In the haze of a dream, David found himself back in the small shop, surrounded by shelves lined with goods. He moved between customers with practiced ease, his hands familiar with every item he placed in his hands. His boss, the man who'd picked him up off the streets and given him purpose to live, stood by the counter, a warm smile lighting his face.
"David," his voice was steady and full of pride, "you've come so far. I'm certain everything will be in good hands when I leave the business to you. You're already like a son to me."
David's vision blurred, his throat tightening as he turned to face his boss. "Thank you… boss."
David stumbled forward as a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, and a familiar head nestled against his back. He could feel her warm breath through his shirt, her voice soft and filled with pride. "Oh, David, you've done so well. I'm so proud of you."
He let out a nervous laugh, his cheeks burning as he glanced toward the older man across the shop. "Come on, Jennifer, not in front of your father…"
The shop owner chuckled, his eyes crinkling with a warmth that reached David. "It's fine, David. You two will be married soon." The man sighed, as if reminiscing his memories back in the days. "How nice it is to be young."
Jennifer leaned close, pressing a soft kiss to David's cheek. Her voice, barely above a whisper, brushed against his ear. "Thank you, David. For being there—for me and my father." She paused, her gaze drifting, a bittersweet glint in her eyes. "After Mother passed, he was… lost. But then you came along." Her face brightened, a radiant smile lighting her features. "And now, everything feels whole again."
David's cheeks flushed as he looked at her, the warmth of her smile, the way her eyes sparkled. His heart quickened, each beat like a drum in his chest. He took a breath, his voice soft and steady. "I love you too, Jennifer."
….
A sharp jab to the face snapped David awake. His eyes flew open, and he tugged at the ropes binding him to a rusted pipe, wrists raw and useless against the tight knots.
"Who are you? Where's Jennifer?" His voice cracked, panic twisting through each word.
A shadowed figure loomed above him, only the man's legs visible in the dim light. "I'll give you your rat girlfriend back," came a low, even tone, "when you start answering my questions."
"Give her back!" David thrashed, his voice a chaotic blend of anger and desperation. "Give me Jennifer!"
A boot connected with his cheek, sending his head snapping sideways. "You'll get Jennifer when the deal's done," the voice growled, the threat dripping from every word.
"Give her to me!" David's voice fractured into a desperate wail.
With a sigh, Andrew gave a subtle command, and the rat crawled down his leg, scurrying toward David. The instant David saw the creature, his face lit up with an almost childlike joy. Tears slid down his face as he whispered, "Jennifer… I'm so sorry, so sorry for leaving you." He hugged the rat, his body curling protectively around it.
Man, this is just depressing. Andrew watched, his patience thinning. "Are you ready to talk? I'm not leaving until I get what I want."
David barely looked up, a blissful smile on his face. "Yes… yes. Anything. I'm just glad to have Jennifer back."
"Yesterday," Andrew started, eyeing David carefully, "did anyone come down here? Someone who doesn't belong in the sewers. Someone like me."
David blinked, his chains clinking as he squirmed, struggling to think. His cracked lips parted, a glimmer of recognition sparking in his glazed eyes. "People from above? Oh, yes… yes, I saw two, just like you." He nodded feverishly, his gaze darting toward the darkness. "They went that way… deeper," he whispered, nodding northward.
Andrew glanced in the direction David pointed, ready to leave, but his gaze lingered on the man slumped by the pipe. David Klaus—the infamous killer of Pitoa—was just a broken shadow of the monster Andrew had heard about. The violent past that turned him into this… it felt disturbingly real, and all too common.
Andrew sat down beside David, his gaze steady, his voice softened. "You know you killed a lot of people, right?" he asked quietly. "Why did you do it?"
David's hand trembled as he stroked the rat. A faint smile tugged at his cracked lips, though it didn't reach his haunted eyes. "Once… a long time ago, I loved someone," he murmured, voice scratchy, words halting. "The owner's daughter. She was… everything to me." He swallowed, his grip tightening. "The owner—he treated me like a son. Said I could marry her, even promised me his business. Life was… good."
The faint smile crumbled, giving way to a look of deep sorrow. "Then… then came that night. The Night Crawlers." He drew in a shallow breath, voice wavering. "Back then, only two Awakeneds guarded the South Coast. It wasn't enough. Me, the owner, and Jennifer… we tried to run, tried to make it somewhere safe." He pressed his lips together, his whole body tense, and a tear slipped down his cheek. "But… they didn't make it. I just… ran. I ran so fast. I was so afraid."
He curled in on himself, rocking slightly as his arms clutched his legs. "I'm sorry, Jennifer… I'm sorry…" he whispered, voice catching as he blinked against more tears. Slowly, he sat up, wiping his wet cheeks with his bound hands. "After that night, a man approached me. Said he could bring her back… bring them both back, if I offered sacrifices. A couple of people every night, that's all he needed." His voice cracked, and he let out a shuddering breath. "He showed me. He could revive animals… I thought… if he could bring them back…"
David's gaze drifted, and he fell silent for a moment, the horror of his memories pressing down like a weight. "The bigger the body," he whispered, "the more sacrifices it needed. I lost track of how many…" His voice trailed off as he stared into the shadows, barely breathing.
Andrew sat quietly, letting David's words sink in, feeling a strange weight in his chest. "So… did it work? Did they come back?" he asked, his voice barely above a murmur.
David's face twisted, his eyes distant as he recalled the memory. "I thought they did," he croaked. "The man kept his promise. I dug up their graves, my wife's and the owner's, and I brought their bodies to him." His fingers flexed against the ground, curling tightly. "He arranged… the remains of the others around them—meat, bones. Drew symbols around the circle. Then it started. Their bodies shook… I watched them twitch, rise up—just like they were alive."
But David's voice broke, and his gaze turned hollow. "But their eyes… empty. Their skin was pale, cold as stone. I thought… I thought they'd be just like before, but they were… they weren't." A tremor ran through him, his words spilling out faster, more frenzied. "They couldn't speak. Couldn't feel. Couldn't even walk. They were just… husks. There was nothing left."
He gritted his teeth, fury mingling with grief. "I was scammed! Or maybe… maybe I scammed myself. Believed so hard that I ignored every warning. Thought it would… fix everything." He slammed his fist against the pipes, his whole body trembling. "I killed him. That sorcerer. I killed those… things that used to be them." His breath came in shallow, ragged bursts as he sat back, defeated, his eyes dull. "I ran. Hid down here… I had nowhere else to go."
David looked up at Andrew, inching forward until he clutched his leg, his body slumping in a broken heap. The rat scurried up Andrew's arm, as if sensing the man's desperation.
David's body slumped to the ground, his voice barely above a whisper, "Please... kill me. I don't know what to do with myself anymore." The plea echoed off the damp walls, fragile and desperate, piercing into Andrew.
His mind tugged in two directions- logic demanding him to end the man's life and escape this nightmare spell.
The other was a knot of morality twisting in his chest, urging him to give the man a chance he seemed to believe he no longer deserved.
Everybody should have a second chance, if they believe they emotionally suffered because of their guilt.
"Are you sure that you want to die?" Andrew asked, his tone steady, though a tremor betrayed his resolve.
David nodded, huddled on the floor, clutching his knees as sobs wracked his frail body. "Yes. Kill me. There's... there's nothing left. Jennifer, the owner... they were everything. I'm... nothing without them." His words dissolved into broken murmurs, a repeated, hollow "please" that filled the air.
Andrew exhaled sharply, the weight of decision settling on him like a shroud.
He moved forward, loosening the ropes binding David's hands. David raised his arms, his eyes half-closed, surrendering as he spread his arms wide.
"Please, end it quick," he murmured, voice weary. "Make it painless."
"Put your hands down," Andrew instructed softly. David's arms fell limp at his sides as he closed his eyes.
With a single thrust, Andrew buried his hunting knife deep. Blood spattered across his clothes, as David's body slumped against him, lifeless and silent, finally free of whatever burdens had driven him to this end. As he lowered the man gently, a quiet murmur escaped Andrew's lips,
Andrew looked down at the still form in his arms, his face cast in shadow. He adjusted the man's body gently, laying him back on the cold ground with an almost careful reverence. His eyes lingered on David's face, which had softened in death, lines of pain smoothed away, leaving a quiet that seemed almost foreign to the sewers' dank walls.
A weight in his chest loosened, just slightly. He breathed out slowly, the air thick and heavy, but somehow less stifling.
[You have slain Dormant Human, David Klaus]
[You have received a memory]
Andrew noticed a notification popped up out of nowhere, he didn't care as of the moment. His priority was to chase after those two, but he can't shake it out his own mind, "Did he really deserved to be killed?"