Everyone is moving, preparing, no one is panicking because we’ve practiced this kind of emergency before countless of times.

“what is happening?” kibum asked me.

“there has been another attack. You need to go back to aunt’s house and stay with them in their bunker, you’ll be safe there, I need to go” I said as I turn toward the door.

“But—”

“We’ll talk later” then I run towards the head quarters.

When I arrived at the head quarters, almost everyone in defense is already there, preparing to go to area A. But taemin asked my team to meet him first before leaving. They were all in the long table at the center looking at taemin’s big monitor showing what’s happening in area A.

“there are so many of them” I exclaimed. Seeing those monsters attacking one panel of area A’s shield. I’ve never seen them this many, most of the packs we’ve encountered only consists of 20 to 30 monsters, but now, they are like hundreds. And they are not this organized before.

Our circle is divided by 8 areas like a pie, from A to H, each areas consists of almost 30 tall panels side by side forming our circle shield. Mostly those monsters attack per area, scattered in those 30 panels so there are not much damaged done and taemin’s team can easily recharge the panels whenever it’s slightly cracked. But what they are doing now is very unusual, all of them are focusing on 1 panel only.

“How long will it last?” I asked taemin

“that panel is broken already, it won’t be long until it falls”

“then we have to go”

“that’s not what I’m worried about”

“what?”

“Look” he widen the view of his camera, and went toward the trees going down the mountain as far as it can get. “someone is there”

“it’s a monster” I said after seeing the figure he pointed out. It is a monster for sure, though the body structure is the same with human it has that same disgusting dark skin all over it’s body almost the same color as their blood

“it’s not just a monster, it has a different behavior. Look at it just sitting there under the tree like waiting for the panels to break”

“you mean it can think?”

“I think it is smarter than the regular monsters we have encountered so far”

“don’t you think it’s just lazy?” dean asked that made taemin look at him in disbelief

“since when did a monster become so lazy to attack humans for food?!” taemin said “it is not lazy, it is waiting! Like all those monsters at the shield is its minions doing the hard work while the boss waits and enjoy the feast later”

“aren’t you just thinking this too much? We have encountered monsters that can stand like that and fight, but they are all the same. Bullets in their heads can still kill them, swords can still cut them” minho said

“it’s just…” taemin paused “when I look at it, I have a bad feeling”

“okay taemin, we will be more careful this time. But for now we have to focus in those monsters at that shield panel” I told taemin tapping his head to calm him. He nod and went back to his team to check the status of the shields while we prepare to go.

We are almost at the door of taemin’s head quarters when we bumped in with kibum catching his breath like he had run for miles.

“kibum, what are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you”

“not now please, we have an urgent matters at hand” I told him, but he did not answer. He only looked wide eyed at taemin’s big screen at my back showing the situation outside.

I turned to my team and said “you can go first and help, I have to bring him to a bunker near by” they all nod and left.

I grabbed kibum’s wrist to take him to our barracks “there is a bunker in our barracks, you can stay there until we clear this situation” I opened the door for him to go in “and please do not leave until a broadcast says so, okay?”

“don’t go”

“kibum, we’ve been doing this for many years. We can fight, isn’t that the reason you asked for my help to save your friends?”

“I changed my mind”

“what?”

“I don’t want anyone else to get involved in this mess anymore”

“kibum” I eyed him seriously “what are you saying? what is going on?”

Tears started to fall down his eyes “it’s all my fault” he said subbing and looking down at his feet.

“what fault?”

“everything! My friends being kidnapped, Monsters attacking the circle, they followed me, they have found me!”

“who?”

“those monsters! Areum, Dawo and all their children!”

I do not understand anything of what he just said. He is such a mess, sitting on the floor, hands in his face, crying himself out like he carries all the problem in the world, or maybe he does. He looked like he has been through a lot.

I grabbed his hands, tilting his head to face me properly and wiping his tears “okay, calm down. Tell me everything from the beginning”

He took a deep breath before speaking “I am Kibum of Cille family”

Cille family? I haven’t heard that name in a long time “you’re a royal?”

“I am the 2^nd prince” he declared.

“I thought, you’re all—"

“dead?”

Yes, we thought that all the royal family members are dead. They have been gone even before the attack of the monsters, that’s why there has been chaos in the government before and everyone wanted to claim the power, in the end they were all useless against the monsters, they never helped us.

“There has been news about the fire at the palace that killed everyone”

“it’s true” he said looking down again “all of my family is dead except for me”

“I’m sorry. uhm… I’m glad you survived”

He laughed bitterly “I’d rather be dead to be honest.” He said. I didn’t say anything after that and waited for him to continue.

“but it’s not the fire that killed them all. It’s those monsters” I looked at him in shock. The fire in the palace happened a few months before the monsters attacked, how can that be possible?

Kibum’s Story

We are all having dinner at that time just like any other day when we suddenly heard noises outside the dining area.

Then they came in, Areum and Dawo. We stared at them in shock because they don’t look like humans at all. Their skins are like bones, hard and white beneath those strange cloaks they are wearing. They have heads but no hair, only one eye at the center like a hole in their hard white skin. Their mouth can open so wide it can take up half of their face, but the blood, all over their mouth and those long sharp teeth, those are what I noticed first, because it’s suddenly quiet outside.

‘Good evening’ the thinner one said.

We stayed quiet, we are so afraid. I know they have killed all those people outside because why would they have those red bloods dripping in their mouth and clothes.

‘did I say that right?’ said again of the thinner one to its companion.

‘I think you said the right greeting’ the companion answered

‘then why aren’t they answering?’

‘I think they are afraid darling’

‘Well that’s rude, I thought you are the royal family. Don’t you have a proper manners on greeting a guest?’

Then my father stand up from his seat and asked them ‘who are you?’

The thinner one smiled, a very creepy smile ‘I thought you’d never ask. My name is Dawo. And this is my husband Areum.’

‘what are you doing here?’

‘well you’re a royal family so I think you would understand’ it walked closer to our table ‘you can think of us as a royal family as well in our home, since we are the strongest there. But our home kind of having a problem right now. You see, my children are starving, we are lacking of food in our home, so as any parent would do, we are looking for food. You know how grumpy kids are if they don’t get to eat right?” it stopped beside my father, but he did not move, he just stood there like a proud king normally talking to his subordinates.

‘then luckily, we found a new source of food, not just any food but the most delicious food we’ve ever tasted. Isn’t that amazing?’ it stopped talking to take out its long pointed tongue and taste the blood left in its very long and sharp fingers ‘I bet you already know what it is right? Or should I say, who it is?’

That’s when my father grabbed the knife beside his plate and targeted the eye of the monster and shouted ‘Run!!’ to all of us.

We all stood up, aiming for the door, but the other monster, the bigger one, is already blocking our way. We had nothing, no weapon to fight and defend ourselves. And we are scared.

I lifted the nearest thing beside me, which is a chair, and tried to attack the monster blocking the door.

Tried only, because I haven’t been nearing him yet, he already throw be at the wall. Pain, all over my body, and hopelessness in my mind. We are gonna die tonight.

And then we heard a scream, my dad’s scream. I looked up to him to see that his hand griping the knife if pierced through by that 1 sharp finger of the monster

‘oh come on, one thing I liked about you humans is you’re so weak, such an easy prey. You can never win against us’ and then she killed him, my dad, the king. Ate him in front of us.

I froze, tears slowly going down my cheeks. I wanted to scream but there's no sound coming out. My mother, younger sister and brothers are all screaming and crying.

‘it’s different’ she said above all the screaming

‘what do you mean?’

‘he tasted different’

‘what’s the difference?’

‘see for yourself’ she said and pointed at us

He soon then grabbed my mother. That’s when I snapped of my frozen state and beg

‘please!! Please No!! I beg you!!’ I cried along with my siblings grabbing the dress of our mother.

‘do you want to go first?’ he asked me

‘it doesn’t matter, they’re all gonna die anyway. Let’s just finish this, our children are coming’ said the thinner monster coming near us to grab my sister who’s gripping our mothers skirt.

With both of the monsters occupied, my older and younger brother made a move. Each of them slide their feet in the monsters to trip them and loosen their hold to our mother and sister, then grabbed both of them to run for the door.

I didn’t know what to do, I am the least athletic out of all 4 of us siblings, I’d prefer indoor activities like reading books, playing music and writing poetry than going outside to play sports. While the 3 of them, the elder brother, the younger brother after me and the youngest only girl, they all have a bond from playing together.

That is maybe why I did not know their plan to escape, the secret signals they have been sharing to each other to know what to do, maybe they signaled me as well, but I’m just so dumb to know, so I was left out. I was just there on the floor, not moving while they run for the door.

They almost made it out, but couldn’t. They are barely outside the door when the hands of the bigger monster changes into a shape of axe and stretched so long it reached by brothers’ back. Both of them.

While the thinner monster stretched its hands as well to grab my mother and sister.

‘now, now, let’s all behave shall we?’ the thinner one said while tightly gripping the necks of her captives and her husband eating my brothers.

I put both my hands over my mouth, preventing myself to scream and silently cried, I can’t handle this anymore. This is too much. What did we do wrong to deserve this? Why is this happening to us?

‘they really tasted different’  said the bigger monster once his done.

‘I told yah’

‘humans are already delicious, but they are so much more!’

‘I suspect it’s because they have royal blood’

‘so disappointing though that there are only 3 left, our children will not be able to get a taste’

‘we’ve only planned to start from the top of the humans to destroy their system of authority, so that our children can easily enjoy their food without interruption of these powerful ones that holds the weapons. But what a surprise! the top are actually the tastiest, I though they would all taste the same’ she lifted my mother, choking her ‘are there any more of you royalties?’

My mother did not answer fighting hard to breath ‘should I ask your child then?’ putting her down and now lifting my sister by her neck.

‘none!’ my mother suddenly said ‘we are the only one royal family’

‘shame, I would have loved each of my children to have a taste of your very rare sweetness’

‘why not make more?’ her husband said making her smile so wide

‘what a great idea Areum, let them reproduce so that someday we can eat as many royalties as we want!'

‘now the only question is which of the 3 left should reproduce?’

Dawo looked at me, then my mother and my sister holding their necks in her hands.

‘oops, I think we only have 2 options Areum, this girl is not breathing anymore’ she said dropping my sister on the floor, lifeless. ‘now, I’ll give you two a chance to talk to each other, you pick which one should stay alive and reproduce for us’ she said throwing my mother beside me, coughing because of lack of oxygen.

I grabbed her and hugged her tight closing my eyes. I wanted to wake up now from this nightmare, I want to believe that this is not true.

I tried so hard to block the noise I’m hearing, I know that they are already eating my sister, this could also be another chance to escape, but I don’t have the energy anymore, I’m so tired I just want to sleep beside my mother. If they want to kill us then just do it, I don’t have any purpose left to live.

Then I heard my mother call me by my nickname that she gave me since I was  a baby ‘kibumah, are you listening to me?’ I just nod while hugging her as an answer ‘live on my son’ she said that made me froze ‘escape here and live your life’ she continuously whisper in my ear ‘do not take revenge, just get away from here as far as you can’

I looked at her, tears in my eyes. She is crying as well but her eyes is determined, she wanted me to live.

‘I think you already made a decision’ Dawo said walking towards us ‘as expected for a mother’ then she grab my mother and throw her backward towards Areum.

‘Mom!!’ I shouted, I don’t want to be separated from her. I want to be with her, but she only smiled at me while Areum is holding her neck.

‘Now you may go’ Dawo said to me. I just looked at her with so much hatred in my eyes and did not move. She grabbed my collar to make me stand up. ‘I said you can go now. We will give you a few months to find the right girl that can produce many royals before we start the feeding. Make sure to find one before that because once the feeding starts, I cannot promise you that my children will still spare you one human girl for production. We still need to deal with the other authorities for now anyway so you still have time. And don’t go asking for their help, it will be pointless. You’ve seen what we can do right? So choose wisely’ she said smiling creepily at me again before letting go of my collar.

But I still did not move, I don’t want to do any of that, have a baby for them to eat?! just kill me now!

Once realizing that I did not move, Dawo turned to me again ‘do you want to watch while we feed on your mother?’ she asked me.

I looked at my mom, terrified. My tears are starting to fall again. I don’t want to leave her. ‘go’ she said with her low but sweet voice and smiled again at me. I closed my eyes. Finding the courage to do what my mom is asking me to do, live. Then I started walking towards the door but before I’m completely outside the dining room I heard her say ‘I love you kibumah’

Then I ran, so fast I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. My eyes blurry from all the tears but I still ran towards the gate of the palace.

My home, my family, all gone now.