As Samuel and Elijah neared Erina, they heard her shout, "There are bugs in the crops!"
Both Samuel and Elijah froze and stared at her blankly in disbelief. The tension from the last few hours is still tight in their chests. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke, as if their brains refused to process what they had just heard.
Samuel was the first to react. He let out a sharp breath and said, "You shouted just because of bugs?! Unbelievable!" He ran a hand through his hair, torn between snapping at her and laughing from sheer dumbfoundment.
Erina blinked at them, clearly confused by their reactions, "Bugs are scary, no?"
Elijah finally found his voice. "You scared everyone. Look, even Ethan is staring at you."
Their little brother Ethan sat in the corner of the room, knees pulled to his chest, frowning deeply at his sister. His small hands were clenched, and his shoulders were stiff, like he had been bracing himself for something terrible.
"Sorry, Ethan," Erina said quickly, crouching down in front of him. Her voice softened as she apologized for scaring him.
Ethan nodded but did not say anything. He just hugged his knees tighter.
The tension slowly eased, and Samuel exhaled, realizing how tightly he had been wounded.
He and the others moved toward the crops and started brushing bugs off the leaves. The vegetables were still edible, though some leaves had been chewed throughout. It was frustrating, but it was nothing compared to what they had been dealing with lately.
As the three continued arranging the harvest. Outside, the hospital rooftop was quiet except for the faint rustling of the vegetation that grew over time across the city. For a brief moment, it almost felt normal.
Pzzt
Pzzt
Pzzt
Samuel suddenly snapped his head towards the door..
The sound was faint but sharp, like static crackling in the air. He slowly straightened and looked around, his heart beginning to beat faster.
"What the… Hey guys… do you hear that?" he asked.
The siblings glanced at him. Elijah tilted his head, listening carefully. "Huh? We don't hear anything." He shook his head, genuinely confused.
Samuel frowned. "Weird. Are you sure you guys don't hear that? It's pretty loud, like gunshots." He looked up at the ceiling instinctively.
The others exchanged looks. Elijah opened his mouth to respond. "Nope, not a thing–"
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT
Elijah was cut off mid-sentence. The sound exploded overhead, loud enough to make everyone flinch as the buzzing rolled across the rooftop, deep and mechanical.
"Well, surely you guys heard that," Samuel said, his confusion turning into alarm. "That's a drone, isn't it?"
Before anyone could answer, Samuel took off running toward one of the patient rooms that still had intact windows. He pressed his hands against the glass and peered outside.
"Uh, guys," he called back, his voice tight. "That is definitely a drone above us."
Hovering above the hospital was a sleek machine, its rotors nearly silent now that it had stabilized. A single red light glowed at its center, unmoving, unblinking, fixed directly on the building as if it were staring straight through the walls.
Elijah sprinted over and barely needed a second to recognize it. His face was drained of color.
"Shit!" he shouted. "They're here!"
Samuel turned sharply toward him. "They?"
In the outskirts of the city, a squad of six stood near a cluster of abandoned vehicles. Smoke drifted lazily through the air, and distant gunfire echoed like thunder.
One of them stared at a screen connected to the drone feed. "Target spotted. All three are here," he said. "And it looks like they're with an unknown man."
Five of them wore standard military gear. Their movements were disciplined, precise, and cautious. The sixth was impossible to miss.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and completely encased in black, scale-like armor that pulsed faintly with a deep red glow. Over it sat heavier armor shaped like a knight's plate, layered and angular. His helmet was smooth and featureless except for two glowing red eyes that burned through the darkness.
The knight began walking toward the hospital without hesitation. "Let's go," he said. "I want to leave this filthy place already."
"Wait, sir!" the man with the laptop shouted. "HQ hasn't approved entry yet! This region isn't our territory!"
The knight did not even slow down. "I don't care what those creatures say. I don't acknowledge their claim!" he barked, then suddenly broke into a sprint, crushing debris beneath his boots.
The remaining five exchanged looks.
'This bastard will get us killed,' was the shared thought among them.
Back in the hospital, Elijah was already moving, "We have to go now! Those soldiers were sent to capture me and my siblings!"
"Follow me. I know the area," Samuel didn't ask any questions and led them, his voice calm despite the pounding in his chest.
Instead of heading for the front entrance, Samuel led them toward a back window that overlooked a narrow alley. He shoved it open and climbed through first. One by one, they followed, dropping down into the shadows as the night swallowed them.
The drone hovered overhead, but Samuel guided them into a narrow path hidden between buildings. Its red eye passed over the area, then drifted away.
Samuel's vision was unusually sharp in the darkness. Shapes, movement, distance, all of it came naturally to him, which was something he hadn't experienced before.
The siblings, however, relied on moonlight to see the way, forcing them to slow their pace.
They weaved through alleys and broken streets, stepping over shattered glass and abandoned belongings. Somewhere far away, suppressed gunshots echoed.
The drone buzzed again, closer this time. Samuel felt it more than heard it, and he adjusted their path instinctively, guiding them away from its search pattern.
As they pushed deeper into the city, Samuel felt something else. A prickling sensation crawled up his spine, like a weight settling on his shoulders.
He was being watched.
His hair stood on end, and his breathing grew shallow.
'Something has definitely seen us...'