Monster on Our Land

Chapter 4 : Explanation

Anne's smile made James cringe. He wanted to get out of the car and run away from Anne, the long-armed creature. Unfortunately, James felt his leg was in a lot of pain, like a broken bone. However, it wasn't. James' fear made him unable to move and also hyperbolized the pain like a broken bone.

"Hey, handsome...don't try to run. I'm trying to save you," Jessica said as she wiped the blood that had started to flow from her temple past her right eye.

"Y-you're trying to kill me?" James ventured to ask.

Anne just gave him a sweet, mysterious smile. The blonde woman raised her hand to touch James' pale, cold face.

"You have nothing to fear, dear. We'll be safe."

Despite being touched by a beautiful woman, James felt uncomfortable. Anne didn't seem human. James feared he would be killed at any moment by this woman.

James' breathing again became short and labored, making him feel claustrophobic. His hair stood up until his ears perked up as well.

"Look at Jessica's body, James."

Trembling, James did as he was told. Jessica's body returned to a human body. There were no more scales on her face or red eyes, just a human corpse with its chest pierced by a rebar.

"Jessica?"

"That's right, her body became human again. We could have been caught by the police if we hadn't done this. I saved us both from being charged with murder," Anne said.

The tension in her body faded. He now knew she meant him no harm.

"But did it have to come to this? What if we die?"

Anne just smiled a little at the question.

"At least we're alive, right?" she responded as she pulled out a cell phone.

Anne then called the nearby police and asked them to come and rescue them, along with an ambulance.

***

James and Anne received treatment for their wounds. Surprisingly, their injuries were not severe. The two people only received a few bandages and stitches.

Jessica's body was taken to the morgue for autopsy, leaving James and Anne to pretend to be sad and depressed so as not to look suspicious.

"Mr. James, I'm Edward from the police. Please tell us what happened in the tunnel. We need information for further action," said a well-dressed male police officer. He held a pen and a small memo in his hand.

James had tears in his eyes, his face was red, and his breathing was labored. His demeanor was that of someone who had just lost a loved one. He sat on the examination bed with no shame to cry in front of the doctor and nurse.

"Jes. Jessica..." he whimpered while closing his eyelids with the palm of his right hand.

Edward felt sorry for the sight. A man rarely cried, but for once, he could understand it. When losing a loved one, isn't it natural for anyone to call?

Edward placed his right hand on James' shoulder, patting it several times to calm him down.

"I know it's hard, but everything will be fine. For now, let us get a statement from you, so we can investigate."

James wiped away his tears.

"Yes...I'll tell you the story. We were on our way to a party, I went in a car with my girlfriend Jessica, and also her friend Anne. As we went through the tunnel at high speed, it suddenly became very dark. We couldn't see anything at the time and became very panicked. It wasn't long before the accident happened. Out of nowhere, our car hit a piece of metal attached to the tunnel wall. I was so scared at the time, it happened so fast! I couldn't realize what was happening. I only felt pain in various parts of my body. And when I opened my eyes, I found Jessica in a terrible condition. Her chest was pierced by that iron-"

James did not continue his words, tears came out of his eyes again. He wiped his eyes several times with the sleeve of his suit.

Edward sensed something off about James' story but couldn't put his finger on it. James's story was exactly the same as Anne's one, where he had asked for information earlier. Edward was convinced this was no ordinary accident but something someone had done on purpose.

Unfortunately, there was no CCTV footage or witnesses, and the current evidence made him believe James and Anne's lies. It made him doubt his hypothesis, especially after seeing James telling the story while crying.

"Alright, Mr. James. Thank you for the information," Edward replied briefly. Then he left James with the nurse.

After Edward left the room, James saw Anne, who had stitches on her temple and a bandage on her right hand. She stood leaning her shoulder against the exit door of the examination room, waiting for James.

"You are not seriously injured, you can go home immediately, Mr. James," the nurse said to James.

James gave her a wry smile. The nurse walked out of the room while Anne walked into the room, approaching James.

"Follow me to my house!" she pleaded.

***

The two of them entered a relatively large house. Anne, although James didn't know her well, James could see that Anne was quite wealthy. James followed her into a bedroom, Anne's bedroom.

"Sit down, James. Don't be shy," Anne pleaded, pointing to a neat and soft bed.

James rested his butt on the mattress, feeling that it was a waterbed that felt comfortable to sit on.

"About-" James wanted to start the conversation, but he found Anne undressing her top in front of the mirror, making her white crop top visible. Her navel and abs were clearly visible.

Anne's body had lovely curves, and her skin and muscles looked tight. She had the body of a model. James became distracted and turned his attention to the side.

"About?" Anne asked James back while looking at James' reflection in the mirror. She found James, who turned his gaze in another direction.

"Are you embarrassed, handsome? Is this your first time seeing a woman's body shape?" Anne asked teasingly with a slight smile.

She picked up the clothes in the closet and put them on, letting James blush.

"Ern...well, about that incident...don't you owe me an explanation, Anne?" James ventured to ask. James was sure that Anne must not be the wrong person.

Anne turned around, folded her hands, smiling a little at the man in front of her, who looked confused and blushed.

"Sure, I'll tell you."