"Good thing this car wasn't wrecked by those demons," said Tora as he found his father's beloved car in the city center.
"This junk is really worth that much?" asked Yamile.
Tora gave a faint smile, as if reminiscing. "It was my father's first car—from when he dated my mom until now. That's why he cherishes it so much; he even treats it like his second child."
Yamile smiled too, but her eyes quickly sharpened. "We have to move fast. The demonic tremors are getting stronger. They'll attack again soon."
Tora nodded. "Alright, let's go now!"
Yamile was puzzled when Tora started walking away on foot, even though they had a car. "Why aren't we taking the car?" she asked.
Tora looked back. "If that car gets damaged, my dad would kill me," he said.
Yamile continued to bemoan the disregard for her proposal. She was starting to embody Niroki's traits—spoiled and highly feminine. Even her walk was slow and graceful, like a model on a catwalk.
Now, Yamile and Tora roamed the city, searching for any remaining residents still in their homes. But they remained on high alert, aware of the demonic threat looming.
"Everyone here is terrified," said Tora as he saw a man slam his door shut the moment he spotted them walking down the street.
"I think evacuating them is pointless. They probably don't trust us," said Yamile.
"Then we'll have to steal that trust," Tora replied.
Tora accelerated his pace, making his way directly to the former community hall. He remembered that it had an underground tunnel—an emergency route that might still be usable.
"To the community hall," Tora said briefly.
Yamile frowned. "For what?"
"They're probably hiding there. And we need a place to gather the people we manage to rescue."
Without waiting for agreement, Tora ran. This time, Yamile didn't protest. She could feel the heat in the air—a sure sign of the Kalanak demons. Both of them knew time was short.
Just as they neared the hall, a scream rang out—a woman's voice, panicked and terrified. Tora instantly turned toward the sound, rushing down a narrow alley between two partially burned shop buildings.
There, they saw an elderly woman trapped inside a nearly collapsed house. Two Kalanak demons stood before her, transformed into monstrous figures.
"Yamile, we split up. I'll distract them!" shouted Tora, leaping from the rooftop to the street below.
Yamile gave a quick nod and snuck around to the back of the house, searching for an entrance.
Tora took a deep breath and yelled, "HEY, UGLY BEASTS! COME HERE IF YOU DARE!"
The two demons immediately turned to him, growled, and darted toward Tora with incredible speed. But that was precisely what he wanted. He pulled out his mace, ready for a fight.
He ran in a zigzag pattern, making it difficult for the demons to track his movements.
Meanwhile, Yamile reached the house. She kicked the door open and called to the elderly woman.
"Ma'am! I'm here to help! Take my hand!"
The woman trembled, her eyes wide. "Y-you're human… but why…?"
"No time to explain! Come on!" Yamile pulled her up and guided her out through the back door.
Tora, on the other hand, was still battling the two Kalanak demons. When he saw that Yamile had safely evacuated the woman, he quickly dodged into a small alley and looped around.
"We have to get to the community hall—now!" said Yamile, supporting the old woman.
Tora kept running, a wide grin on his face. "One life saved. Just the beginning."
---
When they arrived at the community hall, they found a few people hiding inside. The sound of their knock made the people inside anxious, but eventually, one man dared to open the door.
"Who are you?" he asked, suspicious.
"My name is Yamile. I'm just a regular human, and I've brought an injured elder," Yamile replied calmly.
The man eyed her warily. But he couldn't bring himself to turn away the old woman, who had clearly broken her arm in the earlier chaos.
"Send them away! They'll bring demons here!" a woman shouted from inside.
Tora then caught up with Yamile. With his speed, he had managed to escape the demons' pursuit.
"Who's he?" the man at the door asked.
"He's my friend," Yamile answered firmly.
"Help me…" the old woman whimpered in pain.
Just then, a young man emerged from inside. He was stunned—and overjoyed—to see the old woman. She turned out to be his grandmother. The brutal demon attack had separated them.
"She's my grandma! Uncle, let her in," he pleaded.
Finally, the townspeople allowed Yamile and Tora to enter. The community hall was spacious but in disarray. About ten people were inside—old and young, including toddlers. Their faces showed nothing but fear of demonic terror.
"This hall has an underground tunnel, right?" Tora asked the man who had blocked their entry.
The man looked at him in confusion. "I don't know!"
"Sir, behind that painting—there's a button that opens the underground tunnel," said Tora, pointing at a horse painting on the wall.
"Take the people down there immediately. The tunnel leads to a bunker—you'll be safe there," he explained.
"How do you know all this?" the man asked, bewildered.
"My father was an intelligence officer. He knew the city's layout and told me to use that bunker as a temporary shelter."
Suddenly, rumbling came from outside. Screams and cries echoed. Yamile peeked through the window to see what was happening outside. An orange glow flickered in the distance—fire. This could only mean one thing: the Kalanak demons had started burning down buildings again.
"They've begun their rampage," Yamile shouted.
Tora turned to the man in front of him with a serious look. "Trust me, I'm trying to save this city."
Yamile and Tora set off to fight the demons once more. Their mission was clear: save as many people as they could. Once the civilians were safe, they could engage in an all-out battle without holding back.
"Like before—I'll distract them, and you rescue the civilians," Tora said calmly.
Hello, you can support me on patreon.com/Ikazaaa, as well as reading many chapters before it's released to the public!