After calming herself and helping Shion steady her nerves, Nozomi finally took a closer look at their surroundings. The room was dim and dusty, with deep cracks scarring the walls and a slanted ceiling that seemed ready to collapse under the slightest gust. The air was thick with a musty, acrid blend of mold and ash. She frowned.
"Shion, where are we?" Nozomi asked, her voice still slightly hoarse.
"Well… I was trying to carry you home," Shion hesitated, "but then everything went crazy. There was a huge explosion somewhere, buildings started collapsing, and people were screaming and running in all directions. I couldn't get through the crowd with you, so I hid us here for now."
Nozomi paused for a moment, then nodded. "I see…" Her eyes scanned the dilapidated room again.
As her gaze inadvertently fell on Shion, Nozomi noticed something off about her friend's expression. It was forced. Shion's breathing was uneven, her eyes avoided contact, and most telling of all… her hand was tucked behind her back in an unnatural way.
"Shion, are you okay? Did you get hurt earlier?" Nozomi asked, her tone lower now, her eyes fixed intently on her friend.
"Oh, I'm… fine, haha," Shion said, forcing a laugh, but the tension in her eyes betrayed her.
Without another word, Nozomi swiftly grabbed Shion's arm. The familiar, soft arm was now covered in scratches, some crusted with dried blood.
"Shion, what's this?" Nozomi asked, her face stern.
Shion flinched, momentarily flustered, then gave a sheepish smile. "It's nothing, just some scrapes from getting trampled in the chaos. No big deal."
Nozomi sighed. "No big deal? Then why do you wince when I touch it?"
Shion pressed her lips together, silent.
"We can't leave it like this. We need to get back as soon as possible. I'm worried about our families too…" Nozomi softened her tone but remained resolute.
Shion nodded. "Yeah… you're right. I wonder what it's like out there now."
The two stepped out of the crumbling house. The sun was high, but the atmosphere was eerily oppressive. The wind swept through the desolate streets, carrying the scent of ash and smoke, sending chills down their spines. Signs of destruction were everywhere—collapsed walls, charred vehicles, shattered signs. Above, the sky had returned to normal, free of the grotesque creatures and their haunting music, no longer stained blood-red. It was as if it had all been a dream.
But the scars of the catastrophe littered the ground, undeniable proof that it was all too real.
"It feels like I've forgotten something…" Nozomi murmured, her eyes lingering on the sky.
But something more pressing weighed on her heart.
They had to get home.
They had to make sure… their families were safe.
She gripped Shion's hand and quickened her pace, as if even a moment's delay might summon that thing again. And next time, no one would escape.
The road home, however, was far from easy.
Though the sky had cleared, the devastation on the ground remained. They repeatedly detoured around massive piles of rubble blocking the streets or leapt over gaping fissures in the pavement, each one like a maw ready to swallow anyone who misstepped. Every move was fraught with tension, every breath heavy with pressure.
Nozomi stayed composed despite her aching body, but Shion was struggling. Never the strongest, she was already panting, her steps slowing, her hand clutching the wall for balance.
"Keep going, we're almost there," Nozomi encouraged, her voice gentle yet firm, like a pillar of strength amid the trembling ruins.
They decided to head to Shion's house first, as it was closer by memory. Despite her exhaustion, Shion pressed on, her eyes alight with worry for her parents—the only thing keeping her from collapsing.
It took nearly an hour to cover a distance that should've taken ten minutes. When they finally reached the familiar spot… their hearts sank.
Shion's home, where she'd lived for years, was now a pile of rubble. No trace remained of the warm haven it once was. The walls had collapsed entirely, broken tiles scattered everywhere, the air thick with the stench of smoke, charred wood, and dust.
Shion crumpled to her knees, her trembling legs unable to support her body or soul. Her hands clutched her shirt, her voice choked with sobs.
"Dad… Mom…"
Nozomi knelt beside her, placing a hand on Shion's shoulder, forcing herself to stay calm. "Shion, hold on. We can't assume anything just from a ruined house. They might have escaped. Think about that."
Nozomi said this, but her own hands trembled. The same fear gnawed at her—the fear of never seeing her loved ones again.
Shion clenched her fists, wiping her tears and taking a deep breath. "Sorry… you're right. I can't just sit here crying. Your house is next. We have to hurry."
She stood shakily.
Nozomi nodded, saying nothing more.
Fortunately, Nozomi's house was nearby, less than ten minutes away. But the faint hope in her heart was quickly extinguished.
The same scene of devastation greeted them.
Despite bracing herself, seeing her familiar home reduced to rubble sent tremors through Nozomi's body. Her heart raced, her breathing faltered. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms to keep herself grounded.
"I can't break down. Not now," she told herself. If she fell apart, they'd both be doomed.
"…I think we can still find something useful in the wreckage," Nozomi said, her voice still hoarse. "Our priority is gathering essentials to survive. Then… we'll figure out how to find other survivors."
Shion nodded silently. They began sifting through the debris.
Broken bricks, rotted wooden doors, a warped refrigerator, scorched belongings—everything was scattered. They searched every drawer and corner still intact. A few cans of food, bottles of water, and first-aid bandages became priceless treasures.
After a while, Shion found a mostly Nozomi and Shion backpack, still in decent condition, buried near the kitchen. She pulled it out, flipping it over excitedly. "Nozomi! Look, a backpack! It's still usable!"
"Great job." Nozomi quickly stuffed their scavenged supplies inside.
But at that moment—
Boom!
A massive explosion echoed from the distance, the ground shaking as if something enormous was approaching.
Both girls spun toward the sound. In what was once the city center, a towering column of black smoke rose, and from within it, something massive… was slowly emerging from the earth.
It wasn't human.
Nozomi swallowed hard. "…We need to leave. Now."
Across the city, the scene was nothing short of apocalyptic.
A colossal meteor had crashed into the city center, carving a massive crater and obliterating everything within kilometers. Skyscrapers were reduced to twisted steel frames, teetering in a sea of crimson flames. The streets were littered with burned-out cars, fallen power lines jutting like iron spikes from the ground. The earth was split, aftershocks still rattling the few structures left standing.
The air was thick with smoke and the stench of charred flesh. Screams, wails, and pleas for help mingled with the sounds of collapsing buildings and explosions, forming a hellish symphony.
But the true terror wasn't the meteor's destruction—it was the creatures that emerged from it.
They were small, their bodies formed from a translucent, pitch-black liquid. They slithered like insects, moving with writhing leaps or sudden bursts through the air, impossibly fast. Some scaled walls, others hid in cracks, and some wove through flames to latch onto any living thing too slow to escape.
The screams grew louder each time one found a victim.
Once attached, the creatures caused excruciating pain. Victims' skin turned ashen, their eyes clouded, and their limbs twitched uncontrollably. Within a minute, a normal human became something else—a humanoid shell devoid of reason, driven only to hunt the living.
A man, struck on the shoulder, clawed at the creature in vain. Within seconds, his screams turned to guttural hisses before falling silent. His body convulsed, collapsed—then rose again, eyes vacant, skin petrified, mouth repeating nonsensical sounds.
Elsewhere, a group of survivors huddled in a half-collapsed convenience store. They'd locked the doors, barricading them with tables and chairs, hands trembling as they gripped makeshift weapons. Through the cracked glass, the small black shapes crawled back and forth, patiently waiting.
"They're not leaving!" one man shouted in panic. "They know we're here!"
Another muttered in despair, "They're… learning how to get in…"
A sharp crack rang out as a window shattered. The group screamed, fighting back, but the store soon became a slaughterhouse.
Higher up, on a ruined rooftop, a teenage boy observed the chaos through binoculars. His face was pale, but his eyes were sharp and calculating. Beside him was a notebook filled with dense notes.
"Not of Earth… Likely parasitic symbiotes. Resistant to conventional weapons but vulnerable to high heat," he wrote, closing the book with a determined glint in his eye.
"If we don't act, the whole city will become a nest for these things. I need to spread the word to any survivors…"
Below, the darkness continued to spread.
The chaos wasn't confined to the ruins—it had grown into a citywide despair. No one believed this was a mere natural disaster anymore. This was… an invasion. And it had only just begun.