That was until they saw our faces where vigilance and hostility filled the air.
"What are you doing here," Tom questioned us with an icy tone in his voice, clearly showing his hostility and displeasure towards our presence in their alley.
Just as Samantha was about to speak up, the little ones ran in front of us and spread their hands out like a human shields protecting us from them.
"Don't hurt them!" the smaller children shouted back at the older children like a mother protecting her children from thieves and bandits. However, their actions only enraged the older children more, thinking that we had manipulated them, turning the little ones against them.
"You! How dare you!" Tom growled at us with a flushed face.
"What is going on here?" Old Eddie inquired as he came out from the back after hearing the commotion. Hearing his voice, Tom shut his mouth and gave me a nasty scowl before questioning Old Eddie.
"Why are they here? Again. Have you never learnt your lesson?"
When Old Eddie heard Tom's insulting words, he ran up and gave him a tight slap on the cheek.
Slap!
"Don't! Don't you dare speak to me that way, Tom, and don't insult the guest, no, esteemed guest," Old Eddie said in a stern voice as he looked Tom directly in the eyes to show the severity of the point he was bringing forward.
Hearing Old Eddie's words, defiance burns within Tom's eyes as he turns and looks towards me, giving me a death stare before turning around and leaving the alley. Before leaving, the younger ones ran to stop from leaving the alley, explaining to him and the rest of the older children why Samantha and I were staying the night, the change in our status and their attitude towards us.
Hearing the younger children's explanation, Tom immediately turned around with hope in his eyes as he searched the alley for signs of the triplets. After spotting them, Tom heaved a sigh of relief before seeing the close proximity of them and me when his face contorted and turned into a nasty scowl before storming off.
As for the rest of the older children, after learning about both my and Samantha's act of heroism, the hostile gazes of most of them changed into those of gratitude and embarrassment for their previous actions. As for the minority of those that still held hostile stares toward Samantha and me, they took one last look at us before following Tom out of the alley.
This time, instead of busying themselves with the making of mud cookies, they were happily chatting about their day and skipping and jumping around as if a large rock had been lifted off their shoulders. They could now finally straighten their backs and truly smile and play with the younger children or among themselves instead of the fake smiles and creases on their faces hanging over them.
And, of course, Samantha also went over and joined them like she was a native of their culture.
A distant warm feeling filled my soul at the scene before me. If I had still had muscles and skin on me, a smile would have been seen on my face. But, right now, my smile was internal.
Without realising, the final rays of the sun disappeared, replaced with the shining stars and the lonely moon in the sky. Only then did the children's young and old stomachs start rumbling one after another loudly. When the older children heard their stomachs growling one by one, they smiled sheepishly while the younger ones cried over their empty stomachs.
"Haha, alright, let me go buy some real food for all of you now, shall I?" Old Eddie laughed as he got up from his chair and dusted off his pants, and when he was about to leave, he heard noises coming toward us from a distance.
Cling
Clomp
Tromp
The sounds of metal tins colliding with one another were heard, and it was not just heard by me, but everyone could hear it. Hearing it, I could see the younger children looking fearfully at a distance while all they could see were a group of distorted giant shadows moving towards their alley.
Lub-Dub
Lub-Dub
Lub-Dub
The chaotic, loud thumping of heartbeat reverberated in the air as a powerful primitive scent and energy flowed out of their bodies as they hugged and trembled. While I, as a lich, absorb them like metal to magnets.
Seeing the shadow coming closer and closer, the children huddled together as a group closing their eyes as they prepared for the worse. As for Samantha and Old Eddie, they quickly grabbed the closest object near them, standing in a defensive fighting position, getting ready to attack whoever that appears next.
As for me, I stared in the direction of the shadows and peered at the walls of the shadows. Seeing the figures, I chuckled and relaxed, taking pleasure in their imaginative minds.