"Dammit…"
Grey cursed as acid rain dripped through the cracks in the ceiling, landing on the floor with a persistent sizzle. A deep rumble echoed across the horizon, followed by another flash of pale pink light that bathed the sky.
"What do I do?"
His mind raced, desperately searching for a way to avoid being dissolved alive. His gaze swept the room, frantic, until it landed on the large steel basin he had used to barricade the door. Several drops of rain splattered against it, but instead of eating through the surface, the acid simply rolled off, leaving it unscathed.
'What is that basin made of? It's definitely not normal metal.'
Cautiously, Grey edged toward the door, dodging the burning droplets that fell from above. His hand brushed the basin's rim before he froze. "Wait, if I remove this, my house will be wide open."
The steel basin was the lynchpin of his barricade, holding the rest of the furniture in place. Taking it away would be like inviting the horrors outside to stroll in. But as the holes in the roof multiplied and the acid dripped ever closer, Grey clenched his jaw.
With a grunt, he ripped the basin free, heaving the weight over his head. At once, a ferocious wind roared in through the unsealed doorway, scattering debris across the floor. Grey braced himself, then shoved what furniture remained back against the gap, hoping it would hold. Hunched low against the far wall, he dragged his coal stove and dried snake meat close, curling beneath the basin's protection.
The sound of acid rain hammering the steel above him was a nightmare symphony. Each sizzling strike rattled his nerves, yet the basin held firm, shedding the drops like an unyielding shield. He endured in silence, pressed against the cold floor, for what felt like eternity.
Three hours later, the storm finally broke.
Grey groaned as he shifted his cramped body, blood prickling painfully back into his limbs. He waited a moment, listening, before cautiously sliding the basin aside. No more sizzling. No more rain. Only silence.
He looked up. Through the gaping holes in the roof, the eerie, red-streaked sky stared back at him.
'Acid rain in a corroded zone.'
His chest tightened as he surveyed the ruin of his shelter. The wooden floor was riddled with charred holes, smoke curling faintly from them. Melted furniture clung to the walls in warped lumps, the barricade by the door mostly destroyed. His supposed sanctuary now looked like the aftermath of a battlefield.
Grey shivered. His mind kept replaying the thought—what would have happened if he'd been caught in the open, flesh and bone sizzling under that crimson rain.
Quickly, he checked his belongings. Relief washed over him. His pouch was intact, along with the coal stove and dried snake meat. But the basin… the basin had paid the price. It was battered, dented, and nearly deformed. Thirty more minutes, and it might have given out completely.
'Since my house ended up like this, what about the forest?'
Breaking through the melted barricade, Grey rushed outside, expecting to find a wasteland. Instead, his breath caught. The forest looked almost untouched. The massive trees stood proud, their leaves vibrant and strong, marked only by a scattering of tiny holes.
"Of course," Grey muttered with disdain. "These trees only grow in the corroded zones. They obviously have ways to resist the climate."
He clicked his tongue, unsatisfied. The storm might not come often, but its danger was unforgettable. His fear of this place had just reached new heights.
"So in the end, I was the only one in peril…"
With a low sigh, he trudged back into the wrecked house. One glance was enough to tell him the truth: this place was no longer a shelter. If anything, it had become a death trap. He needed somewhere new.
That should have been a hopeless thought, but Grey remembered: he had seen other houses deeper in the zone. Heading there meant venturing closer to the corroded zone's heart, where the corrosive substance thickened and the chance of mutation grew higher. A terrifying risk.
But looking around at the charred, broken ruin of his home, Grey realized he had no choice.