar hum of the chainsaw filled the air, followed by the sickening crunch of wood being torn apart. Breaking down another door –that guy had his theme.

Luca’s breathed in, carefully. As Chainsaw Man disappeared into the house, he seized the moment. Darting across the street, quick and silent, he slipped into the house. The entrance was a minefield of splintered wood, but he sorted it quite beautifully, avoiding stepping in the fragments. Well. Almost. But even if he stepped in one, the sound wasn’t so strong as he expected.

As he stepped inside, a mix of blood and urine hit his throat like a punch. His stomach lurched, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, fighting back the bile rising in his throat. No corpse was immediately visible, but at the far end, where the wardrobe should have been, there was only a mess left of shattered wood, torn fabric, and dark stains pooling on the floor.

Fuck. He couldn’t say that this was how he expected. Well, not his own reaction at less.

Pressing his nose into the crook of his sleeve, Luca picked up another newspaper from the table and moved toward the back door –opposite to the ruined wardrobe. There was nothing better than building heat resistance than basking in the sun, right? He crouched low, his eyes scanning the room as he waited, every muscle tense. Ready to sprint off if necessary.

But, nothing happened. No screams came from where Chainsaw Man was right now. No struggle or the roar of the chainsaw.

He opened the newspaper and let it on the floor, squinting his eyes. It was the same one than in the other house, but the picture was blurred and the title only had ‘Brutal Murders’ left. Despite this, there was some information among the rest of the article; 22.30 PM and 23.10 PM.

The heavy footsteps outside shifted, the crunch of boots on asphalt growing louder.

Luca tilted his head, listening quietly. It seemed that the killer was coming towards this side of the street –but not where was him. He let the newspaper on the floor and pried open the back door. It slid a tiny bit open under the sound of the low rumble of the chainsaw so he didn’t fear about this. Peering out, no coming out, he saw Chainsaw Man walking across the street.

The killer was heading toward the house at the other corner of the street, the one in front of the red car. Lika a bulldozer, it stepped in the bodies on his way without hesitation, but the noise was barely audible over the low rumble of the engine.