Providence New World

"Hold it!!!" I shouted to my family as I held the door that connected the storage room we were in to the main hall of the supermarkets.

"Help me, Dad, Mom, Valno, Tessa… Ughh…" I groaned, my plea echoing in the tense air.

Brakk brakk brakkk!!

Graaooghhhhlleaaaa!

Ghraaaaghooooo!

Ghawrrrgghoo!

The ominous sounds of ghoulies, just beyond this door, instilled fear in our hearts. This door stood as the sole barrier between us and the pack of ghoulies outside, and I couldn't hold it alone. That's why I pleaded for their help, shouting frantically to rouse them from their frozen shock.

Ahhh… Cmon, help your brother, Valno!! My dad responded, being the first to wake up. My brother followed his command, sprinting alongside him towards me.

Brakk brakkk brakkkk!!!

Ghleaaaaghhhh! Ghraghoooooo! Gghhhhhaaaa!! Ghaaaaa!!!

Find something to block the door! Try looking for something heavy and bring it here!” My dad commanded. My mom, along with my sister Tessa, immediately went towards the nearby rack and tried to move it towards the door.

Damn! Its heavy. Ughh…” My mom struggled to move it alongside my sister. The rack moved slowly, but the pack of ghoulies outside became more aggressive. There were approximately four to five of them, all banging on the locked door.

"Hurry!" I shouted as I pressed my back against the door, attempting to transfer as much force as my feet could generate, combined with my body weight. My dad struggled alongside me. Sweat started to drip down our heads. My legs began to ache, and it hadn't even been five minutes. The only thing keeping the door secure was a piece of metal slotted between it and the connecting wall. The moment it gave way, our lives would be over. All our efforts thus far were focused on reinforcing that connection, adding more support and reaction forces against the relentless banging of the ghoulies. However, even with our combined efforts, theirs were undoubtedly stronger. The bending of the door inwards marked the beginning of our horrifying fate.

"Goddammit, can you be faster?!" My dad's frustration boiled over.

"It's heavy, for heaven's sake! Ughhhh..." My mom complained as she exerted all her strength to move the heavy rack a little closer to the door, but exhaustion was setting in.

"Arghhhh… I can't hold it any longer…." My brother started to complain. The heavy banging continued, bending the door even more, and before long…

Kreaakkk…

Brakkkkk!!!

Ghghhhraoooo!!! Ghaaaaa!!! Ghleaghaaa!!!

"Gahhh!!!” I was thrown backward along with my father and brother as the connection failed to fulfill its purpose. The door had been forcefully opened. The first thing that happened was the ghoulies charging and scraping us up. I felt their claws slowly penetrating my skin, as the ghoulies swiped their arms repeatedly. Fallen and seated on the floor, I guarded my head with my arms and my body with my feet, while trying to push them away every now and then. The moment I was off guard, they immediately mounted on me, teeth started to dig in. Their hands gripped tightly onto my body, scratching my skin slowly. In that state, I could only watch the depletion of my HP.  Slowly but surely, I was led to the final moments of my life.

"Ghraaaaagghhhh!!! Go away! Go awayyy!!!” I heard my mom and my sister scream. Their eerie cries echoed throughout the room, intensifying the horror unfolding within. The ghoulies scraped and bit them slowly. We could only endure, without knowing how long this would last. Thanks to the status, we didn’t die easily. Yet, also thanks to the status, we would die slowly and painfully. What an irony.

We screamed, cried, and tried desperately to fend them away. Fear and pain consumed us. We yearned for a swift end to this torment. Even without the status, dying in such a manner was agonizing enough, and now, with the status, we were enduring a literal hell's torture.

"Aaaaaaaaarrrggggghhhhhh!!! It hurtsss!! It hurtssssss!!!!”

"Please..!! No more!!! No moreeee!!! Just kill me already!!!”

"Arrghhhh, dammittttt!!!!”

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGHHHHHH!!!!”

…

…

…

"Brrrrrtttttt!!! Rat-tatatatatatatata!!

"Uh...?!”

Ghleaaaaa. Ghrragghhoooo.. Ghaaaaa…

I heard shots—rifle shots, not just from one source, but many. As the clips fell, I witnessed the ghoulies dropping, ceasing all movement. Then, individuals in military uniforms, heavily armed, entered the scene. As they approached, my vision began to blur. Blood streamed down my body, and I felt the exhaustion setting in. Both my HP and SP were critically low, and I teetered on the verge of death.

"Mom… Dad… Brother… Sister… are you… okay…"

The sound of a final shot echoed, and then...

…

..

.

"Gahhhh!!!!” I awoke in the front yard of the old church, a ghoulie carcass lying next to me.

"My bag… Damn, where’s my bag?” Scanning the surroundings, I was recalling the direction of my throw before the encounter with the ghoulie.

"Ah, there.” I spotted my bag lying by the church gate wall.

"Fuck that ghoulie!” I cursed as I looked down at the lifeless creature, "and fuck me!" Again, I swear to myself. "What on earth was I thinking? Falling asleep in an open area where any monsters could easily ambush me. I'm such an idiot. How could I just doze off anywhere? I could end up dead!" I berated myself in a frustrated tone. My reckless behavior truly needed to stop. Despite the status, I'm still a mortal.

"Hhhh… It's time to start carving, I guess… " I walked towards my bag to retrieve my carving knife from one of the pouches. The knife was small but compact, with a short, sharp, curvy edge. 

I headed back to where the ghoulie carcass was. I initiated with the arms, endeavoring to detach the scaly hide, claws, and fins. These items fetched a good price, as they could be utilized in crafting equipment. The fins were sharp and suitable for making blades, while the thick scaly hide was ideal for crafting armor. Then there were the claws, possessing sharpness and hardness suitable for both weapons and armors.

Yes, the associations’ armorers and weaponsmiths turned monsters’ materials into weapons and armors. This necessity arose due to the scarcity of firearms and ammunition, forcing us to revert to the old fighting style of sword and shield. Wielding a firearm required considerable wealth.

Crack.

Ahh… There you go.” I finished removing the fins from its arms. I decided to carve this first, as it was a challenging part. The fins were attached to the forearm bone radius, requiring forceful disconnection for extraction. Imagine breaking a bone in the old world – it was challenging, right? Now, add the status that strengthened them. Despite the thin connection, it was tough, and it didn't always come out clean. Since this was my first time carving it for real, the result was a bit messy, but it was still worth some money.

Now, the claws.” Unlike humans, ghoulies' claws were thicker and bulkier, equivalent in size to their fingers and about 5 cm long. They were more solid and robust than normal human nails. Coupled with the fact that the claws were directly attached to their finger bones, you could imagine the difficulty. Honestly, this was the most challenging part. So, once again, I had to exert myself, with added effort this time, to carve these claws, one by one. Believe me when I say, “Fuck this shit!”

Crackkk!

Yes! Finally… Oh God….” The last of the claws had been successfully removed. Moving from the claws to the scaly hide, this part proved to be the easiest to carve among all the valuable components. Following the skinning path, I…

Sratttt.

There you go. The ghoulie’s scaly hide.” Placing the scaly skin beside the nails and the fin, there were still more materials to carve. My job was still far from over.