Quin wipes the sweat off his face. "Fine, let's go."
He turns to the woman he came with. "I'm sorry, Loli, but can you make it to the rescue point by yourself?"
Loli nods, then looks at him with disapproval. "Are you really planning on going back with her?"
"Yes," he utters, reaffirming his resolve.
"Thank you, Quin," Anna says with relief. "But what about your family? Are they safe?"
"They—" he mutters, his tone downcast. He doesn't finish, but the implication is clear. Loli gives him a sympathetic look, understanding his situation.
"Sorry," Anna says quietly.
"You better get going," Loli says, glancing down at her analog watch. "There are only about thirty minutes before the pickup time is over."
"Right," Quin says. "Be safe, Loli. Anna, let's go."
Anna and Quin turn and start running.
"You too, Quin! Stay safe!" Loli yells after them.
On the way to Anna's house, loud sirens wail in the distance, mixed with harsh, patternless noise that echoes through the streets.
When they arrive, the van is gone and the front door is wide open.
Quin reminds Anna not to look at any screens as they head inside. They call out for Judith, but there's no response. They check her room—empty. Her bag is still there, but the monitor is off, as if she left in a hurry. and a pair of pants next to them—male pants.
"Judith? Are you in here somewhere?" Anna calls, clinging to a strand of hope.
"She's not here," Quin says, turning to her. "She must have already left. And we have to go too."
Anna looks at him, desperation clear on her face. "What if she comes back? What if my parents come back?"
Quin takes her hand. "We can't take that chance."
Her eyes well with tears.
Something ghastly flashes past behind Quin.
"What was that?" Anna says in shock.
Quin turns. It's just a piece of cloth—a bedsheet—caught on a drawer handle, swaying slightly from the breeze coming through the open window.
"It was nothing," he says.
They leave the house and head toward the rescue spot. The noises they heard earlier grow louder, and beneath the chaos, there's something else.
A song.
Is that a song? It sounds familiar.
After fifteen minutes of running, they reach the pickup site—the front of the city's stadium. But the vehicle is gone. It looks like it left early.
And the reason is standing right in front of the stadium.
Three ghastly creatures roam the area. They are blue in color, nearly nine feet tall, with massive dark-blue shell-like scales covering their bodies. Their arms are long and oversized, ending in hand-like claws with serrated knuckles. Their legs bend inward like a horse's, and they stand hunched, almost like apes. Their heads are capsule-shaped, with no visible facial features, yet they emit a low humming sound as they ravage the area.
Anna freezes, panic rising. "What are those?"
Quin pulls her behind a food truck, shielding her from the creatures' view, and gestures for her to stay quiet. "They just appeared out of nowhere. Those are the things that have been killing everybody."
"What should we do? The bus isn't here."
"Let's go into the stadium," he says, peeking out to check their positions. "There might still be people inside."
"And go past those things?" Anna stares at him. "Who would even stay here with those things walking around?"
"The streets are empty. It's our best chance of finding others. Would you rather stay out here with them?"
"And how do you suppose we get past them?"
"The gutter system," he says, pointing. "If we crawl through it, we can get into the stadium unnoticed."
She looks at him, uneasy.
He doesn't wait for her to respond and moves toward the back of the food truck. "Ready? On the count of three, we sprint to the gutter. One… two—"
Suddenly, they're yanked back.
A woman with deep ginger hair clamps her hands over their mouths, pulling them against her. She's injured—blood stains her hip.
"Don't move. Don't think," she whispers firmly, pressing their heads against her chest. Her rapid heartbeat is impossible to ignore.
Don't think?
Anna struggles in confusion, but the woman only tightens her grip. The creatures seem to sense something and begin moving closer.
Without warning, the ginger-haired woman strikes Anna, knocking her unconscious. She turns to Quin.
"Don't panic. Calm yourself. Be quiet."
Quin does as he's told.
The creatures pause, then slowly lose interest and wander away.
The woman and Quin breathe carefully, fear thick in the air. After a few tense minutes, the creatures move off completely.
The woman finally releases them and looks down at Anna. She lifts her up carefully. "I'm Anderser. Call me Andy. I'll explain on the way."
Quin helps position Anna over his shoulders and follows Andy.
"All rescue operations have ceased," Andy explains as they move. "Some people sabotaged them—terrorists. The government couldn't fight these creatures and evacuate civilians at the same time, so they left ahead of schedule. We'll have to survive on our own for now."
"Then where are we headed?" Quin asks.
"We're not the only survivors left behind. Another group is setting up camp at the central bank. That's where we're going."
They move cautiously, avoiding any streets with creatures. The noise fades again, leaving the city eerily silent. As they walk, Andy's limp worsens. Quin offers to help, but she refuses, insisting she can handle it and mentioning she was in the military.
Anna wakes partway through the journey and is briefed on what happened. After nearly two hours of walking, they reach the bank. The doors are sealed shut.
Andy goes to a small window on the side and whispers, "Hey, it's Andy."
After a moment, the window opens, and they crawl inside.
A young man greets them. "I see you found more survivors, Andy. Nice to meet you—my name's Joshua. Make yourselves comfortable." He glances at Andy and notices the blood. "Andy, you're bleeding."
"I know," she says flatly. Her skin looks pale.
Joshua grabs her shoulder. "Let's get you checked." He leads her away, leaving Anna and Quin standing there.
After a while, another man enters and calls everyone's attention. The refugees gather around.
He looks like he's in charge.
"These are difficult and unprecedented times," he begins. "I know you're scared. But you don't need to be anymore. We're safe here. Nothing can get in. We have enough provisions to last three weeks—more than enough until the government comes back for us. Don't lose hope. All is well."
6 Months Later