(POV – Protagonist)
In short, Emily explained the main points about the anomalies to the man. Naturally, she left out some details—perhaps because she deemed them irrelevant at the moment or didn't want to overwhelm him with unnecessary information.
Still, she covered the essential topics: what anomalies are, where they came from, what they seem to want, and why they attack humans. Unfortunately, even on these core issues, the answers were few and unsatisfactory.
Emily made it clear that the organization responsible for dealing with those beings existed primarily to understand them better. Even before needing to explain why, she warned the man not to leave the diner under any circumstances.
Curiously, he seemed to grasp the gravity of the request immediately, as if he already knew what he would find outside. This was something I had also noticed at a certain point: for some unknown reason, the anomalies wandering outside rarely invade buildings—unless their entrances are open in some way.
The man also asked a few questions, mainly about whether there was any way to face the creatures hiding in the mist. Emily's answer was straightforward, almost curt: it depended on the creature in question. Some could be avoided, others, even the most prepared wouldn't stand a chance.
However, she mentioned that I had walked through the mist for quite a while—long enough for her to observe several types of entities wandering there. With a deep voice, she warned the man categorically: if he dared leave the diner, he'd be dead before even realizing what hit him.
After Emily's words, the man stayed silent. From what I could tell, he seemed completely absorbed in his thoughts—probably trying to process all the new information he'd just received. His vacant gaze and the tension in his shoulders revealed the growing confusion in his mind.
And honestly, I couldn't blame him for that. I remembered the first time I woke up in that strange forest: I was just as disoriented as he was. In an instant, my normal life had disappeared, and in the next, I found myself hiding from bizarre creatures—they looked like dogs, but there was something deeply wrong about them.
"All this talk about anomalies and strange events... it's hard to believe" the man murmured, his voice low, almost lost in the hum of the diner's background noise. His eyes slowly drifted toward the fogged-up window, fixing on the thick mist swallowing the street outside. A brief silence followed before he added, in a resigned tone: "But after the things I've seen out there... I guess I have no choice but to accept everything you've said"
The moment after his words, the man turned his gaze directly at me, locking eyes with mine in an unsettling way. Instinctively, I tilted my head slightly, intrigued by that direct look.
Why was he staring at me like that? A brief silence hung between us until his words broke the stillness, carrying a subtle weight: "I have one last question"
"What do you want to know?" Emily's voice echoed through the small speaker on the camera attached to my chest, sounding clear and curious.
Just before speaking, the man continued staring at me in silence, as if searching for an answer in my face. In the next moment, his lips finally moved: "You called her the Angel of Death, right? Can... can we really trust her?" he asked, his voice laden with doubt, still not breaking eye contact with me.
The camera attached to my chest remained silent for a few moments. To be honest, the question made me reflect. Deep down, I had never stopped to think about it: what exactly did Emily think of me up until now? Did she still see me as an anomaly to be contained, a mistake that needed close monitoring? Or maybe as a weapon—a useful tool she could activate in decisive moments?.
The truth is, I wasn't sure. And, to be honest, I didn't think our relationship would change that much, even if her answer wasn't what I expected. In the end, I know what I am. A monster—a creature with powers that defy any human understanding. And that alone shapes how everyone sees me.
As these thoughts mixed in my mind, Emily's soft yet firm voice echoed in my ears: "You don't have to worry. The [Angel of Death], I can guarantee, is on our side. On the side of humans. You can trust her" The certainty in her words brought a slight relief through my body, though a sliver of doubt still clung to my insides.
After Emily's words, the man closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his gaze met mine in a way that was different from before, when fear and doubt had dominated his expression. Now, he seemed more relaxed, his posture less tense, as if something had softened inside him.
Of course, it wasn't like all his uncertainties had disappeared at once, but it was clear that Emily's words had made a significant difference, providing him with a welcome sense of calm.
Looking at me, he gave a faint smile, almost imperceptible at the corner of his lips: "Well..." he began, his voice carrying a hint of surprise: "This is pretty weird, but anyway, I need to explain to the others what I've discovered... can you come with me? I think now would be a good time to introduce you to them"
I couldn't quite understand what the man was planning to do, but in the end, I just nodded, standing up from my seat. When I turned around, my eyes met his. He was watching me with a curious gaze, almost as if he were trying to figure something out.
"You really seem to understand what I'm saying..." he said, his voice marked by genuine surprise, as if it were the last thing he expected to see.
Honestly, I didn't understand why he was so surprised. Emily had already told him before that I could understand human speech. Anyway, the next moment was basically a round of introductions.
The man led me to where the others were, but as soon as I approached, everyone quickly backed away from me. At least this time, they didn't try to intimidate me with brooms. The tension in the air was palpable, but at least it seemed like I had earned some kind of respect, even if fragile.
Setting that aside, the man began explaining the current situation to the others. Calmly, he addressed the topic in a concise manner, also mentioning my presence and the presence of other anomalies. However, he made sure to emphasize, with great care, that I did not pose a threat to humans. He further highlighted that I was willing to help them, stressing that, in addition, I was able to understand human language perfectly.
Although everyone still carried doubts about the man's words, in the end, they had no choice but to believe him. The silence that followed was broken by a voice echoing in the room. A feminine voice, the only one among them, heavy with melancholy. Her soft tone, laden with sadness, seemed to reflect the uncertainty that hung in the air.
"When exactly is this fog going to disappear?" The question cut through the air and, instantly, everyone fell silent. It was a doubt that lingered in everyone's hearts, but no one had an answer. After a few seconds, the woman continued, her voice trembling: "And even if the fog clears, will the monsters outside really vanish with it?" The weight of uncertainty hung in the room, making the atmosphere even heavier and more tense.
The room fell silent again. No one could answer the woman's question, and in the end, all of them were nothing but victims, unfortunately trapped in this misfortune. Of course, there was one person in particular who, with ease, could provide an answer to such a question, but her presence seemed distant, as if she were above all of this.
"Although we can't prove it, there are compelling reasons to believe that when the fog disappears, the monsters will vanish as well. In short, it's as if there are two realities: the one anomalies inhabit, and ours. Something happened, and both realities ended up overlapping" Emily spoke, her voice sounding clear, though slightly distorted by the camera attached to my chest, as though echoing directly from her mind.
Looking at the reactions around me, it was clear that not everyone fully understood the weight of Emily's words. However, a collective sigh of relief seemed to spread among them, as if her simple confirmation that everything would return to normal at some point was enough to ease the tension.
Yet, as this sense of calm spread through the room, a familiar feeling hit me again: something was gripping my clothes, pulling me gently, almost like a furtive touch. Looking down, I saw the little girl—the man's daughter who had, moments before, been talking to Emily—gazing up at me with a curious and somewhat lost look, trying to get my attention.
The others noticed the little girl approaching me, but something in their behavior had changed. They didn't seem as protective as they had before. Of course, they were still alert, as if ready to intervene if I made any abrupt or threatening movements.
However, for now, it didn't seem like they were going to try to attack me or take any hostile action. As this thought played out in my mind, I slowly began to move my hand toward the little girl's head.
Every move I made was watched closely, and the silence seemed to heighten the tension in the air. When my hand finally reached the top of her head, I hesitated for a moment, feeling the softness of her hair, before I started to gently pet her.
As I stroked her hair, the little girl closed her eyes, and a sweet, serene smile began to form on her face. Her lips curved slightly, and a soft, tranquil giggle escaped her mouth: "Hehe..." The gentleness of the moment seemed to spread to everyone around, causing small smiles to appear at the corners of their lips, as if the peace of the moment had wrapped around them as well.
I don't know what the others thought of the scene, but, in any case, one of the men, the oldest in the group, continued watching me with a thoughtful expression, as if trying to understand what he was seeing. His serious demeanor did not fade, and, seconds later, he broke the silence with his deep voice: "Still, it's impressive. A being with no organs, yet still alive. And more, it seems to breathe, even without lungs, as if it were a necessity, even when clearly it doesn't need to"
In the next instant, all eyes were on me. Honestly, I didn't have much to say. As I've mentioned many times, my body was, in a way, transparent. It was possible to see through me, but, contrary to what one might expect, there was nothing inside.
I was a complete void, devoid of any organs. Though curiosity was evident in everyone's eyes, it seemed they were examining me as though I were some spectacle in a zoo.
Maybe it was just my feeling, but I couldn't help thinking that this was how they saw me. The moment, however, was abruptly interrupted when a loud bang reverberated against the diner's window, causing everyone to turn toward the sound, distracted from me.
I was no different. My gaze, almost instinctively, was drawn to the window. Outside, something was moving in the air. It was small, about the size of a sewer rat, but its resemblance to a bird was only superficial. It had a beak and wings, yes, but there was nothing natural about its form.
Its body was a grotesque mass, made entirely of pulsating, raw flesh, without a trace of feathers or fur. The most terrifying thing, however, was the space where its eyes should have been—an immense void, an infinite darkness, as if the abyss itself had been ripped from its being.
After a sudden shock against the diner's glass, the creature jerked its head as though trying to recover from the impact. But the movement was strange, distorted, as though its neck were too malleable.
Then, it turned its head with an impossible flexibility, the sound of the movement sharp and sinister, almost mechanical, like the turning of an owl's head, but without any grace. Its lack of eyes, that absolute void, was the only place I could focus.
It looked around, as if assessing the environment, and in the blink of an eye—faster than any human reaction—it disappeared upward, vanishing into the darkness of the night. The place was left in absolute silence, oppressive, as if the air around had frozen.
No one inside the diner seemed to know how to react to the sight. The shock had left them speechless, paralyzed, as if we were all waiting for reality itself to swallow us whole.