A/N:
Sorry for the late update, things have been a bit hectic on my end (｡•́︿•̀｡) I didn't want to rush this chapter, so I took extra time with it and made it longer than usual.
Thank you for your patience, I really appreciate it (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡
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The sound came again. Low. Wrong. Not close…
It rolled faintly through the hollow corridors of the mall, distant… but not distant enough. Just enough to make the silence feel thinner. Fragile.
Marcus didn't hesitate. "We're leaving." No debate. No second guesses. They were already moving.
Iris didn't look back.
Not at the blood-streaked floor.
Not at the shattered storefronts.
Not at the dark corridors that seemed to stretch endlessly behind them.
Whatever was deeper inside that mall… It wasn't worth the fight. Not like this. Not when they were already running on fumes.
Marcus shifted slightly closer to Henry, voice lowered.
"Sir, we should keep formation tight."
Henry gave a short nod. "Do it."
The adjustment happened immediately. Cleaner. Tighter.
Controlled.
Elias and the dogs remained just outside their formation, close enough to move with them, but not close enough to belong to it.
Iris noticed that too. Said nothing.
Behind them, the mall remained silent.
Too silent. The kind of silence that didn't feel empty… But watchful
The glass doors crunched underfoot as they pushed out into open air.
The difference hit immediately. Cooler. Sharper. But no less heavy. No one slowed. Not yet. They kept moving.
Past the parking lot littered with abandoned cars.
Past shopping carts overturned and scattered.
Past dark stains that had long since dried into the pavement.
The world outside wasn't better. It was Just… wider.
More space for things to go wrong. They didn't stop running until their lungs burned.
The sound that had come from the distance back at the mall still lingered in their minds, something deep and wrong, something none of them had the strength to turn back and face. Whatever it was, it wasn't something they could handle in their current state.
So they ran. Not blindly, but not carefully either. Just far enough. Just long enough.
Until running turned into walking. And walking turned into dragging their own bodies forward.
No one spoke. There was nothing left to say.
Daniel was still unconscious, his weight uneven as Claire and Marcus took turns supporting him. His temperature had dropped slightly, but not enough to be reassuring. Every now and then, his breathing would hitch just enough to remind them that he was still hanging somewhere in between.
Alive. But not stable.
The road stretched ahead of them, empty and dim under the fading light.
By the time a diner came into view, the sky had already begun to darken.
It stood alone.
A two-story structure sitting just off the roadside, its sign crooked, its windows dull with grime. The lower floor was clearly a diner, booths faintly visible through the glass. Above it, the second floor remained dark, silent.
It looked untouched. Which, somehow, made it worse.
Marcus slowed first. The others followed. He studied the building for a few seconds, his grip tightening slightly around his weapon.
"Stay close," he said quietly.
No one argued.
The door creaked open under his push. A weak chime echoed from somewhere above it.
Then… Movement.
A figure rushed from behind the counter, fast and erratic, its mouth stretched open in a broken snarl. Another stumbled in from the side, knocking into a chair as it came.
A middle aged man and woman.
Marcus stepped in first. The first strike was clean. Fast enough that the man barely reached them before his body gave out.
Iris moved with the second. No hesitation. No wasted motion.
Her blade drove forward, ending it before the woman could even fully raise her arms.
The two bodies turned into ash. It scattered across the diner floor like dust that had always been there. Silence returned. But it didn't feel empty.
They moved further inside.
The place still held traces of life. Plates sat where they had been left, some half-eaten, some untouched. A cup lay overturned near the counter, the stain beneath it dried and dark. Chairs were pushed back unevenly, as though people had stood up too quickly and never returned. It had happened fast. Too fast.
Then came the sound. Low. Wet. Dragging. From deeper inside.
Everyone stilled. Iris turned slightly, listening. "Move back," Iris said under her breath.
They shifted immediately, giving her space.
The sound led them to the corner. And that was where they saw her…
An old woman sat in a wheelchair, her body slumped, her head tilted at an angle no living person could hold. Her eyes were open, bloodshot and unfocused, staring at nothing.
Her skin had thinned, gray and fragile, stretched over bone. Dark veins webbed beneath it. Parts of her flesh had already torn, exposing something raw beneath.
Her mouth opened slowly. A broken sound crawled out. But her body did not move.
Her fingers twitched faintly against the armrest, jerking in small, useless motions, like something inside her was trying to command limbs that no longer obeyed.
Something twisted deep in their stomachs. Not fear. Something heavier.
For a moment… no one moved. Because she wasn't rushing them. Wasn't attacking. She was just—
There. Trapped in a body that no longer worked. Still trying. Still… existing.
And somehow… That made it worse.
Marcus glanced once toward Henry. A silent question. A brief nod came in return. That was all he needed. He stepped forward. One clean motion.
The sound stopped. Her body collapsed into ash, leaving the wheelchair behind.
Empty. No one spoke.
Marcus stepped closer to Henry, lowering his voice slightly.
"Sir… we should secure the building first. Make sure there's nothing else inside."
Henry nodded after a brief pause. "Do it."
Then Marcus moved.
And the other Bodyguards followed. Then the Hale's
That was when Caleb noticed it. "The stairs…" he's said pointing towards it
They all looked. Narrow. Leading up.
Iris nodded. "We finish this."
The second floor felt different. The air was heavier. Still. Like something had been trapped there too long.
A short hallway stretched ahead, lined with doors. One slightly open. The others closed.
They passed the first. Nothing happened.
Then… A sound. Soft. Behind one of the doors they had already walked past.
Everyone froze.
Marcus turned back slowly. Raised his hand. Silence. He stepped forward and opened the door.
The reaction was immediate. A small figure lunged at him. Fast. Desperate. Too fast for its size.
It couldn't have been older than ten.
Marcus ended it before it reached him. With one clean strike. Ash fell where the body had been.
Behind him, Veronica's breath broke. Her hand lifted slightly, trembling. But she said nothing.
Then another sound. Fainter. From inside the room. The closet.
No one wanted to open it. But they all knew.
Marcus moved again. He reached for the closet door and pulled it open.
Two small bodies huddled together. One around five. The other… An infant.
They shifted weakly, turning toward the light. Still. Still reaching. For a moment, no one moved. Then Marcus stepped forward. And ended it. Quickly. As gently as something like that could be done.
When it was over, nothing remained but ash.
Silence pressed down on all of them. A soft sound broke the silence.
The dogs.
They hadn't made a sound since entering. Not during the fight. Not during the clearing. Not even now. One of them stepped forward slowly.
Carefully.
Its nose hovered over the ash.Then moved. To the closet. It stopped there.
Sat down. Still. Quiet. Not restless. Not afraid. Just… still.
As if it understood something they didn't want to.
Elias stood behind them, his expression unreadable. His hand came down briefly, resting on one of their heads. Not to calm the dog. But to steady himself.
Caleb turned away first, his shoulders shaking as a broken sound escaped him.
Benjamin didn't hold it in at all. He rushed out, barely making it down the hall before the sound of him throwing up echoed back. Henry stood still, breathing uneven. Then reached into his space. Pulled out his medication. Swallowed it dry. Forced himself to steady. Veronica hadn't moved. Her eyes remained fixed on the empty closet.
Iris hesitated. Then she stepped closer to her mother.
This wasn't something she knew how to do. Comfort. It wasn't hers. Never had been. But her hand still lifted. Rested lightly on Veronica's arm. "We're still here," she said quietly. The words felt unfamiliar. But they stayed.
Veronica exhaled slowly, her shoulders trembling. Not okay. But not breaking.
On the wall, slightly tilted.. A photo.
Iris looked at it.
The same family that owned the diner. All of them.
The grandmother sat in her wheelchair, smiling gently, the baby in her lap. The children leaned into her, making faces. The parents stood behind them, close, warm, whole. Alive.
Iris looked away first.
Marcus turned slightly toward Henry. "Sir… we should secure the place."
Henry nodded, voice quieter now. "Do it."
No one argued. They barricaded what they could. It wasn't perfect. But it would hold. For now. By the time they finished, exhaustion took them completely. Not slowly. All at once.
Daniel was laid carefully across a booth. Claire stayed with him, replacing the damp cloth on his forehead again and again. His breathing was still uneven. But lighter. Iris leaned against the counter.
And then… A faint blue light appeared.
[Time Until Global Migration: 01:13:27]
The numbers didn't flicker. Didn't hesitate. They just kept going. Uncaring. The timer ticked down.
Veronica stared at it. Then looked away. Her thoughts weren't here. They were somewhere else… Alexander.
{ALEXANDER}
The world had changed too quickly. Too violently.
Just hours ago, people had still hesitated. Still tried to help each other. Still believed this was temporary. Something that would pass. Something that could be controlled. That illusion didn't last.
Alexander had seen it break. Piece by piece. A man beaten to death over a backpack. A woman dragged screaming because she had food. Two strangers turning on each other over a bottle of water. It hadn't even been a full day.
By the time he reached a relatively safe looking hotel, something in him had already gone quiet. Not emotion. Not fear. Just… expectation.
The moment he stepped inside, he knew. This wasn't a refuge. The lobby lights were still on. The floors still clean. Furniture untouched.
But the atmosphere… Was wrong.
People stood in clusters, not relaxed, not safe. Tense. Watching. Avoiding eye contact.
And at the center of it… Control.
A group of men. Armed. Not panicking. Not reacting. Commanding.
One of them laughed loudly at something no one else found funny.
Another leaned casually against the counter, gun resting against his shoulder like it belonged there.
This wasn't survival. This was takeover.
Alexander stayed near the edge. Not hiding. Not engaging. Just watching.
A man stepped forward, voice shaking but trying to stay firm.
"This is a hotel, you can't just.."
The gunshot cut him off. The sound echoed across the lobby. Sharp. Final.
The man's body crumbled to the floor. No one screamed. That was the worst part. They had already learned.
Alexander exhaled slowly. He couldn't fix this. Not without getting involved. Not without risking time. Energy. Possibly his life. And he didn't have that luxury. Not when his family was still out there.
Waiting. He turned to leave…
And that was when he saw her.
She stood near the far wall, slightly hunched, one hand pressed against her stomach. Her breathing was uneven. Her face pale. She was pregnant. Her ankles were swollen. Not broken. But bad enough.
She wasn't being harassed. Ignored instead. Allowed to exist. For now.
Their eyes met. For a brief moment Something unspoken passed between them.
Then Alexander looked away.
He took a step forward and stopped. Exhaled. Then turned back.
With a decision made.
He moved when the noise rose again. When attention shifted. When the armed men focused elsewhere.
Everything came down to timing. Where people were looking. Where they weren't. The small gaps no one else noticed. By the time he reached her, he was already part of the background. Invisible.
"Can you walk?" he asked quietly.
She tried. Failed. A small wince escaped her lips. That was enough. He didn't ask again. Just lifted her.
She stiffened for half a second. Then went still. Trust wasn't given. But she didn't fight him.
They moved out of the building. Through blind spots. Between shifting bodies. Past danger that hadn't noticed them yet.
Almost out…
"Wait!" The voice came from behind. Desperate. Cracking.
"Please! Take us too!"
Others turned. Saw. Understood.
"Help us!"
"Don't leave us!"
The pressure changed instantly. The woman in his arms spoke, her voice low but urgent "We can't just leave them…"
Alexander stopped. Not fully. Just enough.
His voice was quiet. But firm. "I help them," he said, "or I get you out."
A pause. "Choose."
Silence.
Her fingers tightened slightly against his shirt. But she didn't answer. Couldn't. That hesitation was enough.
He didn't wait for anything else. Didn't ask again. He moved. Out of the building. Into the night.
Cold air hit immediately. Sharp. Real.
He didn't stop until the hotel was far behind them. Until the noise faded. Until the risk dropped.
Then he set her down carefully.
She swayed slightly, catching herself, one hand instinctively returning to her stomach.
"…thank you," she said softly.
He didn't respond. His gaze drifted. To her stomach. For a moment… He almost spoke. Then didn't.
Turned. And started walking away.
"Wait—" she called out behind him, voice frantic.
He stopped. Didn't turn immediately.
"Please…" Her voice trembled slightly. "Take me with you."
His shoulders stilled.
"I can't stay alone." She added in a soft voice lowering her head
Silence hung between them.
When he finally turned, his expression hadn't changed. But something in his eyes had shifted.
A calculation. A hesitation. A line being drawn. For a brief moment, it looked like he might say something. Might reconsider.
Then whatever thought crossed his mind—
Passed.
He looked away. And kept walking.
~*~
{ Iris }
[Time Remaining: 01:11:02]
Claire leaned closer. "…Daniel?"
For a faint movement. His fingers twitched.
"…water…" Daniel said in a voice barely a whisper.
But enough. Relief didn't come loudly. It came quietly.
Iris stepped closer to the booth where he was. Watching. Confirming.
Daniel wasn't gone. Not yet.
The timer continued counting down above them. Unstoppable. And somewhere far away… Paths that had not yet crossed—
Were already beginning to bend toward each other.