I don't remember how long I ran.
Only that my legs hurt.
Only that my lungs burned.
Only that no matter how far I went… the screaming didn't stop.
The city I knew was gone.
Not destroyed.
Not yet.
But it was changing.
Twisting into something I couldn't recognize.
I ducked into an alley, pressing my back against the cold wall. My hands were shaking. I didn't even realize I had dropped the paper bag until I looked down.
The bread was gone
Lost somewhere between fear and running.
A bitter laugh almost escaped me.
Of all things…
My phone vibrated again.
The sound was too loud in the silence.
Too sharp.
I froze.
For a second, I didn't want to look.
As if ignoring it would make everything stop.
But it didn't.
Nothing was stopping.
Slowly, I lifted it.
The screen flickered.
The signal was weak.
Messages flooding in—alerts, warnings, emergency broadcasts.
"Stay indoors."
"Unknown biological outbreak."
"Avoid contact with infected individuals."
My fingers trembled.
Then—
A name.
Haru.
My breath caught.
A message.
Short.
Simple.
"Mom, are you okay?"
The world around me faded.
Just for a moment.
"Haru…"
My voice came out as a whisper.
Fragile.
My son.
I hadn't seen him in months.
Not since—
I swallowed.
Hard.
Not since the divorce.
The alley felt colder.
Heavier.
I stared at the message, my vision blurring slightly.
My fingers hovered over the screen.
What do I even say?
"I'm fine."
No, I wasn't.
"Stay where you are."
But where was he?
My chest tightened.
He wasn't here.
He was in another this city.
In another town.
A "safe zone," they called it.
A big city, quieter, protected.
With his father.
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, memories slipped in—
uninvited.
A small hand holding mine.
A quiet laugh.
The way he used to look at me like I was the center of his world.
"…Mom, look."
I bit my lip.
That was before everything broke.
Before the arguments.
Before the silence.
Before the papers were signed.
Before I let him go.
My hand trembled as I typed.
"I'm okay."
A lie.
"Stay with your dad."
My chest tightened again.
He replied almost instantly.
"We're in a shelter."
"Dad says it's not safe outside."
"Are you coming here?"
The words hit harder than anything else.
Are you coming here?
I stared at the screen.
My vision blurred completely now.
"I…"
My voice cracked.
How do you answer that?
How do you tell your child—
You don't know if you'll survive the next hour?
Tears slipped down before I could stop them.
Warm.
Quiet.
Uncontrollable.
"I'm sorry…"
The words left my lips without meaning to.
Outside the alley, another scream echoed.
Closer this time.
I flinched.
The world came rushing back.
The fear.
The chaos.
The truth.
I wasn't there.
I wasn't with him.
I wasn't the one holding his hand anymore.
Somewhere, in another town—
He was sitting beside a man who used to be mine.
My ex-husband.
We hadn't spoken properly since the divorce.
Only short messages.
Cold.
Necessary.
And now—
He didn't even know I was here.
In the first city.
The first place to fall.
A broken laugh escaped me.
Soft.
Empty.
"Of course…"
He always wanted a safer life.
A quieter place.
And I…
I stayed behind.
I wiped my face quickly, but the tears didn't stop.
My phone buzzed again.
"Mom?"
"Why aren't you answering?"
My chest felt like it was collapsing.
"I'm here…"
I whispered.
Even though he couldn't hear me.
"I'll come to you."
My fingers froze.
The lie sat there.
Heavy.
But I couldn't take it back.
Because I wanted it to be true.
Even if it wasn't.
Even if it couldn't be.
"I'll come to you…"
My voice broke completely now.
Tears fell freely.
No control.
No strength left to stop them.
Outside—
The sound of something dragging across the ground echoed.
Slow.
Wet.
I covered my mouth, trying to silence my breathing.
The shadow of something passed the alley entrance.
Too long.
Too wrong.
I didn't move.
Not even when my phone lit up again.
"Okay. I'll wait, Mom."
My vision blurred again.
But this time—
I didn't wipe the tears away.
Because deep down—
I didn't know if I would ever see him again.
And somewhere in another town—
A boy was waiting.
For someone who might never come.