“This is mess up,” Alexander muttered, rubbing his forehead.
A sick grandmother in the forest, this mature and alluring Little Red Riding Hood, and werewolves lurking everywhere.
Where was the hunter in all this?
If the stories held any truth, that role probably fell to the village chief.
So this really was some kind of twisted fairy tale world?
The idea felt absurd, but the pieces fit too well: a man-eating werewolf, the seductive Little Red Riding Hood, and the cunning hunter.
An adult fairy tale, indeed.
Alexander shook off the disorientation and rested a hand on the revolver at his waist.
His expression settled back into calm focus.
He held the initiative here.
Werewolf or wolf in disguise, it didn’t matter.
With enough firepower, all threats were equal.
Two shots to the chest and one to the head tended to solve most problems.
He glanced at the stunning woman beside him.
“Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”
The forest path was dense and cooling as evening approached.
Alexander followed Ruby toward her grandmother’s house.
The route felt familiar, it led straight to the same wooden cabin he had visited the night before.
“What a coincidence,” he murmured under his breath.
Twenty minutes later, the cabin came into view.
“We’re here! Grandma’s house is just ahead,” Ruby said cheerfully, pointing forward.
She approached the door and knocked.
“Grandma, it’s Ruby. Are you home?”
“Oh, it’s you, dear. The door is open. Come in,” a deep voice replied from inside.
Ruby pushed the door open without hesitation.
Alexander frowned.
That voice sounded different from the old woman he had met yesterday.
Something felt wrong.
He followed her inside cautiously.
The cabin was small, dominated by a large bed in the corner.
A thick blanket covered a human-shaped figure lying there.
“Grandma, how are you feeling?” Ruby set down the basket of fruit and moved to the bedside with concern.
“Seeing you makes me feel much better,” the muffled voice said from under the covers.
“Did you bring a friend?”
“Yes! He’s a kind big brother who worried about me traveling alone and offered to accompany me,” she replied brightly.
“There are still such kind souls in the world. Bring him closer so Grandma can see him properly.”
“It smells so good…” the voice under the blanket muttered, growing hoarser and more strained.
“So good… I can’t hold back!”
Tear!
Sharp claws ripped through the blanket as a hairy werewolf in pajamas lunged out, fangs dripping with saliva and eyes burning with hunger.
It was met with two dark gun barrels.
“I could smell your blood and wolf stench from a kilometer away,” Alexander said coldly, face expressionless.
Bang!
Bang!
Two shotgun blasts slammed into the werewolf’s chest, hurling it backward into the wall.
With a practiced flick, Alexander reloaded and fired twice more in quick succession.
Bang!
Bang!
One shot to the chest, one to the head.
The devastating spread of pellets tore through the creature and shattered the fragile wooden walls of the cabin.
Boom!
The structure groaned as pieces of the wall collapsed outward.