The cold night air bit at Akira's skin as he stumbled into the back alley. His heart was still hammering from the encounter with the Grotesque, and his arms burned from holding Aylin so tightly. He had barely caught his breath when the world around them erupted into chaos.
The city was in ruins.
Fires raged in the distance, casting flickering shadows across the crumbling buildings. Sirens blared from multiple directions, though their shrill wails were slowly dying out. Abandoned cars clogged the streets, their doors flung open as if their owners had tried to flee. Blood smeared the pavement, and the occasional severed limb lay discarded like broken dolls.
But the most horrifying thing was the monsters.
Grotesque abominations roamed the streets—some were twisted versions of humans, their bodies swollen with mutations, others were unrecognizable horrors, as if something had pieced them together from flesh and bone with no regard for anatomy.
And they were hunting.
"We need to move. Now," Rick said, his voice sharp and commanding.
Akira didn't argue. With Aylin still weak from her illness, he had no choice but to trust these people for now.
"Where are we going?" he asked as they started running down the alleyway.
"Safe place," Rick responded. "But it's a long way from here, and the streets are crawling with those things."
"Then how do we get there?"
The woman in the group, Reina, cursed under her breath as she peeked around the corner. "We'll have to run through the subway tunnels."
Akira's stomach twisted. The dark, enclosed tunnels seemed like a perfect trap, but looking at the streets, he realized they didn't have much of a choice.
Rick nodded. "Subway it is. Stick close, and don't make a sound."
They bolted.
The city's main roads were death traps, so they stuck to the alleyways, weaving through broken fences and wrecked delivery trucks. Akira carried Aylin as best as he could, her weakened body barely able to hold on. The other survivors moved like they had been doing this for hours—quick, silent, and efficient.
But the monsters were everywhere.
A few blocks away, a colossal creature with too many limbs lurched through the streets, crushing everything in its path. Smaller creatures—some former humans, others completely unnatural—scavenged through the wreckage, dragging screaming survivors into the shadows.
The worst part was the sounds—the inhuman screeches, the guttural growls, and the unmistakable wet tearing of flesh.
Akira tried to block it out, to focus on running. But he knew—every second they spent outside was borrowed time.
Then, disaster struck.
As they neared the subway entrance, one of the survivors—a younger guy named Toru—slipped on a blood-slicked street. His knee buckled, and he hit the pavement hard.
A low, inhuman growl rumbled from nearby.
Akira turned, his blood freezing as he spotted one of the creatures crouched on a nearby rooftop. It was watching them.
Then, it moved.
It leapt—covering an impossible distance in the blink of an eye. Its elongated limbs bent unnaturally, its twisted mouth curling into something resembling a grin.
Toru barely had time to reach before the creature landed on him, its clawed hand plunging into his chest.
"NO—!" Reina raised her gun—
"Don't shoot!" Rick barked, grabbing her wrist. "The noise will bring more!"
Toru choked on his own blood, his hands desperately clawing at the creature's arm. But there was no saving him. With a sickening crack, the monster ripped out his spine, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.
Akira felt Aylin flinch in his arms, her small fingers digging into his shirt.
The monster looked up—its empty, black eyes locking onto them.
Then, it charged.
Rick made the call. "RUN!"
They sprinted toward the subway entrance. The creature let out a bloodcurdling shriek, its body blurring as it moved inhumanely fast.
Akira pushed his legs to the limit, his breath burning in his lungs. Reina reached the subway stairs first, throwing the gate open as the others rushed inside.
The creature was right behind them.
Akira felt the air shift—an unnatural cold pressing against his back. It was close, too close—
He jumped.
With all the strength he had left, Akira hurled himself and Aylin down the subway stairs. He hit the concrete hard, the impact sending pain through his entire body.
The others slammed the gate shut behind them.
The creature crashed into the metal bars with enough force to bend them inward. Its clawed hands reached through, slashing wildly.
But it was too late.
They were safe—for now.
Akira gasped for breath, his arms still wrapped protectively around Aylin. Her small hands clung to his shirt, her body trembling violently.
"That was too close," Reina muttered, gripping her gun.
Rick wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face grim. "We lost Toru."
No one spoke. There was nothing to say.
The only thing they could do was move forward.
The subway was dark and damp, the air thick with the scent of mildew and rot. Flashlights flickered as the group moved cautiously through the abandoned tunnels.
"Keep your voices down," Rick whispered. "Sound travels down here."
Akira adjusted Aylin in his arms. "How much farther to the safe house?"
Acrid smoke and the scent of rot clung to the air as Akira slogged forward, supporting Aylin's weight against his back. Her breathing was shallow, her body was weak from the sudden event. The others moved ahead of them, their silhouettes lighted by the flickering fires that still burned outside the tunnel.
"Almost there," Reina, muttered. Her rifle remained at ready, surveying the shadows for any sign of movement.
Akira's legs ached with exhaustion, but he forced himself to keep moving.
Aylin shifted slightly, her voice barely a whisper. "Brother… where are we?"
Akira didn't have an answer. The city around them was unfamiliar, yet parts of it felt recognizable. Some buildings stood intact, their signs still gleaming under the faint light as if they had been freshly abandoned. Others looked ancient—worn down by time far beyond what should have been possible.
"We're in a safe zone," Rick answered. Reina added, still trembling from the sight she had witnessed "Or what counts, as safe."
They moved through the broken streets, past wrecked cars and crumbling infrastructure. Akira's mind whirled. The destruction didn't look recent—it looked like it had been here for years. He had seen post-apocalyptic movies before, but nothing compared to the tense nature of these ruins.
Yet… something wasn't right. The advertisements in store windows displayed brands he had heard of, but way before, those brands should've already been outshined by the newest brand he knew. Street names were also different from what is present. It was as if they had stepped into a past version of reality.
"We're here," Rick announced as they reached a large, fortified building. It had once been a shopping mall, but now makeshift barricades and barbed wire lined its entrances. A pair of guards stood watch at the doors, their expressions grim as they took in the newcomers.
One of them, a wiry man with a scar across his nose, eyed Akira and Aylin suspiciously. "More new ones? Damn, they just keep coming."'
Rick snorted. "We found them at the hospital. The kid is strong—kept his sister alive through that hell. They're staying."
The guard sighed but stepped aside. "Your call. Just hope you understand the situation we're in. But where's Toru?"
Silence. No one dared to answer.
The guard's expression darkened as realization set in. "Another one, huh?" He exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry for your loss."
They entered the mall, and Akira was immediately struck by the sight of people—real, living people. Survivors clustered in makeshift camps of sleeping bags and salvaged furniture. Some tended to small fires, cooking what little food they had. Others traded supplies in hushed conversations. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and rust.
Aylin barely shifted as they found a quiet corner. Akira gently lowered her onto an old mattress. Dr. Yuna, a tired-looking woman with deep-set eyes, knelt beside her, checking her pulse.
"She's weak but stable," Yuna said. "She needs rest, food, and clean water. We'll do what we only can for now."
Akira exhaled, relief washing over him. "Thank you."
Rick crossed his arms, watching him closely. "We have rules here, kid. You pull your weight, you get to stay. No freeloaders. No exceptions."
Akira met his gaze. "I understand. Just please help my sister..."
Garrick studied him for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Get some rest. Tomorrow, you start learning how to survive."
As the others moved away, Akira sat beside Aylin, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. His body ached, his mind raced, but he knew one thing for certain—this nightmare was far from over.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed a child staring at him from across the camp. The boy leaned close to his mother and whispered, "Is this our third city or fourth?"