"We have to move on," Daigo said firmly, turning toward the others. His voice trembled with urgency, but his eyes burned with resolve. "We don't know how long this place will stay safe. We can't gamble with silence anymore—we need to leave and find somewhere better."
Talen scoffed, standing up sharply. "And where exactly do you think we're going to find that, Daigo? The phones are dead. No signals. No news. No clue what's happening out there."
"There has to be someplace," Daigo replied, voice low but steady. "Somewhere, the government reinforced—military zones, safe places, anything. We'll never know unless we try."
Talen shook his head in disbelief. "Going out there with your parents and Selia? Are you insane? You know how bad it is. We'll face more than trouble—this could be suicide."
Daigo closed his eyes.
Just for a moment. The weight of Talen's words wasn't lost on him. But so was the weight of doing nothing.
He turned slowly toward his parents.
"Mom…" he said quietly, then looked at his father. "We should all go."
But his father was already shaking his head. He stood, stepping forward.
"No. You go," he said firmly. "Daigo's right—this place won't stay safe forever. You, Selia, and Talen—you still have time. Use it."
Daigo blinked, caught off-guard. "What? No. We have a car—we can take you."
His mother stepped forward this time, her voice calm but resolute. "And do what? Slow you down? If there's something out there… if there's help… you'll need to move quickly. Your father and I—we'd only hold you back."
"You're not holding anyone back," Daigo said, voice rising as emotion cracked through. "I said we're leaving together. All of us."
His mother reached out, gently cupping his face. Her hands were warm, trembling slightly. "Daigo… we're old. We've lived our lives. You haven't. Selia hasn't. She needs you. Go—for her."
He yanked his face away from her touch, tears welling up. "No. I was wrong. We're not leaving. I'll protect this place for as long as I have to. We'll stay—together!"
His throat burned, voice strained.
"Daigo!" his father barked, stern and cutting. "Don't act like a child."
The room fell into silence, heavy and hollow.
Talen looked away. Selia hugged Daigo's leg, sensing the tension she didn't understand.
Daigo stared at his parents, jaw clenched. Somewhere deep down, he already knew they were right.
But accepting it? That was something else entirely
A sudden, desperate yell cut through the tension like a blade.
Daigo snapped his head toward the window.
A man was stumbling down the dirt road, his clothes torn, blood soaking the side of his neck—bitten clean through. He didn't even scream anymore—he just gasped, wheezing and dragging his feet.
Behind him, a creature followed.
It moved with unnatural speed, skin pale and tight like parchment stretched too thin, and its eyes—milky white, unblinking—locked on its prey.
"No… no, no, no!" Talen backed away from the window, voice cracking in terror. "They're here! It's one of them!"
He looked at Daigo, panic wild in his eyes. "We have to go! Now!"
Daigo didn't wait. He turned to his parents one last time, heart hammering in his chest. "Please… Mom, Dad… come with us."
"We already told you," his father said, standing straight, hiding the tremble in his voice. "You have a child to protect. We don't."
"Don't do this," Daigo begged, voice rising. "I'm not leaving you behind. We have time—just a few minutes—please!"
"You don't get it!" his father snapped. "If we come, we slow you down. You'll have to carry us through hell. You'll die, your daughter will die—and all because we were too selfish to let go!"
"I'd rather die with you than live knowing I left you here!" Daigo shouted back, fists clenched at his sides.
His mother reached forward, her voice softer but resolute. "And we'd rather die knowing you lived. That Selia lived. Don't you see, Daigo? We want you to leave. We need you to."
Daigo staggered back a step, then turned sharply, storming into the kitchen.
The creak of the storeroom door echoed through the house as he yanked it open, grabbing two long wooden sticks from the corner. He pulled open drawers, found two sharp kitchen knives, and with shaking hands, tied them tightly to each end of the sticks using strips of cloth.
When he emerged from the kitchen, his breath was heavy, his face blank.
He walked over to his father and handed him one of the makeshift weapons.
"Take this," he said, voice strained but steady. "Keep the house locked. Don't make any noise. And please… stay safe."
His father took it, their eyes meeting for a long, silent moment. The elder man gave a stiff nod, his jaw tight.
Daigo turned, grabbed his daughter close, and looked at Talen. "Let's move."
His mother whispered as they walked to the door, "Daigo… be our light out there."
He paused in the doorway, looking back one last time. "I'll come back. If I find a safe zone, I'll return for you. I promise."
Then he stepped outside.
Talen sprinted toward the car, his shoes scraping against the gravel as he fumbled with the keys. His hands shook, but he managed to yank open the door and pop the engine alive with a violent roar.
"Get in!" he yelled.
Daigo quickly ushered Selia into the back seat, her little hands clutching his tightly, her eyes wide with fear. He climbed in after her, slamming the door shut.
As the engine growled louder, Daigo cast one final glance at the house—the place that held his childhood, his parents… his last goodbyes. They were still behind that door, armed with nothing but resolve and hope he would return. A lump rose in his throat.
But there was no time.
A shriek tore through the air as the white-eyed monster, drawn by the sound of the engine, lunged from behind the fence. Its bones cracked unnaturally as it moved, arms contorted, jaw twitching.
Talen's eyes widened. "Shit—hold on!"
Without thinking, he slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The car roared forward.
The creature had barely taken two steps before the front of the car rammed into it with a sickening crunch. It tumbled beneath the tires, and the vehicle jerked slightly from the impact, but Talen didn't stop.
They sped out of the street, the house shrinking behind them in the mirror, disappearing behind a veil of dark mist.
The world outside was in ruin. Streets were empty, houses abandoned, the sky choked with black clouds that flickered with veins of red lightning. It was like driving through a dream where everything had gone wrong.
Talen gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. "Where the hell are we going, Daigo?"
Daigo unfolded the worn map from his jacket pocket, eyes scanning the strange, twisted names once more. One, in particular, glowed faintly beneath the setting light.
"The Tower of Vel," he said quietly. "That's where we're heading."
Talen glanced at him, confused. "What the hell is that?"
Daigo stared out the window, his voice low. "Maybe the last place left that means something."
And with that, the car continued into the unknown, wheels kicking dust into a dying world behind them.