Chapter 20: You need to save her
The windows of the ruined apartment blocks stared blankly at the world, and the darkness between them felt thicker than usual.
Adam walked through the shattered streets, the echo of his footsteps bouncing off battered walls. The air smelled of dust, ash, and something else... something metallic. As if blood itself lingered in the atmosphere.
Valeria walked beside him in complete silence. She hadn’t said a word, yet her presence was tangible with every step. Their synchronized footsteps echoed off the hollow buildings, as if they were the last two souls in the world.
Suddenly something snapped. Like metal striking concrete. Adam froze instantly, and Valeria halted with him. Silence shattered under the weight of a high-pitched screech, followed by a low, guttural growl—unlike anything they’d heard before. It sounded like the creatures didn’t even know what they were.
Adam glanced at Valeria. She stood with her hands behind her back, as if strolling through a park, that signature lazy smirk playing on her lips.
"You hear that?" he asked quietly.
Valeria raised an eyebrow and looked at him with feigned surprise. "Hear what? Hm... maybe the wind?" Her tone was far too innocent to be genuine, and that mischievous grin never left her face.
Adam opened his mouth to retort, but his eyes caught something at the end of the street.
Something small like rat, but clearly larger than an ordinary rat—about mid-calf height. The creature stood in the middle of the road, staring directly at him. Their eyes locked.
Suddenly, the rat let out a piercing, inhuman screech, like it had just triggered an alarm only others of its kind could understand.
Then it bolted straight at Adam, claws clacking against the asphalt like a predator.