Kristi put away the instruments. The disposable gloves went into a plastic bag, which she tied shut with a firm knot.
"So." Boyd was the first to break the silence, resting both fists on the table. "We know fire works."
Khatri, who had remained by the wall with his hands clasped together, tilted his head slightly.
"We need to replicate it safely."
"That's exactly what I was thinking." The sheriff straightened his posture. "We need to test it. Tonight, if possible. Set up a position, lure a creature in, and find out if we can kill another one."
Kenny opened his mouth.
"I know we don't have a grenade," Boyd cut in before he could speak.
"Then how?" the deputy asked, gesturing toward the door as if Daniel were waiting outside. "For all we know, he used a combination. First the shockwave, then the Molotov cocktails inside the crater. There's no way to tell what actually killed the monster."
"We start with fire alone. If it doesn't work the way we need it to, then I'll talk to him about the grenade," the sheriff explained.
The idea of having to ask that kid for anything was already enough to give him a headache, but he kept that thought to himself.
"And the people outside?" Kristi asked, glancing toward the window. "They're full of questions."
"First we confirm that we can kill another one." Boyd's tone was firm. "Then we'll gather everyone and explain. I'm not giving people hope until I'm sure."
They nodded slowly, as if weighing every word before agreeing.
Three firm knocks echoed through the room before any of the four could continue.
Boyd frowned and went to answer.
Donna stood outside accompanied by two men.
Her expression looked like a storm waiting to break. She had seen the flash of flames the night before.
As soon as the door opened, the smell of burnt flesh drifted onto the porch. Donna wrinkled her nose and grimaced.
"What the hell is that smell?" She leaned slightly, trying to see inside the sheriff's station.
Boyd opened the door just enough to step through, blocking the view of the two men.
"Come in."
Then he looked at her companions.
"They wait outside."
Donna didn't even blink. She made a short gesture over her shoulder, dismissing any argument, and stepped inside.
When her eyes adjusted, the leader of Colony House froze.
"What the fuck is this, Boyd?"
The question came out as little more than a rough whisper.
The sheriff spared no details. He described Daniel's trap, the grenade, the Molotov cocktails, and the result now stretched out on the table.
Donna listened in silence.
Then she let out a long sigh that turned into a dry laugh devoid of humor.
"That kid actually managed to kill one of those bastards."
She shook her head in respect before looking at Boyd.
"If fire does this... it means we can kill them too."
"That's exactly what we were discussing," Khatri said with a faint smile. "We're going to try tonight."
Kenny cleared his throat, already realizing the decision had been made.
"We can get alcohol from Tom's stock," he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. "Make our own Molotov cocktails. Just like Daniel did."
"We'll do that." Boyd agreed without taking his eyes off the corpse.
As if the mere sight of that dead creature justified whatever risks they were about to take.
...
After several intense rounds on the tangled sheets, the shower had simply become a natural continuation of everything that had happened in bed.
The steady sound of running water concealed muffled laughter, quiet sighs, and whispered words between them.
When Daniel turned off the faucet, the sudden silence felt strangely loud.
He grabbed a clean towel and tossed another one to Julie, who remained leaning against the glass wall of the shower, catching her breath.
"Feeling any discomfort?" he asked while drying his wet hair, watching her discreetly from the corner of his eye.
He hadn't noticed a single sign of pain or discomfort from her, which was why he'd kept going. Unlike the previous time, when he had stopped early because it had been Julie's first time.
She wrapped herself in the towel, and a lazy smile appeared on her lips.
"I'm perfectly fine."
The answer came so casually that it contrasted sharply with the slight wobble in her legs as she walked.
"In that case..." Daniel tossed his towel into the hamper and pulled on a clean shirt. "I think we still have enough energy for a few more rounds."
The tease came automatically. Truthfully, he was already satisfied, at least for now.
Julie moved before he could take another step.
Her hand grabbed the collar of the shirt he'd just put on and tugged him down.
She pressed a lingering kiss against his lips and, when she pulled away, lightly bit his lower lip with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Maybe later," she whispered.
Daniel blinked.
That caught him off guard.
"You're getting pretty naughty," he muttered, amused.
"You didn't like it?" She shrugged, clearly a little self-conscious. "Saw it in a movie once."
"Quite the opposite." Daniel closed the distance and drew her closer by the waist, stealing another kiss.
Julie returned it for a few seconds, then pressed her hands against his chest.
"We really need to go," she said between breaths. "We haven't even had breakfast yet. And I promised to help with the tower."
"Alright." This time, Daniel gave in without resistance.
Even so, he leaned in for one last peck, returning her teasing bite before releasing her.
Shortly afterward, the two of them were already dressed.
Before long, the aroma of toast and black coffee filled the kitchen.
After everything they had done that morning, Daniel felt relaxed.
Sitting on the cushioned bench, he watched Julie finish putting away the dishes.
"You've actually got quite a bit of stamina, shorty," he commented, resting his chin on one hand while taking a sip of coffee.
Julie let out an offended huff.
"Of course I do." She raised an eyebrow arrogantly. "You'd better stop underestimating me."
As she sat down to eat, the playful expression faded from Julie's face, replaced by something softer.
"You know... thanks for letting my parents sleep here last night."
The memory of how rested they had looked when they left was something she hadn't seen in a very long time.
"You don't need to thank me for anything I do," Daniel replied without hesitation. "You're my girlfriend. Making you happy is my responsibility."
Julie swallowed hard. Her chest tightened at the disarming sincerity of those words.
Before she even realized it, she was already on her feet.
She walked around the small table and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head against his shoulder.
"I love you," she murmured.
Daniel's hands settled around her waist almost instinctively.
"I love you too." His answer came low and firm. "Ever since the moment I laid eyes on you in that RV, I couldn't get you out of my head."
Of course, that was an exaggeration.
His initial interest had been motivated by far less noble reasons. Julie was beautiful, and flirting with her had been a welcome distraction in the middle of a cursed town.
Love had come later, little by little, as he discovered the strength hidden behind that stubborn facade.
Julie let out a muffled laugh of happiness against his chest.
Neither of them seemed in any hurry to let go.
Then a sharp metallic sound echoed through Daniel's mind.
[Initiating update protocol.]
[Communication routines temporarily suspended.]
[Please wait for completion.]
One of his eyebrows rose.
His fingers continued absentmindedly stroking Julie's back while his thoughts had already moved elsewhere.
"System? What triggered the update?"
No response came.
The voice didn't answer with its usual acidic commentary.
The interface, however, continued functioning normally.
Daniel opened the shop, bought a chocolate bar for 10 coins, and watched it appear inside his Inventory without any issues.
Everything seemed operational.
Only the narrator had disappeared.
He wasn't worried.
His knowledge of anime and fantasy novels suggested that system updates rarely ended badly for the protagonist.
Most of the time, they came with benefits.
After finishing breakfast, the two headed to Colony House.
The moment they stepped onto the uneven lawn, Daniel noticed Donna's gaze following their movements.
"Looks like the sheriff told Donna," he murmured to Julie after seeing how intensely he was being watched.
"She would've found out anyway," Julie replied. "Are you planning to repeat the experiment tonight?"
"Not for now. But if I change my mind, I'll let you know."
Julie blinked in surprise. She had assumed it would become a regular thing after the success of the previous night.
Daniel didn't explain why.
Instead, he let his attention drift discreetly across the property.
The tree line was filled with dark feathers.
Crows.
Far more than the day before.
Before, those birds had carried the same impersonal feeling as surveillance cameras.
Now it was different. Through his enhanced senses, Daniel picked up something new.
A faint hostility.
Looks like I pissed off someone important.
The unpleasant sensation, however, wasn't coming solely from the forest.
Another source caught his attention.
Movement near the side of the house.
Daniel spotted Dilan pushing a wheelbarrow across the grounds.
The man didn't even bother hiding the hatred written all over his face.
The eye contact lasted only an instant.
For your own sake, I hope you stay on a tight leash.
Ignoring the silent threats, Daniel took Julie's hand and guided her toward the side porch, where Ethan was building small stick figures beside Tabitha.
As soon as the boy noticed them approaching, he looked up and smiled.
"You took forever!"
Julie nearly tripped over her own response.
"We... uh... lost track of time watching TV while we had breakfast." She gestured vaguely. "The show was really good."
That excuse wouldn't hold up in any court in the world.
The rushed delivery, her wandering gaze, and the stubborn blush gave away far more than they should have.
Tabitha watched her daughter for a moment.
She had a pretty good idea of what the two of them had been doing during all that time.
But she chose a tactful silence, keeping the secret to herself with an amused expression.
The tragedy, however, arrived in the form of innocence.
"Did a bug bite you, Daniel?" Ethan pointed his stick toward the right side of his neck.
The purplish mark stood out perfectly against his fair skin.
Julie squeezed Daniel's hand so hard he almost laughed.
"Yeah, buddy," he answered without hesitation. "A really aggressive, super naughty little bug attacked me first thing this morning."
Then he slowly looked toward Julie.
Her cheeks turned several additional shades of red.
"Where's Dad?" she asked, changing the subject at record speed.
"He went to the bathroom," Tabitha replied, rescuing her daughter from her own embarrassment.
As if waiting for his cue, the door opened moments later.
Jim appeared first. He wore the exhausted expression of someone trapped in an endless traffic jam.
Jade came right behind him. Or, more specifically, the walking definition of inconvenience.
"So you know what caused the explosion."
It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.
"I heard Ethan say you guys slept in the motorhome. You saw what happened."
"I've already told you about five hundred times." Jim pointed a finger over his shoulder without even turning around. "If you want answers, go bug the sheriff. The explosion happened next to the station. It's his problem."
The conversation with Boyd earlier had been clear: the sheriff had asked them not to share the details. At least not yet.
Jade's eyes widened the moment he spotted Daniel leaning against the porch pillar.
Jim instantly ceased to exist.
"And you?" He marched straight toward the young man. "What was that explosion?"
Several nearby residents slowed down their work.
Others simply stopped to listen.
Daniel adjusted his posture against the pillar and crossed his arms.
He looked like a merchant personally betrayed by the economy. "You know, I'd actually love to tell you."
He sighed dramatically. "But the economy is rough these days. I'm a respectable businessman now. My time is worth money."
"If you want top-tier information, you'll have to bring me a live animal in exchange."
Julie covered her mouth to hide a laugh. Even Jim had to bite his lip.
Jade stared at him for a moment.
His jaw dropped.
The disbelief vanished quickly, replaced by outrage.
"Even in a cursed town abandoned by God, I'm still trapped in fucking capitalism?"
He rubbed his temples, only to suddenly freeze.
Ethan was staring at him.
"Shit." Jade pointed at the boy. "Sorry about the language."
Daniel ignored the existential crisis. "How's the tower coming along?"
Jim let out a sigh.
"We'll probably finish the entire structure today." His professional tone returned. "The power source is still the problem."
Then he jerked his head toward Jade.
"The guy over there should be focusing on that instead of wasting time chasing ghosts."
There wasn't even an effort to make the criticism sound polite.
When they had arrived at Colony House earlier, Jade had immediately run over to Victor with questions about the symbols and the journal.
Donna had needed to step in once again before things escalated.
Jade opened his mouth to reply, but never got the chance.
A piercing scream cut through the air.
The kind that didn't need any explanation to make it clear something had gone terribly wrong.
Every head turned at the same time.
Two men hurried down the trail leading from the forest.
Between them was a third man.
Or rather, he was practically being carried.
His right leg was bent at an impossible angle.
The fabric below his knee had been soaked with blood.
He gritted his teeth as he tried to contain the pain.
He failed.
Another groan escaped his throat as the three of them moved toward the house.
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