The city did not fall all at once.
It unraveled.
Like thread pulled too hard from old fabric—slow, resisting, then breaking in uneven pieces.
I left the alley sometime after the message.
I don't remember deciding to move.
My body just… did.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
The streets were no longer streets.
They were becoming something else.
Broken pavement. Cracked glass. Plant-like growths pushing through concrete like the earth had finally decided to reclaim what it was owed.
A bus had crashed into a storefront.
No passengers were inside anymore.
Only silence.
Only stains.
I kept walking.
Because stopping felt worse.
Somewhere ahead, sirens screamed endlessly—but they sounded distant now, like they belonged to another world entirely.
Then I saw it.
A mother holding her child near a barricade.
Soldiers shouting orders.
People being pushed back.
"Evacuation point is full! Move back!"
Someone collapsed near my feet.
No one helped them.
No one even looked twice.
I stepped over them.
Then immediately regretted it.
My stomach twisted.
My breath hitched.
"I can't…"
My voice cracked.
I pressed a hand to the wall beside me, trying to steady myself.
But my legs were shaking too much.
The sky above had darkened.
Not from night.
From something else.
A haze.
A sickness in the air.
And beneath it all—
That sweet smell again.
Rot disguised as flowers.
I covered my mouth.
Tears blurred my vision again.
"Haru…"
I whispered.
My son.
I pulled out my phone again with trembling fingers.
The screen was cracked now.
I don't even remember when it happened.
No new messages.
Just the old one.
Still there.
Waiting.
"Mom?"
I pressed it to my chest.
Like it could anchor me to something real.
"I'm sorry…"
I whispered again.
To no one.
To everyone.
To him.
The world around me shifted suddenly.
A loud explosion echoed somewhere far off.
People screamed again.
Movement surged through the crowd like panic had gained a second wind.
Something was coming closer.
I turned—
And saw the trees.
Except they weren't trees anymore.
They were moving.
Roots crawling through streets.
Branches bending in impossible directions.
Something blooming inside them.
Something watching.
I ran again.
But this time, I wasn't sure where.
My legs gave out near a broken bus stop.
I collapsed against the glass shelter.
It shattered slightly under my weight.
I couldn't breathe properly.
My chest hurt.
My throat burned.
I pressed my forehead to my knees.
And finally—
I broke.
Sobs came out without permission.
Ugly. Raw. Real.
"I didn't want this…"
My voice shook.
"I didn't want any of this…"
Images flashed in my mind again.
A small boy laughing.
A man turning away from me in silence.
A house that didn't feel like home anymore.
"I just wanted him to be safe…"
My hands clutched my sleeves tightly.
"And now…"
My voice collapsed.
"…I don't even know if he is alive…"
The sound of distant screaming answered me.
I didn't look up.
Because I was afraid.
If I looked…
I might stop believing there was still a reason to move forward.
🌑 Meanwhile — Another City (Safe Zone)
The city was clean.
Too clean.
White buildings. Controlled traffic. Armed checkpoints at every corner.
A place built to survive what the outside could not.
Inside a high-rise tower at the center of it all—
A man stood behind glass walls that overlooked the entire district.
Kazuki Minami.
CEO of Minami Holdings.
He loosened his tie slightly as he watched the city below.
Calm.
Controlled.
Perfectly structured.
A knock came at the door.
"Sir. The evacuation reports from the southern zones just came in."
Kazuki didn't turn around.
"Summary."
The assistant hesitated.
"…Outbreak confirmed. First city has fallen faster than expected."
Silence.
Then—
"Unfortunate."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The assistant continued carefully.
"Shall we proceed with full relocation protocol for the shelters?"
Kazuki finally turned.
His expression unreadable.
Sharp eyes. Tired but controlled.
A man who never allowed panic to reach his face.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Make sure the shelters remain sealed."
"Yes, sir."
The assistant left.
Kazuki walked toward the window.
Far below—
People moved in ordered lines.
Safe.
Protected.
Alive.
He should have felt relief.
Instead…
There was something heavier.
His phone buzzed on the desk.
Unknown number.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then picked it up.
No name.
Just a message.
"Haru is with you, right?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Silence.
Then—
A memory flickered.
A woman's face.
Arguments.
A door closing.
Paper signing.
He hadn't thought about her in a long time.
Not like this.
He typed slowly.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then another message came almost instantly.
"Keep him safe."
Kazuki stared at it.
Longer this time.
Something unfamiliar tightened in his chest.
"…Of course."
He replied.
But even as he said it—
He did not know where she was.
Did not know what city had already fallen.
Did not know that somewhere beyond his safe towers—
A woman was crying in a ruined street…
calling out for a child who was still alive.
And a world that was already gone.