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Etienne was practically dragged into the massive cable car carriage. His legs had long since stopped listening to him, feeling as if they were filled with molten lead; every step exhausted all his strength.
When his feet touched the floor, a sticky, slippery sensation transmitted through the soles of his sneakers, causing the churning in his stomach, which had just subsided, to surge once more. He didn't dare open his eyes. He could only keep them tightly shut, attempting to deceive his own brain. But that stench of blood, so thick it almost seemed to solidify, permeated everything.
The silver cross at his chest was gripped so tightly it felt hot.
"Dio, abbi pietà di me..." (God, have mercy on me...) "Padre nostro, che sei nei cieli..." (Our Father, who art in heaven...)
His lips trembled as he repeatedly muttered prayers in his native Italian, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. This was the only straw he could grasp to prevent himself from completely breaking down.
Noah and Claire did not rush him. They walked silently to the very front of the carriage, near the driver's control console. The floor here was surprisingly clean. Only a few drops of long-dried, dark-brown blood were scattered sporadically across the white alloy floor. It was a neglected corner of the slaughterhouse.
Claire stepped forward, her slender fingers resting on a dusty red lever on the control console. She pushed it down with force.
"Hum—Creak—"
The entire carriage gave a sudden jolt. Immediately after, it began to move slowly along the straight track toward the endless darkness ahead. The world outside the carriage was completely swallowed up. No lights, no points of reference—only absolute, pure darkness. The pale lights inside the cable car were like a lonely, moving cage traveling through a deathly silent void.
Etienne slumped onto the cold, relatively clean floor, clutching his knees. He still kept his eyes closed, the prayers never ceasing.
Noah leaned against the cold control console, staring into the bottomless darkness as if he wanted to see right through it. A warm hand gently took hold of his. Claire's soft body leaned against his shoulder, placing most of her weight on him. This silent reliance was more comforting than any words.
"What are you thinking about?" Noah's voice was very light, breaking the silence.
"I was thinking about whether Leon will be driven crazy by Sherry after we get back," Claire replied, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"It's very possible," Noah nodded. "I bet Leon's biggest headache right now isn't those endless reports, but answering Sherry's hundred thousand 'whys'."
"Then when we go back, we have to bring him a big gift to reward him for being a temporary nanny."
"Yeah, that's a must." Noah's voice became softer. "She'll definitely be happy. When she sees us, she'll surely rush over and hug us both at once."
Claire's eyes turned tender. "Do you think she's grown taller?"
"Definitely. Maybe next time we meet, she won't need us to hold her anymore."
"That won't do," Claire countered with a hint of possessiveness. "She will always be the little girl who needs us to hold her."
Noah laughed. "Alright, always."
These lines of ordinary conversation were like a clear spring flowing through the foul carriage, temporarily blocking out death and fear. Etienne's praying stopped; he had heard them, and a faint light flickered in his hollow eyes.
In this isolated tunnel, time lost its meaning. Finally, a speck of eerie green light lit up in the distance.
"Clang—!"
The carriage jolted and came to a halt. The powerful inertia caused the mangled corpses at the back to slide forward. The door on the right made a mechanical sound as it prepared to open.
"Don't move."
Noah grabbed Claire's arm just as she was about to step out. He bent down and pulled a blood-stained boot off a nearby corpse. He weighed it, then swung his arm. The boot flew through the door and landed on the empty platform.
"Thud."
Silence. No roars. No movement. Noah nodded, his nerves relaxing slightly. He turned and patted Etienne.
"We're here. Remember, stay close. Don't fall behind by even a single step." Noah looked into Etienne's eyes. "Otherwise, if you encounter another monster, no one can save you."
Etienne nodded frantically. He scrambled up, put away the cross, and pulled the silver Beretta from his waist. The cold gun gave his trembling hands a sense of support.
The three of them stepped off the cable car. The platform was identical to the one they had left, but here, there was no blood—it was so clean it was unsettling. They walked toward a pair of large sliding doors that opened without a sound.
Behind the doors was a massive, circular room. A ring of dark-red leather sofas sat along the curved walls. It looked like a high-end reception area, but it was covered in hideous scars. Deep gouges were everywhere, violently scratched out by massive, sharp claws—some deep enough to expose the steel rebar.
"It's too clean here," Noah's brow furrowed.
"No blood," Claire added, her MP5 scanning the room. "Very strange."
While they focused on the eerie room, a shadow jumped down from the hole in the cable car roof behind them.
It was the Licker that had escaped.
Its four feet landed softly. Its exposed, wrinkled brain twitched. A long, whip-like tongue flicked out, sniffing the air greedily. Its target was the warm scent of living beings still lingering in the hall.
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