Chapter 32 A Missed Call

As a white van zoomed through the streets of Brislane, Ethan sat in the passenger seat and let out a weary sigh. Despite his relief at finally being on the move, he couldn't help feeling anxious about his phone's low battery, which had just died. With no way to contact Sasha, he turned to Izora, who was driving the van. She looked worn out, with tangled hair and a sad expression.

In a feeble voice, Ethan asked her if she had a phone he could use. Izora shook her head, her eyes glued to the road. "I forgot it," she said softly. Ethan suggested stopping at a public phone nearby, but Izora explained that they were almost at their destination and there were no public phones in the area.

Ethan nodded slowly and closed his eyes, still feeling weak and vulnerable. If it weren't for Izora's assistance, he would have been left lying on the street, surrounded by lifeless bodies, unable to move or escape.

Then, out of the blue, Izora offered a solution. "Wait a minute," she said. "I think there's a charger in the glove compartment." Ethan opened his eyes and pulled out the charger. He quickly plugged it in and breathed a sigh of relief as the phone began to recharge.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. Izora smiled softly and replied, "We're in this together."

⸻????⸻

Just twenty minutes ago, Izora had heard the terrifying sound of gunfire ringing out outside the house where they were hiding. The ear piercing roar that followed was like nothing she had ever heard before, causing her entire body to tremble. And then, suddenly, everything went silent.

Now, as she sat behind Sam's chair with her eyes shut tight, Izora's lips trembled with fear. What should she do next? The oppressive silence seemed to smother her, reminding her of the nightmare she was living through.

Why was she still fighting? How much longer did she have to endure this? Maybe it would be easier to just give up and die. It was a thought that had crossed her mind many times before, but...

"Sydney," she whispered, taking a deep breath. No, she couldn't give up. She had to see her daughter again. Ethan's face appeared in her mind, the only person who had shown her any kindness and support in a long time.

He had just risked everything for the person he cared about. He had listened to her, believed in her, and promised to help her when things got tough.

Izora wiped away her tears and stood up, her determination reigniting. She picked up her phone and muttered, "Ethan, you trusted me. And now, I will trust you and do what you said."

Izora trusted Ethan's judgment despite her previous reservations. She felt an intuition, something she had almost given up on, but she wanted to rely on it one last time.

After making a call, she approached the window with caution. The outside was pitch-black except for one blinking streetlight, and she could only see Ethan's figure lying on the ground.

She hesitated, but eventually made her way towards the exit. Suddenly, she froze and her expression changed as she saw a horrifying sight in front of her.

A decomposing corpse was melting away in a disgusting pool of putrid liquid, its skin dissolving and dripping onto the wooden floor. The thick, acidic fluid was corroding the wood, and the putrid smell was overwhelming.

Flies were swarming around the corpse, attracted by the smell of decay. The sight and stench were too much for Izora, and she doubled over, retching and vomiting on the floor.

Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Izora stumbled back to the window and jumped out of it, bracing herself for the impact. As she rushed towards Ethan's motionless body, she couldn't help but panic. Was he really dead? His eyes were wide open, and his body was completely stiff.

Izora knelt down beside Ethan and held her trembling hand near his nose. She felt his faint breath and let out a sigh of relief. As she watched, Ethan's lips moved, but no sound came out. She leaned closer to hear him better, and he spoke in a quiet, breaking voice.

"Izora, please drag me to the house, near the window, and then drag Sam towards the window too."

Izora was momentarily stunned. "What? Okay, I can drag you there, but Sam…should I throw him out? Even that will be difficult."

"No," Ethan's voice was hoarse. "We still don't know why he's so valuable to the Dark Moon group. Just drag him near the window, and then I'll use my ability. For now, just pull my arms."

"Okay," Izora replied, biting her lip. She ignored the stench of burning and carefully dragged Ethan towards the window, taking her time to avoid injuring him further.

But when it came to Sam, Izora covered his head with her tail to protect him and roughly dragged him towards the window.

After a few minutes, Ethan still had his eyes closed, and his breathing was labored. Izora decided to let him rest and hurriedly picked up a key before dashing towards a garage located a hundred meters away from the damned house.

⸻????⸻

Izora's hands tightly gripped the steering wheel as she drove the van, her mind and body exhausted. She was still terrified, wondering if she would ever see her daughter again. What lay ahead for her? Despite her fear, she pressed on, determined to reach her destination.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ethan's phone finally charged enough to turn on. His face went pale as he saw a notification on the screen. It was a miscall from a familiar number—Sam's boss.

"How...?" Ethan muttered, his voice trembling. "How did they know it was me!?"

***

Status:

[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 22]

[Current State: Below Critical]

『Health: (70/100) [x 3]』

『Arcane Points: (90/90) [x 3]』

『Stress: (100/100)』

『Charm: (100/100)』

『Special Points: 415』

『Fragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)』

[Stats:]

『Strength: 17.5 (+17.5) [x 3]』|『Agility: 8 (x 3) [x 10]』|『S. Stamina: 20 (+20)』

『Health RR: 3 [x 3]』|『 Arcane RR: 60 (x5) [x 3]』|『IQ: 125 』