Asher Hale’s POVThe world was obsessed with the sky that week.Every radio, every phone, every cheap television in every dusty shop window talked about the same thing:“A total solar eclipse will be visible across the region in three days! A rare celestial event”People clapped about it. Shared posts. Bought eclipse glasses like they were souvenirs.Everyone was excited.Everyone except me.I couldn’t explain it, but something in my chest tightened every time I heard about that eclipse a quiet, crawling dread, like the air itself was waiting for something I couldn’t understand.Still… life went on.Hale Motors opened at 8:00 a.m., sick parents or not.Dad was already coughing when I pushed the shop door open, that deep chesty sound that always made my stomach twist.“Morning, kid,” he rasped, wiping grease off his hands.“Morning.” I forced a smile. “You took your meds?”“Your mother made sure of it.”He rolled his eyes like a teenager instead of a grown man battling a failing heart.

Asher’s POV The eclipse wasn’t supposed to start until noon, but something felt wrong the moment I opened my eyes.The air was heavy like the atmosphere itself was waiting for something. I couldn’t explain it. I just sat up and stared at the dim light filtering through my curtains, I didn’t feel excitement. I felt a slow, cold ache creeping up my spine.I forced myself to get up anyway.By noon, half the town was already outside, kids screaming, parents laughing, people taking pictures like it was a carnival instead of a cosmic event. I slipped out to the front porch, rubbing my palms together, trying to calm the sudden unease twisting in my chest.Grandma Tia,opposite our house waved at me.She didn’t look sick “Asher! You came out to see it?”“Yeah,” I said, even though my voice felt weak. “Wouldn’t miss it.”She gave a short laugh.“These scientists made it sound like the world was ending. Five minutes of darkness?” She scoffed. “As if we haven’t survived worse.”I tried to smil

Serena Blackwood’s POV The command center reeked of sweat, ozone, and something far worse: the faint, metallic tang of that cursed red light seeping through the reinforced windows. It painted everything in a sick, pulsing glow, like we were standing inside the open mouth of Hell.Seven hours.Seven hours since the sun vanished.Seven hours since the blackout swallowed the world.I pressed my spine against a barricade of filing cabinets. My G36C was steady in my grip, finger resting lightly on the trigger. My heartbeat was controlled, regulated battle rhythm. Emotion would get you killed quicker than claws or teeth.“Status on the west flank, Morales?” I asked, voice clipped and hard.Lieutenant Morales, our medic gentle eyes, steady hands looked painfully out of place clutching a shotgun. He swallowed thickly.“Pressure’s holding, Staff Sergeant. But the noise…” His voice cracked. “God, the noise.”He didn’t have to describe it.It was the sound of the planet dying, the distant s

Asher’s pov The car was a smoking ruin. Those were closing in. I didn't pause to grieve the vehicle i just ran, the duffel bag containing a few bottles of water and my father’s toolbox bouncing against my shoulder. My feet slammed against the pavement, fast and true. The panic had burned away, leaving a cold, clear focus that felt alien yet familiar. I needed cover. Not the chaos of the main road, but silence.I sprinted toward the residential fringe backing the industrial zone. I found a small, dark house, its windows taped with fading "For Sale" signs. I kicked in the back door. It was silent, dusty, and empty.I sank onto the wooden floorboards, the tire iron clattering beside me. The silence was overwhelming, punctuated only by my ragged breathing and the frantic pulse drumming behind my eyes. I was alive. I was alone.Mom. Dad.They were gone. The raw, sickening horror of the hospital, the black eyes, the snapping jaw it wasn't a dream. It was the new reality.The silence press

Elera’s Pov The supermarket doors were smashed inward, hanging crooked on their hinges, but it was still the closest thing to shelter I could find. My breath fogged the air as I slipped through the gap and into the dim aisles.Inside, it was dead silent.No generators.No humming freezers.No humans.Just… stillness.And the sickly red glow leaking through the windows like the world was bleeding outside.The air inside smelled like dust, old produce, and fear.I tightened my grip around the wrench I had stolen from an abandoned mechanic shop. It felt too light compared to the screams I’d heard on my way here… too small to matter.It was all I had left after running for my life for three straight miles.But it was all I had.I moved slowly past the checkout counters. One of the conveyor belts still hummed like someone had abandoned the power halfway through ringing up groceries. A bag of chips sat open, crushed under a red footprint.I swallowed.Don’t think. Move.I slid deeper in