Renji didn't know how long he had been in the apartment, locked behind the thin walls of a crumbling reality. The air was thick with tension. The sounds of distant explosions, screeching metal, and the screams of the terrified echoed through the streets below. Jun had left hours ago, claiming to find his family, but Renji hadn't moved from his place by the window. The rift in the sky, still visible, pulsed like an open wound in the heavens.
A crackling sound came from the hallway—slow, deliberate. Renji's muscles tensed as he reached for the rusted knife he kept in the drawer. His grip was tight, knuckles white as he approached the door. For the first time, he wasn't sure if the threat was outside or within.
Another thud, louder now. Someone—or something—was moving in the hallway.
Renji forced the door open, knife in hand, bracing for whatever was lurking behind it. He didn't expect Jun.
"Renji, thank God…" Jun's voice was shaky, but it wasn't the sound of relief—it was fear, raw and primal. He stepped inside, eyes darting nervously to the window.
"What's wrong?" Renji asked, already sensing the panic.
Jun swallowed hard, his throat bobbing as if he couldn't find the words. "There's… there's a creature, just down the hall. I barely got away." His eyes met Renji's with a wild desperation. "We need to go. Now."
Renji nodded, heart hammering. They couldn't stay here. Not with the rift tearing the city apart and monsters spilling out of it. With a brief glance at the knife in his hand, he shoved it into his pocket, grabbing what little he could—an old jacket, a few bottles of water—and motioned for Jun to lead the way.
The stairwell was dark, the only light coming from the flickering emergency bulbs overhead. They moved in silence, both fully aware that they might not make it. Footsteps echoed from the lower floors, but Renji didn't dare look back. Every corner, every shadow, felt like it could hide a nightmare.
The first creature appeared in the hallway.
It was human once—at least, that's what Renji thought until it turned toward him. Its body was twisted, arms stretched far too long, hands resembling clawed talons. Skin, once pale, had turned an ashen gray, with patches of raw flesh hanging off its frame. Its eyes, wide and unblinking, locked onto Renji with a hunger that made his skin crawl.
Renji froze. Jun, however, screamed.
The creature lunged.
Renji's instincts kicked in before his mind could catch up. He grabbed Jun by the collar and yanked him out of the way, slamming them both into the wall just as the creature's claws swiped through the air where they'd just been standing. The stench of rotting flesh flooded his senses.
"Move!" Renji shouted, pushing Jun forward as he reached for the knife. His body felt too slow—too sluggish—his mind still processing the impossibility of the creature in front of him.
But Jun hesitated, fear locking him in place. Renji didn't have time to wait. He pushed Jun ahead again, and this time, they both sprinted for the stairwell, the creature's screeches filling the air behind them.
They burst through the door and into the stairwell just as the creature rounded the corner. Renji's heart was hammering in his chest, but there was no time to think. The door slammed behind them, and they rushed down the stairs, feet pounding against the concrete.
Then the building shook.
Renji lost his balance, crashing into the railing as the entire structure seemed to groan under the weight of the world shifting. He heard the walls crack, a deep rumble coming from somewhere far beneath them.
"Renji! What's happening?" Jun cried out, his voice echoing in the chaos.
Renji had no answer. He only knew that the city was breaking apart—and they were running out of time.
They hit the ground floor and burst out into the street, but the scene before them only confirmed their worst fears. The streets were choked with people fleeing the chaos, but more than that, they were filled with… creatures. Some of them lurked in the shadows, others openly stalking the terrified masses. The air smelled of burning buildings, blood, and something metallic.
Renji's stomach turned.
Jun was still by his side, but now the fear was palpable, wrapping them both in an invisible noose. The world was ending—and it was taking them with it.
Ahead, a rift had torn open near the city center. The energy pulsated, warping the air around it, pulling everything within its reach. And from within that rift, something even worse was beginning to emerge.
Renji felt the weight of it all pressing down on him. This wasn't just a disaster. This was the beginning of something far worse.
And he was caught in the middle of it.
---
Renji had never imagined that the end of the world would feel so… empty. The city around him was alive with chaos—firestorms, panicked crowds, creatures dragging their twisted bodies through the streets—but there was a strange sense of isolation. It was as if everyone had accepted their fate, a grim resignation that nothing would ever be the same again.
He and Jun had taken refuge in a run-down convenience store, the shelves picked clean, leaving only the stale remnants of a world that no longer existed. Jun paced in tight circles, his eyes darting nervously between the windows, clearly waiting for the next monster to come bursting through. Renji, however, sat in the far corner, leaning against the wall, his hand pressed to his head.
It was a dull throb at first—a faint headache, something he could easily ignore—but now it was a sharp, insistent pain, a pulsing throb that felt like something was moving under his skin. He winced, rubbing the spot above his temple.
"Renji… you okay?" Jun's voice broke through his haze. "You're looking kinda pale."
Renji didn't answer right away. The truth was, he didn't feel right. His body felt heavier, like his limbs were made of lead. He could feel the strange warmth in his veins, and the sharp, clawing hunger gnawing at the back of his mind, pushing him toward action.
Action. That's what his instincts were telling him. Fight. Kill. Survive.
The thoughts twisted in his mind, but he forced them away. He wasn't like them. He couldn't be.
But the hunger… it wouldn't stop.
Renji clenched his fists. The last time he'd felt this way—this ravenous—had been when he watched that creature tear apart the man in the street. He remembered the taste of adrenaline, the need to act, the power coursing through his veins. It had been almost exhilarating.
"Renji?" Jun's voice again, this time laced with concern. "You're not looking so good, man. Maybe we should go find some shelter, somewhere safer."
Renji didn't respond. His vision blurred for a moment, and when it cleared, he was standing, his hand gripping the counter for support. The headache had intensified, spreading to his neck and shoulders, as though something was twisting inside him.
There was a sudden burst of movement from outside, and Renji's head snapped toward the window. His senses had become sharper since the creature attack—the slightest shift in the air, the faintest sound—he could feel it all. Something was coming.
"Jun," he muttered, voice low and strained. "Get ready."
Jun's face was pale. "What do you mean—?"
But before he could finish, a roar split the air.
The ground beneath them trembled, and Renji's instincts kicked in before he had time to think. The door exploded off its hinges, splintering into pieces as a massive, hulking creature charged into the store. It was a grotesque hybrid of human and beast, with jagged limbs, unhinged jaws dripping with saliva, and eyes glowing with a primal hunger.
Renji's breath caught. He didn't think. He moved.
In an instant, his body surged forward with unnatural speed, his arms outstretched, pushing Jun aside just as the creature swiped its claws through the air. Renji barely had time to react as the claws scraped across his skin, tearing through his jacket and grazing his arm. The pain was sharp, but it didn't stop him. Something inside him urged him forward.
Without thinking, he grabbed the closest object—a metal shelf—and swung it at the creature's head. The force of the blow sent it staggering back, giving Renji just enough time to push Jun toward the exit.
"Run!" Renji shouted, his voice hoarse as he fought to keep the creature at bay.
Jun hesitated, eyes wide with fear. "I can't—"
"Go!" Renji snapped, desperation in his tone. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold the creature off. The pain in his arm was intensifying, and the hunger gnawing at him only grew stronger.
Jun stumbled out of the door, but Renji stayed behind, using the last of his strength to push the metal shelf into the creature's path. It didn't slow the monster for long.
Renji could hear Jun shouting for him from outside, but his focus was entirely on the creature now. His body felt alive, every muscle twitching with power and the need to fight. He felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins, his heart pounding in his chest. But there was something else—something darker beneath it.
His vision blurred again, and when it cleared, he saw the creature lunging at him. Its claws raked across his chest, and the blood spilled out in hot, thick rivers. But the pain didn't matter.
What mattered was the rush.
Renji's body surged with a new force. The same force he had felt when he first fought for his life in the streets. The same force that pulled him toward action, that pushed him to take risks. But this time, it wasn't just survival.
This time, he felt the hunger.
With a snarl, Renji grabbed the creature by the throat, his fingers sinking into its flesh with a strength he didn't recognize. The creature screeched, but Renji didn't let go. He twisted and snapped its neck with one swift motion.
It fell limp in his hands.
Renji stood there, panting, blood dripping from his wounds. His vision wavered again, but this time, it wasn't just from exhaustion. His body felt like it was changing.
The hunger inside him had grown.
And Renji knew, deep down, that it wasn't just the world that was breaking apart. It was him.
Something was shifting inside of him, something he couldn't understand. But he would have to deal with it.
And fast.