THE HOLLOW INVASION: REBORN 30 DAYS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE.

“Capacity has been reached. All residents must remain in their assigned sections until further notice.” The announcement crackled through the bunker speakers, followed by a burst of static that made several people look up from their ration packets. Rue tightened her grip on the bottle of water in her hands. “What does that mean? We have people coming in every day. You can't suddenly tell everyone to remain in their sections without explaining what's happening.” A man sitting across from her gave a humorless laugh. “It means there are too many of us. Look around, sweetheart. Do you see an empty bed anywhere?” “I can see people sleeping on the floor, but that doesn't mean we should start throwing people out.” “Then perhaps you'd like to volunteer your space.” Rue turned away before she said something she would regret. The underground bunker had been advertised as a long-term emergency shelter, built to accommodate six hundred residents with reinforced walls, independent vent

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but the last shipment has already been allocated.”Rue stared at the employee behind the counter. “Allocated to whom? I placed my order yesterday, paid the deposit, and received a confirmation message saying the batteries would be ready for collection this morning.”“I understand, but another customer purchased the remaining stock before your order was processed.”“Then you should have informed me before I travelled across the city. I need those batteries, and I have the confirmation right here.”The employee glanced at her phone. “I'm afraid there's nothing I can do.”Rue drew a slow breath, resisting the urge to argue. The industrial batteries were essential to the backup power system she was assembling for her shelter. Ordinary household batteries would not provide enough capacity, and the remaining suppliers were already running out of stock as people began buying emergency equipment.“Can I speak to your manager, please?”“I'm the manager,” a man behind her rep

“Everyone move away from the door!” Kael ordered, pulling a metal shelf across the storage room. “Get behind something solid, and don't start running until I tell you to.”The workers scrambled toward the back of the room, knocking into one another as another impact shook the door. Rue grabbed a heavy flashlight from the counter and searched for another exit.“There's a delivery corridor behind those shelves,” she told Kael. “It connects to the loading bay.”“How do you know?”“I don't have time to explain everything I know!”“Then stop answering my questions with more questions and show me the way.”Rue shoved aside a stack of empty crates, revealing a narrow doorway. “Everyone through here. Quickly, but keep your movements controlled. If you knock those metal containers over, the sound will bring every creature in the district.”The young woman who had questioned Rue earlier hesitated. “What if there's another one on the other side?”“Then we deal with it when we get there,” Rue rep