Chapter 88. I’m the filthbound
After waiting for nearly five hours for supplies, Lilian finally made it back to their room—only to find things had gotten worse.
Shin was lying flat on the bed, shirt removed, and Sylvia was hunched over him, gently massaging his shoulders. There was a large, swollen bump along his upper back, grotesquely raised, like something had made a nest beneath his skin.
"Lilian," Sylvia said without looking up, voice low and urgent. "Look... it’s moving."
Lilian stepped forward cautiously, her eyes wide, dread curdling in her gut. She reached out a hesitant hand, touching the bump. It throbbed under her fingers, warm and wrong, like flesh pregnant with something it shouldn’t be.
A pained groan slipped from Shin’s lips.
"Brought any supplies?" Sylvia asked.
Lilian lowered her head and shook it. "Just one bottle of water. Nothing else came today."
Her stomach rumbled loudly. "I’m dying of hunger..."
"I know, right? And lately it feels like we’ve been getting hungrier faster than usual," Sylvia said with a weak chuckle.
"Still..." Lilian turned to Shin and gently wrapped her arm behind his back, helping him sit upright. "We’ve gotta stay strong. For the divine master. He has to get better."
Sylvia nodded as Lilian slowly poured water between Shin’s parched lips. He drank greedily, lips barely parting as he gulped it down like it was the only thing keeping him alive.