The sisters stood frozen in place, while the entity remained unmoving just the same, though fear was not the reason. It was only 8 feet away, but they knew what it was the moment they laid eyes upon it; whether it was 100 feet or a few centimeters away, there was no doubt about what it was.
The women peered at it, reading its stats:
Level: 77
HP: 4180
"It was once human..." Gairma muttered.
Its head tilted to the side slightly as it appeared to study the two young women in front of it, before quickly straightening back out only a moment after. "Hello," the demonic voice repeated, as it took a step towards them.
Gairma mustered up the strength to break the invisible ice that encased her legs, taking a few steps forward to put herself between Mana and the creature; her heroism feigned.
As the dark beast began to creep forward, a strange, green mist started to rise from its footpath. With each step it took, visibility decreased as the mist spread out to overtake the entire area, turning the forest air a sickening green.
Its steps were light, only rustling the leaves as it crept forward, silent; the perfect hunter.
"Hello?" Gairma hesitated, finally answering back. The creature halted when she spoke, its eyes squinting at her as if to study the level 10.
"Name?" It asked, its speech clear, despite the tone.
"Gairma."
Mana looked on in absolute horror as the figure's smile seemingly got wider when her sister spoke. "We need to find somewhere to hide," she whispered to her sister, but she had no idea where to even go. Her suggestion was empty.
They were surrounded by trees, but the beast was a predator, and she knew it wouldn't be enough.
"Reach into my backpack," Gairma whispered back. "I keep a knife on me at all times now," she peered over her shoulder at Mana. "Obviously it won't be enough, but even just a stall is better than nothing."
Rotted humans, despite being dead, still had a brain that worked with speech, memories, and other basic functions, just not as well as a living person, as it had gone without blood for so long. They also have the same abilities as when they were alive, only amplified slightly by the parasite that brought the heart back.
The parasite also makes humans the worst version of their living self. They become murderous beings, and everything is about killing to feed or to breed, and sometimes just for fun. Rotted humans, depending on feelings before they die and become rotted, can specifically do tasks when reanimated that relate to the previous feelings, only in a warped way.
As Mana attempted to grab the knife out quietly, the monster dashed forward at them, immediately grabbing Gairma's shoulder with one of its hands, digging its long boney fingers into her shoulder.
Gairma let out a loud, ear-piercing scream, as Mana swiftly found the knife, removing it from the backpack and slammed it down, digging it into the creature's forearm as blood splattered out.
The monster didn't even flinch, but it's focus turned to Mana with the quickness, shoving Gairma to the ground before it grabbed Mana's neck with the hand of the same arm she had just stabbed. It smiled cynically as it began to squeeze Mana's frail neck, causing her to begin to choke as she gasped for a full breath.
Gairma looked up from the ground in terror as she saw the beast lift Mana up by the neck and begin to use its claws for a tighter grip, drawing blood where each of its 5 claws broke skin.
"Let her go!" She screamed at the beast as she darted from the ground, jumping onto the back of the rotted human.
The creature let Mana go as it turned its focus to Gairma, who was still on its back, her arms wrapped around its neck as she held on for dear life. Mana pounded on her own chest as she coughed violently as she tried to fill her lungs and body with oxygen, managing to bring herself back from nearly passing out.
"Run, Mana!"
Mana, without thinking, stood up and did as she was told. She immediately began to make a mad dash for the crevice in the barrier, tears streaming from her eyes as the mist from the monster began seeping into them and burning them like a chemical.
The monster paused for a moment, looking on, watching as Mana ran away, before taking off after her with Gairma still on its back. It quickly caught up with her, reaching her effortlessly as it stabbed its hand and nails into the pit of her back, knocking her to the ground, face-first.
Her green tank top soon became red, as her blood pooled onto her back, leaking down her sides to the ground, saturating herself in her own blood as she lay on the vast blanket of fallen leaves.
She felt like she was drowning as she laid there in excruciating pain, the taste of metal kissing her tongue as she felt blood seep up her throat.
"Mana!" she heard Gairma scream. Mana closed her eyes as the world began to silence itself, the noises from the struggle between her sister and the beast becoming mute. She knew what was becoming of herself, though she felt at peace, and her breath was becoming more and more shallow.
She felt herself smile as she watched her somewhat short life flash before her eyes, the scenes of the amazing times she had with her family, the laughs, the sadness, the madness. She saw the day she met Gairma, how they grew as sisters, them working at the bakery together, going to the same school and attending the same classes. She was her sister, blood or not.
She suddenly felt a small nudge, and she opened her eyes as far as she could. In front of her was her sister who had flipped Mana onto her back and had been shaking her violently to get her to wake up, though she was unaware, and simply smiled. She saw Gairma's mouth moving with tears flowing from her eyes and dripping onto her face as she lay there staring up.
Then she saw the monster appear from behind her sister, and she remembered, and she let out a scream that echoed throughout the land.
Gairma's eyes grew wide, and her mouth stopped moving. Her eyebrows flinched a few times as she looked into Mana's eyes and finally smiled. "Thank you for everything," she whispered, as she suddenly fell limp across Mana's body, warming her with a pool of blood.
She looked back up at the monster, who still had its toothy grin plastered upon its face. Its arm with the knife still embedded into it was outstretched, and in its enclosed fist, it was holding a still beating heart.
"Love...daughter," it said brokenly, before dropping Gairma's heart onto the ground, blood squirting from the valves upon impact with it. "Need...Gino..." It muttered, as it turned from them, making its way back into the forest, away from the wall.