Elara’s pov The supermarket was too quiet.Nia slept huddled against a threadbare blanket I’d spread across the floor between two empty shelves. Her small chest rose and fell slowly, oblivious to the chaos outside. For a moment, I let myself believe the red eclipse couldn’t touch her here, couldn’t reach this fragile pocket of safety.Then it came, the screaming.Faint at first, ragged and jagged, like metal being torn apart. My stomach tightened. My hand gripped the knife so hard it ached. Nia stirred, murmuring in her sleep. I leaned down, brushing her hair from her face.“Shh… it’s okay, Nia . I’m right here,” I whispered.The screams grew sharper, closer, as though something, someone was running for their life. Then a single gunshot rang out, followed by another piercing scream.My blood ran cold. The door rattled violently. Someone was trying to get in.“Nia ! Behind the crates, now!” I hissed, yanking her into the shadows behind a stack of empty boxes. Her small hands

Asher’s pov The wall behind me vibrated with every breath I took.I wasn’t sure if it was the building shaking or just my bones grinding against themselves, desperate to finish shifting—or to tear themselves apart trying.The worst part?I couldn’t tell which outcome I wanted.My hands dug into the tiles, cracking them. The air was thick with blood, dust, and that burning red light that felt like it was crawling inside my skull.I squeezed my eyes shut.Hold it. Hold it. Don’t lose them. Don’t lose yourself.But the monster inside me was pacing. Thrashing. Tasting the fear in the air like it was fuel.“Asher,” Elara whispered.Her voice was too soft. Too close.“Don’t,” I growled no, snarled. “Elara… stay back. Please.”My throat felt stretched. Wrong. Like two voices were fighting to speak through the same mouth.Serena still had the gun trained on me, knuckles white around the grip.Kane tried to whisper something to calm her, but he sounded like he was trying to calm himself more

Serena’s POV***********The Next “Morning************“As soon as we’re outside, stay close,” I told them, tightening the strap of my rifle. My voice came out steady , it had to. “We follow the highway north. No detours unless I say so.”Kane opened his mouth like he wanted to give direction, but one sharp look shut him up.He adjusted his glasses instead, muttering something about observation protocols.Asher leaned against the cart for balance, still pale under the red light. “I’m fine,” he murmured when Elara fussed over him.“No, you’re not,” I said, stepping beside him, “but you can walk, and that’s all we need right now.”He nodded once.We pushed the carts out of the ruined supermarket and onto the cracked street. The moment we stepped outside, the world hit us silent, abandoned, coated in that sick eclipse-red glow that made every broken building look like it was bleeding.We followed the cracked highway out of town. About an hour into the walk, I noticed something.A low