Guy charged straight in without a second thought.
In a flash, he appeared beneath the hanging figure.
He braced both hands beneath the woman's legs and lifted her, easing the strain on her neck.
The commotion immediately woke a little girl of four or five who had been sleeping curled up on a pile of straw in the corner.
Roused by the noise, the little girl sat up, rubbing her eyes groggily.
In the dim light, the first thing she saw was a stranger's bald head from behind.
Then her gaze traveled upward.
She saw her mother hanging from the beam, with the man holding her up!
"Huh? Is Mommy playing on a swing?"
The little girl tilted her head, utterly confused.
"Who's this weird bald man?"
But when she got a clear look at her mother's deathly pale face, her pupils abruptly contracted.
"Mommy's... dead?"
Chino was young, but death was commonplace in Hell Valley.
She had seen dead people, and more than one.
Her mother looked almost exactly like those dead people!
Fear, confusion, despair... in an instant, it was more than the little girl's mind could bear.
She opened her mouth, about to let out a terrified scream—
Guy reached out with one hand, and a gentle suction instantly drew the little girl toward him.
His other hand quickly but gently covered her mouth.
"Don't make a sound. I'm not a bad person," he whispered.
The little girl was indeed Chino.
But at that moment, Chino could not take in a word Guy was saying.
Her eyes were wide, her pupils trembling violently.
It was as though her soul had been drained away, leaving her caught between agitation and numbness from sheer terror.
Only her eyes were filled with indescribable fear and bewilderment, along with an unbelievable