From outside the settlement, shrieks echoed while the silhouettes within the houses covered their mouths, trembling incessantly in the corners of their beds.
Some children struggled but had their mouths tightly covered. Others lay shaking in their mothers' arms.
No one dared to go out and see, for stepping out meant becoming food for the Holy Apes.
"Why? We've already prepared the tributes; why do they still take our clansmen?"
"Hush, don't make a sound!"
...
The repressive voices sounded within the houses.
The silhouettes in every house listened intently to the outside movement; after the cries, there was a rustling sound.
Only when the sky brightened did the oppressive atmosphere gradually fade away.
Dawn broke.
Families emerged and gathered outside the collapsed house.
"Awu, Uncle Yunshan, Auntie Yunshan."
Outside the house were messy drag marks and bloodstains that disappeared beyond the giant stone wall.
