Chapter 7

He was trapped. This is not how he imagined his end at all.So soon and at the talons of smoke dogs!!

The dog 's grins and growls were audible despite being completely dressed in the dark of the night.Reed turned around to check if there was an escape route but he couldn't find anything of the sort..As he had his gaze turned behind him.The dog that was Infront of him jumped towards Reed s body after it had been moving in small circles..The wolf smoke scattered into a dark cloud and engulfed Reed underneath..The last thing Reed saw was a dark blanket as he was swallowed entirely.

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"Sir, sir!!You can't just pay and leave.Sir!",the teller lady who was probably in her late teens if not early twenties yelled at the figure.The figure was wearing a dark cloak despite how incredibly hot it was. The figure completely ignored the teller lady and walked out of the inn.And the figure headed west.

The owner sighed as she saw the figure behave with such unparalleled arrogance towards her daughter.She got off from behind the table where she was having tea and observing this episode.She stood while still complaining that the man was being too rude by walking away while Ming was talking. She followed the path of the figure and walked to the door, pretty certain that this man was probably waiting outside.She was fully prepared to explode on that rude man .As soon as she steeped out side on the veranda of the inn, she suddenly stopped talking.Her hurdle of insults froze at her tongue as they were replaced by a pool of confusion.She looked to the east and back to the west. She descended the steps of the veranda, then headed west.

Mrs Lee is the inn owner.She inherited this inn after her husband passed away, therefore she is left running the place with her only offspring Ming. Mrs Lee has always had too much pride but who can blame her ,she is rich, and probably thinks that the whole world belongs to her.The only people she fears are God and the King. There was a time when she even had made fantasies about being friends with the king such that the king would always visit her reputed inn.She even prayed and fasted for some nights begging fate to make their paths cross however that didn't materialise hence her hope started to flustered..If she only she knew that prayers do come true ..

Anyway because of Mrs Lee s inn and the fact that Mr Lee was incredibly social,She became popular among the locals.They would occasionally visit her and give her gifts hoping that she might reward them but much to their disappointment, Mr Lee is not Mrs Lee.That being that,infront of her inn there were several hawker stands.The small business owners actually attracted customers to her inn and her to them.So their partnership or mere aquintancy was well founded .Even if they hated her and her awful manners that were sometimes disguised underneath the well planned masquerade she posted,for the sake of their business ,they would put on a sherade of warm emotions while secretly cursing one another.So as she passed ,the people on the streets kept greeting her ,she waved back but her attention was to find the figure..The streets were crowded as always meaning that she struggled to locate the figure so she kept losing him.Ahead she saw an intersection just a few feet from her inn.She stopped to survey the area to pinpoint the figure once more.She was inclined to take the left but something made rotate her attention to the right.She stood for a few seconds looking to the right..As if on a spell ,her feet carried body forward.After turning right at the intersection ,she walked for hardly a handful of steps and finally she saw the cloaked figure she had been chasing.The figure turned its slightly and rushed forward between the crowd.The lady didn't stop and headed towards the figure.She kept pushing through the crowd towards the figure.

The figure turned in front of a sewing shop into a corner.The corridor was just made of walls of the sewing shop and restaurant.And this particular passage was isolated and empty almost like it was another world on its own. Mrs Lee headed in that direction and she turned into the corridor.As soon as she turned ,her eyes landed on the empty hallway. She walked Inside while her gaze was to the sky.She scanned the entire passage as she took small slow steps. She was confused but strangely enough she wasn't shocked at how the figure disappered.Mrs Lee stood there arms akimbo for just a sprinkling of seconds before she gave up on her hunt.She lowered her gaze to the floor.As she turned around and her lowered gaze saw the trail of the cloak .There was about a half a meter between them.Mrs Lee slowly raised her eyes still leering at the cloak.She raised them slowly until she was staring deep into the hood of the cloak.. That's when it hit her.The cloak had no face.

The wind blew of the hood and there was nothing underneath.. Suddenly the cloak fell to the ground on the spot..The spot that initially occupied by the man was now occupied by a piece of fabric on the ground.Mrs Lee began to panic as she was tremendously horrrified and started taking steps backwards but she lost her balance.As soon as she lost her balance and fell on on her rear, dark smoke swirled out of the cloak and slithered her. She tried to back off while still seated on the floor but the smoke moved quicker and closer. Why couldnt she scream?! Ohh that's the right, the hypnosis chase. Make the victim chase you in a certain pattern and that temporarily distract the victim from the present situation . . Eventually the snake was infront of her like a cobra with its torso towards her.Just as she was huffing and puffing, the cobra transformed into an anaconda.She opened her mouth so wide the only she did was squeak.Streaks of perspiration evolved on her somehow unwrinkled forehead.That squeak was probably an attempt to scream. The head of the anaconda divided into five heads each syncopating to the same rythmn. The moment she comprehended the snake dance and everything started to make sense almost like she had just woke from her sleep,her head started twitching and she got into phychogenic seizure. Tears where falling involuntarily and her skin changed colour to purple.She fell to the ground and started to shaking probably due to the syncopation caused by extreme shock..The snake saw this and stopped moving about.It contracted back to human figure but still a smoky form.The figure walked over to the twitching woman on the floor and squatted next to her.A smoke filled tentacle emerged from the back of the figure and lifted the lady s head .She involuntarily got raised and as she was twitching with fear , the figure looked at her.She was about to let down her guard when suddenly the figure let out a snarl and with that white waves eminated from her face into the wide mouth of the figure.As the waves emitted ,her plushed face became dried out.The energy left her body and into the creature. The creature was stood up and outstretched its arms and faced to the sky.The tentacle let go of the corpse and it thudded onto the ground...Just as the figure did this a person emerged into the hallway and spotted the creature in action .The boy dropped the book he was carrying and his mouth followed the motion of the book.The creature lowered its face and turned to the side and then without shifting its gaze, it shot a tentacle at the speed of lighting towards the boy!! Snitches get stitches!!

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Adrian shot up from the bed.This hasted motion compressed his skull, cooking up a storm in his head.he placed his hand on his temple massaging it before successively moving the palm to rub his eyes.Where was he? Wait..Are these tears? Adrian used his other hand to wipe his face and he indeed felt drops .He wiped his face agressively and stared at his hands. They were drenched in tears.What!!Was he crying in his sleep?

He looked out the window while still on the bed and a gentle breeze blew on his face.The strands of white hair that were cajoling on his face were blown out of the way and hung on the air.His whole visage was exposed.His diamond shaped eyes, gorgeous nose, pale white skin and thin pink lips.All of it were on display and not a single flaw was on sight..This is the first time in who knows how long that he had ever felt the wind on his face.Adrian dropped his long lashes and as he did this , a crystal shaped tear trickled down his face .He felt his mood suddenly drop. He placed a finger on the tear stream and slowly wiped away the tear..As he did this he opened his eyes slowly and those magical orbs were a shade redder than his lips.He exhaled heavily and just as he was about to drop his head back to the pillow,a earpiercing scream resonated from a nearby area....

An old woman was screaming at the site that just befell her

"Xiao Yuuuuannn!!!!!"