Squid like creature tightened its grip on them. Shinji’s hands were tied by the tentacles so he had no way to access his sword. But Fujimoto had reached to his dagger and was stabbing the monster till another tentacle snatched away his only weapon.
“I don’t see its mouth. It won’t eat us.” Fujimoto said to Shinji.
The monster spread its tentacles to expose a mouth with countless teeth. Both of them could get crushed inside the huge mouth at once. The only thing to find out was who was going to be under the sharp teeth first.
“AAHHHH-” Shinji screamed in fear but something covered his mouth.
It was not any tentacle but was a normal sized hand.
Human hand.
Turned out, the hand belonged to the same man who had been running in the passage.
“Quiet!” he said by looking at Fujimoto.
The man untied sword from Shinji’s back and caught it softly before it could fall on the dloor.
“What are you doing? Help us!” Fujimoto fired at him.
Monster heard it and caught the third man as well.
“Calm down. They are not here to hurt you.” Man said to the monster but it would take none of those words.
Now it was about to eat three of them at once. But all of a sudden, the creature’s mouth disappeared.
Monster panicked when he realized he was missing his mouth from its body. Dismay was visible in its huge eye but there was nobody to see fear grow in its gigantic eye.
Creature dropped them and began touching the region, where his mouth used to be, by its slippery tentacles.
“See!” the man showed the squid like animal a bag.
It watched him as if it was pleading. He opened a door, without removing his eyes off it, “Be a nice woman.” He said and threw his bag inside the room.
The monster crawled inside the room.
“Good woman.” Man said and locked the door.
Then he moved his attention towards the two men, “Rule number one. Don’t scream here.”
“What just happened?” Shinji was breathing heavy while removing slime off his body.
“How did its mouth disappear?” Fujimoto asked by getting on his feet.
“I can make mouths of monsters disappear once a day for a while.” Said the man, “One monster a day.”
“Monsters?” Fujimoto said by passing Shinji his sword.
Snoring came from the room where the squid like creature was locked in.
“Didn’t you hear them sleeping?”
“Them? How many have you been living with?” Fujimoto was stunned.
“Wait! Isn’t this Chosokabe’s home?” Shinji intervened.
“No. this is Tetsu’s creation. A place where he sends his foes to die.”
“What about you?”
“He tested this place on me.”
“And your name?” Fujimoto interrogated.
“I don’t have any but you can call me Housekeeper.” Housekeeper said, “I will name myself once I get out of this place.”
Rapid breathing became audible from some near distance.
“Can you make his mouth disappear too?” Shinji drew his sword.
“One monster a day.” Housekeeper repeated himself.
This time, Shinji looked more scared than Fujimoto.
A regular sized dog came running in the passage with a big bag clutched between his jaws.
“S***!” Housekeeper watched the dog run past them.
“Is it a monster as well?” Shinji asked.
“No. A family dog. Guardian of the door.”
“Hey.” Fujimoto came in front of him, “Why the hell do you look scared? Dog went away without even glancing at us.”
Housekeeper had turned pale.
“How long have you been here?” asked Shinji.
“Does Tetsu still sleep on street?” Housekeeper had queries of his own.
“He owns a big house now.”
The question answer gave Fujimoto an idea of how much time Housekeeper had spent with the monsters in there. Housekeeper was talking about things that had happened decades ago.
