Chapter 95

As I ran through the garden chasing Mary, I felt a strong sense of unease.

I knew that this house was apparently abandoned.

Even though the neighboring house was burning with a roaring sound, there was no sign of anyone waking up and turning on the lights, or of any residents looking out the windows. All the windows were pitch black.

Mary, who had been running ahead, turned around at the fence and looked at me and the bartender.

(Something's not right.)

A moment ago, Mary had slightly changed her course while running. I was running at full speed, but my instincts screamed, "Stop!" The ground under my right foot felt unusually soft.

(Damn.)

I couldn't stop in time and fell sideways, but it was a bit too late. The moment I felt the ground give way under my right foot, the earth collapsed, and I fell along with the fine mesh, thin boards, and a large amount of soil.

As I fell, I twisted my body and clung to the edge of the pit with my fingertips. The soil crumbled, but the edge of the pit was reinforced with boards. Although they were just placed there, they were easier to grip than the loose soil.

The bartender, who had been running right behind me, also tried to stop suddenly but couldn't, and fell next to me.

A little to the side of where I was hanging, a sturdy, thick board was laid across. It was about fifteen centimeters wide.

Amid the complex shadows cast by the flames from the neighboring house, it was clear that Mary had not missed the fifteen-centimeter-wide path she was supposed to take.

(I have to get out of here quickly. Mary is coming.)

The pit was quite deep. It was dark, but it seemed to be more than three meters to the bottom.

I thought the bartender had landed skillfully without making a sound.

As I tried to pull myself up by putting force on my fingertips, the sound of running footsteps approached. It wasn't Jeff's footsteps. They were lighter...

Thud! My fingers were stepped on with force. Mary looked down at me with a mask-like, expressionless face.

"Hey Chloe, did you really think I would just stand there and wait for you without any preparation? I had plenty of time, so I prepared a lot of things. But I didn't expect you to fall for the first trap. It's really disappointing. I was so excited about running away."

While talking, Mary put more pressure on the heel that was stepping on my fingertips. Then she disappeared for a moment and returned with a rock about the size of a person's head in her left hand. I had been thinking of pouncing on her if she tried to cut my fingers with a knife.

Mary lifted the rock with her left hand and aimed it at my face. It seemed she couldn't use her right hand. The top part of her dress was darkened around her right shoulder.

I let go of the board I was hanging onto and fell to the bottom of the pit.

"What do you think of this pit? Can you climb out? Sorry, but you can't. Because you're going to die now."

But Mary's figure disappeared before she could throw the rock. Different footsteps approached. Those footsteps... it was Jeff!

A soft voice called out to me from nearby.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Yes, and you?"

"I'm fine, but we can't climb out with just a knife... Do you want to be my stepping stone?"

"No, do you want to be mine?"

"I refuse."

"I see..."

I stabbed the dagger into the soil wall. I tried to use the handle of the dagger as a foothold to climb out, but the soil crumbled under my weight.

"Stop. If you keep collapsing this freshly dug soil wall, we might both get buried alive. There's no choice. I'll give you a piggyback. So don't let that woman escape."

"The piggyback won't reach. Give me your back."

"Fine."

The bartender put both hands on the wall of the pit. I climbed onto his back without hesitation and jumped onto the thick board that Mary had used. From there, I used the pull-up technique to lift my body and get out of the pit. I dropped the thick board I had used back into the pit to help the bartender get out.

Near the pit, Jeff and Mary were crouching and facing each other. Mary was holding a knife in her left hand, and Jeff was unarmed.

Jeff should be able to beat Mary, who had a knife. When he saw me come out of the pit, Mary ran away again.

I started chasing her.

I ran cautiously, following the path Mary had taken. Mary reached the gate of the house and tried to climb over it using the gate decorations as footholds. She pulled herself up with one hand, straddled the gate, and jumped down to the other side.

I used my momentum to leap onto the stone wall and quickly climbed over. This closed the distance significantly.

When I jumped down to the other side and looked around, I could see Mary turning right at the narrow crossroads ahead. To the best of my knowledge, Mary hardly ever went out. Her cardiovascular fitness was probably worse than mine.

(I will definitely catch up to her.)

But when I turned the corner, Mary was nowhere to be seen. I quickly put my ear to the ground to listen for footsteps. I couldn't hear any running sounds. She must be hiding nearby. As I searched the area cautiously, Jeff ran up. He had retrieved his sword.

"Where's Mary?"

"She ran away, but she must be hiding nearby."

Jeff nodded and we moved forward, with him on the right side of the road and me on the left. We searched for places where Mary could be hiding. This was a residential area, so there were fewer high walls like the one at the previous house. On the other hand, if she entered someone's house, it would be difficult to find her.

Because the neighborhood was burning, all the houses had their lights on. Many people were watching the fire from their windows. Some onlookers had also come out onto the streets. Somewhere, a light object broke with a "crack!" and a muffled scream followed.

(Where is she?)

I stopped and listened carefully.

"This way."

Jeff ran toward a house. I followed him.

"Aah!"

A woman's scream sounded again. We ran as fast as we could in the direction of the sound. Jeff ran alongside me at the same speed.

(It's that house.)

Only one house, despite the fire nearby, had no one looking out the windows.

Jeff signaled with his fingers, "I'll go around back. You go in from the front." I nodded silently, and we split up.

I quietly approached the side of the front door, searching for signs of people. I climbed from the first-floor window sill to the second-floor balcony. The first room I listened to was quiet. I moved to the next room by jumping from one balcony railing to another.

I heard a woman's muffled crying. Then Mary's voice.

"Be quiet or you'll die."

"Y-Yes."

I found her.

She was planning to take the residents hostage. Just like with the girl next to the bedroom, Mary lacked confidence, and her methods were always dirty. Even though it was for her own survival, her impulsive and dirty methods each time made me feel disgusted.

(Now, how can I end this without hurting the hostage?)

I sensed movement below. Looking down, I saw Jeff, who had circled around. I pointed to indicate, "She's in here," and he nodded, moving to the front door. I see.

I pressed my ear against the window and listened carefully to the situation inside, behind the curtains.