The law of our civilisation is gone.
We live in anarchy.
The contagions and viruses of the past have nothing on how fast this has spread. No one could have expected it to sweep across the world so quickly. Or decimate the population so completely.
I jog back to where I left the car, but it’s not there. Shock makes my knees weak. My tired brain can’t seem to grasp that it’s been stolen. I’m just rooted to the carpark with a bolt of thick, electric fear holding me motionless.
I look around wildly and let out a frustrated moan. Now what do I do? A woman screams, her shrill warble exploding into the air, and I flinch hard. A minute later, she lets out a different scream, this one full of rage. She brandishes a pistol and shouts angrily. I hear a gun go off, and she stiffens before falling backwards, blood pouring out of her chest.
I need to get home.
I crouch, hiding behind a car, waiting as a massive brawl starts at the shop doors. Everyone just piles in, uncaring of the children, the elderly, and the injured. They just follow their emotions and their rage into madness.
I carefully slip away, using the cars as shields until I’m far enough that I can bolt. I run down the side of the building, bumping into sick people and healthy people alike. We’re all going in desperate directions.
A car smashes into another one in front of me. My heart explodes into action, and I hesitate over whether to help the driver or not, but he gets out and runs off, leaving his car burning toxic fumes into the already haze-filled city.
People scream, but the sounds are dull. All I can think about is my pack. She’s at home; they both are, sick and waiting for me. I promised them I wouldn’t take risks.
This is a risk. A big one.
I can’t leave the woman to die.
The woman in the car screams, and I know that sound will haunt me forever. I lunge towards it and rip open the door. Two seconds to see there’s no saving her. She’s stuck, her leg crushed, and she’s screaming; there is blood everywhere. No help is going to come; the phone lines are already down, but she’s screaming so loud.
“It’s okay, I’m here. I’m going to help you. Can you tell me your name?”
“Lisha,” she bursts out between sobs. “My name is Lisha. I have two boys at home. They are waiting for me. I need…I need to get home to them.”
I crouch down, staring at her legs, wondering what to do when someone comes up behind me. The shocking scent of wildflowers and spices. I turn and look up into his familiar face. It’s angular, with high cheekbonesand a noble nose. He’s got dirt smeared across his brow, and he looks as exhausted as I feel. His light green eyes hold an agony that wasn’t there a week ago. His tawny skin is pale, and he’s got black waist-long hair that is tangled and crusty with something I’d rather not know about.
He holds up a gun.
“No, Lucian, wait.”
“We can’t leave her like this, and we can’t wait here. You need to get home, Cai,” Lucian says in a firm voice.
The omega lets out a shuddering breath, and I know this will haunt him for the rest of his life.
The gun goes off, and the woman’s screams end so abruptly the silence is almost painful.
“Get moving, Cai. We don’t have time.”
I push up from my crouch and follow him as he races through the streets. People are going both ways, the level of terror is growing by the minute. But with that, danger is getting thicker and more precarious. It’s not safe out here anymore.
A boom sounds, and a second later, the windows everywhere shatter. I’m blown off my feet and into the side of a bus. I drop to my knees and clutch my head. There’s a ringing in my ears that takes a moment to ease.
Lucian gets up and staggers, holding his cheek, which has blood running down it.
“Lucian!”
He wobbles and looks at me with dazed, shocked eyes.
“I’m good. It’s okay. It looks worse than it is.” His voice wobbles, but he’s on his feet.
I catch his arm and drag him with me, fighting the now feral crowd.
“This is ridiculous,” he screams into my ear.
