—What the hell is going on? —I murmured as I hurried out of my study, shaken by a strong tremor that shook the ground beneath my feet.
The earthquakes had started suddenly just minutes ago, and the intensity only increased with each passing second. My heart was pounding. I was scared. First, the zombie apocalypse... and now earthquakes? It had to be some kind of sick joke.
As I moved down the hallway, gripping the walls to keep my balance, I saw the quintuplets coming out of their rooms. Their faces reflected the same mix of fear and confusion I felt.
—Rias-san, do you know what's happening? —Itsuki asked, visibly worried.
I shook my head, trying to stay calm.
—I don't know. I'm trying to find out. I'm looking for Osamu. Have you seen him?
—Not since lunch —Miku answered, frowning.
Where the hell had that guy gone? I was worried; he hadn't looked well this morning, and now he was nowhere to be found.
The quintuplets began to follow me, apparently sharing my concern. It was clear that Osamu mattered to them... maybe too much. Especially Nino. That girl couldn't fool me: she liked Osamu, even though she tried to hide it with her tsundere attitude.
As I dwelled on those thoughts, I finally saw him. He was in the kitchen... but something didn't add up. His posture was tense, his breathing heavy, and his face was covered in sweat.
—Osamu! Where the hell have you been all this time? —I asked, taking a step toward him.
He looked at me. His eyes weren't the same as usual. They were filled with worry, with something deeper... something dark. Was he shaken by the tremors? Or was it something else? Then it hit me: I hadn't seen the guards since the night before. Had something happened?
Osamu approached us. Up close, he looked even more exhausted. Like he had been running for hours.
—Why are you so worked up? —I asked, a knot in my stomach.
—Where's Shizuka? —He suddenly said, ignoring my question.
—Shizuka-san is on the terrace, near Itsuki's room —Yotsuba answered, hesitating.
Osamu looked at us with an intensity that sent chills down my spine.
—Don't move from here. And whatever happens… don't go down to the basement —he said before running off toward the terrace.
We watched him disappear down the hallway, the echo of his steps blending with the persistent tremor of the ground.
And then, for the first time since this all started, I felt that something truly sinister was coming.
...
—What's going on, Osamu? And why are you acting like this? You're worrying me... —I said, unable to hide the concern in my voice.
He didn't answer immediately. He kept packing supplies into boxes with frantic movements, not even looking at me.
—We need to leave. Immediately. —His tone was dry, firm.
—Leave? What do you mean? Does this have to do with the earthquakes? —I asked, taking a step toward him.
—Yes —he nodded without hesitation—. And if we don't leave right now... we won't survive.
He grabbed one of the boxes and ran toward the garage. The urgency in his voice froze me.
For the first time since this nightmare began, I felt a different kind of fear. Not the fear of the unknown, but the fear of losing everything. This house had been our refuge, the only place I thought was safe in the middle of the chaos. And now... we had to abandon it? Just like that?
What the hell was happening outside?
My thoughts became a whirlwind of questions without answers. What was I supposed to do? Ignore my instincts and follow him blindly? Or stay behind and risk finding out why he was so desperate?
Before I could decide, the quintuplets and Shizuka-san started moving. One by one, they began to follow Osamu, saying nothing. Despite the fear reflected on their faces, they didn't hesitate for a second.
Was it trust... or blind faith?
Watching them, I understood something. Maybe they didn't know what was going on, but they trusted him. And, deep down, I did too. Even though I hated acting without information, even though everything felt so rushed, I couldn't ignore the hidden panic in Osamu's eyes.
And if he was scared, then we all had reason to be.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe. I couldn't stay frozen. Not now.
Whatever was coming... it was serious enough to make even Osamu tremble.
—Get in —Osamu ordered, pointing to the G-Wagon with a hurried gesture.
The mere presence of the car, already running and ready to leave, confirmed what I had feared: we were leaving. This wasn't a warning... it was an evacuation.
I swallowed with difficulty and slid into the passenger seat, still processing how quickly everything was happening. The quintuplets, along with Shizuka, got in the back silently, their faces pale from fear. It was understandable: just minutes ago, they were in their rooms, and now their entire world seemed to be collapsing.
—Wait here. I'll be right back —Osamu said before running back inside the house.
The inside of the car was immersed in tense silence, broken only by the girls' shallow breaths. I could feel the latent panic in the air.
—We'll be fine... Trust Osamu —I said with a voice shakier than I would've liked. Partly to calm them... partly to convince myself.
Several seconds passed, maybe a minute. And then it happened.
A roar shook the earth. The car trembled beneath us, as if a shockwave had struck us directly. It wasn't an earthquake. Not this time. It sounded like... an explosion.
—What was that!? —Nino screamed, covering her ears, visibly shaken.
—That was too strong... —Ichika muttered, her face contorted.
I didn't say anything. I knew as soon as I heard it. That wasn't an earthquake. That was an explosion. And if there was an explosion... there was noise. And if there's noise... there are zombies.
My stomach clenched. Had Osamu caused that?
A few seconds later, his silhouette appeared running from the hallway, his face tense, sweaty, and determined. Without stopping, he slid into the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, and turned the key. The engine roared to life.
I couldn't hold back anymore.
—Osamu... did you cause that explosion?
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye while maneuvering quickly, his jaw clenched.
—Yes. It was an attempt to take care of that thing... but it seems it's not possible —he said, his voice full of frustration and disgust.
—That thing? —Miku repeated, clinging to the word as if she could extract some clarity from it.
Osamu didn't answer immediately. His face tense, he stepped on the accelerator, and the G-Wagon shot out of the garage, taking the only winding dirt road that descended down the mountain. Behind us, the heavy metal door began to slowly close, as if it was still hesitant to let us go.
And then, an ear-splitting roar rumbled behind us.
It was as if the very sky had collapsed onto the mansion. The ground trembled, kicking up dust and dry leaves into the air, and a low, almost animalistic growl mixed with the echo of the explosion. The girls screamed, instinctively covering their ears or hugging each other.
I turned my head, my heart in my throat. A thick cloud of smoke was beginning to rise from where, seconds before, our house had been.
—That's why we need to leave —Osamu said in a cold tone, not taking his eyes off the road—. You'll probably see it in a few minutes.
And at that moment, I understood that we weren't running from just zombies. No... we were running from something much worse.
The vehicle moved down the narrow road that wound its way down the mountain, while behind us the metal door finished closing. Silence reigned inside the car, broken only by the girls' heavy breathing and the distant rumble of the earth.
And then it happened.
A deafening crash shook the air, much more violently than the previous ones. But this time, it wasn't just the ground... it was the house.
I looked in the rearview mirror just in time to see it: a gigantic hand emerging from inside the mansion, tearing through the roof as if it were wet paper. The structure creaked and cracked, collapsing under the unnatural force of that monstrous limb.
The hand was grotesque. Immense. Covered in deformed, dark skin, with withered veins and tense like dry roots. The fingers were long, sharp like blades, and covered in something that looked like a mixture of coagulated blood and ash. As it made its way through, it violently tore one of the main walls down, causing part of the second floor to collapse in a shower of debris.
We all saw it.
And in that instant, the world froze.
I felt how fear coiled in my throat, choking me. My muscles tensed, and my fingers gripped the edge of the seat without realizing it. The girls were the same: their eyes wide, their faces pale, their lips trembling. No one could move. No one could speak.
It wasn't just terror. It was the certainty of witnessing something that didn't belong to this world.
—Don't look back —Osamu said quietly, with a calm that only made it more chilling—. If you do, you won't be able to stop seeing it.
And then he stepped on the gas.
The G-Wagon jolted as it sped down the mountain road, taking us away from that hell. But the echo of the mansion's destruction, torn apart by that thing, still reverberated in our minds.