I Will Kill Every Single One
Juhwan bent down and carefully examined the ground. There were many footprints left on the snow and fallen leaves.
They looked similar to human footprints—but slightly different. The toes and nails were longer than a human’s. And smaller.
They were much smaller than an adult man’s foot. Maybe similar to Lizzy’s. Or perhaps a little bigger.
“This isn’t human…”
If it were a person, they would be wearing shoes.
But it wasn’t an animal either.
It was something in between.
The footprints didn’t seem very old. But when Juhwan had been nearby earlier, he hadn’t heard anything.
That meant they had already passed by.
Juhwan stood up.
A bad feeling rose in his chest.
He followed the trail.
The footprints seemed to come from deep within the mountains. There weren’t just a few—there were at least twenty or thirty.
Maybe even more.
The trail looked messy, as if they had moved around randomly. But they weren’t wandering aimlessly.
They were heading somewhere.
Juhwan knew this direction.
It wasn’t his usual path, but—
“It leads to the house…”
Or maybe not.
“It could be somewhere else. There’s no fixed path in the mountains.”
He turned away from the tracks and ran back toward his usual route.
That was the fastest way home.
Before he could even think—
His body moved on its own.
He ran like crazy, as if his feet barely touched the ground.
He didn’t know what those things were.
But one thing was certain—
They were heading toward his home.
Toward Lizzy.
Toward Dorothy.
“Please… God… if you exist anywhere—
don’t take anything from me again…
If you’re going to take it away, then don’t give it to me in the first place…
Please… I beg you…”
His heart felt like it would burst.
“Oz, today we’re having stew. We’ll eat when Dad comes.”
The stew Mom made had lots of meat.
It was delicious.
Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
The baby rabbit wriggled inside the pocket, trying to get out.
“No, Oz! Do you want to be a bad rabbit?”
Dorothy frowned and looked down.
Lizzy had made a large pocket on her dress.
Oz was inside it.
Perfect.
“It’s finished!”
Dorothy nodded proudly, repeating words her father used to say.
She didn’t fully understand them—but they felt right.
The rabbit’s face was buried inside the pocket, only its ears sticking out.
Dorothy lifted the pocket and looked inside.
Oz stared back at her with black eyes.
“Oz, you have to stay still to be a good rabbit. Okay?”
No answer.
But that was fine.
Rabbits couldn’t talk.
And Oz was still a baby.
Dorothy wore her new coat over her dress.
It was warm and pretty.
“Mom made this for me. It’s new. Mine.”
She puffed her chest proudly.
Lizzy laughed softly from the kitchen.
That made Dorothy happy too.
“Mom, I’m going to meet Dad.”
“Be careful.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t forget what Dad said.”
“I know!”
Dorothy hugged the heavy pocket and stepped outside.
The cold wind blew hard.
“Dorothy feels sad too.”
Her dad worked outside in this cold every day.
She walked slowly, swaying.
Then—
“Oh?”
She heard running sounds outside.
“Dad must be here!”
She hurried to the gate.
She placed her hand on the wooden latch—
Then stopped.
“I have to check first…”
She remembered what her father said.
“I didn’t forget! I just forgot for a moment!”
She pressed one eye against the gap.
Her father always showed his face there.
So they could meet eyes.
Now—
“!”
Their eyes met.
But—
It wasn’t her father.
Yellow eyes.
Red veins.
Like a beast.
“Hii…”
She couldn’t even scream.
Her body froze.
A strange smell came from outside.
Something laughed.
A hand moved.
Long claws reached toward her through the gap.
She couldn’t move.
“I… I can’t…”
Tears started falling.
The claws came closer.
Then—
Suddenly—
They disappeared.
The creature was dragged away.
“Dad!”
Juhwan had arrived.
He grabbed the creature and threw it away.
He turned toward Dorothy and smiled.
“It’s okay.”
Then he turned back.
More creatures were running from the forest.
Many.
Too many.
Lizzy’s voice shouted from behind.
“Dorothy!”
She ran toward her.
“Mom, Dad is here!”
But her voice came out as cries.
Lizzy grabbed her and pulled her back.
Holding Dorothy and the rabbit tightly—
She was trembling.
Dorothy realized—
She was trembling too.
“Why… am I shaking…?”
There were too many monsters.
Only one father.
“What if… Dad disappears too…?”
“WAAAAAAAH!”
Her loud cry echoed.
When Juhwan reached the house—
The first thing he saw was a monster standing at the fence.
He had never seen one in real life before.
But he knew.
“Goblin.”
Greenish-brown skin.
Pointed ears.
Small body.
Wearing ragged cloth.
It was looking through the gap in the gate.
“Dorothy!”
His heart burned.
He had to remove it—
Right now.
He ran faster.
The goblin grinned and pushed its long claws into the gap.
A faint cry came from inside.
Juhwan kicked off the ground—
And leaped.
He grabbed its head.
Its skin was sticky.
He twisted and pulled—
The goblin flew back like nothing.
He glanced at the gate.
Dorothy was there.
Her eyes were full of fear—
But she wasn’t hurt.
“Thank God… I made it in time…”
She called out—
“Dad!”
He smiled to reassure her.
Then turned around.
Dozens of goblins were running from the forest.
Juhwan pulled out his axe.
A bow was too unreliable right now.
This had to be close combat.
He stepped forward.
“I’ll kill them.”
“Every single one.”
“I won’t leave even one alive.”