Race against time! (1)

Whe link ended, Kite informed everyone what Crimson wants them to do. They didn't question his words, even though they knew the plaguebeast alone is not something you fight. Running was the best option and, if possible, get the higher-ups to inform them of their situation. It will be on their hands if they decide to send reinforcements or not.

Without further discussion, they did what they were ordered to. They ran east. The shelters in New York were destroyed in the recent monster attack two weeks ago. The rate of monster spawning was becoming high, so the nearest shelter was in New Jersey. And that's not somewhere you can reach in hours. Not on foot.

Without wasting time, they ran, away from the monster.

The plaguebeast, however, did not concern itself with the few of its prey that got away. It just smiled, sensing that there were more it could hunt underground. On top of that, the smell of fresh blood spilt was becoming more intense the closer it got.

There were some nighthounds lying dead too. 

Maybe some skirmish took place? 

Regardless… whoever lost or won, the plaguebeast didn't care, since it could always feast on the dead.

The living were a delicacy… but those lying around can't be wasted either. As a parasitic monster like Plaguebeast, food is hard to come by, and once they age, they have to eat their own kind to thrive. It was also one of the reasons that a group of plaguebeasts seldom exists. Once the fight for supremacy begins, the loser gets eaten, hence the fewer members in the group.

And a lone plaguebeast meant that it already ate all those in its group. Hence more powerful.

The monster's staggering zombie-like feet dragged on the blood-stained sand. The dead body of the lieutenant came into its view. The humanoid appearance changed slowly, saliva dripped from its shark-like teeth.

"Kiii…"

Its appearance changed into that of a demon. A gargoyle from the myths. The morphing zombie bit into the shoulder of Lieutenant Sands. A sound of cracking bones followed.

***

Inside one of the civilian quarters. Home of the Grant family, some time ago.

After inviting a strange girl waiting outside the doors of his home, William wasn't willing to leave her amidst chaos. It would leave a bad taste in his mouth. So he offered her to come in. The girl agreed.

As the steel door slid open with a hiss, the living area came into view—a compact space barely larger than a typical suburban bedroom. A sturdy, grey couch, with light fabric, faced a small wall-mounted screen. A low coffee table doubled as space for the few toys and books they had for Nina, their daughter, who just woke up from her sleep on the couch.

"Welcome home, daddy…" she said, "who's she?"

"Hey, sweetie," he said, rubbing her head, "I'll tell you later. Where is mom?"

Nina pointed left, to the kitchen. William looked outside, "Come in," he said to the girl waiting outside. "It's dangerous outside. Stay here until the army shows up."

The black-haired girl did as she was told. She sat on the floor as soon as she was in. An odd behavior for someone. But William let it slide. 'She must be in panic too…'

Of course, why wouldn't she panic if she saw a man cut in half in the middle of the street? Someone committed murder in front of everyone.

Making things worse, some people, probably wanderers judging by their shaggy clothes, broke into Area Four. It never happened before. What is the army doing? How did they let them in?

'Don't tell me…' a bad thought crossed his mind. 'Are the enemies awakened?'

"Um, Nina," William said, looking at Nina. "Can you please look after our guest while I have a talk with your mother?"

"Okay…" Nina replied.

She just stared at the girl with short hair and black pullover with a hood, "Is that a new fashion…?" she asked, curious.

"No." the girl replied.

The kitchen wasn't much larger than the living hall. It boasted a small fridge, a two-burner stove, and a sink, all packed together. Cabinet doors revealed neatly stacked dishes and minimal pantry supplies. A tiny counter offered just enough space for preparing simple meals with fold-down sections extending when needed.

There, his wife, Sera, was preparing dinner. She was still in a bad mood about the whole thing with Jake awakened and fighting outside. Which was why she didn't greet William when he came in.

"What happened? How did the report go?" she asked, her sour mood visible for William to see. "Did you bring someone?"

"I understand what you're going through about our son but listen," he said, coming closer to Sera and holding her hand. "You need to know what I'm about to say."

He then explained everything that happened in the town square. How Trojan died, how they're currently being invaded. Until he brought a girl home to safety.

Listening to him talk, her worry only grew more…

Wanderers coming inside Area Four? Did that mean the fight Jake went into is lost? Is the army losing?

Surely it doesn't mean Jake is dead!

What should they do now? What about Nina? Their home? If this place falls, they don't know how they'll live outside. Where monsters roamed like it was normal.

Too many questions resided in her mind, mostly worried about her family's future. Questions that no one was there to give answers to. Tears fell down her cheek before she even noticed.

Her head felt dizzy, all that thinking… she felt she might faint.

At that moment, she probably would've done anything to wake up. To realize all this was just a bad dream. A nightmare.

But reality was crueler. It didn't let her faint into unconsciousness or wake her into her ideal world. She couldn't escape the present, she knew, no matter how bitter it was.

William did not know how to console her. Hell, if anything, he needed consoling too. It was his son who might be dead. His home was being invaded. Only God knows what kept him from a panic attack.

Sometime later, they both stopped being miserable. They realized it wasn't helping them, just making it worse.

"Mom? Dad?" Little Nina was worried about how silent the atmosphere was. It was creepy and she didn't like it. She wanted to be in her parents' attention all the time. Her big brother wasn't home much and she hated being alone.

Hearing Nina's voice, William realized, they had to do what they can and worry about what they can't later. All he can do is hope Jake wasn't dead yet. Not until he sees him with his own eyes. He refused to give up hope. Believing he might be somewhere out there, waiting for them to find him. Just like his second son, Kai.

With a heavy sigh, William brought Sera to the living room, introducing the girl he brought in for protection.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Sera asked. She forced a fake smile to brighten the mood, but it was barely working.

"Valeria Kaine." The girl replied. "You can call me Vale."

She had an emotionless face. And if she was smiling through all that, it wasn't visible. The couple couldn't tell what was on her mind. She was just staring at Will and Sera, through her black pupils.

"What… Kaine?" William repeated. Something struck a chord in his memory. He had heard about Kaine somewhere else.

"Trojan Waltz Kaine." The girl said. "…that was my father."

The revelation was shocking to both of the couple. Is that why she was in the main square? Did Trojan get killed in front of his own daughter?

'…that's…' Sera thought, 'very sad.'

She thought about her own family problems but Vale had it worse. What must be going through that mind?

In that time, what Sera saw was a helpless girl who lost her father.

"What section do you live in? What about your mother?" William asked, wondering if he had to bring the bad news to Ms. Kaine. It would surely be devastating for the family. It had been three months since William witnessed such a tragedy happen in front of him.

"No. I don't have a mother," Vale replied, "I have never met her. Dad said she died when I was little."

She didn't lose her poker face when she said that. To her, it wasn't that hard. She never felt a mother's love so she didn't know if she should be sad when talking about her.

Even her father barely felt like family to her. Valeria was raised rich, mostly, her needs taken care of by servants. Trojan barely visited his home. Too busy in his political life, he never gave his daughter the attention she needed. It made her grow cold to emotions. She never made friends because it was simply easier to deal with herself rather than a bunch of strangers.

The apocalypse didn't change much in her life. To her, she was just living in a different place. Her daily food not much lavish anymore, just bland. Even now, her father only came to visit her at night. Like a stranger living in the same house. She felt nothing when he died. Yet apologized to him for not being able to shed tears. It didn't feel right.

She just ran around until she found herself at the doors of William's quarter. For unknown reasons, she just stopped running. She wasn't exhausted but she didn't move until Will came back.

===

If you find any mistakes in the chapter, please let me know in the comments below so I can fix them as soon as possible.