Chapter 48: Terror of monsters

After some time, Seraphina stepped out of the kitchen, wiping her hands gently against the soft apron tied around her waist.

“Food is ready—”

She paused.

The word died from her lips.

The scene before her made her stop mid-step.

Her eyes softened first… then grew complicated.

Lia was sitting on the couch, with Lucian’s head resting on her lap.

His breathing was slow and even—he was asleep.

That alone wouldn’t have stopped her.

She had noticed him blinking repeatedly while he spoke. She knew he was exhausted, so seeing him asleep wasn’t surprising.

What was surprising was Lia’s soft giggling as she gently caressed his face, her fingers brushing his cheek with unhidden fondness.

She stared at his face without blinking.

‘This girl…’

Seraphina sighed quietly.

She had seen this far too many times.

She was familiar with this.

Lia’s clinginess. Her attachment to Lucian.

It was natural—he was her older brother, and since her parents died, she would cling to him.

That was obvious.

It had become something usual—something common.

At first, Seraphina had thought it was normal—just a sister who adored her older brother. But as months passed, and then a year, she could no longer deny it.

This wasn’t the affection siblings usually shared.

It was no longer the simple affection of a younger sister who adored her brother.

It was… more than that.

Lia smiled affectionately as her fingers moved slowly down Lucian’s forehead.

Seraphina’s chest tightened faintly.

But she didn’t comment.

This was Lucian’s choice, not hers to decide.

So instead—

She called out.

“Lia.”

Lia flinched.

Her fingers froze mid-motion.

The softness in her face vanished in an instant, replaced by a soft, innocent smile.

“Yes, Ms. Sera?” she replied lightly, as if she hadn’t been looking at Lucian like she wanted to gobble him up.

Seraphina felt a bit of uneasiness at the sudden shift—at how quickly her expression changed.

But she swallowed it down.

She gently woke Lucian and called both of them to eat.

After breakfast, Lucian went straight to his room and fell asleep again.

He was tired, utterly exhausted.

The short nap hadn’t been enough, so he needed rest—because if something happened, he had to be ready.

He also told Akasha to wake him up if anything unusual happened.

***

While Lucian slept, the world did not stop.

At around eight in the morning, the world moved just like it always did.

The sky was pale blue, washed in a soft gold of early sunlight.

Adults were on their way to work. Children were heading to school. Some people strolled outside, others chatted, laughed, and complained.

Everything was normal.

Just another ordinary weekday.

What could go wrong, right?

“This day is boring as usual.”

A young man sighed, muttering under his breath as he walked down the street toward his workplace.

His name was John.

Studied in an average college. Below-average grades and a low-paying job.

At first, he was happy to finally find a job after countless interviews and rejections.

But within a few days of repetitive work, he was bored and tired.

He exhaled.

Every day, he had to do the same work, hear the same words—same complaints, same orders.

He didn’t hate his life.

But he didn’t love it either.

As he brooded about his life, an excited, feminine voice caught his attention.

“Hey, is that a rabbit?”

He glanced to the side.

A group of young women had gathered near the edge of the sidewalk. They were crouched down, their attention completely focused on the small and white animal.

Curious, John slowed his pace.

“Wow! It’s so cute!” One of them squealed.

John sighed inwardly.

‘Why can’t I attract cute girls like that…’

Still, he couldn’t deny it.

The rabbit was cute.

It was white, with bright red eyes. Slightly larger than an average rabbit—though, now that he thought about it, he had never actually seen one up close before.

He had never even gone to a zoo in all of his life.

But something felt… off.

“Why does it have a horn?” one girl asked as she leaned closer.

“Is that some kind of condition?”

The rabbit didn’t move. Its red eyes just kept staring at the woman before it.

John checked the time.

‘I will be late if I stay here.’

He strolled past them.

‘Where did a rabbit come from? There isn’t even any animal centre nearby.’ He thought to himself.

Still, he shrugged it off.

‘Probably someone’s exotic pet. Some people really have money for these things.’

Wherever the strange rabbit came from, it wasn’t his problem.

That was when it happened.

“Kyaaahhh!”

A piercing scream erupted behind him, making him flinch.

He spun behind, and his eyes widened in horror.

The rabbit’s horn was buried deep into the eye of the woman who had reached toward it.

Her body trembled violently.

Blood streamed down her face, soaking her cheeks and dripping into her clothes.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!”

Her scream tore through the crowd as she grabbed her face in agony.

The others froze.

For a moment, no one moved.

They couldn’t comprehend what they were seeing.

Her friends, who were close to her, fell to the ground on their butts, their expressions widening with horror.

Their brains refused to accept what their eyes were witnessing.

Just a second ago, they had been giggling over something cute.

Now—

They couldn’t believe it.

Blood splattered across their legs.

Across the road.

Across the rabbit’s pristine white fur.

The rabbit yanked its horn free with a wet sound.

Its horn tore some flesh from the woman’s eye.

The girl collapsed, clutching her face, shrieking in panic as blood poured between her fingers.

“W-what…?”

One of her friends stumbled backward, slipping slightly.

The rabbit turned its head.

Its red eyes no longer looked cute, but instead looked menacing and predatory.

It didn’t look at her like an animal would, but like it was looking at prey.

It lowered its head, pointing its horn at her.

They were so afraid that they couldn’t even move from where they stood, not when blood had been splattered on them.

The rabbit lunged.

“Ah—gahhk!!”

Its horn pierced straight through another woman’s throat.

She convulsed, gurgling as blood poured from her mouth, and a sick, choking sound escaped her lips.

The others froze in horror as they snapped out, but now, it was of no use.

The girl’s body trembled violently, but no sound came from her mouth…then she went still.

Her eyes lost their shine as tears dripped down her face.

She was dead.

The remaining women collapsed backwards, slipping in blood, their faces twisted in pure terror.

“Oh my god… oh my god… it killed her—”

“RUN! IT’S NOT NORMAL!”

“Someone call the police—no, an ambulance—!”

“WHY IS IT COMING THIS WAY?!”

Panic exploded.

Some froze.

Some stumbled over their feet.

But mostly…

People screamed and ran in every direction.

The girl whose eye had been pierced writhed on the ground before her screams died out.

The loss of blood finally got her.

She died too.

John, who had seen all that, had already run long before everyone else.

His body had acted the instant he had seen the horror, and he had no wish to die so soon.

He did say that the day was boring… but that didn’t mean he wanted this instead.

Rather, he would’ve worked for days nonstop.

He didn’t understand what was happening—but he knew one thing clearly.

If he had stayed there, he would have died.

‘That rabbit just killed someone.’

His stomach twisted.

He should have known.

What kind of rabbit was that big? What kind of rabbit had horns?

‘I should’ve fucking known!’

Behind him, screams erupted, but he didn’t look back.

He didn’t want to see.

So he just ran.

He ran as fast as he could.

Even when breathing became difficult, he continued to run, like his life depended on it… which it did.

Other people were running behind him as well.

Then—

He stopped.

Not because he was safe now.

No.

It was because of what stood ahead.

It was a giant rat, the size of a dog. Its brown fur was soaked in filth, and it had a long, hairless tail.

John’s breath caught for a second.

‘No… no no no—! First a rabbit and now a rat?!’

Before he could turn, the rat charged.

People around him screamed again, scattering in different directions.

John turned sharply and ran again, taking down another street.

His vision blurred, but he didn’t stop.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he had never run this much before, and he normally would’ve fainted by now.

Thankfully, he didn’t.

‘I have to go home… or at least somewhere safe!’

But the hell hadn’t truly begun yet.

Suddenly—his view shifted, his vision blurred as the world tilted.

He fell.

Hard.

His body crashed into the road, slightly scraping his skin due to the momentum.

But his brain didn’t notice it.

He tried to stand—but his leg wouldn’t move.

As he looked down, confused, his eyes widened in horror.

A horn had pierced straight through his thigh, along with the small monster sticking to him.

He was stabbed by another horned rabbit.

“AAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

He screamed at the top of his lungs until even his throat felt dry and his voice turned hoarse.

It hurt. It hurt like hell.

He had never felt this much pain in his entire life.

The pain was unbearable, and he almost wanted this to be a dream.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Blood soaked his pants almost instantly.

He tried to crawl, but his body didn’t even respond properly, like it was shutting down.

“Help! Someone—HELP!!”

No one stopped. Some people saw him, but they didn’t stop in their tracks. They ran past him, while some of them glanced at him with horror.

But they didn’t slow down.

Soon, a shadow fell over him.

John’s breathing became ragged and shallow as he barely forced himself to look up, hoping for someone to help him.

But the instant he looked up, his eyes teared up, as his face turned ugly.

It was a dog.

Or at least something that resembled one.

Its body was twice the size of a normal dog, with muscles bulging unnaturally under its skin. Its fur was coarse and patchy. Its eyes were bloodshot and wild.

“GGRRRRR!!”

Thick drool dripped from its open jaws.

“NOO!!!! AAAAHHH!!”

He screamed in pain as the dog opened its jaw wide and bit into his stomach, chewing him up, tearing the flesh on his body.

Instantly, he felt pain and horror much, much worse than he had felt just a while ago.

“PLEASE DON’T, AHHH IT HURTS!!! IT HURTS!!! NOOOO!! I don’t want to—”

His screams were cut short.

His eyes lost their focus.

His body stopped trembling.

He was dead.

Around him, others screamed and ran, trampling one another in their desperation.

Blood stained the once-clean streets.

The comfort of humanity had shattered in a single morning.

This—

This was how it began.

The terror of monsters.

The deaths of countless people.

The collapse of the entire world.

And all of this was just—

The beginning of the apocalypse.

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