Chris hadn't slept properly since the night the sirens screamed and the monsters returned.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Twilight's face—not the calm one he always wore, but the hollow one he'd been hiding behind silence.
Something was wrong.
And this time, she couldn't ignore it.
"I'm going to his place," Chris said suddenly, standing up.
Henry looked up from his phone. "What? Right now?"
Lily frowned. "Chris… he clearly wants space."
Chris shook her head, her hands clenched tight. "This isn't space. This is disappearing. He didn't answer calls. He didn't reply. He left early. He looked like he was breaking."
Silence followed.
Henry exhaled slowly. "I don't like this feeling either."
Lily bit her lip, then sighed. "Fine. But if he yells at us, I'm blaming you."
They didn't laugh.
Twilight's House
The street was quiet—too quiet for a city that had forgotten how to breathe.
They stood in front of Twilight's house, the same place that usually felt warm, strange, and safe in its own way. Tonight, it felt… wrong.
Henry rang the bell.
Nothing.
He rang again. Longer.
Still nothing.
"Twilight!" Henry shouted, knocking hard this time.
No footsteps. No voice. No sound.
Chris felt her chest tighten. "Please answer…"
They waited. Counted seconds. Then minutes.
Lily glanced at Chris, worried. "Maybe he went out."
Henry shook his head. "Rony would've made noise."
They tried once more—calling his name together.
Nothing.
Slowly, reluctantly, they turned to leave.
That's when the door creaked open.
All three froze.
Standing there was Rony.
The little rabbit was panting, his chest rising fast, fur messy, eyes wide with panic. His tiny paws trembled as he stared at them.
"Rony…?" Chris whispered.
Before anyone could react, Rony jumped forward, grabbed Chris's hand with surprising strength, and pulled.
"Rony, wait—!" Lily gasped.
But Chris followed without thinking.
Henry and Lily exchanged one look and rushed in behind her.
Inside the House
The air inside was heavy—stale, silent, suffocating.
Rony ran fast, leading them upstairs, stopping at the end of the hallway.
Twilight's bedroom door.
Closed.
"Twilight!" Henry shouted, banging on it. "Open the door!"
Nothing.
Chris felt dizzy. "Henry… please…"
Lily joined, pounding with both fists. "Twilight, this isn't funny!"
Still no answer.
Henry stepped back. "Move."
He kicked the door.
It didn't budge.
Again.
Crack—but still standing.
"Again!" Lily shouted.
The third kick shattered the lock.
The door flew open.
And time stopped.
The Room
Twilight was on the floor.
Sitting beside the bed.
His back leaned against it like he'd slid down slowly, tired… defeated.
A knife lay in his hand.
Blood stained his shirt.
Dark. Too much.
His lips were red, his breathing shallow, uneven.
Henry's heart dropped into nothing.
"No—no—no—no—"
Chris took one step forward.
And collapsed.
"Chris!" Lily screamed, catching her before she hit the floor.
Henry rushed to Twilight, dropping beside him, hands shaking.
"Twilight—hey—stay with me—look at me!"
No response.
Blood soaked into Henry's sleeves as he lifted him, panic swallowing everything.
"Lily—car—now!"
Lily carried Chris, her own hands trembling, tears blurring her vision.
Rony stayed behind for half a second, staring at Twilight's blood-stained room.
Then he followed.
The Hospital
Sirens screamed again—but this time, they were for him.
Doctors rushed Twilight into the ICU.
Chris lay unconscious in another room.
Henry and Lily stood outside the glass doors, unable to sit, unable to speak.
Minutes felt like years.
"I didn't know," Lily whispered, voice breaking. "He never said anything."
Henry clenched his fists. "He never talked about his family. Ever."
Lily looked at him. "No parents. No calls. No visits. Nothing."
Silence.
Then Henry asked quietly, "How's Chris?"
Lily swallowed. "Still unconscious."
Henry turned to her, his strength finally gone.
He hugged her.
Tight.
Like if he let go, everything would fall apart.
Lily hugged him back, both of them shaking, crying silently in the hospital hallway.
For the first time since the monsters appeared…
this pain felt worse.
Outside the Hospital
The city didn't stop.
It never did.
Sirens echoed again—this time farther away.
A monster had appeared on the east side.
People ran.
Military mobilized.
Cameras turned on.
But inside the hospital, three lives hung in silence.
Twilight lay still, machines breathing for him.
Chris slept, her face pale.
And somewhere in the city, shadows moved—
watching.
Waiting.
Because while humans bled in hospitals…
the monsters were not done yet.