The wind carried the smell of rust, smoke, and something far worse—something the world had never known before.
Kairo tightened his grip on the worn-out backpack as he stood at the shattered window of his apartment. The city below, once crowded with noise and life, now felt like a dead machine—cold, hollow, and broken.
He had been trapped inside for seven days.
Seven long days of silence.
Seven days of hearing distant screams, then… nothing.
Today, the silence felt heavier.
He stepped back from the window and exhaled shakily. At nineteen, he wasn't strong. Or brave. Or anything close to a survivor. His hands shook even when opening a water bottle. But he knew one thing for sure—
If he stayed here any longer, he would die.
The food was gone. The water was almost empty.
And last night… he heard something in the hallway. Something breathing.
Kairo swallowed nervously, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and forced himself to the door. His heart thudded in his ears as he unlocked it. Even that small click echoed too loudly in the dead building.
He slowly pushed the door open.
The hallway was dark. Most lights had died days ago. Only faint daylight leaked in through broken windows at the far end. Dust floated in the air like fine ash.
Kairo stepped out, his breath shallow, each footstep careful.
That's when he heard it.
A soft scrape.
Like claws dragging across the floor.
He froze.
He wasn't imagining it this time.
The sound came again—slow, deliberate, and far too close.
Kairo pressed his back against the wall, trying not to breathe loudly. His throat tightened as something moved in the shadows. A silhouette… low to the ground, hunched… sniffing.
His heartbeat spiked.
His legs trembled.
He didn't know what those creatures were—not fully. People called them "mutates," "crawlers," or "those things." But no one really knew how they came to be. One moment the world was normal, then the outbreak hit, and the next… monsters roamed the streets.
The creature sniffed again, closer now.
Kairo's mind screamed at him—Run.
But his legs refused.
Then the creature's head snapped toward him.
Kairo sucked in a breath. Its eyes glowed faintly—hungry, searching.
He forced his legs to move.
He ran.
The hallway echoed with his footsteps. The creature shrieked behind him, a sharp, broken sound that tore through the silence. Kairo sprinted toward the stairwell, heart pounding, lungs burning.
He reached the stairs and stumbled down the steps. The creature crashed into the metal railing above, snarling.
Kairo nearly slipped but kept running until he reached the ground floor. Dust covered everything. Furniture was overturned, glass shattered, walls scratched.
But the lobby door was open—slightly.
Someone had been here.
He didn't have time to think. He pushed the door wider and stepped outside. For the first time in a week, he faced the ruined city.
Cars were abandoned on the streets. Buildings were cracked, burned, or half-collapsed. A burnt smell hung heavy in the air. The sky was gray, dim, always covered in thick clouds ever since the outbreak.
And somewhere in the distance, he heard another scream.
Kairo tightened his backpack straps.
He was weak. He had no weapons.
No training. No plan.
But he had left the apartment.
That alone felt like a victory.
He whispered to himself, voice trembling,
"Just… make it through today."
He didn't know where he was going.
He only knew he had to move.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something unexpected.
A faint light.
Blue. Flickering.
It came from a far-off street, where a metal gate stood half-broken. And beside it… a wall marked with a symbol he didn't recognize—three lines crossing under a circle.
Kairo blinked.
A place with light meant people.
People meant safety… maybe answers.
For the first time since the world fell apart, he felt a small spark inside him.
Hope.
Fear.
And something else—something he had never felt before.
Determination.
He took a slow breath and stepped forward toward the glowing light.
The first step of his journey.