My Dreamy Old Husband

Quinton was holding a small baby girl who had just been born; she looked absolutely filthy, and her umbilical cord was still intact.

Quinton pinched the baby girl as though she was a toy and said smugly into the camera, “I have good news and bad news to tell you, Michael.”

Still in a daze, Michael watched the video and stared blankly at the baby girl who was still attached to the umbilical cord.

Is that my daughter?! Sophia has given birth to a daughter for me!

Quinton continued, “The good news is that your wife gave birth at 5.23PM tonight. Congratulations, it’s a girl.”

Shortly after that, he teased in a ghastly voice and said, “Unfortunately, she was not breathing when she was born. Your wife also died of amniotic fluid embolism. I’m currently at a hospital in the small town of Mustka; if you rush over now, you might still be able to see their remains for the last time.”

…

At that moment, the core of Michael’s heart ached so much that it closed off all his senses; he didn’t even know how he managed to get into the car. In his mind, the words ‘She was not breathing when she was born’ and ‘Your wife also died of amniotic fluid embolism’ played again and again.

Sophia is dead. My child is dead. They’re dead, all dead…

Joel roared in anger and hatred as they watched Phantom Wolf’s video. They got into the car with bloodshot eyes and drove as fast as they could, ignoring the feeling of exhaustion from their previous days and rushed to Mustka Town.

It was as though a part of Michael had died; he was oblivious to everything that was going on around him. While his entire body froze, he could only hear Stanley yelling at him as he cried, “Pull yourself together, Uncle!”

…

the news, they had already rendezvoused at Mustka Town just after dawn. Meanwhile, Michael finally

there were no longer people walking on the streets; there were also more empty rooms than people. The group quickly discovered the hospital where Quinton had sent the video from and pushed open

of the hospital; the air emitted a sickening smell of blood and even a strange

further into the hospital. In a place where food and clothing were a rare necessity, it was quite uncanny to smell the strong smell of

at that moment, he held on to a faint glimmer of hope as he slowly walked inside the building. He knew what he was about to see as his palms turned sweaty.

of breadcrumbs, it led everyone the way

hospital as they

covered with a lid

to burn out, and only

all over the floor; there were still some bone scraps mixed in the blood, and there

his eyes stared dully on

that Sophia was wearing it in

Michael froze in place as if there was some strange magic affecting him; an invisible

knees as his hands dropped weakly to his sides;

bloody ring on the kitchen counter as the large diamond

custom-made, and Sophia was the only one who owned this particular design. Now, the lone ring had

hesitant to step forward as he stared at the small pot of soup stewing slowly over the fire. Cold-blooded as he was, it was the first time he realized

said Joel to a

in front of the pot. He fidgeted for

down the

the tiny skeleton frame inside could be vaguely identified as a woman. A long, empty silence filled the room as everyone looked at the pot of meat and sobbed uncontrollably.