The early morning light reflected off the glass of the white delivery van as it rolled slowly through the silent streets of Havenbrook.
"Do you have to run over every Fallen you see?" Elena asked.
"Of course I have to," Marcus replied, his tone mock-serious. "I'm just preventing future problems."
"You're an idiot."
Marcus grinned. "That might be true… but you love it."
If looks could kill, he would've dropped dead on the spot.
Instead, his laughter filled the van as they turned the corner.
The grocery store came into view at the end of the street.
Or what was left of it.
Cars clogged the road leading up to it—some still idling, others smashed into each other at odd angles. Doors hung open. Dark smears stained the seats and pavement.
It looked like people had tried to flee all at once.
And didn't get very far.
"Looks like we're walking," Marcus said as he parked the van.
A few Fallen wandered nearby.
Three.
Slow.
Unfocused.
Nothing serious.
"I'll handle them," Elena said.
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I—"
"Because," she cut in, already opening the door, "you'd turn this into a parade."
Marcus frowned. "…That's not fair."
But she was already gone.
Elena moved quickly.
Quietly.
She slipped between the abandoned cars like she'd done it a hundred times before.
The first Fallen didn't even react before her blade found its neck.
The second barely turned before it dropped.
Clean.
Efficient.
Silent.
The third stood closer to the store.
What used to be a man in a business suit.
Now—
Just another broken thing.
It turned when she got close.
Too late.
She stepped in, blade rising—
And then—
It moved.
Wrong.
Its body twisted at an angle that shouldn't have been possible.
Her strike cut through empty air.
Her eyes widened.
Her momentum carried her forward—
Straight into it.
Claws reached for her.
Too fast.
Too close.
How—
Time seemed to slow.
She tried to pull back.
Tried to shift her footing.
Tried to draw on her mana—
Nothing came fast enough.
Then—
A flash of gold.
Impact.
The Fallen's head snapped sideways as Marcus's fist crashed into it.
Bone shattered.
The body stumbled back, then collapsed.
Still.
Marcus shook out his hand.
"Got to admit," he said, grinning, "that one almost had you."
Elena didn't answer immediately.
For a second—
She just looked at him.
Then she turned away.
"…Thank you."
Marcus blinked.
"…You're welcome."
The inside of the store was dim.
Not dark—but not bright either.
Most of the overhead lights were dead.
The ones still working flickered faintly, casting uneven shadows between the aisles.
Shelves had been torn apart.
Some completely emptied.
Others half-looted—items scattered across the floor like people had been in too much of a hurry to care.
Marcus stepped inside first.
"Alright," he said quietly, "grab what we can carry. Prioritize food and water."
Elena nodded, already moving.
They worked quickly.
Efficiently.
Canned goods.
Bottled water.
Anything sealed.
Anything that would last.
Every now and then—
Marcus would glance toward the entrance.
Something about the silence felt off.
Not empty.
Just—
Too still.
"You notice anything weird?" he asked under his breath.
Elena didn't stop moving.
"Yes."
Marcus paused.
"…That's not reassuring."
"They're not coming in," she said.
Marcus frowned.
"What?"
"The Fallen outside," she clarified. "They should have reacted by now."
He glanced toward the front of the store.
She was right.
They had made noise.
Moved around.
Taken time.
And yet—
Nothing.
"…Maybe we got lucky," Marcus muttered.
Elena didn't respond.
A few minutes later, they stepped back outside.
Arms loaded with supplies.
Marcus stepped out first.
Paused.
The street felt… different.
Too quiet.
Then—
The sound started.
A low, uneven shuffle filled the space around them.
Elena stopped beside him.
"…Marcus."
"I see it."
Fallen.
More than before.
Not just three.
Not even close.
They stood between the cars.
In the street.
Near the buildings.
They weren't rushing.
Weren't charging.
They just… stood there.
Marcus slowly set the supplies down.
"…Yeah."
He exhaled slowly.
"That's not normal."
Elena's gaze moved quickly.
Counting.
Tracking.
"They're closing us in."
"…Yeah."
Marcus's voice dropped.
"I noticed."
None of them attacked.
None of them lunged.
They just… adjusted.
Shifted slightly.
Blocking paths.
Cutting off angles.
Marcus's grin faded.
"…Okay," he said slowly, "that's really not normal."
Elena didn't respond.
Her eyes had lifted.
Marcus followed her gaze.
Up.
To the rooftops.
And then—
He saw it.
A figure stood at the edge of the building across the street.
Still.
Completely still.
While the others moved—
That one didn't.
It didn't stagger.
Didn't twitch.
Didn't shift.
It just stood there.
Looking down at them.
Watching.
Marcus felt something cold crawl up his spine.
"…Elena."
"I see it."
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Just a fraction.
As if studying them.
Not hunting.
Not attacking.
Just—
Observing.
Then—
It shifted its weight.
Just slightly.
And the Fallen below adjusted with it.
And for the first time since stepping outside—
Marcus didn't feel like the strongest thing in the area.
His instincts screamed at him to move.
To hit first.
To break through.
But his body didn't.
Not yet.
Author's Note:
Something is controlling them.
And it's watching.