“So I’m supposed to write about my thoughts and feelings here. That’s probably the dumbest idea I heard in a long time, but if I don’t do this then that damned girl will never leave me alone… How she got that thought in her head, that she will be the oo “fix” me, I will never know. Not that I need any fixing to begin with… Anyway, now I have to write this journal (Not a diary), or the demon will keep b me even in school. Just like she did today. I just hope this wasn't another idea she found oer..."

  Leo snorted. He was a right prick back then, pushing everyone away evehe Hales had taken him in after Edward left. Leo probably was the reason for their first gray hairs, and if Lily wasn’t her normal annoying self, he would have probably never accepted his foster family.

  Worse than a prick, Leo shook his head auro the journal, trying to decipher the scrawl he once called his handwriting.

  "If I go around it like every low-budget TV show, then I probably should start with an introdu, no matter how dumb that sounds... Right, so my name is Leo Brown and no, it’s just Leo, nothing more. I turned sixteen a few weeks bad my parents are dead. My mother died in a car crash just because some drunk bastard couldn’t stop at a red light. He killed her, destroyed my family, and iurn only received a few years in prison. What a wonderful justice system we have, hm?

  Then there is my father, the person who I he most when my mom died. That fug asshole promised, he fug promised to never leave me a after a few weeks of casual , he just left. He didn’t say goodbye, he didn’t even give me a damn warning, nothing. I only found out that he wouldn’t be ing back from the Hales… Now that fucker might as well be dead to me."

  Leo had no clue what came upon him back then. Ever since Edward had left, Leo refused to eveion his biological mother and father. And then, for some godforsaken reaso down before the empty journal and the words just came out on their own. He wrote and wrote, spilling his heart on a piece of paper. Blunt as ever.

  And the moment he finished?

  Well, the dozens of lines scrawled all over the writing described Leo’s rea quite well. As did his increased ess towards everyone for over two weeks. Hell, even Lily stopped her attempts at “fixing” him at that time.

  In her words, Leo pyed the part of a broody teenager with daddy issues quite perfectly...

  Turning to the page, Leo retrieved the half-eaten dy bar auro the book. The journal didn’t inspire many positive feelings in him, but he weled the respite from the looming apocalypse all the same. Not even some of the iing parts of the journal could stop Leo from reading, whi hindsight, might not have been the best of ideas.

  In no time, Leo’s eyelids grew heavier, his head ing closer and closer to the desk. The writing ihe journal slowly blurred as Leo’s eyes closed, the darkness weling him in its warm embrace.

  The moment Leo woke up sitting on one of the most unfortable chairs and still feelier than ever, he couldn’t even be mad at himself for falling asleep. The soreness finally left his body, and most of the wounds Leo sustained yesterday, almost disappeared. Some had already scabbed, while others were googether, leaving only small scars behind.

  Gng at the small gap in the curtain where a thin ray of red suered the room once again, Leo smiled. At least now he had another day to pn and maybe move along with his goal.

  Just before he could get up, another notification from the System decided to appear.

  You mao survive the Night outside a safe zone. Zero Voidlings or survivors killed. gratutions.

  Is this bullshit mog me? Leo furrowed his brow. And what do you even mean by a safe zone? Is it just another name for a secure shelter? Nah… Until now the System was quite sistent with its naming policies.

  Scowl painted on his face, Leo dismissed the message. He had no doubt in his mind that his parent's house wasn't sidered a secure shelter, much less a safe zone. A few curtains and wooden shelves had no ce to stand against the nightmares of the Night.

  Way to ruin a somewhat happy m, Leo grumbled.

  No matter what the System said, Leo still had to use empty buildings like this oo hide during the night. Make them as secure as possible and then hope that none of the Nightmares had a reason to enter a seemingly empty house. And in case they did?

  Well, Leo po at least try to escape. Although, there was a saying, 'No pn survives tact with the enemy’, and the Nightmares just might kill him before he even moved. F and E+ rank seemed like quite a big gap so who really knew…

  Yeah, let’s not think about that now. I really don’t he images of being torn to shreds in my head. Leo grimaced, pushing those thoughts away.

  The problem of sleep was another matter altogether. Even with those new superpowers, there was no good moment to sleep until Leo could find or create this so-called ‘secure shelter’.

  Last night he was lucky enough that nothing decided to check his house a a free snack… Besides, if it wasn't for the journal, Leo’s troubled mind would have never let him close his eyes after seeing the Collector carry out the body ibson.

  So the night is out. At least until I find something more secure.

  Then again, sleeping during the day had its own disadvantages, as it was the only time Leo wasn’t scared shitless to travel. With the sun out and no Nightmares wandering around the city, his ces of survival rose signifitly... Also who said that normal Voidlings couldn’t try to kill him when he slept during the day?

  “This is hopeless,” Leo murmured, head in his hands. “In the end, it will depend on lud the safety of the pce I find. Nothing more...”

  Out of nowhere, his stomach grumbled. Leo scowled and reached into his backpack, removing some dried meat and another bottle of water. He always thought better with some food in his stomach so why not kill two birds with oone?

  As he ate, his mind drifted, searg for ideas to solve at least one of his problems. Everything seemed too risky, wasted too much time, or was straight-up impossible.

  No good way to go around it. Risk is always involved, so might as well just wing it and try to sleep during the night while hiding in a barricaded bathroom or basement. Most of those don’t have windows.

  Leo sighed. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, but he had er ones.

  Putting the leftovers bato his bag, he approached the window. Let’s see what the night brought onto the world…

  The curtains parted, and a curse slipped past Leo's mouth.

  The sun and transformed pnts still colored the entire world in hues of red. What truly surprised Leo were the branches and pieces of roof tiles scattered all around the neighborhood. To add to the absolute chaos outside the window, Leo already spotted two Cursed Humans walking around mindlessly, their red eyes sing the area.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Leo mumbled, the urge to bang his head against the window getting particurly strong now. “Where did you even e from?”

  Getting no answer, Leo walked away, muttering curses on the way out. He made his way downstairs, and wheered the living room, his body froze as a loud ch reached his ears.

  Looking down, Leo lifted his leg, eyes widening as the glow of his arm glinted against dozens of small pieces of shattered gss.

  Like a spring, Leo jumped away, the dagger rising just below his face as he searched the almost dark room for any signs of life. Nothing seemed out of pce, and while he noticed a few mss shards refleg the light of his arm, it certainly wasn’t anything to pull his hair out for.

  Never l the dagger, Leo approached one of the windows and slowly pulled the curtains apart.

  Rays of the Sun bsted the entire room, bathing it in dim light. Leo once agai his gaze searg, finally finding a rge pile of gss under another window.

  This had to be the wind, right?

  Leo really hoped that was the case. The thought of a Collector or any other Voidling walking ihe house when he slept, didn’t fill him with much joy.

  Gripping the dagger even tighter, Leo decided to check the entire house. Just in case something wao surprise him when he moved on to looting the building.

  For once, luck shined upon Leo, and he found no ued guest ihe house. As such, he moved to the final task, looting his adoptive parents' house. Something which Leo promised to keep to himself when he finally found the rest of his family. They didn’t o know who trashed their house. Not that it really matters anymore.

  Holy, not much was left to be looted as Leo’s parents left almost no food before their trip, and he had enough clothes for now. Only the first aid kit — which Leo almost dismissed after his recovery in the span of one night — and his dad’s hunting rifle ied him.

  Leo found the long rifle — a well-crafted CZ with a walnut stock — inside a box withiic. The box might have been locked, but Leo’s cws didn’t really care about such muhings.

  Along with the oook a scope for ter use and two boxes full of ammunition. For the first time, Leo thanked whatever deities were listening, that his dad had an uhy obsession with hunting.

  I just hope ‘Identify’ isn’t lying about the fact that you are still in perfect ditiohought as he gazed at the on in his hands.

  Happy with his find, Leo tied it to the side of his backpad retreated downstairs, ready to unbarricade the backdoor.

  I really need more points in Might, especially with the bonus from the taint gone, Leo grumbled, taking a moment to catch his breath and activate stealth.

  Soon after, the barrier once again formed around Leo’s skin, and he opehe door just enough to slip out.

  Hugging the back of the house, Leo slowly walked toward the end of the wall. He peeked around the er and instantly snapped his head back wheiced a Voidling standing right in his path. Scowling, Leo walked to the other side of the building and checked the situation there.

  Empty. Leo sighed and followed the thin path between the fend the wall. Once agaiopped at the er and leaned out, hoping that the Voidling from the other side of the house just remaihere.

  It didn’t.

  This time the Cursed Human stood o the front door, its nails scraping against the walls as if testing its durability.

  Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. they feel my presence around here, or is my luck just that shitty?

  He could try to jump over the fenext to him and go behind the neighb house, but Leo didn’t trust himself enough to be pletely quiet during the climb. Besides, he had no clue if the other side was even safe…

  Just then, a brilliant idea entered Leo’s mind. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book. Something that always worked in movies, tv-series or the few games he pyed. Hell, the idea even seemed quite smart wheook the Cursed Human’s stupidity under sideration.

  Shrugging, Leo bent dowrieved a small rock, and threw it on the road.

  The Voidling screeched, and Leo smirked when the beast turned and howled in the dire of the road. Then as if guided by a godly hand, the monster’s head soward Leo’s er.

  Okay, that’s just straight-up bullshit. The beast screeched, and Leo jumped behind the wall, both of his hands gripping the shovel as he settled into position.

  When the growls of the Voidling alm Leo’s ears, he swung with everythi.

  ch!

  Leo threw away the slightly bent shaft of the shovel as the Voidiling colpsed to the ground with a thump. The mowitched, trying to recover from having its head fttened.

  Reag for the dagger tucked in his waistline, Leo jumped forward. He straddled the creature as his dagger once again pushed against the thick skull while his cws dug into the monster's stomach.

  The Voidling writhed under him, filing its arms at everything but Leo.

  With o push, the skull cracked open while Leo’s cws drank the st bits of the monster's Essence. Power filled his veins as the Tairait activated, givihe mueeded strength as another Voidling almost barreled into him.

  Of course, you had to e, Leo cursed as he rolled away.

  To prove that today just wasn’t the day, the monster recovered almost instantly after it stumbled upon its kin’s body.

  Growling, Leo dashed to the side, jerking away from another mad charge. The beast was relentless and even faster than the husk of Charles Gibson. No way they are at the same level.

  The bent shovel once again nded in Leo’s hands, and he quickly used the tool to block a swipe from the monster. Metal met onized fingernails, but the shovel didn’t give in.

  I love this shit, Leo grinned as he pushed forward, the Voidling’s back crashing against the wall of the house.

  The monster momentarily lost its footing, and Leo swung his shovel again. The metal handle sailed true and the Voidli forward, a primal screech esg its throat.

  “Go to hell,” Leo growled, the blunt side of the shovel sending the moo the ground.

  It tried to crawl towards Leo, but he quickly bohe creature in the head again and positiohe bde of the gardening tool above its neck.

  Like a guillotihe shovel fell with all of the strength Leo could muster.

  It cut through the Voidling's neck, spraying blood everywhere as an artery was severed. The metal reached almost the end of the neck before it stopped, not having enough force to tinue.

  Bile rose in Leo’s throat as the blood spyed on the ground. The natural rea of his body almost won, only to be stopped by the twitg of the monster’s arm. Leo gulped, grimag as his throat burned.

  With a quick tug, he yahe shovel out and brought it down again, the head of the Voidling rolling to the side.

  With the bloody shovel still in hand, Leo turned away from the sight and colpsed against the fence, sliding down until his bottom hit the floor.

  Fuck.