The woman inside the sedan screamed again.
The sound was raw with panic.
Three Fallen clawed at the car doors, their twisted fingers scraping against the metal while their teeth snapped against the cracking glass.
The young boy inside the passenger seat covered his head with both arms.
The windshield fractured further.
Ryan didn't hesitate.
He was already moving.
The SUV hadn't fully stopped before he jumped out, spear in hand.
The nearest Fallen turned toward him with a shriek.
The spear flashed.
Thud.
The tusk blade punched through its skull and tore free in the same motion.
Ryan stepped forward.
Another creature lunged.
He didn't slow down.
The spear butt smashed into its jaw, snapping the creature's head sideways before the blade drove cleanly through its throat.
The third Fallen turned too late.
Ryan closed the distance in two quick strides.
The spear plunged down through the back of its neck.
The creature collapsed against the car door.
Silence returned to the street.
Marcus had just reached the sedan when the last body hit the pavement.
He blinked.
"…Well."
He scratched the back of his head.
"Guess you had that covered."
Ryan ignored the comment.
He stepped to the driver's door and pulled it open.
The woman inside was shaking violently.
"Are you hurt?" Ryan asked.
She stared at him like she couldn't quite believe he was real.
"I—"
Her voice cracked.
"I thought we were dead."
"You're not."
Her relief broke through in a shaky breath.
Ryan looked toward the boy.
"Can you walk?"
The kid nodded quickly.
"Y-yes."
Marcus leaned against the roof of the car.
"Welcome to the rescue service."
Ryan glanced toward Daniel's van.
"Put them in the van."
Daniel had already opened the sliding door.
"Plenty of room."
The woman climbed out slowly, still trembling.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Ryan didn't respond.
He was already looking down the street.
More movement.
Closer this time.
Figures stumbling between houses.
Fallen.
Marcus followed his gaze.
"Oh good," he muttered.
"Round two."
Ryan spoke without turning.
"Stay close to the vehicles."
Then he stepped forward again.
The next Fallen reached the street just as he did.
The spear cut through the air.
Thud.
The creature dropped instantly.
Behind him, Marcus whistled softly.
"You're really not in the mood today, huh?"
Ryan didn't answer.
Two more creatures rushed from a nearby yard.
This time Marcus met them halfway.
His fists drove forward with tight bursts of compressed mana.
Boom.
One creature staggered backward.
Marcus followed with a second punch that dropped it.
The other lunged toward him.
Robert stepped in from the side.
The crowbar cracked across the creature's skull.
It collapsed instantly.
Marcus grinned.
"Nice."
Robert grunted.
"Let's keep moving."
Ryan had already returned to the SUV.
Alice climbed back into the passenger seat beside him.
"You're rushing."
Ryan started the engine.
"Yes."
The convoy began moving again.
Daniel's van rolled forward first.
Marcus followed in the pickup.
Ryan kept the SUV at the rear.
They moved deeper into Havenbrook.
The streets grew narrower here.
Rows of quiet houses lined the road.
Broken windows.
Abandoned bicycles.
One front yard still had a sprinkler running.
Water sprayed uselessly across the grass.
Ryan gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Iris spoke quietly inside his mind.
[You're hurrying.]
Ryan kept his eyes on the road.
I don't have time to waste.
Every second felt heavier.
[You didn't rush like this earlier.]
Another Fallen stumbled from a driveway.
Ryan swerved the SUV slightly.
The creature slammed against the side of the vehicle and rolled across the pavement behind them.
Marcus's truck ran it over seconds later.
Marcus leaned out the window.
"Roadkill!"
Ryan barely heard him.
Iris's voice softened.
[You're worried about them.]
Ryan didn't answer.
The road ahead curved toward the center of town.
He knew these streets.
He had walked them hundreds of times in another life.
But that life had ended badly.
Ryan's jaw tightened slightly.
Last time…
He pushed the thought away.
The convoy slowed again as another cluster of Fallen appeared ahead.
Five this time.
They moved sluggishly across the intersection.
Ryan stopped the SUV.
Before anyone else could step out—
he was already moving.
The spear blurred through the air.
One creature dropped.
Ryan pivoted and drove his elbow into another.
The bone cracked loudly.
The creature collapsed.
The third lunged.
Ryan stepped aside and drove the spear through its chest.
Marcus jogged up just in time to punch the fourth Fallen into a mailbox.
"…You're really speeding things up," Marcus said.
Ryan pulled the spear free.
"Yes."
Marcus frowned slightly.
"You sure you're alright?"
Ryan met his gaze for a brief moment.
"I will be."
Marcus didn't press further.
Daniel leaned out of the van window.
"You know where the school is from here?"
Ryan nodded once.
"Two more streets."
Alice looked toward him.
"You grew up here."
"Yes."
"Your parents…"
Ryan's grip tightened slightly on the spear.
"They should be at the high school."
Alice watched his expression carefully.
"You're not sure."
Ryan didn't answer.
Because he remembered the last timeline too clearly.
The convoy rolled forward again.
The streets widened as they approached the center of town.
Ryan recognized the familiar buildings immediately.
The small library.
The old hardware store.
The diner on the corner where he had worked part-time as a teenager.
All of it looked abandoned now.
Marcus whistled quietly.
"Your town's having a rough day."
Ryan slowed the SUV as the road opened into a large intersection.
Beyond it—
a wide field stretched toward a familiar building.
The Havenbrook High School.
Ryan felt his chest tighten.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Worse than he remembered.
The parking lot was filled with cars.
Dozens of them.
Many had their doors hanging open.
Some had crashed into each other.
And scattered across the asphalt—
were bodies.
Fallen.
At least twenty.
More moved slowly between the vehicles.
Alice stared.
"…That's a lot."
Marcus stepped out of the pickup again.
"Well."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Looks like the final boss fight."
Ryan stepped out of the SUV.
His eyes never left the school entrance.
If the survivors were inside—
they were trapped.
Ryan lowered the spear.
"We clear the parking lot."
Marcus grinned.
"Now we're talking."
Ryan began walking forward.
His voice was calm.
But there was no hesitation left in it.
"Move."
And this time—
He wouldn't be too late.
Author's Note:
Ryan's not just fighting anymore… he's racing against time.
If you're enjoying the story so far, consider adding it to your library—it really helps 🙏