Dawn had only just begun to filter through the dining room windows when the morning calm was shattered. President Vicente, coffee cup still in hand, received the news that would disrupt the start of the day.
"Sir," Luke reported, "the group sent to the outer base hasn't returned. We have no communication with them."
The president set the cup down firmly on the table.
It's been more than twenty-four hours since the last report outside the city… something is happening out there, he thought uneasily.
"Call an emergency meeting. This is no minor matter; we must act quickly and decisively."
"Yes, sir!" Luke replied.
Vicente stopped him before he left. "And Luke… keep this information discreet. The last thing we need is to spread panic."
Meanwhile, in the palace, Italia and Mabel were having breakfast with their mother, unaware of the worries weighing on their father's mind.
"The garden looks beautiful today, don't you think, Mabel?" Italia said with a smile.
"Yes… but I noticed Dad seemed worried this morning," Mabel answered.
Maribel, the First Lady, looked at them with tenderness, trying to ease their fears. "Your father always carries the weight of Zarco on his shoulders. But there's nothing we can't face together as a family."
At that very moment, Vicente was heading to the council room. The city's leaders were already waiting, gathered with tense expressions, ready to face whatever was necessary to protect their home and its citizens.
***
In the classroom, Ander sat with a distant gaze, barely participating in the conversation. Josh and Alicia, concerned, tried to cheer him up.
"Ander, I know today is a hard day for you… but remember, you're not alone," Josh said.
"Exactly," Alicia added. "We're here for whatever you need."
Ander nodded with gratitude. "Thanks, friends. It's just… I can't stop thinking about my father."
Josh tensed at the mention.
"I understand, Ander. I think about my father too, every time he's on duty at the outer base. It seems his shift was extended and he couldn't make it home for dinner. The anxiety and worry… they're emotions we can't avoid."
The three shared a look full of empathy.
Suddenly, a deafening sound interrupted their conversation. Seconds later, an explosion echoed in the distance, shaking the classroom windows. Alarmed, the students rushed to the windows, their faces reflecting fear and confusion.
From there, they could see columns of smoke rising from one of the walls that protected the city.
The teachers reacted immediately.
"Attention, please. Given the situation, classes are suspended. Return to your homes in an orderly and safe manner," Ander's teacher announced.
Ander, Josh, and Alicia exchanged glances. Without wasting time, they gathered their things and joined the flow of students leaving the building.
The city streets were chaos. Ander couldn't help but think of his mother, waiting for him at home, and of his father, whose absence felt even heavier in moments like this.
The security once offered by the walls now seemed a fragile illusion, threatened by the smoke on the horizon.
As they hurried, a sharp, piercing hum stopped them in their tracks. It was the same strange sound they had just heard.
The noise seemed to crawl under their skin, leaving an unsettling sensation impossible to shake.
"What is that noise? I've never heard anything like it," Alicia asked, covering her ears.
"I don't know… but I don't like it. It's like it's coming from everywhere," Josh replied, looking around.
Ander turned his head, trying to locate the source, but it was useless—the sound seemed to emanate from the air itself. "Come on, we need to keep moving. It's not safe to stay here."
With hearts pounding, the group quickened their pace. Desperate for shelter, they ran toward Alicia's house, the closest.
The crowd rushed frantically through Zarco's streets. When they reached Alicia's house, they noticed something strange: the door was ajar.
Cautiously, they decided to enter.
Inside was a mess. Broken objects, overturned furniture, an eerie silence. Alicia quickly ran upstairs, searching for her grandmother to tell her what was happening.
Meanwhile, Ander and Josh heard a noise coming from the kitchen. When they entered, they found a shattered window, glass fragments scattered across the floor.
Suspense grew with every second. Alicia returned, worried. "There's no one in the house…" she said with a trembling voice.
Suddenly, a woman's scream outside made them turn toward the street.
And then, without them noticing, a hostile began to crawl in through the window. When they turned, they froze.
It advanced toward them with bloodstained teeth, its gaze locked on its prey. It was the first time they had ever seen something like this.
The hostile was a quadruped creature. Its dark gray skin provoked horror. Its size was similar to a cougar, and its climbing movements resembled those of a chimpanzee.
Ander stepped back, but when his foot landed on broken glass.
CRACK!
The sound startled the creature.
Terror turned into pursuit, and the house became a battlefield.
Roars mixed with screams echoed through the house.
Alicia and Josh ran toward a room, while Ander grabbed a knife. They managed to trap the hostile in a sheet, but it broke free, hurling Josh down the stairs and Alicia against a piece of furniture.
"Please, someone help us!" Alicia screamed desperately.
The hostile lunged at her, but Ander whistled, drawing its attention.
With a swift move, he dodged the attack and stabbed the knife into its back. The monster threw him against the wall and leapt at him.
Ander shut his eyes, consumed by fear. In an instinctive act, he gripped the knife tightly with both hands and…
TRACK!
He drove it into the hostile's head, piercing through its mouth.
The body collapsed, lifeless.
Josh stood stunned. Had his friend really managed to kill a hostile?
Alicia and Josh rushed to Ander, hugging him with joy. For a moment, the three shared a brief sense of relief.
But happiness shattered instantly.
Alicia and Josh's expressions turned to horror.
"Why are you looking at me like that… like you've seen a ghost?" Ander asked, confused.
A burning pain in his left shoulder made him turn.
His blood ran cold. "Did it… bite me?" he whispered, his voice heavy with disappointment.