Chapter 4 — The First Night Of Screaming.

“Rue, where are you? You said you would be home before sunset!”

Her mother's voice crackled through the phone as Rue hurried past a row of shuttered shops, one hand gripping the strap of her backpack.

“I'm on my way. The traffic is terrible, and I still need to collect the last medical supplies.”

“Then forget the medical supplies and come home. You've been running around for weeks, and I'm beginning to think you haven't slept properly in days.”

“Mum, please. I need you to trust me a little longer. Have you packed the things I asked you to keep ready?”

“Yes, I have. Your documents, clothes, medication, and the small bag of food are beside the door. But I still don't understand why you want us to leave the house.”

“You will understand soon. For now, stay inside, keep the doors locked, and don't go outside for any reason.”

A loud crash interrupted her mother's response.

Rue stopped walking. Around her, shoppers turned toward the main road as a tremor travelled beneath their feet. The windows of a nearby building rattled, and a row of parked cars shook violently before the ground settled again.

“Mum, did you feel that?”

“Yes. The whole house moved. Rue, what is happening?”

“I don't know, but I need you to stay away from the windows.”

“I'm frightened.”

“I know, Mum. I'm coming home as quickly as I can. Just promise me you won't open the door for anyone until I get there.”

“I promise. Please hurry.”

Rue ended the call and quickened her pace. In her first life, the invasion had begun during the early hours of the morning, giving people a few precious hours to discover what was happening before the creatures reached the busiest districts. She had expected the same pattern this time, but the tremors had started before sunset, and the streets were still crowded with people who had no idea what was coming.

A man stumbled out of a convenience store, clutching his phone.

“Did anyone else see that video? Something came out of the road! There was a car, and then the ground opened, and this thing pulled the driver underneath!”

“Stop spreading nonsense,” another man snapped. “It was probably a gas explosion.”

“Then explain why the police aren't answering their phones!”

A siren sounded in the distance, followed by another, then several more. Rue looked toward the intersection and saw a line of vehicles braking abruptly as people began running between them.

Her phone vibrated.

A message from Kael appeared on the screen.

Where are you right now?

She typed quickly.

Commercial district near the central intersection. The tremors have started. I'm trying to get home.

His reply came almost immediately.

Don't use the main road. Get inside a solid building and stay away from glass. I'm nearby.

Rue looked up, searching the crowded street. “Kael?”

“Rue!”

She turned toward the sound of her name and saw him running through the crowd, his backpack secured across his shoulders. He reached her just as another tremor shook the street.

“You need to move,” he said, catching her arm. “The underground structures are failing, and whatever is causing these tremors is moving toward this district.”

“I know. We need to get away from the main road.”

“You know?” His eyes narrowed. “Rue, what exactly do you know?”

Before she could answer, a piercing scream rose from the intersection.

A section of asphalt split open beneath a delivery truck. Something dark and heavily armored surged from the opening, its long limbs gripping the edges of the broken road as it hauled itself into the street. Its head turned sharply toward the screaming crowd, and its mouth unfolded into a terrifying series of plates lined with sharp teeth.

For one impossible second, the entire intersection seemed to freeze.

Then everyone ran.

“Move!” Kael shouted, pulling Rue toward a row of concrete shops. “Get inside!”

“Not that building!” Rue grabbed his sleeve.

“The underground parking entrance connects to the tunnel beneath the road. If we go in there, we'll be trapped!”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I've seen what happens when people hide underground without checking the exits!”

Kael stared at her, but the creature's shriek cut off any further questions. They raced toward a narrow service lane as people shoved past them, knocking over bins and scattering boxes across the pavement.

“Keep your head down,” Kael ordered. “Don't stop unless I tell you.”

“I don't need you to tell me how to run!”

“Wonderful. Then run faster!”

They reached the service lane just as a Hollow lunged across the road. Its claws struck the side of a parked vehicle, tearing through the metal with a sound that made Rue's stomach twist. She knew what would happen next. The creature would investigate the vibration, then the others would follow.

“Don't make any noise,” she warned.

Kael glanced at her. “I wasn't planning to start singing.”

“I'm serious. They can track even small vibrations. If we keep running across loose debris, we'll draw them straight toward us.”

He lowered his voice. “Then show me a route that won't get us killed.”

Rue pointed toward a narrow passage between two buildings. “There. The ground is concrete, and the walls will help muffle our movements. We can reach the loading area behind the shops.”

They slipped into the passage, moving as quietly as the panicked circumstances allowed. Behind them, screams echoed through the district as the Hollow spread across the intersection.

When they reached the loading area, Kael pushed open a side door and ushered Rue into a storage room. Several workers were huddled beside shelves of bottled drinks, staring at their phones.

“What's happening?” one of them asked. “Is this some kind of terrorist attack?”

“No,” Rue said. “You need to leave the windows alone, keep your voices down, and stay away from anything that might make a loud noise.”

A young woman shook her head. “How can you possibly know that?”

“Because the creatures are attracted to sound and vibration. If you keep shouting, you'll bring them here.”

“You're telling us to be quiet while monsters are eating people outside?” a man demanded.

“I'm telling you that if you want to survive, you need to stop treating noise as harmless.”

A heavy impact struck the outer wall.

Everyone fell silent.

Kael slowly turned toward the door. “Rue, how many of those things are out there?”

She listened to the scraping sounds moving across the pavement, her heart hammering as the creatures began circling the building.

“More than we can fight,” she whispered.

Then something struck the door again, harder this time, and the metal frame bent inward.

Kael reached for the weapon strapped to his backpack.

“Rue,” he said, his voice low and steady, “whatever happens next, stay close to me.”

She stared at the door as a long, armored claw slid through the widening gap.

“They've found us,” she whispered.

And the door began to buckle.