By Zephyria 
At that, Tae-muk gripped his mother’s skirt and whipped his head around. And he saw it. Lord Dae-gam shoving his father’s back with all his might. He pushed so hard that a dull thud echoed across the courtyard.
“Agh!”
Having poured all his attention into the Devouring Ghoul, the father failed to dodge Lord Dae-gam’s hand and tumbled forward. Rolling across the courtyard where snow and blood were mingled, he arrived at the Devouring Ghoul’s feet in an instant.
In that moment, Tae-muk felt a premonition. That his father was going to die.
“Father!”
Tae-muk tried to run toward his father. However, his father let out a scream that rang throughout the courtyard.
“No! Mugi, you mustn’t come! No! Don’t come—”
The father could not finish his sentence. Because the Devouring Ghoul stepped down with a thud, crushing his father’s head.
What followed was predictable. It was a succession of scenes—cruel, grotesque, disgusting, and heartbreaking. There were sounds of crunching and snapping, and then a splashing sound as something poured out. Things were torn and chewed.
Because his father was large-framed and had always been tasked with the heavy labor, perhaps due to his size, it took quite a long time for him to be eaten.
“…”
Tae-muk watched the entire scene without even blinking. His father’s body shrinking bit by bit, the snowflakes fluttering so violently that his vision grew hazy, and behind that, Lord Dae-gam, Madam, and the Young Master fleeing, using his father’s body as a shield.
His mother belatedly hugged Tae-muk and covered his eyes with her skirt, but Tae-muk had already seen it all.
“Tae-muk’s father…”
Calling out to the father with a trembling voice, the mother suddenly gasped. In that moment, Tae-muk felt her legs stiffen.
She snatched Tae-muk up in her arms and immediately turned and began to run.
“Let’s go, Tae-muk. Let’s go.”
Over his mother’s shoulder, Tae-muk stared blankly at the receding house. The blood covering the courtyard, the heavy but silent snowfall, the Devouring Ghoul standing tall amidst it all, and the piece of his father’s flesh clamped in the creature’s mouth. Everything felt surreal. It felt like he was having a nightmare.
The scene slowly faded away. Then, when his mother exited the main gate and turned the corner, everything vanished.
And so, Tae-muk left the house he had lived in his entire life—a place that had never truly been his home.
Hwaaaa.
Uaaaa.
Kiyaaaa.
Outside the house, it was even more chaotic. Inside, there had only been one Devouring Ghoul, but outside, dozens of them were running wild. People’s screams erupted from both near and far.
“We have to run. We have to run.”
As if casting a spell, the mother repeated the same words over and over as she ran with Tae-muk in her arms. She just ran. Without knowing where to go, she ran with the will to survive, and the will to save him.
Running across the ground soaked in snow and blood, she fell several times and slipped several more. Yet, without showing pain, she sprang back up and continued to run.
“Mother…”
Tae-muk simply clung tightly to his mother’s neck. He didn’t know what to do, nor was there anything he could do. He was only eight years old.
Then, at some point, the mother turned into an alley to avoid the Devouring Ghouls filling the road. However, there was a Devouring Ghoul there as well. A creature of massive proportions, nearly blocking the path, stood slanted as it tore into a person. Holding the person’s waist with both hands, it chewed through flesh and bone indiscriminately, starting from the head with loud, sloppy crunches. Fortunately, the creature, absorbed in its meal, did not notice the mother and Tae-muk.
“…”
The mother held her breath, pressing the back of Tae-muk’s head firmly with one hand, and slowly backed away.
“It’s okay, Tae-muk. It’s okay. Mommy will protect you. Mommy will…”
Her voice was trembling slightly, but it was still tender and soft. Tae-muk hugged her neck a little tighter. Being held in his mother’s arms and hearing her voice, he wasn’t scared at all. Even though his father was no longer in this world, he felt that as long as he had his mother, it would be okay.
But it was a premature relief.
Krrr…
The Devouring Ghoul, twisting a head as it tore at a piece of flesh, spotted the mother. She was caught in its blood-red eyes. The creature swallowed the blood sloshing in its throat with a gulp.
Kaaaaaaak!
It threw away what it was eating and began to charge toward the mother.
The mother fled with gritted teeth. But how fast could a woman run—a woman who had spent her life preparing meals for others, a woman who had been starving all day? The Devouring Ghoul, whose legs were as long as the mother’s entire height, ran with thundering thuds and quickly caught up to her. Then.
Kieeeeeek!
It swung its hand toward the mother. With a thud, the mother was struck so hard by the creature’s palm that she was sent flying into the air. Tae-muk, held in her arms, flew through the sky with her.
“Tae-muk… Tae-muk…”
Even as she fell, the mother wrapped her arms around Tae-muk with all her strength. Thanks to this, Tae-muk remained unhurt when they hit the ground. However, the impact was still felt.
His head shook from the impact of slamming into the ground, and the bridge of his nose stung. A strange heat flared up from his lower abdomen. As Tae-muk blinked irregularly and shook his head.
Kak, kaak, krrr…
The Devouring Ghoul approached the mother with slow, heavy thuds, slower than before. The mother, who had been groaning as she rolled on the ground, scrambled up and tried to flee forward. However, she couldn’t even take two steps before tripping over someone’s corpse and falling flat on her face.
But the mother did not give up.
“No, no. Not Tae-muk…”
She held Tae-muk with one arm and began to crawl, pushing herself along the ground with the other. But her movements were as slow and pathetic as a wriggling slug.
Thud. The Devouring Ghoul finally arrived in front of the mother, baring its blood-soaked teeth and letting out a Kiiii sound. It looked as if it were laughing. It seemed to find the mother crawling on the ground amusing.
Soon, the creature reached out toward the mother. The mother hugged Tae-muk and abruptly flipped herself over. Tae-muk also clung tightly to his mother. And it was just as the creature’s claws were about to touch the mother’s head.
“Huu… hu… huuu…”
A man drenched in blood walked past the Devouring Ghoul with a vacant expression, staggering. He seemed to have experienced something profoundly shocking and tragic, as he was completely out of it. With every step, his knees wobbled violently, and thick blood stained the ground where he stepped.
Krrr…
As if possessed, the Devouring Ghoul turned its head toward the man. The creature let out a strange, guttural cry and suddenly snatched the man with its large hand, bringing him to its mouth.
“Hwaaaa… hwaaaa…”
The man let out a sound—whether it was a scream or a sob, it was unclear—as he was torn apart by the Devouring Ghoul. The creature shook its head from side to side as it ripped the man’s body and buried its face frantically inside.
In the meantime, the mother, her eyes wide, stood up again. But once more, she collapsed after only a few steps. This happened even though there was nothing in front of her.
Pulling her leg up to her chest, she peeked under her skirt. Her ankle was twisted in a grotesque manner. The heel, which should have been at the back, was at the front, and the toes were at the back.
In an instant, the expression vanished from her face. At that moment, the mother seemed to realize. That she would not be able to escape with Tae-muk.
“M-mother, are you okay?”
Tae-muk asked, stroking her cheek, which was damp with snow, sweat, and tears.
“Of course I’m okay. Let’s go. Let’s go quickly.”
Forcing herself up with her twisted ankle, she fled desperately, limping. Even then, she didn’t let out a single groan. It was as if she didn’t know pain. Likely, the desire to protect her son outweighed the pain of her twisted ankle.
People ran in all directions around the mother. Because the Devouring Ghouls were sweeping through from the north, south, east, and west, everyone was lost, not knowing where to go. The mother ran, then walked, and sometimes spun in circles on the spot. Amidst this, the Devouring Ghouls continued to devour people indiscriminately.
“…”
Tae-muk felt his mother’s breathing grow labored. Her panic and confusion were transmitted directly to his chest. So, at some point, Tae-muk also began to sob. He was anxious. He felt as if an even greater tragedy was waiting for them.
“Tae-muk, it’s okay. Don’t cry, don’t cry. Mommy is here. Okay?”
Even as she wandered the road unsteadily on feet that had become purple and swollen like sweet potatoes, the mother comforted Tae-muk. At the touch of her hand patting his back, Tae-muk stopped crying, only to start again.
It was then.
Clop, clop.
The sound of horse hooves was heard. It was an uncommon sound. There were very few households in this town that owned expensive horses. Tae-muk, who had been burying his face in his mother’s shoulder, whipped his head around.
Sure enough, Lord Dae-gam was galloping toward them. He had the Young Master in his arms, but there was no sign of Madam.
“Lord Dae-gam…”
The mother, having also spotted Lord Dae-gam, called out to him as if talking to herself. Without a second thought, she leaped straight toward the horse.