RUN!! RUN!! RUN!!

  That was the only thing going through Kus’s mind when he saw that monster.

  It had a human shape, but its skin was pale and grayish. Its eyes were nothing more than two bck holes; in fact, if it weren’t for the reflection of light in them, Kus would have thought it had no eyes at all.

  The strange creature ran on all fours, using its long limbs. Even though Kus had a gun, he didn’t feel safe.

  When the monster was about twenty meters away, Kus finally reacted and started running. He sprinted down the entire street until he reached a corner and turned sharply. He took difficult routes, slipping between buildings and turning every corner he could.

  When he did, he thought he had lost it. But he only gnced back for a moment and saw it just five meters behind him. Forget losing it—it was practically on top of him.

  Seeing this, panic took hold of him. He pulled out the gun and aimed at the monster before pulling the trigger.

  Click.

  Shit.

  The damn gun still had the safety on. Kus hurried to switch it off, but when he raised the gun again, terror froze him as he saw the creature right above him.

  BAM!

  Unable to aim properly, Kus ended up hitting it in the throat…

  But that wasn’t enough to stop it. The monster smmed into him, sending them both flying. During the fall, Kus took a hard blow to the head. In the end, both of them rolled across the street.

  When they stopped, the monster ended up on top of Kus.

  After a brief moment of dizziness, the creature attacked Kus again.

  BAM!

  But just as its cws grazed his face, Kus managed to shoot it in the head, killing it instantly.

  He sighed.

  After killing the monster, all strength drained from Kus’s body, and he finally lost consciousness.

  After starting their way toward the police station, Bruce’s group was extremely uneasy about what was happening.

  Some wanted to split off and go to their families, but most had been cowed by what they had seen on the streets. So instead of decreasing, the number of people in the group increased.

  They hadn’t even walked two blocks before running into some of those things. Fortunately, the group was prepared and managed to take them down, but one person was seriously injured.

  —Come on! Tomás! Come on, hang on!—No! No! This isn’t right! He’s not breathing!—Is he dead?—I think so.

  Hearing Bruce’s words, the already frayed nerves of the group snapped.

  —This can’t be happening!—Are we all going to die here?—We have to get out of here!—I’m leaving before more of them show up!

  Seeing the panic on everyone’s faces, Bruce could no longer stay silent and spoke up.

  —Everyone, you need to calm down. We just have to reach the police station and let the police handle it. If you want to risk going alone through the streets, I won’t stop you. And those who don’t—grab your things and follow me, please.

  After hearing his words, most people calmed down, though they still moved nervously.

  As they walked, Bruce noticed Bridget staring at him, so he asked:

  —Is something wrong?

  —Nothing… I just realized my boyfriend is amazing.

  In response, Bruce hugged her unexpectedly and said:

  —What are you talking about? Since when haven’t I been awesome?

  —Shut up.

  AAAH!

  While they were talking calmly, a scream echoed nearby. When they turned to look, their faces went pale with terror.

  Approaching them was a group of people running wildly toward them. Chasing them was a massive horde of more than fifty of those abnormal creatures.

  After seeing them, Bruce screamed with all his strength:

  —RUUUUN!!

  No one wanted to stay and see what would happen. Everyone dropped whatever they were carrying and ran with all their might to escape.

  Bruce grabbed Bridget’s hand and ran in a different direction from the rest. Abby and Ann—Bridget’s friends—and Cooper followed him.

  A massacre happened instantly. Bodies were scattered across the ground. Some of the monsters fed on them; others simply crushed and tore them apart in endless madness.

  Friendship and all those unnecessary emotions were thrown away. Everyone thought of only one thing—surviving.

  Being a small group, Bruce and his crew managed to escape the mob without much difficulty. After crossing several streets, they were completely exhausted.

  That was when Bruce looked at them and said:

  —We can’t keep going like this. We need weapons. There’s a gun store up ahead. If we’re lucky and no one’s there, maybe we can grab something.

  No one objected. After all, the only ones capable of fighting were Bruce and Cooper. And so they all continued walking until they reached the gun store.

  …

  —Hey, looks like no one’s here.

  When they entered, they found weapons on the wall behind the counter, and a door in the back that probably led to the storage room.

  Some of the girls were still unconvinced, and Ann was the first to compin.

  —I don’t like this. There are cameras. When this gets out, we’ll all be in trouble.

  Bruce, who was already about to enter the back door, turned to look at them and said:

  —Don’t worry. With how things are, nobody’s going to care—

  Before he could finish, he froze when he felt something pressing against the back of his neck. When he tried to turn around, the pressure increased, and he heard a voice.

  —Easy, kid. If you move too much, I might let a shot slip.

  Seeing the middle-aged man holding a revolver to Bruce’s head, everyone was completely terrified.

  Bridget was the first to react. She looked at the man with pleading eyes as she said:

  —Sir, if you let him go, I promise we’ll leave and never—

  Bang!

  The man didn’t let her finish. He struck Bruce on the head, knocking him unconscious against the counter.

  —Let him go? Who are you to tell me to let him go?

  At that moment, two more men came out through the back door. One was holding a nine-millimeter pistol, and the other carried a shotgun.

  Seeing his friends, a smile appeared on the man’s face as he looked at them and said smugly:

  —You came into my establishment and tried to rob me. And when I stop you, you start making demands. Tell me—what should I do with you?

  Tears streamed down the girls’ faces as he spoke, but Bridget was still able to talk. Trembling, with tears in her eyes, she replied:

  —W-we can pay you with money.

  The man smiled as he approached her and said:

  —Yes, you can pay me in cash. If you give me five thousand dolrs right now, I’ll let you go.

  —We… we don’t have that much.

  It was madness. Even if they pooled everything together, they wouldn’t reach more than a thousand dolrs—nowhere near five thousand. He had named a number he knew they couldn’t pay, and that terrified Bridget.

  The man looked at her and said in a magnanimous tone:

  —Well, since I’m a good man, I’ll give you a chance to pay me. Now I want all of you to go to the back!

  As he spoke, the man with the nine-millimeter dragged the still-unconscious Bruce toward the back.

  —What? Why do we have to go back there?

  Fear filled Bridget. Somehow, she knew this would happen. The st thing she wanted in the world was to go back there.

  Some of the girls tried to run for the exit, but when they turned around, the man with the shotgun was already there.

  —Hey, hey. Where do you think you’re going?

  The man in front of Bridget looked at her with cold, piercing eyes and said:

  —I didn’t ask for your opinion, bitch. If I say you go in, then you do.

  —What are you waiting for? Go in, or I’ll blow your head off.

  Everyone started moving toward the counter. Bridget tried to follow, but the man in front of her stopped her.

  —No, no, no. I didn’t give you permission to leave.

  Bridget’s body began to tremble even harder. Abby lost control and tried to run toward her sister, but Ann grabbed her from behind and stopped her.

  —Don’t go. He has a gun. They’ll kill you.

  —WALK!

  Then the man with the nine-millimeter came back and dragged Abby by the hair toward the back door. The man with the revolver looked at him and said:

  —Take her, but don’t touch her.

  Then he stepped behind Bridget and said:

  —She’s your sister, right? You look alike.

  He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear:

  —When I’m done with you, I’ll enjoy her properly.

  Meanwhile, the man with the shotgun—a fat man with a perverse stare—approached Allison and grabbed her from behind.

  —You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying with me.

  —No, please, let me go—

  —You’re going to love it, sweetheart. You’ll see.

  He dragged Allison toward the counter, holding her from behind. He tore off her short skirt and licked his lips grotesquely.

  When Allison felt his hands on her, she went hysterical, no longer caring about her own life.

  —NO! DON’T TOUCH ME, YOU SICK FUCK! LET ME GO!!

  —Stay still, damn it!

  BAM!

  After smming her against the counter, he pressed himself against her.

  When he felt the warm sensation, ecstasy filled his eyes, and his pupils dited to a size that should have been impossible for a human.

  When Bridget saw him making small hip movements over the motionless girl, she colpsed to the floor, crying. This wasn’t what she wanted. It definitely wasn’t what she wanted.

  Click.

  Then she felt the gun pressed against the back of her neck and heard the man’s voice behind her.

  —Take off your pants.