CONNECT: Rise Of The Undead King

There was an evil smirk on Uche's porcelain-like face as he continued digging the knife into Mira's body, blood pumping out of it like rushing water. His clothes were stained with blood, while Mira's black singlet was drenched in it.

Surprisingly, Uche couldn't describe what he was feeling now—the act of killing someone felt somehow nice and refreshing.

'Is this how that bastard feels when killing his victims?'

This was his first time doing such a thing, so he didn't really know what the feeling was. But it wasn't sadness or any type of negative emotion. To say the least, it was refreshing.

Looking up at the woman he was carving several holes into, Uche couldn't help but step back in fear. He staggered as he released his grip on the knife, leaving it buried in her body.

'What the bloody hell?'

Uche thought. He had expected the woman's body to fall lifelessly or at least scream in pain, the way he always did whenever he got hurt—but none of that happened. Curious, he decided to take a look at the woman's face, expecting to see grief and pain written on it.

But what he found was something else. Looking up, he saw a large, eerie smile plastered across Mira's face, her lips curling into a smirk.

Uche reeled back in fear, his heart racing faster than ever.

'What's going on?'

He found it strange that she hadn't let out a single sound of agony since he started thrusting the knife into her.

"What the hell are you?"

Uche asked, his eyes glinting with fear as he backed towards the door.

There were specks of blood on her pale face, and with her abdomen severely damaged, the scene was nothing short of terrifying.

Mira remained in place, staring at Uche, who was now struggling with the door, desperately trying to open it.

"Don't worry. I tampered with the combination,"

She said, her voice surprisingly calm yet chilling.

"You…"

Uche pointed a shaky hand at her, not knowing what to say, his legs trembling.

Mira then removed the knife lodged in her body and tossed it aside. Her singlet was tattered and bloody.

And then something began to happen—something that made Uche wish for nothing more than to disappear.

Right before his eyes, Mira's open wounds began healing at an incredible pace. The holes he had carved into her body closed up instantly, and when her body was completely sealed, only the bloody, torn singlet remained as evidence that she had been injured.

"You're a Connect?"

Uche blurted out in fear, his heart pounding.

"Well, if you want to put it that way,"

Mira replied. The eerie smile vanished from her face, replaced by a calming, almost charming one. Her dangerous aura also seemed to disappear.

'What's on earth happening?'

Several thoughts flooded Uche's mind at once, and it felt like his head was about to explode.

"Come on, don't just stand there. Let's sit and talk,"

Mira said as she walked back to the large, comfy chair and sat comfortably.

Uche hesitated. He couldn't trust her—not at all. She had nearly killed him under the pretense of "testing" something. If he weren't an unusual human himself, he might have been dead by now. She seemed far too dangerous.

'How did she even tamper with my lock combination?'

He thought. He hadn't seen her move toward the door after entering, so maybe she had hacked it beforehand, while stalking him. That explained how she managed to get in earlier.

'So she really had been watching me. And she came to my aid twice… does that mean she can't stand seeing one of her kind mistreated by humans?'

The thought unsettled him.

'But how the hell is she a Connect?'

He didn't know what to feel about meeting another Connect. So far, the encounter hadn't been a pleasant one—at least, not for him.

Now, looking at Mira, her demeanor had shifted drastically. Her expression softened, almost childlike, as she gazed at him.

"I've confirmed what I wanted to confirm, so come sit. We're already friends,"

Mira said.

"Speak. I'm listening,"

Uche replied from where he stood near the door.

"Don't be wary of me. I'm not a monster,"

She claimed.

Uche didn't respond, but a thought flashed through his mind.

'Not a monster? Funny.'

"Well, I think this makes things easier and saves us some time. The fact that you already know I'm a Connect answers many of your questions. Or do you still want me to explain why I kept coming to your aid?"

Mira asked.

"Just tell me your goals—and your deal with those people,"

Uche said.

"How do I even start? I don't know what happened exactly, but while I was doing my research as usual, I came across something that caught my attention—a strange post online. Someone asked if anybody knew about the urban legend 'Connect.' I clicked on it and found so many comments and articles. Curious, I checked the poster's profile and discovered he was a surgeon."

"I sent him a direct message, offering to collaborate with him on his research into this subject. At first, I was ignored, but eventually, I was accepted—though it was more like a contract, since I paid them a huge amount."

"As I started poking my nose around, I discovered that the surgeon worked for a ring of organ traffickers. They mistakenly found a Connect once, but lost him. To them, it was like losing a vault of gold. With my goals being different from theirs, I dug deeper into their affairs—which eventually led me to you,"

Mira explained.

Uche thought about this for a moment. So she had really gotten involved with them because of him. She had learned about him through them.

'Interesting. So she really has no direct connection with those guys,'

He thought, stealing a furtive glance at her. Still, he wasn't ready to fully believe her.

"After learning about you, I observed you for a while and realized you knew nothing about our kind. You seemed to be in complete darkness. I don't know why or how, but I decided to watch you, waiting for the right time to approach you. And now, I think it's time I explained everything to you,"

Mira said.