The streets were quieter than the night before. Too quiet.
Ethan moved cautiously through the city, keeping to alleys and side roads where burnt cars and toppled light poles provided cover. The city felt hollow like it was stripped of its former life.
Storefronts were shattered, glass crunched underfoot, and graffiti messages scrawled hastily by survivors or looters warned of monsters lurking nearby.
A low rumble occasionally sounded in the distance while a shrill chattering noise came from areas beyond visibility. Ethan learned to remain motionless when these sounds occurred if he didn’t want to be unalived.
He had walked for an hour before noticing the large supermarket with its damaged sign and destroyed wall from an explosion or impact. The wreckage did not draw his attention, it was the interior of the building that emitted a dim blue light that drew his attention.
Ethan positioned himself near the wrecked sedan which stood across the street while he focused his gaze. At first, he thought it might be another portal tear, the kind that vomited monsters into the world.
The light emitted a gentle and continuous glow. Artificial.
Which didn’t make sense. The majority of buildings he observed remained without power because of the EMP surges and infrastructure collapse which occurred the previous day. And yet...
He tightened his grip on the crowbar while scanning his environment. No swarm. No sign of survivors. He moved toward the damaged entrance by stepping over glass and carts that lay overturned.
Inside, the supermarket was a warzone.
The shelves had been completely cleared out and the products lay destroyed and scattered across the floor. Blood smeared the tiled floor, dried and dark. The air stank of rot and ozone.
A TV displayed a faintly flickering image from an unknown power source which was located at the back of the wrecked checkout counters.
A government broadcast played in a loop, faint static buzzing from failing speakers.
Ethan approached slowly, his heart pounding.
On screen was a man in a military uniform, face grim and voice steady despite the chaos he must’ve endured to make this transmission.
Behind him, through a window, Ethan could see soldiers and engineers working to erect massive concrete barriers. Military trucks ferried supplies while drones hovered overhead.
At the top of the broadcast...
[Broadcast Transmission – Federal Emergency Response]
"...this message is for any survivors still beyond containment lines. The federal government has successfully secured a quarantine zone west of here, establishing the first line of defense against the catastrophic anomalies and hostile entities currently plaguing our world".
"Thanks to the efforts of surviving military divisions and awakened civilians, we’ve created a semblance of order".
"If you’re out there, you are not alone. There are safe zones, shelters, and medical treatment waiting for you".
The screen flickered briefly, showing clips of armed soldiers fending off alien beasts, barricades holding back swarms, and most striking of all, ordinary people using supernatural powers.
One man in civilian clothes lifted an armored truck barehanded to block a charging beast.
Another sprinted faster than the eye could follow, slashing through a group of creatures with glowing knives. A woman stood atop a collapsed highway, hurling fireballs into a swarm, explosions lighting the sky.
The announcer’s voice continued:
"Based on ongoing analysis, we’ve confirmed that some humans have manifested unique abilities since the onset of this crisis".
"Documented abilities include enhanced strength, enhanced speed, fire manipulation, electrokinesis, and more. These ’Awakened’ individuals are critical to humanity’s survival and rebuilding efforts".
"To any survivor who can hear this, make your way to the quarantine zone. Whether you’re Awakened or not, you are needed".
"Gather supplies, avoid major infestation zones, and follow military beacons for guidance. Humanity is not finished. We will fight back".
The feed looped, returning to the general warning message before repeating the same footage again.
Ethan stood frozen, his breath shallow.
Others... there were others like him! Not just improvisers, but people with powers, raw strength, speed, elemental control. People who weren’t prey anymore.
For a moment, hope flared in his chest.
He pictured meeting these Awakened survivors, learning from them, building something that wasn’t just running and hiding. A chance to fight back instead of barely surviving another night.
But the hope twisted into unease just as quickly.
If there were people with that kind of power... what would they do to someone like him?
Would they see him as an ally, or competition? And what if some decided to use their powers not for rebuilding, but for domination?
He thought of the swarm. Of the massive, glowing creature he’d seen in the distance last night.
Traveling west meant crossing through territory filled with horrors worse than those insects. Even with his improvisation ability, surviving that trek would be... uncertain.
His mind raced. Stay here in the ruins, scavenging until he inevitably ran out of food or luck?
Or risk everything to reach the quarantine zone, where hope and danger both waited?
The broadcast repeated once more as the image of the fire-wielding woman was burned into his memory.
Ethan clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the crowbar.
"I can’t do this alone forever".
"And if there’s even a chance other people like me are out there..."
His gaze shifted to the glowing wheel in his vision, the faint shimmer that had saved his life again and again.
"...then I need to find them. Learn what this is. Learn what I can become".
Outside, a distant roar echoed through the dead city. Ethan glanced toward the sound, then back at the flickering screen.
He made his decision. Googlᴇ search novel[f]ire.net
Tomorrow, he’d start moving west. Toward the quarantine zone. Toward answers. Toward whatever came next.