My name is Ark.
Your average guy with thick glasses, a few years of martial arts, and way too much time spent in front of a screen. Games, manga, workouts — that's my rhythm. Quiet life. Normal.
Or, it used to be.
You know, there's something oddly comforting about the city's narrow streets. As if the buildings are leaning in to wrap me in a quiet embrace. It's not the safest neighborhood, but it feels like home.
The sun was cruel that day — 35°C and climbing. Heat shimmered off the sidewalks. My shirt clung to my back like plastic wrap.
I muttered to myself, "Might as well throw myself in boiling water."
I thought about heading to a corner shop for an ice cream.
But then — BOOM.
The ground trembled beneath my feet. My ears rang.
People turned their heads. Some froze. Others started running.
"What the hell was that?"
"Run!" someone screamed. "Animals! They're coming this way!"
A wave of panic spread fast. People stampeded toward the opposite end of the street.
There's this saying: If you see people running, don't wait to find out why.
So I was about to turn and bolt when I caught sight of someone pushing through the crowd — headed toward the danger.
"…Eve?"
It really was her.
She was running against the current, like a salmon in a human river. Long dark hair, sharp eyes, the kind of stride that said she had no intention of stopping for anyone.
And damn it, she still had that same presence.
Eve had been my friend since junior high. We drifted a little after graduation, but we still checked in now and then. She wasn't the type to panic, and she definitely wasn't the type to run toward an explosion unless she had a reason.
"Eve!" I shouted. "Where are you going?!"
She spotted me. Her eyes widened, but she didn't stop. "Ark?! My sister — she's at her kindergarten near the blast. I need to get her!"
"You never told me you had a sister."
"There's no time — I tried calling the school, but all the lines are down."
Downed service. Probably overloaded networks. Whatever was happening, it was already big enough to mess with communications.
I glanced back at the crowd. Then at her.
"I'm coming with you."
She hesitated. Just for a second. Then nodded. "Thanks. I could use the help."
We moved quickly through the backstreets, cutting past alleyways and closed shutters. Something in the air felt off — like the silence after a scream.
We passed a convenience store that had been abandoned in a hurry. I ducked inside without a word.
"Ark?"
"I'll be quick."
I grabbed two thick hardcover books from a shelf and found a roll of duct tape behind the counter. I wrapped them tight around my forearms.
"Books?"
"Animal bites. Makeshift gauntlets. Might soften the impact."
"You've been watching too many zombie movies."
I gave her a half-grin. "Just being prepared."
She didn't argue.
As we ran, phones around us buzzed with emergency alerts. Reports were flooding in. Animal attacks — everywhere. Not just the city, but across the country. Wolves, lions, even creatures that shouldn't exist here. The military was overwhelmed. No backup coming.
We turned a corner and saw the school gates.
The scene was chaos.
A group of children stood in front of the building, some crying, others frozen. A teacher tried to corral them, but she looked like she was barely holding it together.
"Celina!" Eve called out.
A little girl turned, eyes red from crying. She looked about six, wearing a tiny backpack that nearly swallowed her.
"Big sis?!"
Eve ran to her and hugged her tight. "You're okay. Thank god…"
Then, from deeper down the street, came a low, guttural roar.
Everyone turned.
A massive silverback gorilla stepped into view.
Its body was built like a tank. Thick arms, black fur glinting with sweat. Red, intelligent eyes. Five feet tall, but wider than any human I'd ever seen.
The kids screamed.
"Run!" the teacher shouted. "Get the kids out of here!"
The teacher started shoving the kids toward the exit. Some ran. Others tripped.
The gorilla began to charge.
One girl froze in place. The teacher tried to shield her, throwing her arms over the child.
I didn't think.
I ran.
I tackled the gorilla at full speed. It was like hitting a brick wall.
We both stumbled, but it recovered faster. It roared, lifted its arms, and brought them down like hammers.
I crossed my book-wrapped arms just in time.
Pain erupted through my body.
I fell back, dazed. Blood trickled down my face. My glasses cracked, one lens gone.
"Ark!" Eve's voice was far away, full of fear.
The kids were gone. That was good.
But the gorilla wasn't.
"Eve… go…" I forced the words out. "Run…"
"I'm not leaving you!"
"You have to. Please. Just get them to safety."
She clenched her fists, trembling.
"I'll bring back help!" she said through gritted teeth. "Don't you dare die."
She turned and ran, carrying her sister.
I looked back at the beast.
It rushed me again.
I tried to dodge, but my legs wouldn't move fast enough.
It rammed me with its shoulder, slamming me against the pavement.
Then it grabbed my leg and dragged me.
I took off my cracking glasses and crushed it with my hand.
As it lowered its head to bite, I jammed the broken pieces into its eye.
It let out a deafening howl and threw me away like trash.
I landed near a small iron fence.
The world spun.
I crawled forward, grabbed one of the decorative iron bars, and yanked.
It snapped free with a shriek of metal.
The gorilla was thrashing, blood pouring from its ruined eye.
I climbed its back, roared in pain, and stabbed the metal spike into its neck.
It screamed. Slammed me against a wall. I kept stabbing.
Again.
And again.
Until finally, it collapsed.
And so did I.
My breath came in short gasps. Blood filled my mouth. My bones felt like shattered glass.
I wanted to sleep.
But then I felt the ground rumble.
I opened my eyes with the little strength I have left.
Dozens of creatures were approaching. Some I recognized — lions, wolves, bears. Others, I didn't.
And riding an elephant was a figure in a flowing cloak.
She dismounted and walked toward me.
She was tall. Pale. Golden hair. Cold blue eyes.
And a horn protruding from her forehead.
Is she even a human?
She stood over me, glanced at the dead gorilla, then back at me.
"You killed it?" she asked, tone clipped.
"Yeah." My voice was raw. "I guess I did."
"Why would you fight something that could kill you?"
I coughed. "To protect."
She blinked. Just once. Then looked over to one of the teacher's crushed body lying nearby.
"I didn't want this," she murmured.
Her gaze hardened again. "This was only a warning."
She turned, walked back to her elephant. The animals parted for her like water around a stone.
And then everything faded.
i blacked out.