Becoming a Monster

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Me or Them?

”Raven, we discussed this before, now isn’t the time for us to make our move. You may save one of them by intervening, but what about if ’they’ come? We need to save our strength while we still can.”

Peterson sternly reminded the fiery woman. Although Raven’s advance was halted, it didn’t stop her from delivering an aggressive glare in return, which Peterson shook off. He didn’t take her aggressive stance personally. He was a very observant man, one who was quite adept with reading and analyzing behaviors, From what he could understand of Raven’s actions, he couldn’t bear to fault her for anything.

Levi, on the other hand, Peterson hated his guts. Despite the somewhat unfair treatment Levi was subjected to that led to his unlawful arrest, Peterson hated Levi’s ideology that police and the government were no longer needed, which undermined Peterson and his fellow officers at every turn.

Although Raven reluctantly stayed, the hostility in her gaze didn’t change, nor did her sole focus on her group.

With the deep tension circling amongst them, the trio stood silently amidst the sound of gunfire and ravaging growls.

”Hmmm?” Suddenly, Levi broke contact with the approaching zombies, looking beyond their numbers.

Both Raven and Peterson quickly picked up on his change, shifting their own focus to the direction of his gaze. The action was almost unnoticeable, but gradually, the zombies at the rear began to diverge from the rest of the pack.

Besides Levi, whose expression remained unchanged by the surprising development, the other two were anxious about the identity of the new arrivals. Even more so, there was a budding hope that they can get out of their despairing situation without the sacrifices of many.

———

Meanwhile, on the other side of the zombie horde, Noah impassively stood in place, watching the others fight with reckless abandon.

The only stir in his heart came from the fact that every zombie slain was a networth of experience he was missing out on.

His odd behavior was being scrutinized by Ailetta at his side, hesitant to join the battle, yet curious to know why the battle manic wasn’t participating.

Not wanting to question his motives a second time, she opted to analyze him deeply, pondering his behavior and potential motive herself. Her peering gaze grabbed at Noah’s attention as he tried to ignore it, but as time went on, he became more conscious of her penetrating stare.

Although she didn’t explicitly say it, Noah knew that she wanted to participate in the fight. Deep down, he felt unsettled by the thought, believing she was once again tempted to confront the monsters only when it concerned the safety of ’those’ people.

Contrary to his shelved belief, Ailetta was now anxious for a different reason. Despite her ”friends” safety being one of the reason’s for her eagerness, the priority set in her heart now was to prove herself to Noah, especially after her near-death experience. If she could prove herself useful to him now, then maybe he would consider taming her when....

”Le....” Noah’s sudden voice spooked her from her thoughts, causing her body to flinch strongly as a result. Instead of teasing her for such an embarrassing reaction, Ailetta noticed that Noah never looked in her direction.

”If you had to choose between them and me, right here, right now, then who would you choose?”

The question wasn’t one that Ailetta was ready for. The palpitation of her heart instantly stopped altogether before suddenly spiraling out of control. ’Don’t tell me he plans to kill them all?’ Her thoughts went to the most drastic conclusion. To her very own surprise, she still found it difficult to make a decision.

Thud*

When she felt that she couldn’t bear the emotional stimulation anymore, a heavy impact collided against the dead center of her forehead. A yelp escaped her lips as she crouched down, massaging the now injured area. Tears gradually built up within her eyes as she looked up, noticing Noah questionably looking at his own finger after delivering such a powerful flick.

”Really...I can just see from your face that you were thinking something bad about me.” Noah shook his head, not letting her tearful expression affect him. Rather, his expression hardened as he gestured for Ailetta to look towards the others fighting.

”Before, I was confused, why would people who feared the zombies, who feared death so much, decide out of nowhere to attack now, of all times?” In the midst of his thoughts, Noah’s gaze ventured past them and the zombies, landing on the station not too far away.

”That’s when I understood, how could I forget such a basic human thing. People will always be discarded when they are no longer needed, or in this case, they will discard you for something ’better’.” Noah’s somber tone held a sense of amusement as he returned his gaze to match Ailetta’s. The pain from before was almost unnoticeable; her focus latched onto Noah’s every word. She could sense where he was going with this, and that notion is what made her want to listen to the end.

”Even throwing themselves into the mouths of hundreds of zombies, zombie’s that..... by far, are out of their league; I can already tell that they are banking everything on the people at that station....Le, this will most likely be where we will part ways...”

As the conversation edged closer to its end, there was an unsettling glint in Noah’s gaze, it was disturbing, filled with an unmistakable sense of danger. Looking into those haunting, malevolent orbs, Ailetta wasn’t confronted with the sense of fear, she saw loneliness within his gaze. The friction undergoing inside her heart soon stabilized. Her heart held a steady rhythm but each palpitation affirmed her of her choice.

She didn’t answer immediately; instead, she worked her way onto her feet, her sights motioning towards the abomination’s corpse as she performed her summon.

”Noah...” She calmly called out, coming face to face with ’something’ that didn’t resemble a human or monster. For the first time, Ailetta came to fear Noah’s presence. His dark silhouette gave out a chilling aura that pricked at her skin. His ghastly, inexpressive face contracted with his glowing orbs, which seemed to glimmer more dauntingly than before.

Noah’s inner emotions were crumbling from within, his mind beginning to cloud over, his heart slowly becoming numb. Deep within his consciousness, there was a shallow version of his human self that was being drawn into the jaws of a monster that defied logic and reasoning. Ailetta was his last anchor, his last bit of security keeping his human soul intact. And now...the assumption that Ailetta made the choice to leave began to simmer a change.

But as his human soul was halfway within the maws of the atrocious aberration, a shining beam enveloped the ’world’. The aberration shrieked in seething resentment as it was so close to succeeding. As the beam encompassed the human soul, the beam enveloped the soul and a comforting embrace that gradually took on the human version of Ailetta.

Waking up from his enthrallment, Noah found his face buried in a bundle of hair, soft cries originating from the small furry.

”Idiot...” the voice said between sobs, as Ailetta lifted her face to meet Noah’s gawked expression. Her face suddenly thrust forward. The action was considerably slow in Noah’s perception, but the lack of danger prevented him from reacting. With her emotions at their peak, Ailetta finally acted on her feelings, performing the only action that could make Noah understand her determination and choice. Their lips pressed together, and Ailetta’s heart fluttered as she poured all her love into the kiss. Her eyes were tightly closed, her hands trembling as they firmly grasped the sides of Noah’s face when she felt the kiss not being reciprocated.

Noah was lost in an otherworldly trance, questioning the reality of what was occurring. The tenderness, layered on with the comforting warmth of her lips pressed against his was a feeling akin to ecstasy. His senses were focusing on the sensation that he forgot what a kiss was. It was when he felt the tremors along his face that he understood Ailetta’s own turmoil. He was unsure of his own actions, and yet his body acted almost instinctively.

A soft pressure pushed back against her own lips, causing her to abruptly open her eyes. Their eyes locked with one another, a supposedly uncomfortable situation turned into conveying emotions without words, conveying their shared longing for each other.

During this time, Fenrir paid little attention as the abomination’s corpse showed movement. Since nothing further transpired, he returned his focus to his ”toys” struggling among themselves, his tail wagging furiously in eagerness to play.

Arachne on the other hand was unable to pull her gaze away from the ”charming” couple. Jealousy, no....Envy, with a touch of possessiveness embodied her aura. She couldn’t confirm what exactly about what they were doing incited such feelings, all she knew was that she wanted whatever they had for herself. Subconsciously, she caressed the same hand that Noah previously held, trying to replay the sense of affection she experienced before.

When it seemed that their touching moment could last for eternity, terrified screams began to ring out one after the other. Ailetta was the first to break off the kiss as she worriedly looked past Noah.

There was a subtle trace of disappointment in Noah’s gaze, but that too was replaced with gnawing curiosity about what was happening.