Regulus, Eda, Grigori, and Azali ate their fill of cabbages. So Full. So good.

"Phew. I'm full. Should we get back to the city?" Suggested Grigori.

"Eh should we? Can't we just stay here?"

Complained Eda.

She had enough of the city. She liked the countryside. Everywhere she looked, all her eyes could see was a field of vegetables. They would never go hungry here.

"Hmmmm"

Grigori quite liked the idea. Living off the land might be better than living off the street.

But before they could decide, Regulus dug a hole.

"Ah, Wait!"

They tried to stop him, but the flying debris hampered them.

Regulus had disappeared into the dark tunnel.

"Oh,no… he's gone."

They wanted to follow him, but they were afraid of the deep dark.

As they were lost, not knowing what to do…

Pop

Regulus popped his head outside of the ground, a few meters ahead of them.

"No…?"

He was confused. Why were they not entering the tunnel?

"We.Can't.Enter.Tunnel!"

They tried to communicate, with body language, to Regulus that they couldn't enter the tunnel.

'Why.No.Go.Tunnel?'

Regulus was confused.

Then, snapped his neck, turning his attention elsewhere.

He heard something.

"Heeeeey~"

There was a sound in the distance.

"Did you hear something?"

"No."

"Hey, what is that?"

In the distance, a humanoid figure was inching towards them. It seemed to be yelling something.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Heeeeey!!! ~ YOU CABBAGE THIEVES!!!"

An old farmer was running full speed towards them. From miles away, he saw the kids, huge holes on his patch, and his half-eaten cabbages on the floor.

Armed with his trusty hoe, the eagled-eye farmer charged with righteous fury.

"I GONNA KILL YOU ALL!"

Hell hath no fury like a farmer scorned.

"Gyaaaa."

Eda, Grigori, and Azali panicked.

They grabbed as many cabbages they could carry and ran away.

"COME BACK HERE YOU BASTARDS!!!"

Seeing his new herd members run away, he went deep underground, and followed them by digging a tunnel underneath them.

***

They ran as fast as the wind.

But the farmer ran faster than the wind.

50 years of farmwork worked wonders for one's cardio.

"Hah, hah ,hah."

Their pace fell.

It was only recently they recovered their stamina. Running from thugs and extreme caving, drained their stamina.

And their stomachs were still full from eating the cabbages. So big. So plump.

Now, their stomachs hurt as they ran.

"Wait a minute… I got a pistol."

Grigori remembered his prized loot.

He dropped the cabbage he was holding. And he drew on the old farmer.

"Hold it right there Old man!"

The old farmer stopped his chase. He saw the pistol and was wary of it. Eda and Azali stopped running. The situation was tense.

"Drop the Hoe, or I'll shoot"

Grigori pointed the pistol at the old farmer. His hand trembled mightily. He never shot a human being before.

The eagled-eye farmer did not fail to notice his shaking.

"I dare you…"

Taunt the old farmer.

"Yeah? I double dare you."

Grigori taunted back. He was gassing himself up.

"Yeah!? I'll triple dare you!"

The Farmer snapped back.

Grigori didn't know what comes after 'triple'. He could not snap back.

"Aaaaaah! JUST DROP THE HOE OLD MAN!!!"

"MAKE ME!!!"

The old farmer charged with his hoe.

"Aaaaah."

Klick

Grigori pulled the trigger.

"Uwaaa."

The old farmer jumped back. He thought he was shot.

...

Nothing…

No bullet came out.

"..."

"MOTHERFUCKER!!!"

"AAAAAAAAH"

The old farmer rushed at them. They ran so fast they dropped the cabbages. What a waste. Such tragedy.

"Regulus...Save Us~!"

they pleaded

Then…

Pop

Regulus' head popped out of the ground, right in front of the running farmer.

"Whu-"

Surprised by the sudden appearance of Regulus, the old farmer could not stop his momentum and crashed into Regulus' head.

Regulus' cranium was fully covered by 'Dragon Claw'. During his life underground, it was often hit by rocks. Naturally, his head had the strongest 'Dragon Claw'.

Harder than his hands.

The old farmer's right leg crashed full speed with Regulus' head. His tibia was snapped in two.

"Gyaaaa!"

As He fell, the farmer tried to soften the blow with his hand. Unfortunately, his right hand fell into an awkward position.

Breaking his wrist, index finger, and pinkie.

BRAK

The old farmer fell hard.

"...uuuuugh."

he grumbled.

"..."

Eda, Grigori, and Azali watched the horror unfolded in front of them.

The old farmer laid on the ground, motionless.

"Regulus Come here! Let's run."

They gestured to Regulus to come to them. So he leaped out of his hole and made his way towards them.

Regulus, Eda, Grigori, and Azali ran together.

"St-stop!"

The old farmer weakly muttered. But they wouldn't stop. Eda and Grigori were afraid of the repercussions.

If caught, their hand might be cut, and they will be sent into the dungeon. No one came out of the dungeon alive.

So they ran,

Far far away.

***

The poor farmer, Old McDonald, laid there. Leg and hand broken.

Bleeding out.

He went in...

and out of...

consciousness...

He could still be saved. If he was brought to a healer or a priest on time, his life could be saved.

Albeit he had to live with a limp for the remainder of his life. He could be saved.

But he was unlucky.

He chased the kids too far. Far out of the boundary of his farm…

Into the unbeaten path.

And people rarely went through the unbeaten path. The probability of meeting a monster or wild beasts was high.

So people stick to the road. That were regularly patrolled by militias. Or city guards. Or the military.

No one found Old McDonald for three days.

He died of starvation.

His body, was not cremated.

His soul, was not blessed.

His death, full of regret and curse.

On the 6th day, he rose.

As a vengeful ghoul, he went to the nearest source of life, his old dwelling.

He killed and ate his 5th son, twenty years of age, who was searching for his father, caught off-guard, and didn't know that his father turned into a ghoul.

His two other sons, three of his grandsons, and two of his neighbors ganged up on him, slaying him.

In the process, he killed his third son, thirty-three years of age, and he injured his second grandson from his second son, eighteen years of age, biting him in the shoulder and gouged his eye out.

His grandson died three days later from his injury.

They were too poor for a priest's blessing.

No healer or doctor lived nearby.

And not enough money to afford medical herbs.

So he died, and rose as a ghoul, only to be slain by his own father, who waited on his death bed, waiting to end his misery.

The villagers were afraid. Rumors spread that the McDonalds were cursed. Two of their family members became ghoul. Two of them killed by ghoul.

So they surrounded the family with torch and pitchforks.

They stabbed and hacked every member of the McDonalds family that lived in the village.

They burned their cabbage fields and their dead bodies, fearing the undead plague they might bring.

Old MacDonald had a Farm.

"EEEEEEEE!!!

IIIIIIIIIII!!!!

OOOOOOO!!!"

Wailed the burning McDonalds.