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Chapter 26: The Strange Rats
Caitlyn didn't have a restful sleep. The rough, uneven ground was a stark contrast to the soft and comfortable mattresses of her home. Cold drafts occasionally swept over her, further eroding her comfort. Thankfully, the blazing campfire and the warm body beside her offered a faint sense of security, allowing her to drift in and out of consciousness. However, there seemed to be other sounds around them.
Caitlyn groggily opened her eyes and was immediately jolted awake. Surrounding them was a teeming mass of rats, moving like waves. Large rats encircled them silently, their eyes glistening with an eerie red glow. "Vi, Vi!" Caitlyn trembled as she called Vi's name, fearfully gripping her hand. Caitlyn wasn't exactly a timid girl, but this scene was indeed terrifying, unlike anything she had learned to deal with!
"What's wrong, cupcake?" Vi yawned lazily. "Can't sleep? Want me to hold—what the heck is this?" Even the tough Vi became aware of the abnormality and immediately took up a fighting stance, standing back-to-back with Caitlyn to provide each other some sense of safety.
"They seem wary of the fire we've lit," Caitlyn observed, providing a bit of relief to both of them. No matter what, they didn't want these bizarre rats to swarm over them; the mere thought sent chills down their spines. However, as the fire had been burning for several hours, its flames were about to extinguish, leaving only a few flickers that cast a narrow boundary of light. With every inch that the line of light and darkness receded, the rat horde advanced an inch. The dimmer the fire, the brighter their eyes shone.
"This isn't looking good..." Vi said, goosebumps rising on her skin. Although she had seen her fair share of rat swarms in the undercity, she had never encountered so many or such large ones! "If we get overwhelmed by these creatures, there wouldn't even be any bones left... should we write our last wills early? Rats probably won't eat paper, right?"
"There's no need to start thinking about our wills just yet. I'm not planning to die here," Caitlyn, though frightened, kept urging herself on. "Come on, Caitlyn, remember you scored A+ in hand-to-hand combat at the police academy."
"Just kidding," Vi shrugged. "Even if I wrote a will, I wouldn't have anyone to entrust it to." The campfire grew dimmer, and the surrounding rats became restless. A cold wind blew through, chasing away the last remnants of warmth, causing Caitlyn and Vi to press even closer together.
"You still have your sister, don't you?" Caitlyn asked.
"Powder?" Vi smiled, grateful that Powder hadn't seen her. Otherwise, the wounds she'd painstakingly healed would have been reopened again. "It's okay, Justin is with her, that's enough."
"But you still want to see her, don't you?" Their backs were pressed so tightly together that Caitlyn could feel Vi's erratic heartbeat.
"It's just a bunch of big rats. We can get out," Caitlyn said, raising her gun and readying herself. Although her sniper rifle wasn't very useful against these rats, the sound of a bullet being chambered always gave her a sense of security.
"If we make it out, I'll buy you a cheesecake." Hearing this, Vi couldn't help but smile, but her expression suddenly changed as she forcibly pushed Caitlyn away. "Watch out!" Caitlyn only felt a gust of wind beside her, and the faint campfire flickered violently, nearly going out.
"What was that?" Caitlyn asked.
"I don't know..." Vi said. After pushing Caitlyn away, Vi, still cuffed to her, couldn't avoid the attack and had three cuts across her face. Blood flowed, but she had no time to wipe it away. Although she didn't know what had attacked them, if the rat swarm decided to attack...
Unexpectedly, the red-eyed rats scattered and fled, as if sensing some dreadful presence. "They're gone?" Caitlyn stood up and, seeing the cuts on Vi's face, hurriedly tossed aside her gun to search for iodine in her bag.
"Wait! Stay alert, it's still here!" Vi's combat instincts constantly warned her of the danger surrounding them. However, as they looked around, they couldn't see anything...