The door wouldn't hold.
Elias could see it in the way the wood bent inward with every impact. Each slam sent vibrations through his arms as he braced the chair harder against it.
BANG.
A crack spread across the surface.
His sister flinched behind him.
"How many are there?" she whispered.
Elias didn't answer.
He didn't want to guess.
Another hit.
Harder.
Something snarled on the other side—low, broken, inhuman.
"They're not stopping," his mother said, panic rising in her voice.
His father stepped forward, eyes scanning the café quickly.
"Back exit," he said. "There has to be one."
Elias nodded. "I'll hold this—go check."
"I'm not leaving you—"
"Dad!" Elias snapped. "Go!"
For a second, his father hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Come on," he said, pulling his wife and daughter toward the back.
Elias stayed at the door alone.
BANG.
The chair scraped backward slightly.
His grip tightened.
"Come on…" he muttered under his breath.
Another crack.
Wood splintered.
A gray, blood-stained hand forced through the gap, fingers clawing wildly.
Elias's breath caught.
It was getting through.
"Elias!" his father shouted from the back. "We found it!"
Relief hit—but only for a second.
Because the door behind him gave way further.
The hand pushed through deeper.
Then another.
They were breaking in.
Elias grabbed the chair with both hands and shoved forward, forcing the door shut again for just a moment—
Then let go and ran.
He sprinted to the back where his family stood near a narrow hallway.
"There's a door," his father said. "But it's locked."
"Move," Elias said.
He stepped forward and grabbed the handle.
Jammed.
He slammed his shoulder into it.
Once.
Twice.
Behind them—
A loud CRASH echoed from the front of the café.
"They're inside!" his sister cried.
Elias hit the door again.
Pain shot through his shoulder—
Then—
It burst open.
"Go!" he shouted.
His mother ran first, followed by his sister.
His father turned back for a second. "You—"
"I'm right behind you!" Elias said.
A shadow moved at the end of the hallway.
Fast.
Too fast.
Elias turned just as one of them lunged.
Up close—
It was worse.
Pale skin.
Blood-covered mouth.
Eyes empty—but focused.
It grabbed at him.
Elias reacted on instinct.
He grabbed a metal tray from a nearby counter and swung it as hard as he could.
CLANG.
The impact rang through the hallway as the thing staggered back—but didn't fall.
It came again.
Relentless.
Elias's heart pounded.
"Stay down!" he shouted, swinging again.
This time—
The edge hit its head.
It collapsed.
Still.
Elias didn't wait to see if it would get back up.
He ran.
Out the back door.
Slamming it shut behind him.
The alley outside was narrow and filthy, lined with dumpsters and scattered trash.
His family stood a few steps ahead, waiting.
"Move!" his father said.
They ran.
The sounds from inside the café spilled out behind them—crashing, dragging, more of them forcing their way in.
The alley led to a wider street.
And what they saw there—
Stopped them cold.
The city was falling apart.
Cars were abandoned in the middle of the road, some still running, doors wide open. Smoke rose from somewhere in the distance. People ran in every direction—some screaming, some bleeding, some not human anymore.
Sirens wailed.
Then cut off suddenly.
A man tried to help someone on the ground—
Only to be tackled and bitten seconds later.
His sister covered her mouth.
"Oh my God…"
Elias grabbed her arm. "Don't look. Just move."
"But—"
"MOVE!"
They ran again.
There was no direction now.
No plan.
Just escape.
A figure stumbled into their path—
His father pushed it aside.
"Keep going!"
More of them appeared ahead.
Behind.
Everywhere.
"They're surrounding us!" his mother cried.
Elias's mind raced.
Think.
Think.
"There!" he pointed.
A narrow gap between two buildings.
Barely visible.
"Go!"
They squeezed through, one by one, scraping against the walls as they forced their way through the tight space.
On the other side—
Another street.
Quieter.
But not safe.
Never safe.
They stopped for just a second, breathing hard.
"We can't stay out in the open," his father said.
Elias nodded, trying to steady himself.
His hands were shaking.
His heart wouldn't slow down.
"That thing back there…" his sister whispered. "You hit it… and it still—"
"It didn't stop," Elias finished.
His father looked at him.
"Then we don't fight unless we have to," he said.
Elias shook his head.
"No," he said.
His voice was firmer now.
Stronger.
"We learn how to."
A distant scream echoed again.
Closer this time.
Followed by that same horrible sound—
Growling.
Moving.
Hunting.
His mother grabbed his arm.
"Elias… what do we do?"
Elias looked around.
The broken city.
The empty street.
The danger in every direction.
He swallowed.
Then made a decision.
"We get out of the city," he said.
His father nodded slowly.
"That's our best chance."
His sister looked scared.
But she didn't argue.
"Stay close," Elias said. "No matter what."
They started moving again.
Careful.
Quiet.
Together.
Behind them, the city continued to collapse—consumed by panic, violence, and something far worse than either.
And as Elias walked forward—
He knew one thing for certain.
The world they knew was gone.
And if they wanted to survive what came next—
They would have to become something stronger
than fear.