"Aunt Vera, is there anything to drink in the refrigerator? I'm so thirsty," Asher said casually, feigning exhaustion as he addressed his aunt. His acting was flawless, not a single hint of suspicion in his voice.
"I want juice too!" Ben chimed in enthusiastically. Unlike Asher, he genuinely did want something to drink.
"Of course, dear. Let me get some for you."
Aunt Vera's smile remained perfectly pleasant as she retrieved two bottles of orange juice from the refrigerator. She walked over carefully and handed them to Ben and Asher with exaggerated gentleness.
Ben immediately grabbed his bottle and took a long swig of the cold juice, sighing contentedly. "Ahh, that hits the spot!"
Asher held his bottle carefully, weighing it in his palm.
Then, with a deliberately clumsy motion, he let the cup slip through his fingers. It tumbled toward the floor as he matched his movement with a perfectly timed exclamation, "Oops! I didn't catch it!"
CRASH!
The glass shattered on impact, exploding into countless fragments. Orange juice splashed everywhere, across the floor, onto Asher's pants, and even spattering Ben's jeans beside him!
WHOOSH!!
Aunt Vera's eyes narrowed dangerously. The pleasant smile vanished from her face in an instant. Without warning, she launched herself upward from a standing position, soaring a full two or three meters into the air! Her hands seized the chandelier while her legs spread wide, bracing against the walls on either side in a perfect split!
"Clean that up right now! Immediately!" she commanded from her impossible perch.
Her face showed no strain whatsoever as she maintained this inhuman position. Her tone was cold, sharp, completely different from the warm demeanor she'd displayed moments earlier.
The transformation was unmistakable.
"You've gotten orange juice all over my floor!" Uncle Frank snarled, suddenly gripping the arms of his chair with white-knuckled fury. All traces of kindness had evaporated from his expression as he glared daggers at Asher!
"I'm so sorry, Uncle Frank, Aunt Vera. I didn't mean to," Asher said with feigned contrition, his eyes narrowing slightly as he made his mental calculations. He bent down and began collecting the glass shards and mopping up the orange juice without any visible emotion.
Ben and Gwen exchanged a loaded glance, the terrible realization settling over them like ice water.
Aunt Vera and Uncle Frank had been transformed into those monsters too!
They were trapped in the same room as the creatures!
The thought made both of them tense with barely suppressed panic. Every instinct screamed at them to run, to get out immediately!
"Don't worry. I've got this," Asher murmured softly as he crouched on the floor, his voice just loud enough for his cousins to hear behind him.
Ordinary children might have bolted despite his reassurance, but Ben and Gwen had been through enough dangerous situations to trust Asher's judgment. They forced themselves to remain seated, though every muscle in their bodies was coiled like springs.
"All done, Uncle Frank, Aunt Vera," Asher announced cheerfully as he stood up, his expression once again the picture of an obedient, respectful grandson.
"That's a good boy," Aunt Vera said as she dropped down from the ceiling.
BOOM!
Her landing kicked up a massive cloud of dust from the floor, causing everyone to cough and wave their hands in front of their faces.
"So much dust!" Gwen complained, covering her nose with one hand while using the other to fan away the particles swirling through the air.
"I apologize. Your Aunt has never been very graceful," Uncle Frank said as he returned to his normal demeanor, moving to stand beside his wife. His tone had once again become warm and grandfatherly, as though nothing unusual had just occurred.
"Uncle Frank, Aunt Vera," Asher began, tilting his head with carefully crafted innocence, "this is my first time visiting this town, and I don't really know where anything is. Would you mind taking me out to explore a bit? I'd love to see what's around here."
Everyone froze at his words, turning to stare at him in shock.
"Oh?" Aunt Vera's expression showed genuine surprise, and something that looked disturbingly like excitement flickered in the depths of her eyes. "That's interesting, Asher. Most children find this old, rundown town incredibly boring. You're the first who's actually wanted to go out and explore it."
"Well," Asher continued with disarming enthusiasm, "maybe Grandpa, Ben, and Gwen could stay here and rest while you show me around?"
He had no intention of leaving his uncle and aunt alone with his family. His plan was simple: draw these monsters away from the others and deal with them himself!
Besides, this cramped house was far too small for him to properly utilize his alien transformations. If a fight broke out here, the commotion would almost certainly attract other monsters, and he had no idea how many creatures were lurking throughout this twisted town!
Max, Ben, and Gwen all reached the same conclusion simultaneously. Asher was intentionally luring the monsters away to ensure everyone else's safety!
After all, none of them knew the true number of creatures in this town. If they started a battle here or found themselves surrounded, escape would become nearly impossible!
"Asher," Max said, looking directly at his grandson with solemn intensity, "you can go, but you need to be extremely careful. Watch for traffic when crossing streets. And if you encounter anything beyond your capabilities..." He paused meaningfully. "Don't try to be a hero."
Asher understood the deeper meaning behind Max's words. A confident smile crossed his face. "Grandpa, don't worry. When have I ever done something I wasn't absolutely certain I could handle?"
"Yes, yes, it's just a simple outing! Max, we're not going to lose your precious grandson!" Aunt Vera and Uncle Frank interrupted impatiently, cutting off any further conversation between grandfather and grandson. They moved to flank Asher, each of them gripping one of his arms firmly.
Without another word, they practically dragged him toward the door. Before anyone could protest, Uncle Frank kicked the door shut behind them with a resounding SLAM!
"Grandpa, Asher will be okay... right?" Gwen asked cautiously, her worried eyes fixed on Max's face.
"He'll be fine," Max replied solemnly, though his jaw was tight with tension. "You need to trust Asher. No matter how bad the situation gets, he's proven time and again that he can escape even when surrounded by enemies. But if we got caught up in it..." He shook his head grimly. "We wouldn't stand a chance."
Outside the house!
The moment the door slammed shut behind them, every trace of warmth vanished from Aunt Vera and Uncle Frank's faces. Asher's pleasant expression disappeared as well, all three of them instantly dropped their charades!
Despite being physically carried between them, Asher's arms were bent at an angle that allowed his hands to touch each of the creatures' wrists.
He looked deceptively like prey being hauled away by predators.
But sometimes the most dangerous hunters disguise themselves as the hunted.
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