Chapter 179: CH 179: Power of lightning (Edited)
Ella wasn’t the only one facing danger in the shadows.
Across the street, just a few houses down from the charred remains of Eric’s aunt’s home, Sun quietly stepped through the doorway of a weather-beaten building. Her eyes scanned the dust-choked interior as she moved from one room to the next, her boots crunching on scattered debris. The house was eerily silent, save for the creaks of decaying floorboards and the distant rustle of the wind outside.
She paused at the threshold of a narrow hallway, her attention snagged by a low groan of settling wood. That’s when she heard it, soft, deliberate footsteps echoing behind her, slow and measured, like someone trying not to be noticed.
Her heart gave a small jolt.
That wasn’t Ella. They had split up minutes ago, agreeing to check different buildings to cover more ground. She knew Ella wouldn’t sneak up behind her like that.
’Eric?’ she thought, spinning toward the darkness.
"Eric? Is that you?" she called, her voice bouncing through the corridor, strained by the uneasy silence that followed.
No answer.
Just the slow, rhythmic tap... tap... tap of footsteps growing louder.
Then, out of the dim shadows, a tall figure emerged, broad-shouldered, his entire body cloaked in black, and his face hidden behind a crude, jagged mask. The mask’s empty eyeholes seemed to devour the light, and the moment she locked eyes with him, if he even had eyes, her breath caught in her throat.
Without uttering a single word, the masked man raised both hands, palms glowing red with unnatural heat. Twin orbs of swirling fire erupted from his fingers, expanding in size as they hovered in the air like miniature suns. The heat hit her instantly, washing over her skin like a furnace blast.
Then, he attacked.