Klaus heard a scream from the cave as he stepped onto the grass. He stopped for a moment.
"Courage is not enough to save a life," he muttered.
Actually Klaus could have helped them from the zombie goblins, but he had no reason to save them. He did not ask for this, his priority was to look after his sister.
He then walked away from the cave mouth without looking back.
...
Klaus walked through the forest alone, carrying Joanna, who was still unconscious. Like an apex predator, He was very relaxed despite being in monster territory, there was no worry or feeling of caution at all in his chest.
The bushes rustled as he walked past. It was not that he did not realize there were some goblins following him, he simply ignored them.
Klaus had encountered all sorts of monsters in his previous life. Of course, goblins were one of them.
Those small green creatures were intelligent monsters. They always observed their prey, and would only attack when they were sure they could kill their target or the target confronted them.
That was why Klaus let them follow him. He would only act if they took an action. So, he did not have to get his hands dirty.
After walking far enough, the goblins stopped following him.
On his way back to the rift, Joanna suddenly woke up, freaking out and rambling. Klaus was a little surprised but tried to calm her down.
"Klaus! They killed that bald man! They're coming! They're coming for us!"
He looked at his sister gently. "Calm down. We're safe. There's no need to worry."
"They're not chasing us, are you sure? They're a beast! They will kill us!"
Joanna cried, her body trembling and her breathing ragged. She was completely traumatized and continued to ramble on. Joanna could not calm down no matter how Klaus comforted her.
In the end, he had no choice.
Klaus simply slapped her face.
Slap!
Instantly the girl fell silent. She returned to reality, though the look in her eyes was hollow.
"Stop being a whiny child. Clear your mind. We're safe now," Klaus said in a cold tone.
Joanna was still half-dazed. She looked around. "Where are the others?"
"They're dead. They faced the monsters in the cave to buy us time to escape. They sacrificed themselves for us."
After Klaus said this, Joanna looked at him with teary eyes, and before long, she burst into tears. Seeing his sister was broken, his heart melted with pity. Naturally, Klaus hugged her.
"It's okay. Everything is fine. We're safe."
"I'm sorry, this is my fault. If only I hadn't insisted on going with them, this would never have happened," she bemoaned.
Klaus had mixed feelings in his chest. On the one hand he regretted making her go through such a traumatic experience, on the other hand he thought it was a good thing for her.
Joanna was like a cat, even though she did whatever she wanted, it was hard for her family to hate her. Steve was strict but never punished her, and Anna always spoiled her. As a result, she never felt the consequences of her actions.
Klaus thought letting her see the horrible reality would make her understand. Unfortunately, his expectations were a little off.
"No, it's not your fault, Joanna."
His chest was wet with her tears. He let her cry in his arms, let her pour out all her emotions, hoping she would feel better.
Klaus decided to take a short break, waiting until Joanna calmed down and could walk. He did not want to go home with his sister's current mental state.
…
The leaves rustled in the breeze. Klaus sat under the tree, and Joanna lying on his lap. That girl had stopped crying but did not want to talk yet.
"Are you okay now?" asked Klaus in a soft tone.
Joanna woke up, she looked at Klaus, with a smile on her face. "Yeah, I feel better."
She stood up excitedly. Whether it was real or just pretend, Klaus was happy to see his little sister smile.
"Come, let's go home," she said.
Klaus stood up and took his sister by the hand, so she would not be left behind on the way.
Just as they were about to leave, suddenly a creepy aura enveloped the air. The same aura when they were in the cave. Joanna froze instantly, her body trembled, and her breath ragged.
Klaus clicked his tongue. "They came at a bad time," he muttered.
The bushes rustled. A foul and fishy odor wafted through the air. The sound of groaning echoed.
Hordes of zombie goblins emerged out of the trees. They walked with unsteady steps, some crawling, some shuffling. They came for Klaus and Joanna.
Naturally, his sister hugged him.
"Klaus... What should we do?" Joanna stammered, her breathing ragged. She squeezed his hand very tightly.
Klaus did not answer, he just silent, his eyes narrowed, staring intently at the horde of zombie goblins.
He touched her face.
"Just imagine it was a dream. This never happened," Klaus whispered.
Joanna did not hear him clearly, fear already swallowed her up. Suddenly, her eyes became heavy, she could not help but feel sleepy. Joanna lost consciousness shortly after.
Klaus caught his fainting sister as she fell. He gently laid Joanna down on the grass.
He was unburdened, so he could finally focus on them.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Quit hiding, Karen! I know you're behind all of this."
Suddenly, the horde of zombie goblins stopped moving.
Amidst the groans that filled the air, a woman's laughter echoed to the sound of applause. Karen emerged out of the horde of zombie goblins.
The woman grinned with malicious intent in her mind
"I've been keeping my eye on you during this raid and I have to say, you have some skills. Not only good at combat and mentality, but you also have a brilliant brain. How did you know that I was the master of these zombies?"
Instead of getting angry, Klaus just smirked. "It's a long story."