Her father screamed in horror when he saw the Sombro — identical to Amina — lying dead on the living room floor.Though terrified, Amara didn't stop moving. She realized that the gun, now with only two bullets, wouldn't be enough to protect them on the way. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed all the knives she could find, along with a hammer and other tools from her father's box. She shoved everything into a bag and placed it on his lap.
— Dad, you'll have to carry the bag on your lap, okay? Keep it open — we might need to grab something quickly. — Her tone was authoritative. Her father nodded, even though his face showed utter terror.
Amara rolled the demon's body to the side, and its black blood stained the floor even more. It was cold as ice, and having the exact appearance of her sister made her soul tremble.
— Sombros — said Mr. Ryoji Hisakawa suddenly. — What's attacking our city are Sombros, a type of Morphid. — His eyes were fixed on the creature.
— Yes, Dad.
— But, but… This isn't right... It doesn't make sense! — He adjusted his glasses, his expression a mix of disbelief and horror.
— What do you mean? — Amara asked.
— According to Varian's book, Sombros only feed on humans. Their natural habitat is the ruins of old Xingguo. So... how did they come from the other side of the border, if there are no humans there?
Amara froze for a few seconds, trying to process the information. Her father had been a librarian before the government stripped him of that title for marrying a foreigner. A dedicated scholar of the Nefari, he had an extensive collection of books on them. His memory was sharp — what he said wasn't a mistake; it made perfect sense.
— I don't know, Dad. Everything is weird, starting with the barrier suddenly opening. That had never happened before... But we can't think about that now. We still need to find Amina and get to the shelter!
— Yes, yes, let's go. We must find your sister quickly — he said, still lost in internal thoughts.
Amara pushed her father's wheelchair out of the house. As she opened the passenger door, they both heard a sinister sound... like hundreds of mournful moans. When they looked toward the huge bamboo forest, they saw them — the Sombros in their original form.
They were nothing more than black shadows in humanoid shapes, with sharp claws and glowing red eyes. They moved slowly, chanting a song of suffering. They seemed starved, desperate for living flesh. Though still far away, their presence was overwhelming, and Amara could feel many of them staring at her and her father as if they were a promised feast.
She rushed to place her father in the passenger seat, put the bag back on his lap, and thought that inside it were not just knives and hammers — but the hope that they might survive the unknown. Determined, she shut the door, then quickly folded the wheelchair and shoved it into the trunk, ignoring the tremors in her body. Her arms ached from the weight and speed she demanded of her muscles.
She climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. The road ahead was downhill, and soon they would be far from the Sombros. As she sped up, a light rain began to fall, and thunder roared across the late afternoon sky. Her father, beside her, began to share information like an audiobook.
— Sombros can read people's memories when they get close. That's how they know who you love... so they can replicate that person's appearance. That's how that Sombro looked exactly like Amina...
— We're going to get there in time, Dad — Amara assured. — Those things walk slowly.
— They don't walk. — Mr. Hisakawa's narrow eyes seemed lost as he spoke. — Starving Sombros crawl… But the strong ones run faster than this car.
— Dad, you're scaring me.
The image of Amina haunted her mind. She didn't know where or how her sister was — and that was agonizing. Amara remembered the creature she had killed earlier, and how the fact that Amina couldn't hear was the only thing that confirmed it wasn't truly her sister. From now on, Amara would have to pay attention to the smallest details to avoid being deceived — it seemed the Sombros couldn't imitate people that well.
She glanced briefly at Mr. Hisakawa. No, that was her father. Nothing in his behavior had seemed suspicious so far. Even that look on his face — the typical one he wore when lost in thought — would be hard for a Sombro to mimic.
— Hey, what's that? — Her father pointed to the rearview mirror. — Are those helicopters?
Amara followed his gaze and was surprised to see dozens of helicopters flying toward the city. They released a thick smoke over the bamboo forest. It had to be some kind of poisonous gas to kill the creatures.
— It's the Hinoken army, Dad, it has to be! They're here — they came to help the city! — Amara was so euphoric watching the scene through the rearview mirror that she forgot to pay attention to the road.
— Amara, watch out! — Her father screamed.
She swerved just in time to avoid what looked like a Sombro devouring someone's organs in the middle of the street. The rear tire blew, and since they were on a steep slope, the car continued careening downhill until it slammed sideways into a light pole. The impact hit like a steel punch. The world spun. For a moment, Amara didn't know where she was — until she heard her father's low groan beside her.
— Dad, are you hurt? — Amara unbuckled her seatbelt and quickly checked herself and her father for injuries but found none.
— I don't think so — he said, pale as a sheet. — I can feel everything... except my legs, but that's normal, right? — He was equally terrified.
Fortunately, only the rear side of the car had crashed, and both were unharmed. However, their situation was still dire — they could no longer continue by car. Amara took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and thought about what they would do next.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to silence the fear. Then she looked at her trembling father and said, without a hint of hesitation:
— We'll have to go on foot.