Ottawa, Canada.
At midnight, in a silent, deserted alley with not a soul in sight, a blonde girl dressed rather lightly was running with all her strength.
“Huff!
Huff!
Huff!”
She gasped desperately for air.
Sweat soaked her hair and stuck it to her forehead, but she had no time to care.
She only knew one thing: run forward—keep running!
Because she was escaping.
Escaping from the terrifying thing chasing her from behind.
Her small high-heeled boots tapped lightly against the pavement.
Behind her, however, came another sound—
“Tap…
tap…
tap…”
Steady.
Unhurried.
The footsteps maintained a constant pace, tightly following behind her without speeding up or falling behind.
Never letting her escape his sight.
Never letting her lose hope completely.
Like a hyena patiently waiting for its prey to tire itself out, he enjoyed the hunt calmly and persistently.
“Haa…
haa…
how…”
Suddenly, the girl’s legs stopped.
As if all strength had left her body at once, she collapsed to the ground.
Despair filled her face.
A huge wall blocked her path ahead.
To the right—another wall.
To the left—the same.
Three sides surrounded by towering barriers.
At her height, even jumping wouldn’t let her reach the top.
Only one path remained—the way she came.
And that path had a monster slowly walking toward her.
A dead end.
No escape.
Still, even in despair there was a sliver of hope.
The alley seemed to be under construction.
Nearby, beneath a tarp, steel pipes and rods had been piled up.
Her hopeless eyes suddenly lit up.
She pulled away the tarp and grabbed an iron pipe as thick as a baby’s arm.
“Tap.”
At that moment, the footsteps stopped.
“Don’t come any closer…
don’t come closer…”
Hearing the voice behind her, the girl sucked in a breath and slowly turned around, pointing the pipe forward as if it could scare her pursuer away.
“Tap…
tap…
tap…”
The footsteps drew closer.
Eyes widened in panic, she finally saw the demon who had chased her through the darkness.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary adult man wearing a sports jacket.
But dark blue veins bulged across his limbs and head.
His muscles swelled unnaturally.
Drool dripped from his mouth while a ridiculously long tongue hung out like a hunting dog’s, nearly reaching his chin.
It flicked in and out like a snake.
His eyes glowed blood-red.
Then he laughed.
“Heh…
heh…
heh…
little girl, hide-and-seek is over.”
Sticking out his saliva-covered tongue, the man took another step.
“D-Don’t…!
Come any closer and I won’t hold back!”
The girl screamed, wildly swinging the pipe.
“Heh, don’t be afraid.
Uncle isn’t going to kill you…”
Staring at the trembling girl, his voice carried a twisted madness.
“Uncle just wants to show you a little affection…”
His eyes slowly roamed over her sweat-soaked neck and exposed legs.
Then he licked his lips.
“Just let me taste your soft skin a little…
Ahhh!
I can’t hold back anymore!!”
He lunged.
“AAAAAHHHHH!”
The girl screamed.
The pipe dropped from her hands.
She crouched down, covering her head and giving up entirely.
“Hahaha!
Uncle’s coming—ugh!”
The man’s excited laughter suddenly cut off.
Instead, a scream of unbearable pain burst out.
His body suddenly changed direction and smashed violently into a nearby wall.
BANG!
The loud crash echoed through the alley.
The man slowly slid down the wall in an oddly cartoonish way.
“With your ugly mug, you think you can take advantage of a girl?
What the hell did you grow up eating?!”
A youthful voice suddenly sounded.
To the terrified girl, it was like a lifeline.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Beside her stood a handsome blonde teenage boy.
Meanwhile, the monster-like man was crumpled against the wall, unconscious—or close to it.
“Waaaah!”
Like seeing family after surviving a disaster, the girl immediately threw herself into the boy’s arms and burst into tears.
After all, compared to the creepy, disgusting monster, a handsome boy naturally earned trust much more easily.
The boy awkwardly patted her shoulder.
“Alright, alright, stop crying.
He’s just a pervert.
What’s so scary?
Women really are troublesome…”
Yes.
You read that right.
His face clearly showed annoyance.
If she wasn’t hugging him tightly, he’d probably have pushed her away already.
“You bastard!
I’ll kill you!
Kill you!”
Near the wall, the man shook his head and slowly climbed back up.
His blood-red eyes stared at the boy and girl.
“Hm?
Interesting.”
The boy looked surprised.
Normally, one kick from him would’ve left someone bedridden for weeks.
Yet this guy had gotten back up almost immediately.
“Move aside.”
The boy pushed the girl behind him and faced the man alone.
“Kill you!
Kill you!
Kill you!”
The man repeated himself endlessly.
Like an injured wolf.
Savage.
Mad.
But completely devoid of humanity.
“Kill me?”
The boy laughed.
“Forget killing me.
If you can even touch a single hair on my head today, I’ll spare your life.”
“AAAAAAHHHH!
DIE!!!”
As if stimulated beyond reason, the man’s muscles expanded again.
He charged forward and threw a punch powerful enough to whistle through the air.
The boy shook his head.
“You’ve got some strength…
but you’re still pathetic.”
He casually stepped back.
Dodged the punch.
Then kicked the man squarely in the chest.
BANG!
The man flew backward.
Slammed into the wall.
Got up.
Caught his breath.
Charged again.
This time faster.
Stronger.
“Not bad—you can actually get stronger?!”
The boy sounded surprised.
But the result didn’t change.
Another kick.
Another crash.
BANG!
This time, the man finally lacked the strength to stand.
He glared viciously at the boy.
Suddenly—
“AAAAAHHH!”
The girl, who had remained silent, suddenly screamed and turned to run.
The boy stared blankly.
“What the hell?
I saved you and not even a thank-you?
Are Canadians all this rude?!”
Grumbling, he looked back at the man.
“Since you still had the courage to challenge me, I’ll spare your life this time.
Congratulations—you get to keep living.”
Laughing loudly, the boy shoved his hands into his pockets and walked out of the alley without looking back.
Completely ignoring the hatred-filled gaze burning into his back…