What does it feel like to be caught in a catastrophe?
Fear, despair, terror, panic, an overwhelming desire to survive, and anxiety. Every negative emotion a human being could experience was pouring out of the thousands of people trapped inside Miami's sealed-off zone.
"Brother, where are you? I'm so scared! Let's find Mom..."
Fear was a natural response to a catastrophic situation. It was an overwhelming sensation that could leave people paralyzed, as both their lives and their safety were at risk, whether they were in a supposedly safe place or not.
A little girl wandered through the rubble of her home, unsure how to find her little brother and her mother. All she could do was stare at the dark sky, listening to the screams of people and the terrifying thuds that echoed around her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A demon with two wings on its back walked slowly through the area, crushing people's pets beneath its feet and causing unprecedented destruction in its surroundings. When the girl heard the heavy thuds, she assumed the monster was nearby and hid inside a car with its door left open.
The inability to understand what was happening or how to respond could lead to confusion. Amid the chaos, the mind struggled to process the information it received, and this, in turn, fueled the weaker Cursed Spirits.
"Kill... I must keep killing... Tourists..."
The surrounding areas were in much the same state, filled with far more confusion than people were accustomed to. This led to numerous Demons being born with such strength that the death toll continued to rise.
"Ahhh! Stay away from me!"
A man in his fifties ran as fast as he could, but the strain and exhaustion put so much pressure on his legs that he felt an unprecedented pain before collapsing to the ground.
"God, if you're listening, save me... God, don't abandon me like this..."
The old man began to cry like a little child. Just when he thought everything had finally calmed down, his body twisted unnaturally. His bones burst through his skin, and blood sprayed in every direction as though a water hose had exploded.
"There's another one! We have to hide in here!" shouted a young man whose face had turned red after he tripped while trying to run.
"Everything was normal this morning. This can't be happening..." said a girl who was completely distraught.
Despair dealt a devastating blow to her will to live. She had witnessed dozens of people die, and it was something she had never been prepared to face.
That morning, when the sun rose above the horizon, chaos erupted without warning. People got out of bed and took to the streets as they always did, never imagining that this would be the last day their lives would be governed by normality.
The Demons, unleashed by a monstrous figure of evil, descended upon the city. Violence and darkness spread through the streets like a black tide. In an instant, chaos took over, and fear seized everyone's hearts.
People ran in every direction, stumbling over one another and trampling each other in their desperate attempts to escape the nightmare unfolding before their eyes. Screams of terror filled the air as despair engulfed the crowds. Those who had considered themselves civilized and rational were reduced to a mass of survivors fighting for their lives.
Pleading words mingled with blasphemies. It was as common as breathing for someone to beg God for salvation one moment and commit acts of ruthless selfishness the next. Fear and desperation clouded society's sense of morality and ethics.
Some sought refuge in buildings and cars, hoping to find safety by placing their faith in them. Others gathered in small communities, arming themselves with whatever they could find. But as the Demons drew closer, their sense of helplessness became overwhelming.
...
"Should we extend the barrier another two kilometers?" one of the inspectors asked his captain while examining the information transmitted by the drones.
"Negative. The assault team will enter the area and eliminate all the weaker Demons. Two fairly experienced exorcists have arrived so far, so we're waiting for the demon-hunting assault team on the other side of the city to be ready before launching the attack."
Numerous special forces units equipped with glasses designed to detect even incorporeal Demons prepared for deployment. None of the soldiers possessed divine abilities, but they had high-powered weapons capable of fighting the weaker Demons.
Despite everything, their mere appearance could give some people hope amid the catastrophe. Seeing them, people would cling to the belief that they would be all right, and they would stop feeding the Cursed Spirits.