The apartment door opened with a heavy creak.

  Morning light slipped inside.

  Kaelion stood at the doorway for a few seconds.

  Then he stepped outside.

  Lucas followed right behind him.

  The moment they stepped onto the street, both of them slowed down instinctively.

  The city had changed.

  The street they had known yesterday now looked like an abandoned battlefield.

  Overturned cars lay in the middle of the road. Some had shattered windows, others had their doors hanging open. Storefronts along the sidewalk were broken, their signs bent and hanging loose. A bus had crashed onto the curb, its front buried halfway into a building wall.

  In the distance, a thin column of smoke rose into the sky.

  Somewhere far away, a broken alarm kept ringing.

  But more disturbing than any of that…

  was the silence.

  There were no human voices.

  No engine sounds.

  Only the wind and the distant creaking of metal.

  Lucas slowly looked around.

  “This place…”

  He paused.

  “…isn’t the city we knew yesterday.”

  Kaelion didn’t answer.

  His eyes moved down the street, then toward the alley on the right, then up to the rooftops.

  Everything looked open.

  And open spaces were dangerous.

  Lucas spoke again.

  “Where do you think everyone went?”

  Kaelion gave a short glance.

  “They ran.”

  Lucas pressed his lips together.

  “Or they couldn’t.”

  This time Kaelion stayed silent.

  They were both thinking the same thing.

  At that moment, Kaelion’s expression tightened slightly.

  A sharp scent filled his nose.

  Blood.

  Rotting flesh.

  Damp concrete.

  Rust.

  The smell was so strong that his stomach churned for a moment.

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  He instinctively turned his head slightly.

  Rotten Smell.

  That was the new ability.

  And it carried every foul scent in the city straight to him.

  Lucas noticed the movement.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Kaelion quickly composed himself.

  “Nothing.”

  Lucas looked at him for a few seconds but didn’t press further.

  Kaelion cursed inwardly.

  I’m going to have to get used to this.

  Right now the skill felt more like a punishment than a reward.

  Kaelion walked a few steps forward.

  Dark stains covered the asphalt.

  Blood.

  In some places, there were long drag marks.

  Lucas noticed them too.

  “These look recent.”

  Kaelion crouched down.

  He studied the marks carefully.

  Then traced the direction of the drag with his hand.

  “Something passed through here.”

  Lucas rested the pipe on his shoulder.

  “A monster?”

  Kaelion stood up.

  “Most likely.”

  Lucas let out a dry laugh.

  “Great. Exactly what we needed this early in the morning.”

  They walked in silence for a while.

  Kaelion in front.

  Lucas a few steps behind.

  Lucas eventually noticed it.

  “Hey.”

  Kaelion answered without stopping.

  “What?”

  “I don’t know if you noticed…”

  Lucas glanced around.

  “…but you keep walking in front.”

  Kaelion shrugged.

  “Someone has to check the way.”

  Lucas was quiet for a moment.

  Then he smiled faintly.

  “And that someone is you?”

  Kaelion glanced at him.

  “You got a problem with that?”

  Lucas shook his head.

  “No.”

  Then his voice lowered slightly.

  “If it wasn’t for you last night… I’d probably be dead.”

  Kaelion turned his gaze back to the road.

  “You’re still alive now. That’s enough.”

  Lucas looked at him for a moment.

  Then nodded.

  “Alright. Then you go ahead. I’ll watch your back.”

  Kaelion gave a small, almost invisible nod.

  “Good.”

  That was enough.

  He hadn’t asked to be the leader.

  But Lucas had already chosen his role.

  When they reached the large intersection ahead, Kaelion stopped again.

  A new smell had reached his nose.

  Fresher.

  Sharper.

  Fresh blood.

  Kaelion frowned.

  Thanks to his new ability, the smells no longer blended together.

  He could now distinguish between the old scent of death lingering in the city and freshly spilled blood.

  Lucas stopped immediately.

  “What is it this time?”

  Kaelion listened for a few seconds.

  Then turned his head toward the narrow alley on the right.

  “There’s something there.”

  Lucas looked in that direction.

  But he saw nothing but an empty street.

  “Where?”

  Kaelion didn’t answer.

  He took a few steps forward.

  The source of the smell was there.

  But he couldn’t explain that to Lucas.

  At least not yet.

  “Be ready,” he simply said.

  Lucas gripped the metal pipe with both hands.

  “I’m hearing that from you a lot lately.”

  Kaelion drew his knife.

  “It works.”

  Lucas laughed quietly.

  “Fair point.”

  The two of them approached the entrance of the narrow alley.

  The buildings here were closer together.

  Sunlight barely reached the ground.

  Old posters hung from the walls, most of them torn apart.

  Trash bags, broken crates, and scattered objects lay across the ground.

  Kaelion slowed his steps.

  Because of Rotten Smell, the scents here were even stronger.

  The smell of blood was clear.

  Very clear.

  Lucas whispered,

  “I don’t like this.”

  Kaelion felt the same.

  But his discomfort ran deeper.

  It felt as if the city itself was breathing its rot straight into his nose.

  For a moment he closed his eyes.

  He wanted to take a deep breath—

  Then stopped.

  That would only bring more smells.

  Lucas studied him again.

  “You sure you’re okay?”

  Kaelion opened his eyes.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.”

  Kaelion stared toward the end of the alley.

  “We’ll deal with that later.”

  Lucas didn’t say anything.

  But this time he didn’t argue either.

  A gust of wind passed through the intersection.

  A loose metal plate struck the wall with a loud clang.

  Far away—

  very far away—

  a howl echoed.

  Lucas tensed instinctively.

  “And… those things are still out there.”

  Kaelion nodded slightly.

  “Yeah.”

  Lucas took a deep breath.

  “How long do you think it’ll take us to reach the police station?”

  Kaelion made a quick calculation.

  If they used the main roads, it would be fast.

  But main roads meant open areas.

  And open areas meant death.

  “If we go directly, it won’t take long,” he said.

  “But we’re not going directly.”

  Lucas raised an eyebrow.

  “Why?”

  Kaelion pointed to the street corner, the rooftops, and the next intersection.

  “Because I don’t want to be seen.”

  Lucas nodded.

  “So… back alleys.”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’ll be slower.”

  “It’ll be safer.”

  Lucas thought for a few seconds.

  Then did the same thing he had done before.

  He accepted it.

  “Alright, leader.”

  Kaelion looked at him.

  “Don’t call me that.”

  Lucas smirked.

  “But you’re the one in front.”

  Kaelion didn’t answer.

  He simply kept walking.

  Lucas followed behind him.

  And together, in the silent morning of a broken city, they took the first steps on the long road toward the police station.