~ S-City Hospital Corridors ~
Outside the broadcasting room, chaos had consumed the hospital.
Alarms echoed through the corridors. Emergency lights flickered overhead, casting the halls in an eerie red glow.
Liam crouched low against the wall, carefully scanning the corridor as he searched for a safe path to the elevator.
The power outage had plunged all of S-City into darkness, but fortunately, the hospital was still operating on emergency power.
S-City Hospital had one of the largest backup-generator systems in the city, designed to activate automatically during blackouts and keep critical equipment and life-support systems running.
Still, the emergency lighting offered little comfort.
Something could be hiding around any corner.
Keeping his back against the wall, Liam cautiously approached the elevator.
He pressed the button.
Then immediately stepped back, gripping his baton tightly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
DING!
The elevator doors slid open.
Two figures suddenly rushed out.
An infected patient lunged forward, followed closely by a hospital staff member who had also been infected.
Liam barely had time to react.
He planted his feet and swung his baton with all his strength.
THUD!
The blow sent the first infected staggering backward.
At the same time, Liam drove his foot into the second infected, sending them crashing sideways.
CRASH!
Liam froze.
He stared at his own hands.
His breathing slowed.
That... was my strength?
He had never hit anything that hard before.
For a brief moment, he wondered what was happening to him.
Then—
There was no time to think about it.
Liam rushed into the elevator and repeatedly pressed the button for the fifth floor.
The doors closed.
As the elevator began to rise, he tightened his grip around the baton.
The ICU was on the top floor.
And that was where Lyra was.
~ Outside the Miller Residence ~
Mr. Miller sprinted across the yard toward his wife.
She had fallen from the second-floor window.
His heart pounded as he approached her motionless body.
"Honey... why?"
His voice trembled as tears filled his eyes.
He took another step forward—
Then stopped.
Something moved.
Mr. Miller stared in disbelief.
His wife slowly pushed herself upright.
Her arm and leg were visibly injured from the fall, yet somehow...
She was standing.
For a moment, Mr. Miller could only stare.
How is she still alive?
Questions flooded his mind.
But none of them mattered.
She was alive.
"Honey..."
He cautiously stepped toward her.
Suddenly—
She lunged forward.
Mr. Miller flinched.
But the attack wasn't aimed at him.
An infected person had been creeping up behind him.
His wife slammed into the attacker, knocking it away before it could reach him.
Mr. Miller spun around.
His eyes widened.
He hadn't even noticed it.
His wife turned toward the infected.
With frightening strength, she grabbed the attacker and fought it with her bare hands, eventually forcing it to the ground.
Then—
She slowly looked back at her husband.
She pulled the blanket tightly around herself.
Her eyes remained bloodshot.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
For a moment, it looked as though she was desperately struggling against something inside herself.
Then, in a faint and eerie voice, she whispered—
"Take care of our Mia."
Mr. Miller's eyes widened.
"Yes...i promise"
She took a step backward.
She was fighting herself.
Fighting the urge to attack the man she loved.
Then—
She turned and ran down the narrow path, disappearing into the darkness.
"Honey! Come back!"
Mr. Miller chased after her, tears streaming down his face.
Then—
A cry came from the house.
"Daddy! Mommy!"
Mr. Miller stopped.
He looked up.
Mia was standing near the window, crying for her mother.
Mr. Miller clenched his fists.
His heart felt as though it were breaking.
But beneath the grief, determination slowly took its place.
He had made a promise.
He would protect their daughter.
No matter what happened.
Mr. Miller took one last look at the dark path where his wife had disappeared.
Then he turned and rushed back inside.
He locked the door behind him.
"Mia!"
His daughter came running down the stairs, tears streaming down her face.
"Daddy!"
She stumbled.
"Mia!"
Mr. Miller rushed forward and caught her before she could fall.
He pulled his daughter tightly into his arms.
"Daddy... where's Mommy?" she whimpered.
Mr. Miller swallowed hard.
He wanted to cry.
He wanted to tell her the truth.
But he couldn't bring himself to break his daughter's heart.
"It's alright, sweetheart," he whispered, forcing a gentle smile. "Daddy's here for you."
He hugged her tighter.
"And Mommy..."
His voice trembled.
"Mommy will protect us from the bad people outside."
~ Behind S-City Park ~
In a narrow alley behind the park, Mayor Smith desperately searched for her car.
Her eyes darted from one abandoned vehicle to another.
Then—
There it was.
Her car stood across the street, illuminated by the pale moonlight.
But something was wrong.
A strange figure was lurking beside it.
Mayor Smith immediately lowered Kyle to the ground.
"Stay here."
She grabbed a fallen tree branch and slowly approached the car.
Step by step, she moved around it, never taking her eyes off the strange figure.
Her grip tightened around the branch.
She raised it, preparing to strike.
Suddenly—
FLASH!
A streak of light shot across the darkness and struck the figure.
Mayor Smith immediately turned toward the source.
"Kyle?!"
Her eyes widened.
Her son was standing several feet away.
He looked dazed.
Strange streaks of light were spreading across his body.
Kyle suddenly cried out.
"Mommy! It hurts!"
"Kyle!"
Mayor Smith dropped the branch and rushed toward him.
"What happened?!"
Kyle looked at her with tears streaming down his face.
"Mommy... I'm scared."
He reached toward her.
"I wanna go home."
"It's okay! Mommy's here!"
She reached for him.
But before she could grab his hand—
FLASH!
A blinding light erupted around Kyle.
Mayor Smith shielded her eyes.
"KYLE!"
The light vanished.
Silence.
Slowly, Mayor Smith lowered her arms.
Her son was gone.
She stared at the empty space where he had been standing.
"No..."
Her breathing quickened.
"Kyle?"
She looked around wildly.
"Kyle!"
Nothing.
Only the darkness answered her.
"My son!"
Her voice echoed through the empty alley as panic overtook her.
"KYLE!"
She desperately searched the darkness, refusing to believe that her child had simply vanished.
But there was no answer.
No footsteps.
No voice.
Nothing.
Only the cold, empty silence of the ruined city.