chapter 6

Serena POV

"Come on... turn over, damn it!"

I slammed my palm against the steering wheel as the SUV’s engine gave a sickening, metallic sputter, clicked three times, and died completely. Dashboard warning lights flickered wildly before going entirely black.

"Madam? What's wrong?" one of my maids asked from the backseat, her voice trembling with a growing edge of panic.

I stared through the windshield. The air pressure outside had plummeted so violently that my ears throbbed with a dull, aching pressure. The sky above the parking lot was no longer just dark—it was a bruised, decaying violet, churning as if the heavens themselves were rotting from the inside out.

"Both of you, get out and check the battery," I commanded, my voice tight. "Now!"

The two maids scrambled out of the vehicle, popping the hood. I stepped out onto the cold asphalt beside them, shielding my eyes against the punishing wind that howled through the concrete canyon. Dust, shredded trash, and dry leaves swirled in violent tornadoes around our ankles. All around us, shoppers were sprinting toward their cars, desperately trying to load their groceries and escape before the skies tore open.

Then, a sound cut through the gale.

It was a jagged, horrifying shriek that shredded the air—a sound so pure in its terror that every single person in the parking lot froze in their tracks.

“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP HIM!”

Everyone turned.

A few yards away near the supermarket entrance, a man collapsed onto his back, his body convulsing in violent, unnatural spasms. His wife dropped to her knees beside him, her hands hovering helplessly over his chest, tears streaming down her face.

"David! David, please look at me! Breathe, baby, please!" she sobbed, pressing her hands against his erratic chest.

Within seconds, his violent tremors stopped. His back arched one final time, a sickening, wet rattle escaped his lungs, and his eyes rolled up into his head.

He went completely still.

"Someone call an ambulance!" a man shouted from the crowd gathering around them. "He's not breathing! Does anyone know CPR?!"

Before anyone could take a single step forward, the dead man’s spine snapped upright with a horrific, crackling sound.

The crowd gasped, staggering backward.

The man’s head jerked toward his wife. His skin had turned a curdled, translucent gray, veins bulging like black ink beneath his flesh. Bloodshot, crimson eyes locked onto her face. Blood bubbled from his open, unhinged jaw, dripping down his chin and staining his shirt.

The woman gasped, reaching out a trembling hand. "H-Honey...? Are you okay?"

He didn't answer. With a guttural, terrifying roar, he lunged forward.

CHOMP.

A wet, sickening crunch echoed across the parking lot as his teeth sank deep into the side of her neck.

The woman let out a blood-curdling scream that was cut short as blood erupted from her throat, spraying across the pavement. She thrashed underneath him, but he clamped down harder, ripping flesh away like a starving beast.

Panic exploded instantly.

"MONSTER!"

"HE'S EATING HER!"

"RUN! OH GOD, RUN!"

The crowd shattered into utter chaos. People trampled one another to reach their vehicles. Car doors slammed shut, tires screeched against the asphalt, and metal crunched into metal as panicking drivers rammed into each other trying to force their way out of the exits.

I stood rooted to the spot, the freezing wind whipping my hair across my face, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

I knew this smell. I knew this sound. The metallic tang of fresh blood mixing with the stench of copper and decay.

"The apocalypse..." I whispered, the words freezing on my lips.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

My phone vibrated violently in my coat pocket. I whipped it out, the screen flashing with a terrifying, red-bordered emergency broadcast notification:

> NATIONAL EMERGENCY ALERT: UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL OUTBREAK CONFIRMED. MUTATED VIRUS TRANSMITTED VIA BITES/FLUIDS. EXTREME AGGRESSION OBSERVED. DO NOT APPROACH INFECTED INDIVIDUALS. SEEK REINFORCED SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. GOD SAVE US ALL.

>

My knees went weak for a fraction of a second.

Ten days.

I was supposed to have ten days!

The timeline hadn't just accelerated—it had completely shattered. The nightmare had arrived early, catching the entire world unprepared, stripping away the precious time I was supposed to use to stockpile even more.

"Madam! Get in! GET IN THE CAR!" my maids shrieked, scrambling back into the SUV and pulling the doors shut in absolute terror.

I lunged toward the driver's side door, ready to throw myself inside and use my spatial storage resources to get us out of the death trap.

Suddenly, a hand clamped onto my arm with a desperate, crushing grip.

"Serena!"

I spun around, a harsh glare tearing across my face.

Bianca stood there, her face bloodless, her expensive clothes torn, her eyes wide with a manic, petrified panic.

"Serena! Please!" she sobbed, her fingers digging into my coat. "You have to help us! Your car is huge—please, let us in! The monsters are everywhere!"

Behind her, sprinting through the fleeing crowds and crashing cars, was Damian. His tailored suit was covered in dirt, his hair disheveled, his eyes wild with fear as he threw glances over his shoulder at the rising shrieks echoing from the supermarket.

My blood ran cold, turning into pure, unadulterated steel.

The sky was bleeding. The world was ending.

And my two greatest enemies were running right into my hands.