A Last Chance

"How many floors do we have left?"

"Two left. Instead of asking questions, focus on what's ahead."

Scolded by his wife, Richard swiftly sliced through the Faceless before him, cutting it diagonally in half with a single, precise strike.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Are we really talking about this now?"

She was right. This wasn't the time, but the guilt gnawing at him inside pushed him to speak, to seek forgiveness. He decapitated two more Faceless with a single blade swing and continued to the ground floor. The atmosphere was dark, but the light from his sword provided more than enough visibility.

Silent Death

A reward the system had given him after completing a mission. As the name suggested, the most striking feature of the sword was that anyone killed by it would make no sound, heard by no one. It also enhanced his agility in the dark and he could illuminate his surroundings when needed. 'A true assassin's katana' Richard thought to himself.

Reaching the fire escape door on the ground floor, Richard looked at the pile of corpses amassed on the stairs.

"Phew, that was a good warm-up. You ready, Grace?"

Instead of answering, Grace just nodded in confirmation.

"All right. Finally, we're outside."

After scanning the surroundings in silence, Richard pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 11:25.

"If the scenario started at 11:00, that leaves us 35 minutes."

He turned to his wife.

"How's Damian?"

Grace's angry eyes shifted from her husband to the trembling baby in her arms.

"He's terrified. Richard, why are we out here instead of hiding? We could have just stayed here for an hour and killed anyone who came along. It would have been much easier."

Richard let out a deep sigh and explained to his wife.

"I wish it were that simple."

"What?"

" You noticed it too, right? They have no eyes, no mouth, no nose, not even ears. That means they'll find us some other way. And that way is..."

"The system tells them, or they detect everyone within a certain range."

She cut him off before he could finish.

"Bingo. Even if we didn't figure that out, hiding was never an option. The system would've closed that loophole somehow. That's why I suggested we run."

Grace's anger began to fade. She slowly approached her husband.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not mad anymore. Concentrate on them. I'll take care of Damian."

Richard felt a bit of relief come over him. He glanced at Grace, admiring both her understanding and her quick thinking. He loved how sharp she was, always grasping the situation quickly.

"Bang, bang, bang"

"Prrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

As soon as they heard the sounds, both of their heads snapped in the direction of the noise. The sound was coming from the parking lot where their car was parked.

"Was that gunfire?"

"Seems like it. Follow me slowly, we need to check it out."

They began to move cautiously, staying close to the hospital walls, crouching low. Luckily, there were no Faceless in sight. When they reached the corner of the building, Richard, who was leading, peeked out to survey the area. What he saw was far from encouraging.

The parking lot was in chaos. Several cars were overturned and bodies - human and Faceless alike - were scattered everywhere. In the middle of it all, a group of survivors took cover behind some vehicles, firing shots at something Richard couldn't immediately see. The air was thick with tension and the gunfire echoed sharply in the night.

So it seems that normal weapons can hurt them too, not just the ones given by the system. At least the damn system provided that convenience,' he thought with a sigh. The air was filled with the echoes of people screaming.

"What's happening?"

"Shhh."

Richard turned to his curious wife and put his finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. He pointed to one of the cars in the car park and signaled with two fingers, indicating 'move forward'. Grace nodded, her expression mirroring his - concerned yet determined.

But what Grace saw as she walked along was horrifying. The massive hospital is engulfed in flames, with people desperately falling out of the windows. Some people fighting for their lives, some cried for help, and some were lying on the ground, mutilated... it was all dreadful, disgusting, and nauseating. Her eyes filled with tears and she screamed inside. She wanted to help them all, but she knew she couldn't. Maybe Richard had already realized that they couldn't, maybe that's why he never talked about saving others.

Because they had priorities. A baby to protect and each other. She stifled her cry, wiped her eyes, and did the only thing she could. Keep moving forward.

They reached the car without a problem. Richard stood up slightly, scanned the area, and then quickly crouched down again. His hand moved slowly to the door handle, which he carefully lifted, realizing that in the rush they had forgotten to lock the car earlier. He even left the key in the ignition. Cautiously, he opened the door and slipped inside. Then, he put aside the sword in his right hand. Grace followed, getting into the passenger seat beside him. They both heaved a deep sigh of relief.

They turned to look at each other and then at Damian. Richard's mind suddenly wandered to the fact that he had never seen his son's eyes.

"Grace, have you ever seen our son's eyes?"

Her husband's peculiar and doubtful question left Grace momentarily speechless.

"No, I haven't, but why would you ask that now?"

Richard leaned back against the seat and stared blankly ahead, deep in thought. I must be losing it, probably just the stress,' he mused. Just then a screen popped up before them.

[15 minutes left until the scenario ends. The second phase is about to commence.]

'Wait a minute... What? A second phase? There was no mention of a second phase in the scenario details. What's going on?'

Richard, drowning in his thoughts, was brought back to reality by a series of screens flashing in front of him.

[Congratulations, you have successfully protected your child chosen by the Blood Moon. However, the Blood Moon is unsatisfied with the current outcome, as there are too many survivors.

The Blood Moon wishes for stronger, more elite children. The solution was found in the second phase.

In this phase, new Faceless will be created and they will be wilder, stronger, faster, and more resilient. Their vulnerability to normal weapons has been removed.

If you manage to survive, the rewards will be greater.]

[Once the First Candidate opens their eyes, the Blood Moon will appear in the sky and the second phase will begin. Good luck.]

As soon as those screens appeared, Damian, still nestled in Grace's arms, began to stir. Under the watchful eyes of his parents, he slowly turned his face upward and gradually opened his eyes. His crimson eyes gleamed brightly and intensely, yet given the darkness surrounding them, the sight was equally disconcerting.

Suddenly, the bright light of the moon disappeared, and in its place, a deep red hue began to envelop the surroundings. It felt like a scene straight out of a horror movie. The oppressive atmosphere, bathed in the eerie glow of the Blood Moon, made them shiver uncontrollably. The terror it instilled was beyond anything they could have imagined.

Richard lifted his head, locking eyes with his wife, who was staring at him with growing concern. His heart pounded in his chest and his breathing became more erratic. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his trembling hand reached for the key in the car's ignition, his mind struggling to comprehend what was happening.

"Calm down Grace, everything will be fine." Richard tried to say these words with a smile, but his expression and voice were more representative of the twisted fear he felt inside.

"GRAAAAAAAAH!"

Just as he was about to turn the key, a faceless creature smashed its left fist through the car window, delivering a harsh blow to Richard's face. The force of the blow shook Richard and before he could react, the creature grabbed him by the hair and began dragging him out through the broken window.

"Richard, help!"

Grace's voice quivered with desperation. The window on her side was also shattered and another one was trying to pull her out by her hair. With Grace's desperate scream, Richard tried to reach for his sword, but the creature had already pulled his head halfway out of the window. Grabbing the Faceless's arm with his left hand and holding onto the seat with his right, he found himself in a position that left no room to fight, but he had no intention of giving up.

Rather than waste time, he stretched his right leg towards the sword, releasing the Faceless's arm and holding onto the car with his left hand. In a swift motion, he kicked the sword up and caught it with his right hand, and with a single movement, he pulled himself back into the car and drove the sword into it, striking it directly in its empty, faceless visage.

The Faceless was no longer dragging him, but it still had a firm grip on his hair. Ignoring the pain, Richard turned to Grace. They holding her had almost pulled her completely out of the car. Quickly he straightened up, aimed the sword at it, and stabbed it. This time he aimed for the head but landed on the throat. It began to thrash and gurgle, releasing Grace's hair and reaching for the sword in its throat with both hands.

"Just die, you bastard!" Richard yanked the sword from the creature's throat with such force that he staggered back. He quickly cut off the Faceless's hand that was still holding his hair, finally freeing himself. Breathing heavily, he turned to Grace.

"You okay? Did they hurt you? How's Damian?"

"We're fine, don't worry." She panted, equally out of breath.

"GRRAAAAAAAH!"

The roars of more Faceless echoed around them. Without wasting another second, Richard put the sword in his lap, started the car, and drove away from the hospital as fast as he could.

Richard looked in the overhead mirror and saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of Faceless chasing the car they were in. He heaved a deep sigh.

'We managed to escape for now.'