Summoner: The Book of Dimension

66 The Book Of Dimensions

The light on the torchlight looked like party lights while Peter struggled to push David off of him. He was coughing and out of air and he knew that if he let him keep doing it, he could die.

Peter brought up his hand that was holding the knife and stabbed David by the neck. Once, twice, thrice until the blood gushed from his neck down to his face.

He pushed David easily off of him and sat up, threw the knife away, and removed the blood from his face with his hand. He looked at his white shirt and it was stained by David’s blood. His arms and neck felt sticky and he assumed he was covered by David’s blood.

It was his first time killing a person. But he wasn’t left with any other choice. He was possessed by the shadow monsters that was trying to consume and kill him.

He stood up and saw how David gargled the blood that was gushing in his throat, his eyes still flaring red. The shadow monsters were still there.

He grimaced. He felt bad that David was killed that way and it was by his own hands. He didn’t want to watch him while he was dying so he turned around and continued his way to the mansion. He still had a long way to get there and the shadow monsters were following him on his way there.

When he reached the mountain hill where the mansion was, the small bungalow by the foot of the mountain was empty. Well, he wouldn’t be surprised if the caretaker living there was possessed by the shadow monsters.

It took him a couple of minutes to get to the mansion.

The light inside gave him hope because the torchlight was starting to get dimmer. He reached the front door safely, the shadow monsters hissing at him. They were probably in dismay because they couldn’t possess him.

He locked the front door and placed the torchlight upside down at the table of the entrance. He walked further until he reached the lobby, tiredness rushing through his body.

Everybody looked at him in shock to see the blood on his face, neck, arms, and most of them were stained at his white shirt and the strap of his backpack. His pants had splatters of blood as well and he was reeking smell of iron.

He looked at everybody’s face and they looked so shocked and scared of him. He chuckled. Well, he just killed someone and with the blood all over his body, they wouldn’t hesitate to think he did.

Ray and Zack walked to him when he flopped on a chair with a sigh, putting his back on his lap. “Peter! What the hell happened to you?” Ray asked.

Peter looked at him. He didn’t know where to start, he was shocked himself and he was exhausted with that running and walking. Instead, Peter asked back, “Where’s Emma?”

Ray and Zack looked at each other. “She didn’t come back. She left the briefcase but it was empty,” Zack said.

Now, Peter had to laugh like a lunatic. He was right but they didn’t believe him. “Of course. She wouldn’t come back for an empty briefcase,” he started. “Whether it has something or nothing, she’d never come back because she intended to leave us anyway,” he said and looked at everyone. “What did I say to you all? Emma is doing something. She left us here as prey to whatever in the hell was outside at this town. It was her intention to leave us here all alone.”

“Peter, what happened outside? Is this your blood?” ray asked tugging slightly at the sleeve of his shirt, avoiding to touch the part where there was blood. “Or should I ask whose blood is this?” he whispered.

“I killed David,” he said and the thought of David’s last moment made him shudder.

“What? You killed who?” Zack whisper-yelled. Everyone wondered what they were arguing about, but Peter cared less.

Peter thinned his lips and sighed. “You don’t know what I faced outside. He was possessed by shadow monsters and he was trying to kill me,” he said. “I had no choice. If you were in my shoes, you’ll do the same,” he said.

Ray ran his fingers through his hair while Zack sat back to his seat.

“If that Emma really left us here for danger, should we leave the mansion?” Violet asked.

Peter shot him a ridiculous look and chuckled. “I dare you all to try. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get back here alive. Let’s see who manages to come back here alive,” he said.

“What’s on the outside?” One of the attendees asked, and he looked like he was the oldest of them all. Well, aside from the maid and Mr. Benedict.

“What’s on the outside? You don’t want to know. ‘How many are them?’, that’s the real question here. If you come outside, you’ll either come back here looking like I do, with blood all over your body or you’ll be one of them,” Peter said. He didn’t mean to scare them, but the answer to their questions was scary and he couldn’t find any other answer to give them.

Ray walked to him again. “What are these shadow monsters?” he asked. He didn’t know if he would believe his friend but as far as he knew, his friend was not a killer. He knew Peter would be eaten by his conscience to do such. He wouldn’t kill until he was left with no choice to do so.

“I don’t know where they came from, but the way they appeared right after Emma was gone, they might have been connected to Emma,” Peter said. “But for now all I could say is that those shadow monsters, they wouldn’t be able to get here. This is the only place with light in this town.”

He continued, “First, they possess or attach to a creature. Animals or humans. When they do, they control that person. They can lift things and they are powerful in the dark. They are afraid of the light. From the name itself, they were translucent shadows.”

“How come you can see them but we don’t?” Zack asked.

Peter was flustered. If he revealed he used magic, they would suspect him of other things. “I don’t know, I just become able to see them. Besides, you can’t see them now because they are not here. They can’t come in here, they are outside.”

“But Emma…Based on your description, what if she was possessed by them?” Ray asked.

“I don’t care about Emma. I just know I’m going to kill her myself one day if I get the chance. And she’s gone. She was checking the time as if tracking it. She knew something was going to happen at some time. She knew it, that’s why she left,” he said.

“If that’s her doing, why did she do it?” Zack asked.

Peter nodded in agreement. “I thought so too. But I think we’ll figure it out soon. But first, we need to make a plan. I don’t think the shadow monsters would stay outside without doing anything. They might want to try everything to get here,” he said.

He decided to change his shirt. While Ray and Zack were thinking about some things, he removed his shirt reeking with smell of blood, and unzipped the bag to get his shirt. He accidentally pulled the book and its corner could be seen at the opening of the bag. He quickly took his shirt and hid the book before he zipped the bag.

He looked up to see if his friends saw it. And Ray did see it. His mouth was opened. “You brought it here?” he asked.

Peter quickly wore his shirt but Ray only used that time to snatch the bag and open it to take out the book. Peter panicked and took it from Ray before stuffing it back into his bag and zipped it. “I didn’t bring it for fun. I was planning to destroy it in Josh’s tomb,” he revealed. “It’s mine anyway. I’ll do whatever I want in this. And I want to destroy this before we get into more trouble. It’s better to end it like this.”

But since they still had the problem with the shadow monsters outside, he still had to keep it until Josh was buried.

“I think I get it now,” Zack started. “It’s because of that book.”

Peter looked at him in confusion. “What are you saying?” Ray looked at Zack as well, still, in disbelief, he brought it there.

“Those shadow monsters that you’re saying. The book must’ve attracted the shadow monsters. That’s why they’re here,” Zack said.

Peter laughed. “No way. That’s not the reason why. If it’s because of the book, then it should’ve come the moment I came here. But no. It came right after Emma left,” he pinpointed that it was Emma that was at fault.

“Are you just being in denial? Because if it’s the book’s fault, then it’s yours, too? You’re the one who brought it here. You sound like you’re just blaming Emma when it is your fault,” he accused Peter.

Ray was in between them in case they started to fight.

“No, you don’t understand—“ Peter stopped from talking when they heard loud whispers banging at the doors from outside.

Everyone was terrified and Peter knew it wasn’t just him who heard it.