Ch 0 : Prologue Guest
The city burned like paper.
Sirens screamed somewhere beyond the smoke, swallowed by collapsing buildings and distant explosions. Crimson lights flickered across shattered windows. Ash drifted through the air like snow.
She ran.
Her breath tore through her throat. Blood slipped down her fingers, warm against the cold night air. Cuts stretched across her arms and shoulders, not deep enough to kill, but enough to weaken her with every step.
Don’t stop.
Don’t look back.
Something behind her moved.
Not footsteps.
Something worse.
The sound was wrong. Wet. Distorted. Like flesh dragging across concrete. Like bones snapping back into place. Every time she heard it, her stomach twisted harder.
Her legs trembled.
The adrenaline that had carried her this far was fading now, leaving behind only pain.
She stumbled into an abandoned street.
Houses stood broken and blackened. Cars burned silently. Telephone wires hung loose above the road like hanging veins.
Then she saw it.
A barricaded house.
Wooden planks covered the windows. Half the walls were scorched black, but the structure still stood.
Safe.
Or at least safer than outside.
She forced herself toward it.
Her fingers tightened around the kitchen knife in her hand as she shoved the door open and threw herself inside.
Darkness swallowed her.
She slammed the door shut and backed into the corner of the room, gripping the knife with both hands. Her entire body shook violently.
Silence.
No—
Not silence.
Something moved outside.
Her breathing became uneven. Her vision blurred. Her arms felt heavy now. So heavy.
How much blood had she lost?
What was happening?
None of this made sense.
Three nights ago, the city was normal.
Then people started disappearing.
Then came the screams.
Then came those things.
Her throat tightened.
No.
Don’t think about it.
Don’t remember.
A click echoed through the house.
The front door.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
She lunged forward with the knife as the figure entered.
Tall.
At least six feet.
Broad shoulders.
Dark brown skin.
A black tuxedo untouched by ash or blood.
His movements were calm.
Too calm.
Not human.
Her eyes widened.
Monster.
She screamed and drove the knife toward his throat.
The man moved instantly.
A blur.
One hand caught her wrist. The other struck the side of her neck.
Pain exploded through her body.
The knife slipped from her hand.
Her vision collapsed inward.
The last thing she saw before darkness consumed her was his face.
Expressionless.
Eyes black as void.
—
Warmth.
Softness.
Pain.
Her eyes opened slowly.
A ceiling.
Wooden.
Unfamiliar.
For several seconds, she couldn’t move. Her thoughts drifted slowly back into place like shattered glass reassembling.
Then the pain hit.
Every muscle in her body screamed.
Bandages wrapped around her arms, chest, and legs. Her throat felt dry enough to crack.
She tried to sit up.
Rope tightened around her wrists.
Her breathing stopped.
Tied.
She looked around wildly.
A small room.
A bed.
A table.
No windows.
The door creaked open.
He entered.
The same man.
Tall. Silent. Impossibly composed.
His black tuxedo remained spotless.
Something about him felt wrong.
Not threatening in the way wild animals were threatening.
No—
Worse.
Like standing near something ancient pretending to be human.
He carried a plate of food in one hand.
She froze.
He walked toward her slowly.
No emotion crossed his face.
Not anger.
Not cruelty.
Nothing.
Just emptiness.
He leaned closer.
Her heart nearly burst from panic as she saw the knife in his hand.
This is it.
She closed her eyes.
But instead of pain—
The ropes fell loose.
Her eyes snapped open.
The knife had cut through the restraints.
The man placed the food in front of her.
Then stepped back.
She stared at him, unable to speak.
Why?
Why keep her alive?
The smell of food reached her.
Her body betrayed her instantly.
Hunger consumed every thought in her mind.
Her hands trembled violently as she grabbed the plate and pulled it toward herself.
She devoured it.
Messily.
Desperately.
Like an animal.
The man simply watched.
Silent.
Observing.
Not with curiosity.
Not even judgment.
Like a scientist watching an experiment.
After several minutes, she finally slowed down.
The room fell silent again.
She looked up at him carefully.
Something wasn’t normal about him.
Not just his presence.
His eyes.
Earlier… they were black.
Now—
Crimson.
Soft glowing crimson.
Her stomach dropped.
The plate slipped from her hands.
It shattered against the floor.
Ceramic shards scattered everywhere.
She stumbled backward in terror.
The man looked down.
Without touching them, the broken shards slowly rose into the air.
The fragments swirled together unnaturally.
Reforming.
Rebuilding.
Within seconds, the plate was whole again.
It floated gently back into his hand.
She couldn’t breathe.
Her voice cracked.
“A-Are you…”
Her body trembled harder.
“One of them?”
The man looked directly into her eyes.
And answered with one word.
“Yes.”
The world stopped.
Her family.
Dead.
Her fiancé.
Dead.
Her home.
Gone.
The memories crashed into her mind violently.
The screams.
The blood.
The monsters.
The burning city.
Her entire body erupted with rage.
She grabbed the knife from the table and screamed as she drove it into his chest.
“DIE!”
Again.
Again.
Again.
“DIE, YOU BASTARD!”
The blade pierced straight through his heart.
But his expression never changed.
Not even slightly.
Then—
A hand wrapped around her throat.
Cold.
Terrifying.
Her body froze instantly.
Fear swallowed every thought.
He leaned closer.
“Tell me, mortal,” he said quietly.
His voice was deep.
Empty.
Dreadful.
“Would you like to destroy them?”
Tears streamed down her face.
“I—I…”
Her voice broke apart.
“I want this to stop…”
The crimson glow in his eyes intensified.
Something burned against her neck.
Pain exploded through her skin.
She screamed.
The room shattered into darkness.
And the world disappeared.
