Jin's vision blurred, but he could still hear the screams. They echoed through the hallways, distorted by the chaos and the roar of flames outside. The fire from the meteor impact had spread like wildfire, engulfing everything in its path. He could smell the burning of flesh, the acrid scent of smoke choking the air. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat sending a jolt of pain through his side where the bone shard had pierced him.
"We need to move!" Yu Lin's voice cut through the haze of fear clouding his thoughts. Her hands were shaking, but she gripped him firmly, her fingers pressing against his wound to stop the bleeding. The pain was unbearable, but her determination gave him a shred of strength he didn't know he had left.
Jin tried to push himself up, but his legs buckled beneath him. The world around him was spinning, and he could feel his body shutting down. His head throbbed with every movement, his breaths shallow and uneven.
"Jin!"
Yu Lin's voice was desperate now, and in the distance, the screeching of the mutated creatures grew louder. They were coming for them. The things that had once been human were now monsters, driven by hunger and bloodlust. They had no reason, no mercy.
"We can't stay here," she said, her voice breaking through his fog. "We have to go—now!"
With a force he didn't know he had left, Jin gripped her wrist, pulling himself up to his feet. The pain in his side flared, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself to take a step. Then another.
They stumbled down the hallway, the sound of their footsteps drowned by the rumbling of the building as it shook from the force of the explosions outside. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling, and the walls groaned under the pressure. It felt like the entire world was collapsing in on them.
Jin could barely think. His mind was consumed by the overwhelming fear, by the panic gnawing at the edges of his consciousness. Every time he thought about what was happening, his stomach twisted in dread. He couldn't process it—couldn't understand it.
But Yu Lin was there, and she was pulling him along, guiding him through the chaos.
"There's a way out," Yu Lin whispered, her eyes darting around nervously. She pulled him toward a fire escape door at the end of the hall. The metal handle was cold to the touch, and as she twisted it, the door creaked open, revealing a stairwell descending into darkness.
Without thinking, Jin followed her, the pounding of his heart deafening in his ears. The stairwell seemed endless as they descended, the air growing colder with every step they took.
"Where are we going?" Jin managed to rasp, his voice barely audible over the sounds of the devastation outside.
"To the underground tunnels," Yu Lin replied, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. "They're safe. People who know what's coming, they've been preparing for this. We can make it if we hurry."
Jin didn't question her. There was no time to ask questions. He just followed, trusting her—because right now, she was the only thing that kept him grounded in this nightmare.
As they reached the bottom of the stairwell, the air grew colder, the darkness deeper. Yu Lin led the way through a narrow hallway, the walls lined with rusted pipes and old electrical wiring. The place smelled damp, like the inside of a long-forgotten basement.
They reached a steel door at the end of the corridor, its surface covered in a thick layer of grime. Yu Lin approached it with urgency, her hands working quickly to unlock it. When the door finally creaked open, Jin felt a rush of cool air hit his face.
Beyond the door, a darkened tunnel stretched out in front of them, its walls thick with moss and the scent of decay. It was eerily silent here, a stark contrast to the chaos they'd just escaped. The only sound was their breathing, ragged and uneven.
Yu Lin hesitated for a moment, looking back toward the building they'd just escaped from. The faint glow of flames flickered in the distance, casting long shadows across the tunnel entrance.
"We need to go deeper," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "We can't stay near the surface. It's too dangerous."
Jin nodded, though the pain in his side was growing worse by the second. He stumbled forward, following Yu Lin into the dark tunnel.
---
Hours passed. Or maybe it was just minutes. Jin couldn't tell anymore. Time had become a blur in this new world where nothing made sense. All he could focus on was the pain in his body and the haunting, distant screams of the monsters that roamed the surface.
The deeper they went, the darker it became. The tunnel was narrow, winding, and the air felt thick with dust. Occasionally, they would pass old wooden doors leading into what seemed like abandoned rooms or storage spaces. Jin didn't question where they were going. He just kept moving, his body on autopilot as they pushed forward.
Yu Lin was the only thing that kept him going. She moved with purpose, never once slowing down, her eyes scanning the darkness around them. She was the calm in this storm of destruction.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they came to a stop in front of a massive steel door. The metal was old, its surface rusted and worn, but it looked sturdy.
Yu Lin's hand hovered over a keypad beside the door. Her fingers flew across the buttons, entering a sequence of numbers that Jin couldn't follow. When the door clicked open with a low rumble, she turned to him with a look of quiet relief.
"We're here," she said softly, pushing the door open. Inside, a faint light flickered from overhead lights that barely illuminated the space beyond.
Jin stepped forward, his legs weak, his body trembling from exhaustion and pain. The room was filled with people, all moving with the same quiet urgency that Yu Lin had shown. They all seemed to be waiting, watching. There was no time for questions, no time for introductions.
Without a word, Yu Lin led Jin to a corner of the room, where an older man stood waiting. His eyes were sharp, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his gaze that made Jin's skin crawl.
"You made it," the man said. His voice was deep, raspy, like someone who had lived through far too much. "But you're too late."
Jin looked at him in confusion, but the man only shook his head.
"The world has already fallen. And now, you'll have to make a choice."