White flew ahead and perched on the roof of Mr Jarvis' car."It's not too late to turn around," she told Eryk.Eryk steeled himself and kept walking. In the distance, he heard the bells from the Rockwool Prison tower chime that it was 7:00 p.m.The sun had long since set, and it was already quite dark in the sky, with only visible dark clouds. There is no pale moon, let alone stars."We could go into town and loot a dumpster of chicken restaurants," Black said. "Why do we have to come here? Wasting time! There are many choices in town. And as long as I can remember, you haven't paid off your promise to feed me a delicious dinner, Wayland!"Eryk stopped. He tried to cover up his nervousness by slipping his hands into his pants pockets. His back was slightly bent, and his face looked pale. Eryk was always pale and thin."I want to do this, attend the Jarvis family dinner," Eryk said to the two birds."But, you don't look like you want to go, Eryk. Your face is ashen, even paler than usu
The atmosphere in the dining room really felt very awkward. When Alland left the room to get a plate, Eryk thought about turning around and running away."They clearly don't want me here. I should have listened to White."Eryk tried to smile. But he was sure it would look more like a grin. Mr. Jarvis nodded as if he wasn't sure how to respond to Eryk's smile. Mrs. Jarvis slowly put the plate on the table, and Alyssa avoided meeting Eryk face-to-face."Please, sit down!" said Mr. Jarvis to Eryk. The man also turned to Alyssa and asked the girl to return to her seat.Nervously, Eryk did as he was told. His hands are placed on either side of his body while sitting. Everything looks immaculate! Walls, floors, and tablecloths. He barely dared to move for fear of getting all those things dirty.For a moment, Eryk felt like a fool. He had completely forgotten what it was like to be rich with all the luxuries that existed. Six months of being homeless and living as a vagabond on Rockwool City
Eryk froze for a moment. He tried to digest what he was seeing. Coki was huddled at the bottom of the stairs and barking like crazy. While Alland screamed and kept screaming.A snake lying on the carpet. The snake's scales were dark and about three meters long. The snake's body was coiled up, but its short fat head lifted off the floor.Eryk was about to jump but was held back by Mr Jarvis."No, step back!" he said. "That is dangerous.""Get away from my dog!" Alland shouted at the snake. "Coki!"Instead of retreating, the snake darted forward. Coki's bark became squeaky when the snake's fangs bit his leg and got stuck. The brown-haired dog growled, nibbled, and rolled around. He writhed until he managed to free himself.The snake hissed, turned, and slithered straight at Alland. Its eyes were emerald and shiny. The snake watched Alland's every move closely.Eryk broke free from Master Jarvis' grip. He had grabbed the lamp in the corridor, unplugged it from the socket, and tossed it a
Eryk woke up even before the sun really came up. He stretched all the muscles of his body that felt stiff and sore. His skin tingled in the cold air."It's so good you can sleep. Meanwhile, I have to stay up all night,” complained White."Aren't you a nocturnal creature? You should have stayed up all night. Go to sleep now. Let me take turns guarding.""Guys, what are we looking for and waiting all night for?" Black rejoined after jumping out of the bushes.The three spent the night in a tree trunk across from Jarvis's house. Even though White urged Eryk to return to the lair, Eryk did not sleep a wink. He had just drifted off to sleep when the morning was just around the corner and was awake thirty minutes later. They argued all night.“What if the big man comes back? What if his two comrades—the strange woman and the hunchbacked man return?”Eryk remembered how strong Snake Eyes was when he was in the alley. He is no ordinary prisoner. And Eryk began to relate the escape of the conv
After half a year of living alone with White, Eryk had even gotten used to the bird's constantly changing moods. The white owl might be stubborn, but this time it was different. She looked hurt."Come on," Eryk said to Alland. "Let's go."They had gone some distance along the garden side when Eryk noticed the two birds were not following him. He looked back and saw White and Black perched where they had been while watching him leave with Alland.Then, Eryk realized something."She's jealous of Alland?" he thought. "Sigh!" Eryk took a deep breath. "White is annoyed that I didn't rely on her this time.""Is everything all right?" Alland asked."Fine," replied Eryk. His voice was cold.Eryk turned away from the two birds and kept walking. "Occasionally, I have to make decisions and do things that might go against White's will. Here, I was the summoner—the master. White is the summoned spirit that I should be controlling."There are several routes to the city from the abandoned playground
"Well, not right there either!" Alland said with his trademark grin. "But, before we come to Alyssa's place, we have to request access through the library."It was Eryk's turn to frown. "Requesting access through the library? I do not understand what you mean. Is she someone important in the library or something?""The business card Alyssa gave you is actually a book club membership card. And only some people can get that membership card. That means if it's your first time getting it, you must confirm your identity as the official owner of that membership card. And the confirmation process can only be done through the library.""Does that mean I have to ask your mom's permission first? She is, isn't she, the head of the librarian?"Alland shook his head vigorously. "Not! Even Mom doesn't know about this book club secret. But we have to see the Head of Archives, Mr. Lewis. He's in charge of the book club and members' special access.""Head of the Archives? Mister Lewis?""You should ha
"Is Mr. Lewis dead?"Alan's question echoed in the quiet library room. Eryk let go of Alland's embrace."Wait here. I'll check," Eryk said firmly.Eryk stepped to the side of Mr. Lewis' seat. The man's odd and lifeless facial expression looked like a mannequin's. Eryk could barely meet the man's eyes that were once full of kindness.Eryk checked Mr. Lewis's wrist to ensure there was no pulse. His skin was still warm and soft."He's dead, but it happened recently," Eryk said regretfully.Without Eryk noticing, Alland was already standing beside him. The boy's face was red, and tears were ready to burst from there."Why?" asked Alland, sobbing. "Mr. Lewis has never hurt anyone. He helps people. He was always kind to the whole club."Alland slumped beside Mr. Lewis. It was then that Eryk noticed Mr. Lewis's hand was tightly clenched, and inside, he could see something white."Control yourself, Alland. Look, there's something here!" said Eryk, pointing at Mr. Lewis' clenched fist. "He mus
"Aarrgh!"Alland screamed somewhere not far from where Eryk was standing. The boy was attacked by a giant spider.Eryk was about to approach the boy, but something hit his side, and he fell. Hot and sticky liquid sprayed on Eryk's face. The liquid dripped from above, and Eryk realized it was saliva from a giant spider's mouth.One of the spider's forelegs, which had black hair, held Eryk's arm. The weight of the spider's arms forced the air out of Eryk's lungs. The spider's pair of red eyes stared at Eryk with its clawed mouth closed. Then, the mouth opened slowly, only a few inches from Eryk's face.Eryk was sure the spider would soon sink its fangs into its tender flesh. He also felt the lizards rushing away as if terrified of the spider."If I were you, I wouldn't move," Black Widow said.Eryk turned away from the spider's legs with great difficulty and saw that Alland had also been pounced on.Black Widow stood not far from the spider, still pinching Eryk's chest. The woman snappe