Liam Thorne recognized Kane Voss’s voice， and his entire body went rigid.

  He didn’t dare turn around. “Brother—wait， I never did anything to cross you. What the hell is this about?”

  “Kneel.” Kane’s voice was ice-cold.

  “Brother， we’ve got no bad blood between us. We go way back. You don’t have to do this.”

  Liam kept babbling， until the edge of Kane’s butcher’s cleaver pressed harder into his neck， slicing through the skin.

  A sharp burn shot through him. “Wait—wait! I’ll kneel! I’m kneeling right now!”

  He shoved the woman off his p and dropped to his knees with a thud. “Happy now， brother?”

  In that instant， the memories came flooding back. The three women， their heads hacked off by Liam’s men. Nora’s head rolling to his feet， her eyes still open， soft and warm even in death.

  His own death， crushed beneath the paw of the Apex Storm Tiger he’d helped Liam trap and bind.

  Shink! Shink!

  Kane drove the cleaver through both of Liam’s shoulder bdes from behind.

  When he pulled the bde free， a flood of blood sprayed across his face， turning his sharp features savage.

  “AHHH! FUCK YOU， YOU FUCKING BASTARD!” Liam screamed， his face contorted in agony. Both his arms hung limp， useless at his sides.

  “Hurts?”

  Kane stepped around to face him， staring down at him with cold， empty eyes. “Good. It’s only gonna get worse.”

  “What the fuck do you want?! Take the woman， just take her! Why the fuck are you doing this?!” Liam snarled through gritted teeth.

  “I only want your life.”

  Kane’s voice was perfectly calm.

  Shink!

  He drove the bde up through Liam’s jaw， twisting it viciously， slicing his tongue clean out with brutal， unforgiving force.

  Liam’s eyes went wide with terror. He still had no idea why this was happening.

  He opened his mouth to beg， but only gurgling sounds came out， blood pouring down his chin.

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  He smmed his forehead into the concrete over and over， until his skin split and blood ran down his face.

  “Liam Thorne. I swore I’d tear you limb from limb. Remember?” Kane said.

  Liam looked just like he had， seven years prior. Guttural， animalistic sounds tearing from his throat， eyes wide with desperate pleading.

  Kane moved fast. One ssh， and Liam’s eyes were gone. Then another. And another.

  He only stopped when his arms burned with exhaustion， gasping for breath.

  He’d never realized just how much work it was to tear a man to pieces.

  The woman watched the whole thing， watching the man who’d killed her baby butchered before her eyes. A cold， vicious satisfaction spread across her face.

  Kane gnced back at her. “You wanna take a turn?”

  The woman met his eyes， and a shiver ran through her. She nodded quickly. “Yeah.”

  Kane stepped forward， cutting the ropes binding her wrists. He flipped the cleaver around， holding the handle out to her. “He doesn’t get to die before ten thousand cuts. Think you can handle that?”

  She nodded frantically， grabbing the bde and lunging forward， sshing it across Liam’s neck.

  “STOP!”

  Kane roared， but it was too te.

  The woman had sliced clean through Liam’s carotid artery. Blood sprayed like a broken fire hydrant， drenching her from head to toe.

  She froze， realizing what she’d done， and looked back at Kane with terror in her eyes.

  “Are you fucking stupid?!” Kane’s rage boiled over. He’d been crystal clear.

  He kicked her to the ground， snatching the cleaver from her hand. “Stop the bleeding! Now!”

  The woman scrambled to press her hands against the wound， but it was useless. Blood poured through her fingers， and Liam’s body convulsed， his life fading fast.

  Kane’s head was spinning with anger. With the supplies he had， there was no way to fix this. He could only watch as Liam bled out and died.

  “Fucking idiot.” He spat， half-tempted to kill her right then and there.

  The woman just stared up at him， trembling with fear.

  What’s done is done. Kane turned back to her， holding out the cleaver again. “You know how to grind meat to a paste?”

  “Yeah.” She said quickly.

  “Good.” Kane nodded. “Grind him. Ten thousand cuts.”

  She grabbed the bde， a wild， manic glint in her dirty， bloodstained face. She lunged back at Liam’s body， hair matted and wild， covered in blood， looking more unhinged than any rabid beast.

  Kane didn’t bother watching. He sat down on a chunk of broken concrete， pulled out a half-empty pack of premium cigarettes， lit one， and stared into the distance.

  Thud. Thud. Thud.

  The wild-haired woman hacked away， over and over.

  …

  “Ugh!”

  In the half-colpsed mall not far from the carnage， Wren doubled over， retching.

  Kael， beside her， was deathly pale. Before the Colpse， they’d been just kids， sheltered and safe. They’d never seen anything this brutal， this bloody in their lives.

  “Kael… how can someone be that cruel? Did he really kill that man?” Wren wiped her mouth， tears streaming down her face. “This isn’t a movie， right?”

  Kael said nothing. He had no idea how to comfort her.

  After a long， heavy silence， he spoke.

  “Wren. This is the Colpse. If something ever happens to me， if I end up like that man… you have to be strong. You have to keep living.”

  “Kael， stop talking like that!” Wren lunged forward， covering his mouth， fresh tears spilling over. “I don’t want you to die. I wanna stay with you forever.”

  Kael brushed her hair back， and sighed.

  She was still too young to understand just how cruel this new world was.

  “I’m just gd we didn’t let that man in here.” Wren whimpered. “He’s terrifying.”

  “If we ever see him again， you run. You run as far and as fast as you can.” Kael warned her.

  Wren nodded hard.

  But then Kael’s voice softened. “No. Wait. If we ever meet him again… you do whatever he says. No matter what he asks， you don’t fight back. It’s the only way you’ll stay alive.”

  He could feel it. That man was dangerous. Cold， unfeeling， and he killed without a second thought.

  And he’d dared to step out into the ruins the second the meteor shower ended. Men like that would not just survive the Colpse. They’d thrive.

  After what he’d just seen， Kael understood the brutality of this new world.

  He was just a 15-year-old kid. He knew he couldn’t protect Wren forever.

  If he was gone， a 12-year-old girl wouldn’t stand a chance out here alone.

  If she could get the protection of a man like that， her odds of survival would skyrocket.

  “I don’t wanna listen to that scary man.” Wren mumbled.

  “Listen to me. He’s cruel， but he didn’t hurt that woman. Maybe he had a reason to kill that man. What we saw isn’t the whole story. Maybe he’s not all bad.”

  If the worst came to pass， obeying him would be her only shot.

  If he wasn’t a monster， obeying him would make him look at her favorably. Make him want to protect her.

  He didn’t say any of that out loud.

  “I know， Kael. Nothing’s gonna happen to you. And I’ll never have to see him again.” Wren said， even though she didn’t believe it herself.

  Kael sighed again. “We’re almost out of food. If Jett doesn’t come back today， I’m heading out to find supplies tomorrow.”

  “Kael， no! It’s dangerous out there!” Wren’s face went white as a sheet.

  Kael brushed her hair back gently. “That man was out there， wasn’t he? Better to take a chance out there than starve to death in here.”