Chapter 33: A Night of Terror

In the evening, Matt first told his daughter, Sally, a few bedtime stories. Once the little girl was asleep, Matt leaned a longsword against the headboard and placed a dagger under his pillow.

He also checked that his door was locked securely and hung a cup on the handle, ensuring that if anyone tried to open it, he would inevitably be awakened.

Having finished this, Matt intended to return to bed, but before he had moved far from the door, he suddenly heard footsteps in the corridor.

Matt’s nerves tightened instantly. He slowed his movements and gently lay on the floor, trying to peek through the gap at the bottom of the door.

Beyond a dim, yellowish light and standard-issue military boots, he could not clearly see how many people were there. However, this did not stop him from hearing the footsteps stop right next to his room.

The room next door was the living quarters for the two military chaplains. Why would anyone come to find them in the middle of the night? Matt moved his body to press his ear against the wall, hearing the sound of the door opening on the other side.

"Who is it...?"

One of the two chaplains was quite elderly and a light sleeper; this small disturbance seemed to have woken him. But as the question was voiced, Matt heard a sudden acceleration of footsteps, followed by the muffled sound of the old chaplain’s mouth being covered and the dull thud of blades piercing flesh.

"Drip!"

The sound of some liquid dripping and sliding down the wall reached his ears. Matt’s heart tightened—this was clearly the sound of blood hitting the floor.

His expression turned to one of terror. He carefully retreated from the wall and sat on the edge of the bed, shielding his daughter with one hand and gripping his longsword with the other, staring at the door in extreme tension, dreading that someone might break in.

The activity in the corridor did not stop. This time, Matt could more clearly hear something being dragged, along with footsteps heavier than when they had arrived. The sound moved further away from his room, then stopped abruptly.

"Clack, clack, clack!"

One of the sets of footsteps returned quickly. This time, it stopped right in front of Matt’s door.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Dr. Matt, are you asleep?" The voice outside was very young. Matt remembered it as Corporal Karl, who had come to him for medical treatment not long ago.

Matt initially didn't want to answer, intending to pretend he was asleep. However, the kerosene lamp in his room was still lit, and the light leaking through the door gap must have attracted the "thing" outside.

Forcing himself to keep his voice from trembling, Matt walked to the door and whispered, "Who is it? My daughter just fell asleep; please don't speak so loudly."

Corporal Karl outside lowered his voice politely. "I'm sorry, Dr. Matt, I apologize for bothering you. It's Corporal Karl. I just wanted to ask if you heard any strange noises. Perhaps a wild cat or something similar slipped into the doctors' quarters."

"No, I haven't," Matt replied quickly. "I was just telling my daughter a bedtime story and didn't notice any animal sounds."

"My apologies for the disturbance. I hope I didn't wake your daughter. If you see that little cat, please let the guards outside know, and we will catch it. Goodnight, Dr. Matt."

"Thank you for your hard work."

***

Once he was certain the people outside had left, Matt let out a long sigh. The shirt on his back was soaked with sweat.

If the events of the past few days had been mere speculation, then everything that had just occurred confirmed his fears.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Matt’s mind was in chaos. He didn't know what the situation in the camp was—whether these strange soldiers were only a small portion, or if...

Having served in the military for nearly a decade, Matt’s brain was in a state of total shutdown. The safe camp had likely turned into the most dangerous place imaginable; even if he managed to escape with his daughter, the surrounding forests were fraught with peril.

A sense of despair began to creep into Matt’s heart, but when he looked at his daughter’s sleeping face, he forcibly suppressed this pessimism—he could not lose hope, or there would truly be no way out.

Matt took several deep breaths and used basic Light spells to soothe his spirit, attempting to regain his composure.

"I must escape... not just for Sally, but to warn the outside world about what is happening here!"

He didn't know how many people in the camp had turned into monsters, but connecting the dots with previous events and the strange behavior of Commander Wesley, Matt prepared for the worst.

"Why would these creatures come to assassinate the chaplains in the middle of the night?"

What was the difference between the chaplains and the ordinary soldiers? Matt could think of only one answer: they were blessed by the Light and could wield its power.

In other words, the influence corrupting the camp could not directly twist those protected by the Light. Perhaps this was why he and little Sally had not been affected? And because he was not a true chaplain, he was not considered enough of a threat to be targeted tonight?

Matt suddenly felt that his hypothesis might be the truth. That would mean Sarian, who had only joined the camp a few days ago, was likely the only other normal person left!

But this also meant that he and Sally were in grave danger. Perhaps by tomorrow night, or even the second half of tonight, they would come to eliminate him, the "anomaly."

However, the doctors' and chaplains' quarters were some distance from the soldiers' barracks. Matt had no confidence that he could bypass the sentries and patrols to find the new recruit.

He felt frantic. Was he really just going to sit in his room and wait for death?

"Tap, tap!"

The familiar sound made Matt’s heart jump. He gripped his longsword and stared fixedly at the window by the desk, from which the sound had emanated.

Matt swallowed, wiped the sweat from his palms, clutched the sword hilt tightly, and moved toward the window.

"Matt, it’s me! Sarian!" a very low voice came from the window.

The doctor paused, but he did not let his guard down. If Sarian were one of them, or if someone were impersonating him, he and Sally would be doomed.

Sarian heard no movement from the room and, guessing what was wrong, whispered, "At noon today, by the wood-chopping area, two cigars."

***

Matt pondered for a moment before deciding to open the window.

Sarian climbed in agilely. He was wearing a thin, coarse linen shirt, and his boots were stained with mud. Once inside, he quickly and quietly closed the window.

Seeing Matt holding a longsword and staring at him with suspicion, Sarian gave a wry smile. "I’m a normal human, not one of those monsters."

"You saw them too?" Hearing Sarian’s words and noticing he was unarmed, Matt finally let his guard down.

Sarian shook his head. "I didn't see them; I smelled the scent of blood."

"I remember today isn't your night watch. How did you get here?"

"It’s true, I wasn't on watch. I was planning to sleep—but there was a damn cat meowing outside, and I intended to chase it away." Sarian’s expression was grave. "But as soon as I stepped out of my room, I felt something was wrong."

"What happened?"

"I was too slow to react. It wasn't until I was outside that I realized the entire woods were deathly silent. Where would a cat be meowing? Then, I smelled the blood."

Sarian seemed unable to believe what he had seen. His expression and tone were clearly shocked. "While I was hiding in the bushes, I saw Karl and the others... eating something."

"Ugh!" Understanding what "something" referred to, Matt imagined the scene. A wave of nausea surged within him; even as a battlefield medic accustomed to gore, the thought of such a sight made him retch.

"I think you’re right. There is something truly wrong with this camp. It’s no longer safe here."

Sarian had gone to great lengths to bypass Karl and the patrols. To avoid alerting the guards at the door, he had chosen to climb to the window of Matt’s room and knock gently.

"What do we do now?" Matt asked, knowing that when it came to combat and breaking through lines, Sarian knew much more than he did.

"I don't have armor or weapons. It’s impossible to escape empty-handed," Sarian said sternly. If it were just him, he might have a chance to sneak out.

But once he was carrying Matt and his little daughter, Sally, the idea of avoiding the guards was a pipe dream.

"I have a set of spare leather armor in my storage chest. As for weapons... can you use a two-handed sword?"

Matt’s gaze drifted to a large greatsword hanging on the wall. It was far too heavy for him; it was purely a decorative item in the room.

"While I’d like to say it’s best not to take heavy weapons, right now, it’s better than nothing."