Something shifted inside Kai.
As he watched Mrs. Navine scream beneath the creature's weight, a raw, gnawing pressure swelled in his chest. Guilt. Rage. Shame. All clawing to the surface. He hadn't moved. He hadn't screamed. He hadn't helped.
He just… watched.
But now, something snapped.
His eyes locked onto a broken brick lying near the pavement, beside a cracked drain. Without thinking, without breathing, Kai lunged forward, snatched it up, and with a guttural yell, hurled it at the creature's skull.
The brick struck with a sickening crack.
The thing jerked — twitching, spasming — before collapsing sideways onto the pavement. Blood, black and thick like tar, oozed from the wound as the body convulsed one final time and went still.
Everything around him disappeared. The sounds. The street. The people. It was all drowned by the thudding of his heart.
And then—
A soft ding echoed in his head.
✅ [SYSTEM MESSAGE]Congratulations! First Kill Achieved.
🎯 Reward Unlocked:
+3 Stat Points
+1 Strength
+1 Agility
+2 Willpower
New Title Unlocked: [Reluctant Slayer]You did not wish to kill. But you chose to act. In the face of fear, you moved.
✴ [Access Your Status Menu Anytime with "Status"]
Kai stumbled back, blinking at the glowing screen hovering before his eyes — translucent, blue, game-like, like something from one of those post-apocalyptic VRMMORPGs. Except it was real.
He waved his hand. The screen flickered but didn't vanish.
This wasn't hallucination. This was happening.
Before he could absorb more, movement caught his eye. The other figure — the second "mutant" — was descending the pole with stiff, jerking motions.
People had started screaming now. Chaos unravelled like a rip in fabric. Sirens wailed in the distance, and some neighbors ran while others recorded, too frozen by disbelief.
Kai didn't wait. He rushed forward, grabbed Mrs. Navine's fallen phone, her blood still fresh on it, and sprinted toward the main road. His breaths came in sharp bursts. He didn't look back.
Just run.
As he turned a corner, a massive digital billboard loomed overhead — a wide LED screen mounted on the face of a shopping complex. The brightness flickered as a news broadcast came on:
BREAKING NEWS:Isolated reports of bizarre attacks and violent behavior have surfaced in multiple cities. Citizens are urged to remain indoors. Stay calm. Further details coming shortly.
The camera panned to blurred footage — people crawling, biting, screaming. Fire. Blood. Panic.
Kai's stomach twisted.
He checked Mrs. Navine's phone. The screen wasn't locked. Notifications from "Neighborhood Watch" groups were pouring in — blurry photos, voice notes, messages about sick people, strange behavior, police roadblocks. No contact with her son. Nothing useful.
Still, he pocketed the phone.
He had to get home.
He sprinted through narrowing lanes, dodging traffic, gasping for air. As he neared his building, the familiar sight of his home should've brought comfort.
It didn't.
The front door was ajar.
"No," Kai whispered, rushing up the steps, his pulse thundering.
The silence inside was colder than the street.
He pushed open the door fully, calling out, "Aira?!"
A faint groan answered him.
He turned toward the living room and froze.
Aira was slumped against the wall, her face pale, her arms scratched and bleeding. Blood soaked part of her shirt. Her breathing was shallow, and beside her lay the limp, twisted body of an infected man — already dead. A bloodied kitchen knife sat in her trembling hand.
Kai fell to his knees beside her. "No, no, no… Aira—"
Her eyes fluttered open. "I… I fought back. I didn't let him bite me... I think... I don't know."
Her voice was weak, barely above a whisper.
He inspected her quickly. No bite marks. Just gashes. Bruising. Blood everywhere. But… no black eyes.
He ran to the cabinet and grabbed the emergency medical kit. His hands shook as he cleaned her wounds, using every disinfectant, painkiller, and antibiotic he could find. His mind screamed that it wasn't enough.
She winced, but didn't cry.
"Stay with me, Aira," Kai whispered. "Don't you dare give up."
He wrapped her arms with cloth torn from his own shirt, pressing down to stop the bleeding. He gave her water. Gave her hope.
But in truth, he had no idea what to do next.
As he sat there, clutching her hand, his eyes drifted to the quiet corpse beside them. A man had entered his house. Aira had nearly died.
This wasn't a freak accident.
This was war.
The apocalypse… had come home.