A Monster’s Home

Chapter Four — A Monster’s Home

Celine’s POV

I never expected the man to take me somewhere like this.

After everything I had seen since the apocalypse began, I thought we would end up in some abandoned building or a ruined house.

But when we arrived, I froze.

The house was complete.

The walls were intact, the windows were unbroken, and the lights were on. There was even a security gate surrounding the compound.

It looked as if the apocalypse had never happened.

“How is this place still standing?” I asked before I could stop myself.

The man didn't answer. He simply opened the door and walked inside.

I hesitated before following him.

The moment I stepped in, I noticed another man standing in the living room.

My eyes widened.

He looked almost exactly like the man who had brought me here. They had similar faces, similar eyes, and even the same cold expression.

The only difference was their hair.

The second man stared at me with obvious displeasure.

Then he turned to the man who had brought me home.

“Come here. We need to talk.”

My savior followed him into another part of the house.

They didn't close the door completely.

I knew I shouldn't listen, but then I heard the second man's voice.

“Who's she? Why did you bring her here?”

I held my breath.

“She can't stay here. She's a Monster Devourer, and you know what that means.”

My heart skipped.

Monster Devourer?

Was that what I had become after eating the monster's core?

The second man's voice grew colder.

“We are monsters ourselves. Do you understand what will happen if she loses control? What if her ability evolves? What if she decides we're her next meal?”

My blood ran cold.

They are monsters, too?

I slowly stepped backward, my eyes fixed on the doorway.

The man who had saved me said nothing.

Not a single word.

He didn't defend me. He didn't explain why he had brought me here. He didn't even try to reassure the other man that I wasn't dangerous.

He simply remained silent.

And somehow, that frightened me more than the conversation itself.

I had been running from monsters all day, only to end up inside a house full of them.

What if they decided to kill me?

What if they had only brought me here because they wanted to find out how my ability worked?

I swallowed hard and glanced toward the front door.

Could I escape?

Where would I go?

The streets were filled with creatures that wanted to tear me apart. I had nowhere else to hide, and I wasn't even sure I could survive another night alone.

Still, I knew I couldn't stay here forever.

Not when the people around me were more dangerous than the monsters outside.

Footsteps approached.

I quickly turned around.

The man who had saved me stood in front of me, his expression as unreadable as ever.

“Come with me.”

I followed him down the hallway, keeping a careful distance between us.

He opened a door and stepped aside, allowing me to enter.

It was a bedroom.

A real bedroom.

There was a large bed, a wardrobe, a small table, and even a private bathroom. Everything was clean and undamaged.

For a moment, I simply stood there, unable to believe my eyes.

After spending hours wandering through ruined streets, this place felt unreal.

The man looked at me.

“You can stay here for now.”

I turned to face him.

“For now?”

He didn't answer that question.

Instead, he said, “Feel safe. If you need anything, let me know.”

Then he turned and walked away.

I stared at the doorway long after he disappeared.

Feel safe?

How was I supposed to feel safe when I had just learned that my savior was a monster?

I hurried to the door and peeked into the hallway.

It was empty.

I quietly closed the door and leaned against it, pressing a hand to my chest.

My heart was beating so fast that it almost hurt.

I was alive.

I had food, shelter, and a bed to sleep in.

But none of that changed the truth.

I was trapped in a house with monsters.

And the man who had saved my life hadn't even bothered to deny it.

I slowly moved toward the bed and sat down, trying to calm my trembling hands.

Then a thought struck me.

If they are monsters, why haven't they killed me yet?

I stared at the closed door.

And for the first time since the apocalypse began, I wondered whether the greatest danger in this world wasn't outside at all.

It was sleeping under the same roof as me.