Bang!
Bang bang!
At the long table on the high platform, the mayor, who was talking with Baron Bison, suddenly heard a few gunshots and was startled.
He looked sharply at Kaosi: "What's going on?"
The Police Station chief also looked bewildered. He quickly said, "I'll go check. It should be fine, it should be fine."
He hurried down and, nearing the edge of the square, shouted, "Who fired that shot!"
The nearby police officers looked at each other, shrugging or shaking their heads.
Suddenly, another gunshot rang out. From the direction of the sound, someone was running over in a panic, and a police officer immediately recognized him.
"It's Archier."
Kaosi immediately yelled, "Archier, what are you doing? Why are you shooting!"
Running, Archier shouted, "Run! The fog is here, the fog is here! There are monsters in the fog, run!"
He fired another shot into the sky, then ran into the square.
Now, both the gentlemen on the high platform and the residents gathered in front of the pulpit heard the gunshots and saw Archier's panicked running figure.
Then they saw Archier suddenly stop. He seemed to sense something, slowly lowering his head to look at his chest.
From Archier's chest, his clothes gradually bulged, and then a large gush of blood spurted out. Along with the gushing blood, there were also many fragments of internal organs, bone shards, and bits of flesh.
Then Archier's feet lifted from the ground, his arms and legs swung forward, and his back arched, as if an invisible thread was pulling him into the air, into the thick fog that had already engulfed the square.
Not until Archier disappeared into the fog did a sudden scream erupt in the square, followed by cries of Confusion and panic from the people.
"What was that?"
"He's dead, a police officer is dead!"
"That was Archier, wasn't it? He's my neighbor!"
The square immediately descended into Confusion.
Bishop Morgan, with his graying hair and deep wrinkles, pointed towards the church and cried out hoarsely, "Hurry, everyone, take refuge in the church!"
St. Witt's Church was the closest and largest building to Memorial Square; only there could it accommodate the one or two hundred people in the square.
Hearing the bishop's words, the crowd screamed, scrambling to run towards St. Witt's Church. Even though the bishop and priests reminded everyone not to push and to be careful not to trample others.
But many women and children with weaker Physiques were still pushed to the ground.
Kelly, who made a living washing clothes, and her daughter Pasha, were one such example. As soon as the Confusion began, the mother and daughter were pushed down. Kelly had to hold her daughter. Fortunately, they hadn't gone too deep into the crowd, so their injuries were not severe.
A woman in her fifties in front of them was much worse off; she was too close to the bishop, was pushed to the ground, and had an arm broken, and was wailing on the ground.
"Get up quickly."
Kelly quickly pulled her daughter up. As they passed the woman with the broken arm, Kelly forced herself not to look, not to help her up.
She reminded herself that she still had to take care of her daughter and had to get into the church quickly.
"Mom, aren't we going to help her?" Pasha, only nine years old, was kind-hearted by nature, and her sympathy made her unable to resist saying this.
Kelly gritted her teeth and said, "We have to take care of ourselves first, and besides, the police will help her."
The mother and daughter passed a statue. Suddenly, Kelly felt a tightening around her waist, and then her whole body was lifted up. She screamed, instinctively clutching the statue she was passing, which made her stop momentarily.
"Mom! Mom!" Pasha cried out in distress, running towards Kelly, wanting to pull her mother back.
"Don't come closer!"
Kelly cried out in alarm, clutching the statue tightly, and said forcefully, "Run, Pasha!"
"Go to the church, you'll be safe once you're inside the church!"
"Remember, Mom's money is all hidden in the cookie tin under the bed; you can use it to buy food."
Feeling the tightening around her waist, feeling the force trying to drag her away, Kelly realized that this might be her last time seeing her daughter.
"When you are old enough to read, you must get an education; don't be like Mom, who can only wash clothes for others."
"Pasha, don't blame Mom for not buying you candy, for not buying you cookies."
"You must believe—"
Kelly's fingers had turned white, all her strength was about to run out, and she could no longer hold onto the statue.
The woman forced a smile, trying to leave her daughter with the best impression.
Then, she spoke her last words.
"Mommy loves you."
Before her words had even finished, she flew up, unable to control herself, and fell into the thick fog.
"Mommy..."
"Mommy!"
Pasha burst into tears, instinctively about to run towards the thick fog, when suddenly someone rushed over and picked her up.
"Put me down, put me down, I want my mommy, I want my mommy."
The little girl cried and screamed, a warm large hand landed on her back, gently patting and softly comforting her: "It's alright, it's alright."
"It will pass, everything will pass."
Running beside her husband, Amelia looked at Bison, who was comforting the little girl, and sighed silently.
When she saw Archier's tragic death, she stood up, wanting to do something.
But her husband stopped her, which made her feel very complicated. Now, seeing the little girl in Bison's arms, Amelia felt a trace of relief.
Her husband might have been afraid of losing her, just as this little girl had lost her mother, which was why he didn't want her to easily get into danger.
Thinking of this, Amelia glanced at him. Sensing his wife's gaze, Bison looked over, and then saw that not far behind his wife, a little boy had fallen.
He must have fallen hard; his knees were scraped, and he couldn't get up for a moment.
Just then, someone rushed over and picked up the blond, front-tooth-missing boy.
Ian, with his blond hair, who had recently lost a front tooth, stumbled in his panic.
His knee hit the square's paving stones directly, hurting him so much that he couldn't get up. Seeing the thick fog closing in from behind, he was so anxious he wanted to cry.
Suddenly picked up, he couldn't help but look up and saw a man with messy hair, as if it had never been styled.
It was Rodney, the famous coward of Kingston Road!
It was Rodney, whom he and his friends often mocked!
When he was helpless and scared, it was he who was willing to offer help!
Because of gratitude, because of shame, the blond Ian burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, Rodney."
"I shouldn't have mocked you."
"You're not timid at all, not cowardly at all, you're the bravest person I've ever met."
Listening to the boy's cries, the messy-haired man's expression froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth gradually turned up.
He said nothing, just held him tighter and ran faster.
St. Witt's Church.
Bison, holding the little girl Pasha and pulling his wife Amelia, rushed through the main entrance, pushed through the crowd, and only put Pasha down when he saw the mayor and others, panting heavily.
At this moment, 'bang bang bang bang' sounds of knocking came from outside the main door. Someone shouted, "Open the door quickly, let us in."
By the main door, a man who looked like a street vendor was about to open it, but was suddenly pushed away. Then, a short, stout man in formal wear with a Black Bowties shouted, "Don't open it! It's already foggy outside, do you want to kill us all!"