Location: The Heart of Moscow, Amidst the Ruins
The streets of Moscow were a battlefield, though no one was sure who the enemy was.
The towering skyscrapers that once glistened in the sun now stood like hollow monuments to a world that had vanished. Broken windows, shattered glass, and debris littered the once-bustling city. The Red Square, the Kremlin, and the bright neon lights of the city were all but forgotten, drowned beneath the smoke and fog that had rolled in with the darkness.
Nadia Ivanow clutched her stuffed bunny tightly to her chest as she huddled in the corner of an abandoned apartment building, her small form trembling. The once-clean white hair that framed her face was now a tangled mess, and her blue eyes, usually bright and full of curiosity, were clouded with fear and confusion. She didn't know how long it had been since the city had fallen silent. The fire alarms, the screaming, the flashing lights, all the chaos—it felt like a blur. But she knew one thing for certain: her parents were gone.
The building around her was a ruin—walls cracked and covered in soot, the ceiling sagging as if it had been torn apart by something monstrous. The silence in the apartment was deafening, except for the faint sounds of distant crashes, like thunder, echoing across the city. Nadia had no idea what had happened or what was still happening outside the apartment's crumbling walls. She only knew that she was alone, and the world she once knew was slipping away with every passing second.
The city was now an eerie, silent place, as if the heartbeat of Moscow had been ripped out.
Liam Szeya had only been in the city for a few days. He wasn't sure what he was doing anymore. He had come to Moscow to visit his family, but by the time he had arrived, everything had already fallen apart. The news reports had gone silent, and people had vanished overnight. The few survivors left in the city were either holed up in their homes or running aimlessly in the streets, looking for any shred of hope.
Liam had been walking through the ruined streets, trying to find some kind of answers when he stumbled upon Nadia. She was sitting alone in the wreckage of a nearby building, clutching her stuffed animal like it was the only thing left that made sense. She hadn't spoken much when he first found her, her eyes empty, and her body shivering with fear.
Despite the chaos, there had been something about her—a sense of helplessness, of vulnerability—that had made him feel like he couldn't leave her there.
Now, he found himself pacing back and forth in the room where they had taken shelter. The apartment building had been abandoned for days, maybe longer. The furniture was overturned, the walls covered in a strange, dark stain that Liam couldn't bring himself to look at for too long. The only sound was the faint, rhythmic tapping of rain against the broken windows.
He turned back toward the corner where Nadia sat, her small figure barely visible in the gloom.
"Hey, Nadia," he said softly, crouching beside her. He tried to keep his voice calm, but there was a tightness in his chest that he couldn't shake. "You okay?"
Nadia didn't respond right away. She just stared at the floor, her hands wrapped tightly around the bunny. The small flickering candle in the center of the room cast dancing shadows against the walls, making the silence even more unsettling.
"I… I want Mama and Papa," Nadia whispered, her voice breaking. Her small face crumpled with grief. "Where are they, Liam? Where did they go?"
Liam's heart ached for the little girl. He had no answers. He didn't know where her parents were. He didn't even know what had caused the city to fall apart so quickly, or why he and Nadia had been spared. He had seen people running, screaming, but it hadn't made sense. Nothing had.
"I don't know," Liam said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I'm here, okay? I won't leave you."
Nadia clutched her stuffed bunny tighter, her body trembling. "But I'm scared. I don't know what's happening… what's going on outside."
Liam exhaled, his mind racing. He didn't have a clue what was happening either, but he couldn't let Nadia see the fear in his own eyes. "I know," he said. "It's a mess out there. But we'll stick together. We'll figure this out, one step at a time."
He stood up, pacing again. The sounds of the city outside were distorted, muffled, like the world was holding its breath. He glanced toward the broken windows, his senses alert to any movement. Something felt wrong. The air had grown thick, almost suffocating. It wasn't just the abandoned city—it was the quiet, the sense that something wasn't right in the world.
Liam's eyes flicked back to Nadia, who was still curled in the corner, her face buried in her bunny.
"I'm going to check outside," he said, his voice steady despite the anxiety gnawing at him. "Stay here, okay? Don't open the door for anyone, no matter what."
Nadia nodded, though she looked uncertain. "Please… don't leave me."
"I won't be long," Liam said, giving her a reassuring smile he didn't quite feel. He grabbed his jacket, his fingers brushing against the cold metal of a kitchen knife he had found earlier. It was all he had to defend himself, but it didn't feel like enough.
The door creaked as he opened it, stepping out into the hallway of the building. The corridor was dark and empty, the walls covered in grime, the air thick with the smell of decay. Liam's heart pounded in his chest as he moved cautiously, each step echoing through the silence. He paused at the broken stairwell, glancing down at the darkened lower floors. The feeling of being watched crawled up his spine.
Suddenly, the faintest sound reached his ears—a scrape, followed by the unmistakable groan of something large moving.
Liam's body went rigid. His hand instinctively reached for the knife. The sound wasn't human. It was wrong, unnatural.
Something was out there. Something that didn't belong.
He turned back toward the room where Nadia waited, the feeling of danger growing stronger with each passing second. He didn't know what was coming, but he knew one thing for sure: they were not alone.
Liam Szeya hadn't planned on being in Moscow. In fact, he hadn't planned on anything anymore. He had come here looking for answers—answers that were now buried beneath the rubble and ashes of a world that had crumbled without warning. He'd been a college student, studying for his exams and working part-time, until one day everything had collapsed. News reports of strange occurrences, of cities being overtaken by chaos, of people turning into something... monstrous. The world hadn't been ready for it, and neither had he.
Now, Liam found himself walking through the ruins of Moscow, trying to survive in a city that was slowly being erased from existence. The few survivors who were left were either hiding in the shadows or desperately trying to flee the chaos. He had no family left to return to, no friends to speak of, and no real plan.
But then he found her.
Nadia.
She had been sitting alone, huddled in a corner of a destroyed apartment building. He hadn't seen her at first—just a tiny figure buried beneath a pile of old clothes and blankets. But when he heard her faint sobs, he approached cautiously. He had no idea who she was, but there was something in her eyes—a deep sadness, a fear—that made him hesitate. It didn't take long for him to realize that she was alone, completely alone.
And so, Liam did what anyone would do when faced with someone so vulnerable—he took her with him. He didn't know where they would go, or how they would survive. But he knew that he couldn't leave her to face this world alone.
"Hey, Nadia," Liam said softly as he crouched beside her. The building was dark and the air thick with dust. He had managed to light a candle in the corner, the faint glow barely illuminating their surroundings. "I'm going to check outside. Stay here, okay?"
Nadia looked up at him, her wide eyes filled with silent pleading. She didn't speak, but her gaze said everything. She was terrified. Of the world outside. Of the dark corners of the building. Of the unknown.
Liam's heart twisted with guilt. "I won't be long," he reassured her, though his own heart was pounding. He had no idea what he was walking into. The city outside was barely recognizable, and the few survivors he had met along the way weren't exactly friendly. He had no way of knowing if they could trust anyone. But Nadia was different. She was just a child. And he couldn't leave her to face whatever horrors awaited them out there alone.
He turned and moved toward the door, glancing back to see her small form huddled in the corner. Nadia clutched her stuffed bunny tightly to her chest, her eyes following him.
Liam stepped into the hallway, the air thick with dust and the stench of decay. The dim light from the dying candle flickered weakly behind him. He moved cautiously, each step echoing in the silence. The hallway was long and narrow, the walls cracked and smeared with a strange, dark stain that Liam had no desire to examine closely. The sound of his footsteps was the only noise he could hear, the only thing grounding him in this world that seemed to have lost all sense of normality.
At the end of the hall, a broken stairwell led down to the lower levels of the building. Liam hesitated for a moment, trying to shake the feeling that he was being watched. He had learned to trust his instincts in times like this, and right now, they were screaming at him to be careful.
He crept toward the stairwell, his senses heightened, his fingers brushing against the knife he had picked up earlier. It was a crude weapon, but it would have to do. The closer he got to the stairs, the more he could feel the tension in the air—something was wrong. The city was too quiet.
Then, he heard it.
Then, he heard it.
A faint, guttural growl.
Liam froze. His blood ran cold as the sound echoed through the building. It wasn't human. Whatever it was, it was big. And it was close.
He didn't move. The growl grew louder, followed by the unmistakable scraping of claws against the concrete floor. Liam's heart raced, and every muscle in his body tensed.
Then, a shadow shifted at the edge of his vision.
Liam didn't wait. He ran.
He rushed back to the apartment, pushing the door open with a force that made the hinges groan. He saw Nadia, still sitting there, her wide eyes watching him, but she didn't move.
"We need to leave," Liam said, his voice tight with urgency. "Something's out there. And I don't know what it is, but we can't stay here."
Nadia's eyes widened in fear, her grip tightening on her stuffed bunny. "What's out there?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Liam didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. He didn't know what was coming, but he knew they didn't have much time.
The world felt like it was holding its breath.
Liam and Nadia stood in the hallway of the dilapidated apartment building, their hearts beating in synchrony with the rising sense of dread that crept through the air. The wind howled through the broken windows, carrying with it the acrid scent of fire and decay, mixing with the metallic tang of blood that seemed to hang in the atmosphere. The city, once a symbol of human achievement and culture, was now little more than a graveyard.
Liam kept his hand firmly gripping Nadia's, not wanting to let go of her in this dangerous new world. The growl from the floor below still echoed in his mind, though the source of the sound remained a mystery. He couldn't afford to think about it—he had to stay focused, had to keep moving.
"We need to find somewhere safer," Liam muttered, more to himself than to Nadia. His voice was thick with tension, but he kept his composure.
Nadia, ever the quiet observer, nodded solemnly, her small hand clutching his tighter. Her eyes were wide, filled with confusion and an innate terror that Liam could understand all too well. She was just a little girl, only eight years old. Too young for any of this.
"I don't want to go out there," Nadia whispered, her voice barely audible.
Liam glanced down at her, her innocent blue eyes looking up at him with trust and fear. It broke his heart. She had already seen more than any child should, and he had no answers for her. No promises to make. The world outside was nothing like the place she'd once known, and Liam couldn't guarantee safety. Not anymore.
"I know," Liam said softly, bending down to her level. His hand gently cupped her cheek, wiping away a tear she hadn't realized had fallen. "But I can't let you be alone here. We'll find somewhere safe. I promise."
It felt like a lie, but he couldn't afford to show weakness now. Not to her. She needed him, even if he had no idea what they were up against. He stood and took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever awaited them outside the apartment.
"Stay close to me," he ordered, his voice sharp but reassuring.
Liam gave one last glance at the dark hallway behind them before they stepped out onto the staircase. It was quiet—too quiet—but the air felt charged with something. There was a strange pulse that seemed to come from the walls, a hum in the very marrow of the building. The stairwell was in worse condition than the hallway, with broken boards underfoot and a foul smell of decay. The paint on the walls was peeling, and there were dark stains on the floor, perhaps from the floodwaters or something else entirely.
Nadia shivered beside him as they descended the stairs. Her feet were light, barely making a sound as she followed him closely. She was clinging to his side, her head low, as though trying to hide from the world outside.
The sound of their footsteps echoed loudly in the empty building.
"Do you think we'll be okay?" Nadia asked, her voice trembling as she spoke the words Liam wasn't ready to answer.
Liam forced a smile. "Of course, we will."
But deep down, doubt gnawed at him. Nothing was certain anymore. The city, once full of life, had turned into a labyrinth of fear and confusion. There was no telling what had happened to the rest of the world, or even if they were the last survivors. The strange events he had heard about on the radio—cities falling, strange creatures emerging—felt like they had come from a nightmare. The more he tried to understand what was going on, the less it made sense.
They reached the ground floor with no further incident. As Liam turned the corner to the lobby, a strange chill ran down his spine. Something wasn't right.
The lobby was wide open, debris scattered across the floor, and abandoned objects like furniture and personal belongings had been tossed aside haphazardly. At one point, the lobby had probably been a lively area, but now it felt like a mausoleum. The air was thick with dust, and the dim light from the cracked windows cast long shadows across the floor.
Liam scanned the area, his body tensed and ready for anything. He moved toward the shattered glass doors that led outside, the door handle still intact despite the building's overall disrepair.
And then, the silence was broken.
A distant scraping sound echoed, followed by the unmistakable sound of something dragging itself along the floor. Liam's eyes snapped toward the exit, and for a moment, everything froze. His heart hammered in his chest, and his grip tightened on Nadia's hand.
"Nadia," he whispered urgently. "Stay quiet. Don't make a sound."
She nodded, her eyes wide, her lips pressed together in a thin line of terror. She could feel the danger too.
Liam moved slowly, crouching low as he neared the door. His senses were on high alert. The sound was getting louder—closer. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he reached for the door handle, his fingers brushing against the cold metal.
But before he could turn it, the door burst open with a violent crash.
Liam's heart skipped a beat.
A figure stood in the doorway, its silhouette illuminated by the dim streetlights outside. The thing, a shadow, was taller than any man and seemed to move like liquid—slow, yet deliberate. Its limbs stretched unnaturally, as though they were constantly shifting and elongating. The red hue of its skin, a deep and pulsating crimson, was the first thing Liam noticed.
It was no human.
It was something else.
Liam instinctively pulled Nadia behind him, trying to shield her with his body as the creature's form became more solid, more defined. Its skin rippled, stretching and contracting as though alive, as though it was made of something far worse than flesh. It had no face—just an inky blackness where its eyes should have been. Its mouth, a wide maw that seemed to expand far beyond natural proportions, opened slowly, revealing rows of sharp teeth that gleamed in the dim light.
A low, guttural growl escaped from its throat—inhuman, predatory, filled with malice.
Liam felt his blood run cold. This was what the world had become.
The thing lunged.
Adrenaline surged through Liam's body as he pulled Nadia back. They stumbled, racing away from the door, their feet barely touching the floor as they fled. The thing's movement was almost too fast, too fluid. It was upon them before Liam could fully react.
Liam pushed Nadia behind him, shoving her toward a doorway leading into a back hall. The hallway stretched before them, a narrow corridor that was lined with doors to forgotten apartments. It was their only escape.
"Run, Nadia, run!" Liam shouted, his voice breaking as he shoved her ahead of him. He turned just in time to see the creature's shadow fall across the floor, its claws scraping against the wood as it rushed after them.
Nadia cried out in fear, her small body trembling as she sprinted down the hallway. Liam kept a few paces behind her, never looking back, knowing the creature was still there—its presence close, always just a few steps away.
They reached the end of the hall. A door at the end was slightly ajar. Without hesitation, Liam yanked it open, and they both tumbled into the room. The room was small, filled with old furniture and covered in dust. It had once been someone's home, but now it was little more than a hiding place.
Liam slammed the door behind them, the sound of scraping claws echoing from the hallway.
They were trapped.