Chapter -2
The laugh was eerie. Unsettling.
Everyone froze, terrified.
Who was doing this? What kind of nightmare had they fallen into?
They just wanted to leave this place—leave this country.
But how?
They searched desperately for a way out—a ship, a car, a plane… anything. But everything was destroyed.
Ships and boats had sunk. Roads were cracked and useless. Cars were burning husks. Planes and helicopters were torn to pieces; the entire airport had been reduced to rubble.
Phone towers lay shattered across the landscape. Phones were nothing more than dead weight in their hands.
Every lifeline, every route of escape or contact, was gone.
Everyone, including the main group and five other passengers, set out to find someone—anyone. Friends, family, someone still alive.
But there was no one.
It was as if people had simply vanished into thin air.
That realization chilled them more than anything else.
Because now they understood—this wasn't random.
Someone was doing this on purpose.
Someone was playing a game.
A game of death.
They found no living soul—only blood-streaked roads.
Lifeless bodies scattered outside homes and buildings.
There was no way out.
No way home.
They were trapped.
They had to survive.
They had to fight.
So, they stayed together.
Kenzo, Luca, and Sofia still clung to hope—they wanted to find their Japanese friend. Maybe… just maybe, she was still alive.
They went to the address she'd given them a few weeks earlier.
But when they arrived, the house was gone.
Not damaged. Not broken.
Gone.
Sofia was the first to see it—a hand lying on the ground.
Just... a hand.
A bracelet on its wrist caught her eye.
It was the one she had given her friend, Ako.
"No, no! No! It's not possible!" Sofia screamed, collapsing to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
Kenzo stood frozen, horror etched across his face.
Luca's expression matched his—shock, disbelief, fear.
Ming and the others were silent, stunned.
No one knew what to say—whether to comfort her or just let her cry.
And then, a small boy stepped forward.
His mother had died just moments earlier—from a phone explosion.
He gently placed his hand on Sofia's shoulder and hugged her.
Everyone could see the kindness, the innocence, still alive in the boy's eyes.
As Sofia wept, Kenzo and Luca spotted something in the rubble—
Their friend's head.
They froze.
Sofia, still crying, quickly covered the little boy's eyes.
Kenzo's voice cracked. "How? Why? This can't be real…"
Luca's eyes filled with tears.
Ming remained silent, his expression unreadable. He scanned the area for danger, alert.
The five other passengers watched from a distance, their faces heavy with sympathy.
Finally, Ming spoke. His voice was calm, detached.
"Stop crying. It won't bring them back. Worry about yourself, not the dead. I don't feel safe here."
He glanced around, then added, "It's not good to stay here."
Luca didn't appreciate Ming's tone, but deep down, he knew he was right.
He nodded. "He's right. It's dangerous."
Luca placed a hand on Kenzo's shoulder. Kenzo nodded silently.
Sofia wiped her tears and stood up, holding the little boy's hand tightly.
Then—
They saw something.
A strange, horrifying creature.
It had the body of a woman—but its teeth were long and sharp like a wolf's.
Its nails, curled and deadly, looked like a witch's claws.
It sprinted toward Sofia and the boy.
Sofia shielded the child with her body, bracing for the worst.
Kenzo, Ming, and Luca stepped forward, ready to defend them—
But before they could move, a sword sliced through the air, cleaving the creature in two.
They turned sharply.
A girl, around 22 or 23 years old, stood there holding a sword. Her face was covered by a mask.
"Are you two okay?" she asked gently, looking at Sofia and the boy.
"Yes, we're fine," Sofia replied, still shaken. "Thank you… for saving us."
Ming narrowed his eyes at the stranger.
Suspicious, he asked, "Who are you?"
The girl looked at him, then slowly removed her mask.
"My name is Akiko," she said with a warm, tired smile.
Kenzo stepped forward, recognition dawning in his eyes.
"Are you the writer Akiko?"
She nodded.
Then, her expression shifted to something more serious.
"I know you're scared and confused. Trust me, I am too. It all started just a few days ago. People began turning into those things. And the ones who didn't… were killed."
She glanced around at the destruction.
"The explosions, the chaos—I don't understand it either."
The group stood silent, listening, still trying to process it all.
Then, Luca stepped forward, voice firm.
"We don't have time for introductions, or stories, or truth. We'll talk later. For now, we need to leave."
Everyone nodded—Ming, Kenzo, Akiko, Sofia, and the rest.
Even as they moved on from that place, one thing was clear:
They weren't safe.
This was just the beginning—
Of a terrifying, horrible journey.
End of chapter 2.
To be continued...