THE FIRST

"We have to go now, Lizabeth. We can come back some other time," Armani urged, stuffing the second pack of noodles into her bag with hurried hands. Her movements were quick but careful, betraying the urgency in her voice.

I scanned the nearly barren shop, eyes darting from one empty shelf to another. It had already been raided several times, the signs of desperation evident in the broken glass and scattered cans. There *had* to be more food somewhere. Our people were starving, and these few packs of noodles wouldn't last.

"Those won't last us a week, Armani, you know that!" I snapped, frustration boiling over as I knocked aside a few empty cans in my search.

Armani's blue eyes met mine, a mixture of fear and patience-always patient, even when she was scared. "We can't help anyone if we get killed out here. It's almost dark, and you know they'll be out hunting soon. We won't be able to hide or protect ourselves in time," she said, her voice strained as she pulled herself to her feet.

"You've made us check every shop in this area, Lizabeth. We're out of time," she added, glancing at the dimming light filtering through the cracked windows.

"So you'd rather we all starve to death?" I shot back, ignoring the cold fear gnawing at my stomach.

Armani's jaw clenched, but she didn't argue. Instead, she shook her head slowly, sadness clouding her gaze. "You would rather we die here?"

Her words stung, mostly because I knew she was right. I hated it-hated the feeling of letting people down, of watching our group's faces fall when we returned empty-handed. I could almost see the children's hollow eyes, the look of silent resignation they wore when they had to go to bed on empty stomachs.

With a defeated sigh, I followed her as she made her way out of the store. The sun was sinking lower, casting long, sinister shadows across the deserted street. The air had grown colder, and a tense silence settled over us as we picked up the pace. Armani didn't speak; her annoyance with me was clear, and I knew it wasn't just annoyance-it was fear.

Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the handle of her knife, holding it close like a talisman.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, breaking the silence as I walked beside her.

She turned her head slightly, the hardness in her expression softening for a moment. Her blue eyes, the one thing about her I could never stop loving, searched my face. Then she squeezed my hand, her touch firm and reassuring. "It's okay... let's just get out of here," she said.

Armani was always the calm one, the steady hand guiding us through the chaos. She rarely got angry, but I knew I pushed her limits. Maybe it was because I wanted her to hate me-I felt like I deserved it sometimes. But she was always there, never giving up on me, no matter how hard I tried to push her away.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and the last traces of light disappeared, plunging us into the dangerous twilight. My heart pounded harder with every step, a mix of guilt and fear tightening in my chest. I knew we were running out of time.

"We need to hide," Armani said, her voice trembling slightly. The fear I heard in her words sent a chill down my spine.

"No. It'll take us less than fifteen minutes to get back. They can't go to bed hungry again, Armani. We haven't eaten for weeks," I argued, pushing forward even as the shadows lengthened and grew darker.

Armani grabbed my arm, her grip strong enough to stop me in my tracks. "You never listen, Lizabeth, and you wonder why we never worked out," she snapped, her eyes flashing with an emotion I hadn't seen before. Was it fear? Anger? Desperation? "What's the point of getting food if we get ourselves killed out here? Then what?"

I yanked my hand away, feeling a hot wave of anger wash over me. "Then go hide, Armani! Go, if you're so scared!" I shouted, turning away from her. My throat tightened with unshed tears, but I kept marching forward.

I knew why we hadn't worked out-she was too good for me. Armani was patient and kind, while I was damaged, angry, and stubborn. I drove people away, even when I didn't mean to. Now I had driven away the one person who had stuck by me, even when she shouldn't have.

I had barely taken a few steps when I heard her scream. It was a sound that shattered the silence and froze me in place. My blood ran cold, and I spun around, heart in my throat.

Two huge, dark shapes loomed over Armani, their massive bodies covered in matted fur. They were bigger than any animal I had ever seen-like wolves, but grotesquely large, the size of fully grown elephants. Their eyes glowed in the dark, a sickly yellow that seemed to pierce through the night. Blood was everywhere-*her* blood.

"RUN! RUN, ELIZABETH!" she screamed, her voice hoarse and filled with agony. One of the beasts had her leg in its jaws, shaking her like she was nothing but a rag doll. Her blonde hair was drenched in crimson, sticking to her pale face. The sound of bones snapping echoed in the night as one of the wolves tore her leg clean off.

I couldn't move. I was paralyzed by fear, by the sight of her being torn apart. I had forgotten how big they were, how their presence sucked the air out of the space around them. They were not just animals-they were monsters, the kind of nightmares that claw at the edges of your sanity.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice a broken sound that got lost in the chaos. My body finally obeyed, and I forced my legs to move. I turned and ran, tears blurring my vision as I sprinted down the street. I wanted to look back, but I couldn't. I couldn't bear the sight of her being torn apart because of me.

I stumbled into a run-down building, the door hanging off its hinges. The darkness inside swallowed me whole, but I didn't stop. I hid behind a dead freezer, crouching down and pressing my shaking hands against my mouth to stifle my sobs. I could still hear them-the growls, the sound of flesh being ripped apart.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking. *You never listen...* Her words echoed in my mind, stabbing deeper than any knife ever could. She was right. It was all my fault. My stubbornness had killed her.

The growling grew louder, and I realized they had followed me. My heart pounded against my ribs as the sound of heavy footsteps approached. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the end. This was it. I deserved this-I had gotten her killed, and now it was my turn.

I opened my eyes when I felt something shift in the air. A man stood before me, fully naked, his body covered in fresh blood. He wasn't human-his eyes glowed a deep, unnatural orange, and behind him, one of the beasts snarled, its massive form blocking the doorway ready to tear me apart.