Chereads / Nightmare at Dawn - Series 1: The Night of Hunting Games / Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: The Monsters Retreat

Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: The Monsters Retreat

Trapped on the rooftop, our heroes rushed to make their final defense stronger. Tables, chairs, and doors became their makeshift shield against the night's onslaught.

As chaos swirled, their hearts beat as one, drumming out a rhythm of hope for the dawn's light. The beasts were quick, and the night was long, but the survivors stood strong. Blood and roars filled the air, but they held their ground, fighting off wave after wave of the shadowy menace.

The brutal fight felt like a long, cold night. The survivors couldn't take their eyes off the first light of dawn; they held onto hope. They believed the light would show them the way out, away from the terror lurking below. Armed and ready, they waited for the sun to rise.

Villagers at the back kept glancing at the principal, lying on the ground in a coma. Some women whispered while others prayed to God.

"Silence, the beasts outside seem to have retreated!" exclaimed a villager by the window.

"What? Are you certain?" came the anxious inquiries.

The gang gathered, peeping through gaps in the furniture blockade by the window, hoping for a break. The bonfire in the courtyard flickered, like the last shred of hope in the overwhelming darkness.

To their relief, the courtyard, once teeming with ominous shadows, was now clear. The front group of beasts slowly retreated, like ocean waves gradually fading.

Under the cover of night, a giant millipede emerged silently from the forest shadows. Its body, a meter wide and covered in tough brown-black armored patterns, emitted an ancient and mysterious aura. At the top of its head were two bright red compound eyes, gleaming with a cold light, and a pair of fang-like mandibles protruding menacingly.

However, the most striking feature was the enormous human face hidden beneath its head, only revealed when it raised its head high. This face bore a greedy expression, with eyes filled with endless desire and lust, as if searching for something dreadful.

The creature sniffed the air, its senses sharp, hunting in the darkness. A wild wolf howled, oblivious to the shadow that loomed. Next to the towering millipede, the wolf was but a pup, unaware of the danger it faced.

All at once, the millipede's sharp teeth caught the light, touching the wolf softly. The howl stopped, fear and despair in the wolf's eyes as it fell, lifeless. The millipede, disliking the scent, moved on, only to be met by a larger figure.

The millipede sniffed lightly, seeming to dislike the putrid smell emanating from the wild wolf's body. It continued drifting forward, but a tall figure of werewolf blocked its path.

The wild wolf on the ground showed a relaxed expression as if it had taken a stroll in front of the god of death and returned to the mortal world. However, upon seeing the disdainful look in the millipede's eyes, bright droplets unexpectedly welled up at the tip of its nose, seemingly reluctant.

The surrounding wolves saw this and ran away in fear, disappearing into the dense forest. Only a she-wolf rushed over and bit his neck, dragging him into the forest as well.

The she-wolf's disdainful eyes seemed to say,'Men are creatures who love face even unto death.

The standoff between the two ancient beasts made the air heavy with tension.

The werewolf did not expect that the one standing in front of him was one of the ten demon generals, the most ferocious demon within a radius of a hundred miles.

"Who would have thought the famous night demon, always hiding in the dark corners, would show up here!" the werewolf sneered.

A harsh, grating voice echoed back, sounding like bones scraping against each other."Werewolf, who told you that you could take your time with this easy target? You think you can become the Dark Lord's new favorite? Keep dreaming!"

As the moon broke through the clouds, their silhouettes cast stark shapes against the wall. The millipede, large and agile, its carapace catching the light, moved in harmony with the werewolf's elegant form. The werewolf's fur danced in the wind, a wild aura around it as it roared and charged.

The battle was fierce. The millipede swung its antennae, its fangs like the reaper's scythe, but the werewolf dodged with incredible speed, its claws sharp as knives, tearing into the millipede. Fluid sprayed from severed limbs, and the millipede roared, each strike filled with deadly force.

The fight took its toll on the surroundings. Stones crumbled, trees uprooted, branches scattered as if by a storm. The werewolf grew slower, its body taking hits, while the millipede's attacks never ceased.

In the end, with a mournful howl, the werewolf knew it couldn't fight any longer. With an angry roar, it turned and fled, leaving behind a battlefield marked by their clash.

The millipede's attention was drawn by the desperate shouts and threats of the villagers on the fourth floor. The scent of their healthy blood was captivating to it.

Hugging the wall tightly, the creature moved stealthily in the darkness, unnoticed by all. That is until a student peered out the window unintentionally, catching sight of the monstrous creature's numerous slender limbs. Instinctively, they covered their mouth, unable to utter a sound, as an indescribable fear welled up inside them.

Suddenly, a villager on the fourth floor felt a sharp sting in their waist, then their body became rigid, unable to speak, like a wooden figure. They were then dragged by the creature's delicate limbs and dropped out of the window.

The sudden silence filled the young man, A-Lai, with restlessness and unease. The monsters on the floor seemed to sense some danger, hopping out of the windows one after another, leaving behind several bloodied corpses with stark white bones.

"Did they leave?" the girl beside A-Lai whispered.

"Yes, it seems they've retreated," A-Lai replied, fighting back nausea. He cautiously leaped onto the desk by the window, peering out warily.

A student in the corner struggled to her feet, and upon seeing the blurred blood and flesh on the ground, her face turned pale, and she bent over, violently ill.

Hearing the sound, A-Lai turned to look back. Just then, the moonlight filtered through the drifting clouds, casting a vast, vague shadow outside the window.