In the deserted street, Falkmar and Jonas's footsteps echo in the city, and the cold wind blows on their bodies, making their minds feel colder. The silence shrouds the city but won't last too long.

  "Do you... have any plan?" Jonas breaks this silence.

  "What plan?" Falkmar is confused by Jonas's question.

  "The plan about the future... Now the world is in chaos caused by goddamn fog," Jonas sighs.

  The atmosphere falls into silence again. It seems there is no solution because of the many strange and deadly things or creatures in the fog. Whenever they come out, it makes a disaster, if they don't, it means they are going to make a huge disaster.

  These desperate facts make them doubtful. They can't help but think of a question and try to get the answer.

  "Can humans win against the unknown?"

  They feel a little bit confident. After all, human civilization is advanced, and guns, missiles, and even nukes could deal with those creatures.

  "Do we have something to go against that ethereal sound that makes everybody lose their sanity?"

  "Easy, just headphones."

  "Then how about if there is something that can go against the nuke?"

  Soon, another question floods their minds. After that, many desperate questions flood their minds one after another.

  "Hope the god will help us..." Falkmar sighs helplessly.

  The gray sky is covered with dark clouds, revealing no trace of the sun. Falkmar and Jonas walk together and head to their shelter, which is full of hope and warmth.

  "Woah..." Falkmar and Jonas exclaim suddenly.

  A sudden bloody scene appears in front of them after they turn a corner. It is a severed arm lying in blood, its bone with the stench of blood exposed outside. The muscle looks thick, seeming from a man.

  They are stunned, their expressions stiff, frozen by the scene before them.

  "Why is there a broken arm...?" Jonas takes a hard gulp and asks with a trembling voice.

  "I don't know! Let's just ignore it and quickly go back to our shelter!" Falkmar immediately makes the decision.

  Falkmar walks around the broken arm, and Jonas quickly follows closely behind him. As they realize the shelter is still far away, they quicken their pace.

  Beep—! Beep—!

  A loud horn sounds behind Falkmar and Jonas. Their eyes widen with surprise as they look back. They see a convoy behind them, six gray Humvees drive toward them.

  "Military convoy?!" Falkmar can't help but shout.

  As the first gray Humvee flashes its light at them, Falkmar and Jonas stand aside on the road subconsciously and wait for it.

  The first Humvee passes through the road, then the second, the third, fourth, fifth... Until the sixth, which stops.

  A dusty gray Humvee with an old appearance, with an open top and a soldier holding a machine gun, three soldiers inside the Humvee—one to drive, one sitting beside the driver, and one sitting in the back.

  The soldier with the gray helmet, mask, eyeglasses, and armor. The soldier's suit matches the location, acting like a protective color that is easy to hide.

  The soldier holding the machine gun on top of the Humvee stares at the severed arm and then shifts his gaze to Falkmar and Jonas. He scratches his head, and the black eyeglasses prevent Falkmar and Jonas from seeing his eyes, but they can guess his eyes must be filled with confusion, worry, and alertness.

  "Ugh... Sir, we don't know anything about this severed arm," Jonas tries to explain.

  "We just turned a corner and then saw that," Falkmar adds.

  "Ah, I see..." The machine gunner speaks, his voice deep.

  At this moment, the window at the front seat descends. The soldier pokes his head out from the car window and asks, "Hey! How do you guys survive from the big wolf?"

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "The wolf? What wolf?" Falkmar doesn't answer but asks a question.

  The soldier who pokes his head out exchanges glances with the other soldiers. He retracts his head inside and seems to be talking about something with them.

  "The wolf that ruined this city! Where are you guys while the wolf is massacring?" He pokes his head out once again.

  "A-at our shelter...! I have an underground shelter," Jonas answers him.

  "You have an underground shelter?!" All the soldiers exclaim.

  "Whatever, you two better hide. We're here to kill the wolf, we will report that there are survivors in this city. The rescue will come soon," the machine gunner says to Falkmar and Jonas.

  "Hey! They are leaving! We spent too much time, you two hide now! Don't let the wolf notice you!" The soldier driving the Humvee shouts.

  Once the driver shouts to Falkmar and Jonas, he doesn't wait for their response and stomps on the accelerator hard. The Humvee speeds toward the convoy like a wild horse.

  Dust flies behind the Humvee, getting into Falkmar and Jonas's eyes, prompting them to close their eyes instinctively. When they open their eyes, the convoy has disappeared, having turned a corner.

  Falkmar and Jonas cough slightly.

  "Alright... are we going to hide?" Falkmar asks Jonas.

  Jonas doesn't answer, he stares in the direction the convoy went. Falkmar turns his head back as he notices Jonas is standing, gawking.

  "Jonas?" Falkmar softly calls his name.

  "Falkmar... the direction they go is the direction of the underground shelter..." Jonas says, stunned.

  "What?!" Falkmar exclaims.

  As Falkmar stares towards the direction the convoy is heading, he suddenly takes off running, releasing the plastic bag from his hand.

  "Hey! Wait for me!" Jonas shouts as he sees Falkmar running.

  Jonas quickens his pace to catch up with Falkmar. They run... and run... and keep running. The surge of adrenaline spreads through their bodies, energizing them.

  "Ahh! Fuck!" Jonas shouts, feeling a rush of power that helps him catch up with Falkmar.

  This proves that sometimes shouting out loud gives you an added burst of strength, even if the words are far from refined.

  Ahh!

  A sudden piercing shriek travels through the air and pierces their ears again. They are sure it is the same sound they heard in the market. The wailing seems to penetrate their eardrums.

  Falkmar and Jonas stop and kneel as they hear this sound again, lying on the ground in pain with their hands covering their ears.

  "Not again!" Falkmar shouts in agony.

  "Are those soldiers making that noise?!" Jonas asks loudly, his voice tinged with sorrow.

  "How can they make that sound?!" Falkmar responds, panic rising in his voice.

  The piercing shriek is brief, lasting only a few seconds before it vanishes. Falkmar and Jonas slowly rise, feeling light-headed and weak.

  "Well... at least our eardrums are safe..." Falkmar manages a wry smile.

  "Ha... That..." Jonas's discourse is interrupted by a huge sound.

  Bong!

  A massive fog that engulfs the horizon appears ahead of the city. The fog rolls in like a vast, silken tsunami, an undulating wall of gray that swallows the landscape whole. The sight is spectacular, yet it makes their legs tremble.

  The most chilling part is the giant humanoid shadow moving within the fog, walking toward the city. At this moment, their entire bodies tremble.

  "The fu..." Falkmar and Jonas shout simultaneously.

  Beep! Beep!

  The familiar horn sounds once more, pulling Falkmar and Jonas out of their stunned state. They look in the direction of the sound, and another wave of surprise washes over them. A gray Humvee chases a blood-red wolf, the size of the wolf towering to the height of two adults. It has two heads, eight feet, and a tentacle tail, devoid of skin and fur, ending with a terrible appendage.

  Falkmar and Jonas are stunned yet again by this horrific sight. A soldier in the Humvee holds a machine gun, firing at the blood-red wolf.

  Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat...

  The wolf bellows in pain as bullets slam into its body, revealing that its fur is not actually red but stained with blood.

  Right now, they are rushing toward Falkmar and Jonas. The machine gunner yells at them.

  "Get out of there!!!"

  Falkmar finally comprehends the gravity of the situation. He quickly grabs Jonas' hand and runs towards the nearest building. Jonas, nearly tripping, shouts behind him, "Wait! You're almost making me fall!"

  "Quick! Run inside the building!" Falkmar urges, anxiety fusing urgency into his voice.

  "Let go of my hand! Falk! If you keep pulling me like this—!" Jonas protests, but Falkmar pays him no mind, knowing it's a life-or-death moment.

  Falkmar's decision is sound, hiding inside the building is their best chance as it can offer some protection against the monstrous wolf.

  The four black-red eyes of the wolf gleam with a cunning light as it sees Falkmar and Jonas sprinting toward the building. The wolf quickly expedites its pursuit but cannot reach them before they get inside.

  Panting heavily, Jonas kneels on the floor, hands pressed against the ground. "Ha... Ha... We're safe now... right?"

  "Maybe..." Falkmar murmurs, also panting as he leans against the wall, glancing nervously at the entrance.

  Once inside the building, the wolf doesn't stop, it charges forward. The gray Humvee closely follows, bullets still flying.

  But then the situation escalates. The wolf leaps into the air, crashing into the wall. Using its eight powerful feet, it kicks off to launch itself in a powerful backflip, landing behind the gray Humvee.

  "What the fu..." The machine gunner's words are cut off as the wolf opens its bloody maw and bites off his foot. The soldier is torn in half in an instant.

  Within moments, the wolf bites the back of the Humvee, crushing the driver between the vehicle and the wall. The other head of the wolf doesn't allow the driver to escape, it lunges forward and rends him to pieces as well.

  The last soldier in the Humvee, panic-stricken, pokes his head out to fire at the wolf, but it is futile, the wolf retaliates by throwing the Humvee aside with a swipe of its massive paw, crushing the soldier inside.

  Falkmar and Jonas take a desperate gulp as they witness the blood-red wolf effortlessly slaughter the soldiers. The wolf turns its gaze toward them, stepping forward with its four menacing eyes glowing with intent.

  Falkmar and Jonas know one undeniable truth:

  "If they don't figure out a solution, they're fucked."