Pain.
It slammed into her the moment she snapped out of her daze.
Her gaze remained locked on his lifeless body. Around her, the world stood still—silent and heavy, like steel pressed against the soul.
Yes, creatures still hissed and prowled around, hunting their next prey. Humans scattered in blind panic, diving into shadows, seeking places to hide.
But here?
Silence.
Utter silence.
Her mind drifted to what life used to be before the madness. She'd been just a regular girl, living in a modest apartment with peeling walls and a leaky tap. The only child of a family who adored her, who would've moved mountains just to see her smile. She loved them just as fiercely—completely, unapologetically.
When she first told them about Ethan, their joy had been explosive. They threw a party, celebrated the "good news," even invited Ethan over, showering him with warmth as if he'd already become part of them.
Life had been perfect.
Blissful.
She never imagined it could all shatter so quickly. That the world would fall apart. That it would drag her happiness down with it—piece by piece.
That it would take her father.
Her fingers curled into a fist. Her chest burned. Rage surged through her veins, hot and violent.
How could life be this cruel?
How could it strip everything away?
Why her?
Why now?
Why him?
"Father…" she whispered.
The word barely made it past her lips as she crawled out from beneath the pew. A loud crash split the air—a glass window, shattered. Another creature had stormed in, claws scraping stained glass and wood.
But the sound...
It didn't matter.
Not compared to the storm raging inside her.
She crawled toward him and pulled him close until his head rested on her lap. Her hand trembled as she reached for his face.
His skin—cold as ice.
His eyes—hollow, lifeless... just like those creatures.
"No!"
She screamed, her voice raw and broken, not caring if it drew more of them. Grief had gutted her—left her hollow, emptied of everything but pain.
"Why would you do this to me? Wake up, please!" she sobbed, shaking him with desperate hands.
But he didn't move.
No matter how hard she shook him, he remained still.
Unmoving.
Gone.
"God, please…" she cried.
She didn't notice the way her scream echoed, didn't hear the hissing that slithered through the silence. The creatures had heard her. One of them crept closer, drawn by the sound of anguish.
It stalked toward her like the others before it—slow, calculating, with hollow eyes that could make a soul tremble with a single look.
But this time, she didn't flinch.
She didn't run.
She lifted her head and stared straight at it, eyes blazing.
This time, she refused to fear.
She wouldn't run. Not again.
This time, she would face it.
This creature had taken everything from her. Now, she would take something back—even if it was just the fight.
She rose to her feet.
As the creature arched its back to pounce, she matched its movement, bending low, her eyes locked on its hollow stare.
Her grip tightened around the kitchen fork until her knuckles whitened and the veins in her hand bulged. Her feet dug into the hard ground, steady. It was only a kitchen fork—but it would do.
She had rage.
And rage was enough to kill.
The creature lunged.
She leapt.
"Iya!"
The fork plunged deep into its shoulder. The creature shrieked, thrashing violently before stumbling back.
A hollow wound gaped where the fork had struck—but it wasn't enough to kill it.
If anything, it only fed its fury.
Ayra jumped back just as the creature prepared to strike again.
She glanced around the church, searching for her mother, Ethan's parents—but it was hard to see through the chaos. People ran in every direction. Some fought. And more creatures kept pouring in.
A low growl snapped her attention back. The creature was stalking toward her.
But this time, it didn't crawl or creep.
It charged.
Fast.
So fast her legs trembled.
It leapt above her, and she clenched the fork tighter in her fist.
As it began to descend, she let the rage take over.
She thought of the creature's fangs sinking into her father's neck—of his lifeless body crumpled on the floor.
She screamed, fury tearing through her throat...
And waited for it to fall.
Just as it lunged at her, mouth agape, fangs bared and elongated...
Ayra drove the tip of the fork hard into its chest.
In that desperate attempt, they both crashed to the ground, the creature landing on top of her.
But it didn't bleed.
It crumbled—turning into dust right before her eyes.
Her entire body trembled, but her grip on the fork stayed firm.
This...
This little tool was what she used to make her first kill.
And she had to hold onto it.
For her protection.
Ayra stayed on the ground, dust coating her wedding dress, as the weight of what she'd done slowly sank in.
She had just killed a creature.
She blinked, then propped herself up.
The chaos had returned, screams, growls, crashing wood—but she didn't stop to take it in.
It was over.
The creatures were killing everything in sight.
And she had to get out.
Even though her body trembled with fear, even though she had no idea what to do next...
She knew one thing for sure:
She needed to leave this place…
Before the doom closed in on her.