The sudden sound instantly chased away my great-grandfather's drowsiness. He snapped his eyes open.
His gaze instinctively swept to his side, only for him to discover in shock that the companion who had been sleeping to his left had vanished without a trace.
A sense of foreboding rose within him, and he hurriedly forced down the panic in his heart.
Soon, his eyes fixed on the corner of the room, where a black silhouette was crouching silently.
Fortunately, the vast white snow outside reflected the moonlight into the house.
Though the room was far from bright, it was enough to barely make out a few blurry shapes.
As his gaze slowly lowered, my great-grandfather's eyes widened. Beneath that shadow—
There was someone lying there. Judging by the person's build and outline, he realized in terror that it was one of their three companions!
The black shadow was sprawled over the companion, seemingly tearing into something. From time to time came the ripping sound of flesh being torn apart.
My great-grandfather's heart leaped into his throat. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp, and he did not even dare breathe loudly, afraid of alerting that thing.
But he knew he could not just sit there and wait for death. He had to find a way out, quickly.
He quietly reached out and nudged the other companion sleeping beside him. The man was sleeping soundly.
Startled by the touch, the companion was just about to ask what was wrong when my great-grandfather hurriedly covered his mouth and pointed toward the corner.
The companion's face instantly turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror, but he quickly understood their predicament.
The two carefully shifted their bodies, crawling slowly toward the door, away from the black shadow in