[New Horizon, residential area. Morning.]
Nexus wakes up in a tent to the sound of luggage packing and the sound of footsteps. Suddenly the tent is opened from the outside by a fleshy hand, and Nexus hears a heavy breathing, followed by Luna's voice.
Luna: Raban, wake the kid up!!!
Raban: Don't worry, Luna; the kid is already up. Come out, kid. It's time to go out.
Nexus gets up and walks out while putting on his trench coat. When suddenly Nexus feels a presence to his left and turns to his left suddenly, startling the person standing there.
The person: shit!!!! You startled me, kid.
[takes deep breaths]
|huh..... hah.... huh.... hah...|
Person: Hi, I am Michelle, one of the scavengers that will be going with you.
Nexus:...
Michelle : Well, not talkative, by the way, that is my boyfriend Grant, and I think you may have already known the rest of them. What do you think about meeting after?
Michelle is suddenly cut off by Horvath.
Horvath: Alright everybody, we will be setting off for the inner city. Check all your luggage and be careful of your surroundings. Let's set off.
Everybody starts to move after packing their luggage. Unknown to them, an unknown glint passes through the eyes of Michelle and Grant when they hear they were about to set off.. though Nexus starts to feel something is wrong.. like something is waiting for them to move out of the settlement.
[After some distance, they reach the inner city]
Luna: Right, everybody, get ready; we will be moving in the buildings; don't make any noise; and be careful of zombies and insect mutates. and here take these.
[passes comms to everybody...]
Luna: Talk through these. Be careful, spread!!
Everybody nods and starts to spread into the buildings searching for supplies.
The group of five fanned out, each targeting a different building in the abandoned town.
Their mission: scavenge for vital supplies.
Michelle (Building 1: Grocery Store)
Michelle crept down the dusty aisles, her bioluminescent markings glowing softly. She scavenged canned goods, medical supplies, and bottled water. Raban's voice crackled over the communications device.
Raban: Find anything?
Michelle: Food, water, and meds, Moving to the pharmacy next.
Raban (Building 2: Hardware Store)
Raban's massive frame navigated the cluttered shelves with ease. He gathered tools, rope, and a portable generator.
"Raban, need help?" Horvath's voice came over the communications.
Raban: None. Moving to the electrical supply store.
Horvath (Building 3: Office Building)
Horvath's extra limbs allowed him to scale the stairs quickly. He searched for communication devices, computers, and documents.
"Anything useful?" Nexus's voice asked.
Horvath: Some files, old radios, and a satellite phone, Heading to the rooftop for a better view.
Nexus (Building 4: Residential House)
Nexus's feline agility helped him navigate the cramped hallways. He discovered clothing, blankets, and hidden caches of non-perishable food.
"Nexus, you find anything?" Luna's voice chimed in.
Nexus: Some food, clothes, and a first-aid kit. Moving to the garage.
Luna (Building 5: Gas Station)
Luna's iridescent wings fluttered as she searched the abandoned gas station. She found fuel cans, engine parts, and maps.
"Luna, hear that?" Maya's voice whispered over the communications.
Luna: Hear what?
A screeching sound echoing through the gas station's walls, growing louder. Luna's body tensed.
Raban: Get out of there, Luna!
Luna sprinted out of the gas station as the screeching intensified. The group converged on her location.
"What was that?" Horvath asked, eyes scanning the horizon.
Luna's (fface was pale): I don't know, but I think we should get out of here. Now.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the unknown danger lurking nearby.
[The group starts to leave the commercial area when suddenly...]
Before anyone could react, it began. The ground seemed to ripple, a dark, undulating mass emerging from the alleyways, pouring out from under cars, and spilling from open manholes. Rats—hundreds, maybe thousands of them, their eyes glinting like tiny red stars. Their bodies, a black tide surging forward with terrifying speed.
Nexus: Run!
The group scattered, instinct taking over as the wave of rats surged toward them, claws scratching and teeth snapping. They sprinted in different directions, each one swallowed up by the darkness, with no time to think about anything but escaping the writhing sea of fur that threatened to overtake them.
Horvath and Luna ducked into an old, crumbling storefront, the glass door shattering as they threw themselves inside. They slammed shutter, panting, watching as the rats clawed at the shutter, their tiny bodies piling up, desperate to get inside.
Horvath: We need to get out of here. They'll break through any second.
Luna nodded, adrenaline pulsing through her veins.
Horvath: The back door—let's go.
They moved quickly, cutting through the narrow hallway, shoving aside forgotten shelves and overturned chairs, and finally stumbling into the back alley. The rats had fallen behind, but their chittering still echoed in the darkness, an omnipresent reminder that they weren't far. They soon reached the end of the hallway, reaching the door and opening it quickly...
They scanned the street, and in a flash of lightning, they spotted Grant and Michelle, fighting their way toward the center of the square.
Luna: There! We need to help them!
Then Luna and Horvath proceed to climb the roof and start to run on the roofs of the buildings, jumping from building to building until they have reached a building near the center of the square.
Michelle and Grant had managed to climb onto a dumpster, their backs pressed together, but the rats were already swarming up the sides, desperate to reach them.
Kate and Sarah grabbed a long metal bar, jamming it between the lid and the edge of the dumpster, giving Michelle and Grant just enough leverage to jump up to safety. They all stumbled backward, collapsing against a wall, gasping for breath.
Luna: Where are Huff, Huff, Raban, and Nexus??
Michelle and Grant: We don't know.
Luna (worrying): Do you think something happened to them? Horvath.
Horvath: Nah.. I don't think so. The kids are devils.
Suddenly they hear the sound of a coat rustling behind them.
They turn towards their backside, where they see Nexus leaning on a wall with his arms folded with his sword in his arms...
Nexus (squinting his eyes): A person missing?
Everybody: RABAN!!!...
To be Continued!!!