novelraw Chapter 138: Uncle
Chapter 138: Uncle
“Lu Li! There's another member of this family!”
Having made the critical discovery, Anna spun around and shouted.
“I see.”
Lu Li’s eyes were on the window. As the lightning faded, the silhouettes at the treeline disappeared back into the darkness.
Lu Li's unwavering calm was infectious, and Anna felt her own anxiety begin to recede... But wait, what did he mean, "I see"?
Anna stared at Lu Li's back in disbelief. Another flash of lightning lit up the enormous, dark figure, but its hand was empty.
A sharp, alien sound cut through the roar of the downpour outside.
Lu Li's eyes narrowed. He crouched, moving out of the window's line of sight.
Crash!
The window exploded inward, spraying shards of glass into the cabin on the wind and rain. Something flashed in the lightning and slammed into the wooden wall opposite, the blade of an axe burying itself halfway into the timbers.The window curtain whipped in the driving wind and rain. Lu Li got to his feet, squinted toward the edge of the forest, and then started toward the dark silhouette at the cabin's entrance.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps, like muffled thunder, echoed through the wind. Boots slogged through puddles, sending clumps of mud flying. A bestial figure radiated pure menace from just beyond the doorway.
The door flew open with a shriek of tortured wood, shattering into splinters as it slammed against the wall, making the entire cabin shudder.
A towering figure in filthy, dark-blue overalls filled the doorway. Its stubbled chin cleared the top of the doorframe, and water streamed from its boots.
In the flickering firelight, Lu Li raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A plate-sized hole blew open in the massive figure's chest, revealing a strange substance that looked like sawdust.
The figure stood, unmoved.
The Spirit Gun was useless again. It could only inflict superficial physical damage on these things.
The figure took a step, its heavy boots thudding against the floorboards as it entered the cabin.
Its face was stiff and wooden, vaguely reminiscent of the cabin's owner. It seemed to ignore Lu Li by the fire completely, making its way toward the axe embedded in the wall.
Lu Li exploded into motion. He holstered the spent Spirit Gun, crouched, and lunged at the "uncle". As he passed the fire, he snatched up a burning branch, spun, and hurled it like a spear at the creature's head.
Thwack!
The flaming branch embedded itself in the "uncle’s" head next to its ear, showering sparks, but contrary to all expectation, it didn’t catch fire.
The rain-soaked clothes wouldn't burn.
Lu Li’s attack finally drew the "uncle's" attention from the axe. It turned its head toward Lu Li, the burning branch still lodged in its skull, and swung a calloused fist at him.
Lu Li threw his arms up to block. A palpable shockwave shot through him at the moment of impact, and he was flung back against the wall.
“Lu Li!”
Anna unleashed her telekinetic power, wrapping it around the "uncle's" torso as it marched toward the axe, but her effort slowed it for only a heartbeat.
“How... It’s not working at all.”
Anna froze in astonishment.
“Don’t try to hold it back. It’s too strong.”
Bracing himself against the wall, Lu Li struggled to his feet, just in time to see the "uncle" wrench the axe from the wood and start toward him.
The axe whistled through the air. Forgoing any attempt to block, Lu Li rolled aside, dodging the downward chop.
The axe blade bit deep into the wooden wall, sending splinters flying. The "uncle" yanked it free and advanced on Lu Li once more.
Lu Li glanced at the gash in the wall, a cold wind whistling through it. He couldn’t let the creature destroy the cabin, and dodging was too difficult in such a confined space.
Ducking under a wide swing of the axe, Lu Li bolted out of the cabin.
Anna watched Lu Li dash out into the rain, the "uncle" close behind with axe in hand. She snatched the oil lamp and flew out after them.
She remembered the open doorway this time.
The downpour hammered the earth as lightning split the sky. Anna saw Lu Li sprinting toward the sawmill, the "uncle" right behind him, raising its axe for a swing.
Anna's eyes widened in terror.
“No!”
The axe left the "uncle’s" hand, spinning end over end through the air. In that instant, the world seemed to slow to a crawl. The raindrops fell languidly. The axe turned, cutting through the air... hurtling toward the dark, fleeing figure in the distance...
Time snapped back to its normal pace. Just as the axe was about to strike Lu Li, he stumbled and fell face-first into the mud. The axe whistled over his head, shearing off a lock of his hair.
I did it...
Anna, who had used her telekinesis to trip him, let out a sigh of relief. A wave of fear washed over her. She couldn’t bear to imagine what would have happened if Lu Li had been killed.
A mixture of fear and relief brought tears to Anna's eyes, and a lump formed in her throat.
Thunk.
Lifting his head, Lu Li saw the axe buried in a wooden post.
“The axe...”
Lu Li muttered, pushing himself to his feet and turning to face the "uncle".
There wasn't a trace of fear on Lu Li’s face, as if he hadn’t just cheated death. Rain streamed down his soaked black hair as he squinted at the massive figure approaching through the storm.
“I didn't kill your family,” Lu Li stated suddenly.
The "uncle" froze for a moment, then continued its approach.
It understands, but it isn’t reacting.
Lu Li sidestepped and watched as the "uncle" lumbered toward the post where the axe was embedded.
It throws the axe, then walks to retrieve it, ignoring its enemy...
Splashing through the puddles, Lu Li darted toward the "uncle". The creature turned its head and lunged for him.
Prepared for this, Lu Li dodged back, evading the grasping hand, and watched as the "uncle" once again turned toward the axe.
So it only reacts to proximity.
Lu Li blinked the rain from his lashes and sprinted to the post. Before the "uncle" could get there, he seized the axe with both hands and wrenched it free.
This...
For an instant, a haze seemed to fall over Lu Li’s eyes. He quickly said something to Anna, who was hovering beside him.
Without waiting for her to respond, Lu Li looked up at the advancing "uncle", hurled the axe as far as he could, and charged straight at the creature.
As Lu Li closed the distance, the "uncle", which had been about to lumber after the axe, changed its target and lunged for him instead.
Lu Li ducked under one grasping hand but couldn’t dodge the other. A cold, hard palm slammed into his gut.
“Ugh!”
His insides twisted into a knot. Lu Li doubled over, gasping in pain, as a powerful hand seized him by the throat and lifted him clear off the ground.
Creak... crack...
The fingers tightened, and a terrifying, grinding sound came from Lu Li's neck.
Suddenly, the grip slackened. The "uncle" stood frozen for a few seconds, and then its head slid from its shoulders.
Lu Li collapsed backward, revealing the girl in the white dress standing behind the headless body. She held the axe aloft, panting heavily.
A raspy voice cut through the sound of the rain.
“Well done, Anna.”