Chapter 189: Where are the cannibals?

The day was moving so fast, bringing closer a danger to Twig Blue Crossing that frightened them more than any flood warning. The cannibals usually came to Twig blue Crossing around four in the evening this very day, but today they were nowhere to be seen.

The tributes were laid out on the dirty wooden tables, completely ready as usual: a heavy wooden crate packed with many energy stones, a big slab of salted boar meat, and three terrified humans tied up with ropes.

Before, it was just one person. But of late, the bloodthirsty cannibals had gotten greedy and raised the number to three. Apparently, they were stocking up for the flood.

Master Zoo stood in the center of the village square, wiping sweat from his bald head. He looked around at the empty stalls whose owners were hiding behind locked doors, peeking through small cracks in the shutters. He then turned his gaze toward the dusty path through which the cannibals usually arrived_ always kicking up dust, shouting vulgar words, and laughing like cackling hyenas.

Today? Nothing. Just the dry wind blowing a solitary tumbleweed across the road. This made him more nervous than their actual arrival.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Master Zoo jumped three feet into the air, his spirit almost fleeing his body. He spun around, clutching his chest, his heart thumping like an iron-smith’s hammer.

"My world, Gwenevia!" he wheezed, staring at his wife who had sneaked up on him like a ghost. "Why are you out here? You’re supposed to be hiding! Hurry up and get lost before those bastards set their sights on you and decide that you will make a rich broth."

Gwenevia rolled her eyes, adjusting the knife she had strapped to her hip. "Hiding is boring, old man. Besides, look at the sky. It’s almost six in the evening! They’re two hours late. Maybe they went to another town and simply forgot about us today? Lord knows we need the break."

Master Zoo scratched his chin, a faint spark of hope lighting up his eyes. "You_ you think so? Could those pea-brained brutes actually forget where their free food comes from?"

"Why not?" Gwenevia scoffed. "Or maybe they finally tried their luck with Hollomgad town and got themselves killed."

Master Zoo slowly nodded, the idea warming his cold heart. "Ah, right. When we ran to Hollomgad last month begging for help, their town lord practically chased us with honeyed words. What did he say again?"

"’If those filth step foot on my soil, I’ll wipe them out do not worry,’" Gwenevia mimicked in a deep, booming voice. "Arrogant old bastard. But hey, he’s got the strength to back it up. Too bad he does not use that strength to help his neighbors."

"Hollomgad is one of the strongest towns in the Wildlands," a young voice spoke up from behind the energy stone crate. "Only a fool would dare attack them. I don’t think it’s where the cannibals went. We should not let our guard down."

Master Zoo sighed in frustration, turning to his teenage son, Cain, who was casually leaning against a weapon rack, chewing on a piece of dried grass.

"If they didn’t go to Hollomgad, then why aren’t they here?" Master Zoo grumbled, pacing back and forth. "They’re never late for dinner! Maybe they are afraid that we will rebel because of Simon’s death. He was one of our own and they killed him on their last visit. Naturally, we are still bitter about it."

Cain shrugged, kicking a small pebble across the dirt. He pointed a thumb at the three tied-up men sitting on the dirt floor, who were trembling so hard their teeth were chattering like wooden crackers."What should we do with them?" He asked. "They’re starting to smell like wet dog from all the fear-sweat."

One of the tied-up men_ a lean trader with a mustache_ looked up with wide, teary eyes. "P-please! Let us go."

Master Zoo snorted, folding his arms over his belly. "Let you go? Are you dreaming? What if I untie you, you run off, and then ten minutes later those ugly bastards roll into town demanding their meat? What am I supposed to give them? My wife?"

"Hey!" Gwenevia glared, brandishing her frying pan. "Watch your mouth, Zoo!"

"I’m just saying!" Master Zoo raised his hands defensively. He turned back to his son with a stern look. "It’s far too early to relax. Keep them locked in the storehouse, along with the energy stones and the boar meat. Just in case."

"What?!" the mustache trader cried out, thrashing against his ropes. "You can’t do this! We aren’t pigs to be kept in a shed!"

"Listen here, buddy," Cain said, walking over and crouching down in front of him. "If the cannibals come and don’t find you, they will eat me. We don’t like this either, but we must survive."

The men started struggling and Cain gave the three neat chop-knocks to the back of their necks, and the men instantly went limp, slumping over like sacks of rice.

Gwenevia nodded approvingly. "Good hit, son. Accurate. Just like how I hit your father when he drinks too much rice wine."

Master Zoo winced, rubbing the back of his neck out of pure muscle memory. "Cain, drag them inside. And put a heavy lock on the door. If those cannibals don’t show up by sunrise tomorrow_ well, then we can figure out what to do with three extra mouths to feed. We can’t grant them freedom at the end of the day because we don’t want them spreading what happens here to others. If strangers stop coming, we will be dinner once again, like the old days."

As Cain grabbed two of the men by their collars and began dragging them across the dirt like dirty rugs, Master Zoo looked back toward the empty path one last time. The sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in deep shades of grey.

A heavy, uneasy silence hung over Twig blue Crossing. In the Wildlands, when a predator didn’t show up for its meal, it usually meant something much bigger and much scarier had eaten the predator first. He hoped that was the case here, but he was also worried about the much bigger something.