Chapter 2: Not a friend

Chapter 2: Not a friend

Though I’ve never experienced it, the feeling as if an earthquake had occurred quickly subsided.

Perhaps due to some great pressure that made my body tremble, it felt like an earthquake.

Considering that my surroundings did not shake, the possibility of it being an earthquake seemed less likely.

Then what on earth... could it have been?

Based on the common sense of an ordinary person, I couldn’t even begin to guess its identity.

I may try to guess with my sense, but even with that unrealistic...

In my contemplation, I look at my sticky hand.

...Having already taken on this slime-like body, it strikes me as amusing to think of it as unrealistic.

And then.

*Thump, thump, thud!*

*Thud!*

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

A sound, as if hitting a solid floor, echoed.

The tiny sound that I heard was gradually, slowly getting louder.

Or, to be precise, it seemed like it was getting closer to me.

An ominous sound comes from the dark space beyond the small light bulb.

My wobbly body shivered sharply.

As I heard the sound getting closer, I looked around anxiously.

There was nowhere to hide. Whether I couldn’t find the place or it didn’t exist, I didn’t know, but for now, there was none.

What I can do right now is simply run in the opposite direction of the noise.

Having organized my thoughts, I quickly moved my body.

For now, it seemed better to avoid confrontation.

*Thud, thud, thud.*

The sounds of my sticky body hitting the hard floor resounded faintly.

For some reason, there seems to be less stickiness compared to earlier.

So... does it feel easier to run now?

...Is it because I felt a threat to my life, unlike a while ago?

I don’t know. Because even though it’s my body, it doesn’t feel like mine, I have no idea what has happened.

Since it made escaping easier, I didn’t particularly mind. I was thankful, if anything.

To avoid the sound of footsteps chasing me, I entered a dark corridor without light bulbs.

It seemed like hiding in a dark place would be fine no matter what was chasing me.

I crouched my body tightly in the darkness, almost as if I were lying down.

Then, I focused on the sound coming closer. The footsteps were near.

Before long, the identity of the thing unsettling my mind became clear.

“Heh, heh, heh...”

A group of animals passed through the passage where I was hiding.

They appeared somewhat ambiguous, making it hard to distinguish whether they were dogs or wolves.

They seemed to be in a rush, passing through the passage at a very fast pace.

While relieved that they were not after me, their appearance of being chased by something unknown gave me an eerie feeling.

It meant that there was something here that could make them run away.

They seemed bigger than me, which alone was not good news at all.

The reasons for escaping from this place seemed to be increasing.

It didn’t seem like they were specifically looking for me, but I stayed flat on the ground for a while, observing the situation.

I concentrated my senses on the path they took.

Amidst the gradually fading sounds, I heard barking noises.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

I was confused about whether they were wolves or dogs, but it looked like they were dogs.

...Since they were similar, I wondered if it would be meaningful to distinguish them in this environment, but it was.

How long have I been lying flat, stifling my movements?

Just as I thought it was all over, a mouse began to approach me for an attack.

*Grumble!*

*Jiggle!*

Before I could even give it a name, the mouse melted with bubbling noises.

While I was feeling strangely bitter, I felt something dripping onto my body.

*Bubble.*

*Bubble! Bubble! Bubble! Bubble!*

Like my ‘friends’ bubbled inside me, offering nutrients for me.

I was expecting the face of that guy to bubble, too.

Or he would suffocate in my jelly-like insides.

One of the two was likely to happen.

I hoped it would happen.

It wasn’t that easy. I realized how gently my friends had approached me.

*Boom, boom!*

The guy inside me shook his head like crazy, making bubbling sounds.

In order not to fall off his face, I stuck closely to him.

Putting conscious effort into hugging his face tightly, I desperately hung on somehow.

*Bubble! Bubble! Bubble!*

Whether it was effective or not, the sound of bubbling came harshly from the guy’s mouth.

*Thunk! Urgh!*

Seemingly not satisfied with just shaking, the guy slammed my face against the wall.

Small pieces scattered on the floor.

However, there seemed to be no significant outcome. It appeared that despite his best efforts, the falling pieces were extremely minimal.

*Bubble! Bubble!*

The rough breathing of the guy became thinner and thinner.

Unlike with ‘friends,’ the extinguishing of life felt blatantly real, yet I desperately turned a blind eye to it.

Otherwise, I might be the one dying.

*Bubble... Bubble.*

His movements slowed down.

Perhaps due to hitting and swinging the head, something seems to have gone wrong.

There’s a bitter taste.

Finally, at what seemed like the end, his teeth touched something precious inside me.

Indescribable emotions overflow in my mind.

Something immeasurable was felt, yet ultimately at the end of it all,

There was death.

*Thud!*

Perhaps it was his last move, but he eventually lost his strength and fell to the floor.

...Did I kill him?

Although aware that it shouldn’t be said, those words came to mind on their own.

I felt like I understood the emotions of those who uttered those words.

Victory.

It was a situation that could be described as such. Yet, I didn’t particularly feel refreshed or a sense of accomplishment.

I only heard a simple impression of survival. No, I was rather feeling extremely unsettled.

I was not someone who felt guilty about eating animals, but the sensation of life fading away before my eyes and inside my body...

It wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Contrary to those thoughts, my body savored the victory, and I started to digest the one I had brought down.

It tasted slightly better than rats, but the taste was not much different.

*Bubble... Bubble.*

The difference is that the amount was large enough to make me think it was on a different level.

In my head... do I actually have a brain right now?

Am I... truly myself?

Startled by disturbing thoughts that suddenly came, I focused on eating to push them away from my head.

The taste of contaminated skin and fur.

Soft and weak raw meat.

Organs and blood.

Bones, claws, and molars.

Everything.

Just when I managed to eat up everything with great effort.

A bubbling sound started to emanate from my body.