Chapter 6
Mona raised her glass to the screen, saluting the doomed world.
In the bottom right corner of the screen, the surveillance camera in the central hospital's emergency room suddenly jerked violently. Moments later, a blood-soaked figure appeared, wildly attacking the medical staff—biting and clawing at them.
The countdown ran out.
At midnight, the ancient-style wall clock let out a deep, dull chime.
The sound didn't wake the sleeping Wade family. It wasn't until a sudden, violent pounding thundered through the house, shaking the security door so hard that dust rained down from the doorframe.
"Open up! Did you all die in there? Get your asses out here!" someone shouted.
Stephen blinked awake on the leather sofa, still dazed, when a group of burly men stormed in and yanked him up by the collar.
The one leading them was a thick-faced, heavy-set middle-aged man in pajamas—the actual landlord.
Trailing behind were two security guards gripping batons, their faces pale and anxious. Clearly, something terrifying was unfolding outside, and they were desperate to get everyone out.
"What the hell are you doing barging in here?" Baldwin stormed out of the bedroom in his silk pajamas, clutching his freshly charged game controller. "Do you even know who I am? My sister owns this place!"
"Owns my ass. This is just a short-term rental, and it expired yesterday!" The landlord shoved Stephen aside like tossing out the trash, then pointed at the mess in the room and roared, "Have you seen the news?
"It's a madhouse out there. People are biting each other! I don't have time for this—grab your junk and get out. I'm sealing the door!"
Astrid burst out, hair disheveled, reaching for the landlord's arm to throw a tantrum, but one of the guards slammed his baton into her stomach, making her double over in agony.
"Call Mona! Now! Get her to deal with these bastards!" Stephen clutched his torn collar, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Baldwin frantically grabbed his brand-new iPhone, his hands shaking as he called Mona's number pinned at the top.
The screen's glow lit up his pale, sweaty face.
"Sorry, this number is no longer in service..." The icy, robotic voice echoed through the dead silent living room.
Baldwin refused to accept it. He dialed again, then again, and again.
But every time, he got the same cold, robotic voice.
He tried calling her on WhatsApp, but a red exclamation mark flashed on the screen—"You need to be friends to contact this user."
"No way..." Astrid slumped to the floor, her eyes empty and lost.
Before anyone could even process what was happening, the security guards started roughing them up.
The Hermès shopping bags, half-eaten snacks, and Baldwin's limited-edition sneakers he hadn't even gotten to wear yet were all booted out into the hallway together.
"Get out!"
With that last furious shout, the heavy security door slammed shut right in their faces, and the harsh click of the lock felt like a slap to everyone's pride.
The hallway's motion sensor lights flickered uncertainly, casting uneasy shadows.
From outside the window, the first chilling scream echoed in the distance, and then an emergency siren ripped through the city's darkness.
At 2 a.m., the convenience store sat alone on the street like a stranded island, its glass door streaked with dark red blood.
The three Wades crammed themselves into the farthest corner behind the shelves, surrounded by bags of chips and cans of soda scattered all around them.
The store's rolling gate was stuck halfway open, hanging awkwardly in midair. Outside, shadowy figures prowled, sometimes banging against the tempered glass and making a teeth-grinding, nerve-wracking noise.
Baldwin, shivering, pulled a bloody phone out of the dead clerk's pocket.
His fingers trembled as he punched in the number he never wanted to remember—now his only hope. It was the backup line Mona had set up just for package deliveries.
"Ring... ring... ring..."
Someone picked up. "Hello?"
The voice was calm and steady, with soft jazz playing and the gentle whir of the AC in the background.
"Mona! Mona, it's Mom!" Astrid snatched the phone, her voice warped by fear, raspy and desperate. "Where are you? Please, come save us.
"There are monsters everywhere—real monsters eating people! We're at the convenience store on St. Mary Street. Bring your fancy car and smash them! Hurry!"
Mona sat in front of the wall of monitors.
On one of the screens, the convenience store's security camera was trained on the corner behind the shelves.
She watched her mother's face contorted with fear, swirling her wine glass as the red liquid clung to the sides and slowly trickled down.
"Mom..." Mona's voice drifted through the phone, cold as if it had seeped out of an ice cellar, utterly devoid of emotion. "I sold the house, spent all the money.
"You always said Baldwin was the pillar of the family, the one holding everything together. So let him be your shield now. Let him protect you."
"What... what did you just say?" Astrid was stunned, like she couldn't believe her ears.
Stephen snatched the phone, veins popping on his forehead as he yelled into the receiver, "Mona! You monster! Are you just going to let your whole family die? Leaving your brother in this nightmare—are you even human?"
"Back in my previous life, you were just as loud when you pinned my hands down and sliced off pieces of my flesh to feed Baldwin," Mona said softly, her voice carrying a hint of strange nostalgia.
"Dad, you even complained the meat was too tough and needed to be stewed longer."
"What the hell are you talking about—previous life? Have you lost your mind?!"
Just then, a sudden crash shattered the silence at the convenience store entrance.