Chapter 2 THE EYES IN THE SHADOW

Before dawn arrived, Ethan was still standing on the front porch, staring into the darkness where the glowing eyes had appeared. Every instinct screamed at him to run back inside, yet his feet refused to move. The figure remained motionless at the end of the street, hidden behind abandoned vehicles and shadows. Rainwater dripped from the roofs around him while a cold wind swept through the neighborhood. Then, without warning, the creature stepped forward. The movement was smooth and unnaturally silent.

Moonlight spilled across its body and revealed black fur matted with something dark and wet. It resembled a wolf, yet no wolf could ever grow that large. Its shoulders stood higher than the roof of a car, and strange veins pulsed beneath its skin like streams of molten gold.

Ethan's breath caught in his throat as the beast lowered its massive head and sniffed the air. For several terrifying seconds, neither moved. Then the creature suddenly turned away and vanished between two houses with impossible speed.

The spell holding Ethan in place shattered instantly. He rushed back inside and slammed the door behind him. His heart hammered against his ribs as he locked every bolt. The house felt smaller than ever. Darker. Unsafe. His mother sat beside his father's lifeless body, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. She looked up when Ethan entered, but before she could speak, a violent cough escaped her lips. The sound froze him where he stood. Blood splattered onto the floor.

"No..." Ethan whispered.

His mother quickly wiped her mouth and forced a smile. "I'm fine."

She wasn't. The fear in her eyes told him everything.

Hours passed as the city descended deeper into chaos. Emergency broadcasts played nonstop across every station. Hospitals had reached maximum capacity. The infection was spreading faster than authorities could track. Entire neighborhoods were being sealed off. The government promised aid, but nobody believed them anymore. Through the window, Ethan watched military trucks roll down the streets. Soldiers in protective suits shouted orders while frightened citizens begged for help. Some tried to force their way through barricades. Others simply sat on sidewalks and cried.

By midday, the electricity failed, the television screen went black.

The refrigerator died,the lights vanished, an uneasy silence settled over the house.

Ethan searched every cabinet for supplies but he results were depressing. A few cans of beans, Two bottles of water, Half a loaf of bread, Enough food for maybe two days if they were careful. He clenched his jaw and shoved everything into a backpack. Sitting around and waiting was no longer an option.

Another cough echoed from the living room. His mother doubled over in her chair. This time she couldn't hide the blood. Ethan rushed to her side and grabbed her shoulders. Her skin burned beneath his touch.

"We need medicine."

"There isn't any left."

"There has to be."

She looked at him with tired eyes. "Ethan..."

"No." The word came out sharper than intended.

"I'm not losing you too." For a moment neither spoke, then she reached up and touched his cheek, the gesture nearly broke him.

Outside, sirens screamed again, Ethan stood abruptly and slung the backpack over his shoulder.

"I'm going."

His mother grabbed his wrist, the strength behind it surprised him. "You go outside now, you may never come back."

"If I stay here, you'll die."

The silence that followed was unbearable, finally, her fingers loosened. Ethan stepped toward the door, then stopped a small framed photograph rested on a nearby shelf.

His family.

His father stood in the center with an arm around his wife. Ethan and his younger sister stood beside them, laughing at something the camera couldn't capture. The picture had been taken only six months ago. It felt like another lifetime.He picked it up and slipped it into his pocket before opening the door.

The street looked nothing like the Ashvale he knew. Storefront windows were shattered.Vehicles sat abandoned in the middle of the road.Trash blew through the wind.Smoke rose from multiple locations across the city. Far away, gunfire echoed repeatedly.

Ethan tightened his grip on a metal pipe he had taken from the garage and started walking.

The nearest pharmacy was six blocks away, normally the trip would take ten minutes.

Today it felt like crossing a battlefield, the first body appeared at the end of the street.

A man lay face down beside a parked motorcycle.

Ethan forced himself not to look, then he saw another and another. Soon there were dozens, some remained exactly where they had fallen. Others looked as though they had been dragged, the sight turned his stomach.

As he moved deeper into the city, the sounds grew louder. Screams erupted from distant buildings, car alarms blared endlessly,  Helicopters roared overhead before disappearing into the clouds, every direction carried signs of disaster.

When he finally reached the pharmacy, his hopes shattered instantly.

The front doors had been ripped open, shelves lay overturned, medicine bottles littered the floor. Someone had already taken everything.A sharp crash echoed from the back of the building.

Ethan froze.

Another crash followed. Slowly, he raised the metal pipe, the sound grew closer.

His pulse thundered then a figure stumbled around the corner.

A woman that her skin had turned gray, dark veins covered her neck blood stained her teeth, the moment her eyes locked onto Ethan, she let out a guttural shriek and charged, fear exploded through him but he e swung the pipe instinctively the metal connected with her shoulder the impact should have dropped her.

Instead, she barely slowed.

The woman slammed into him and sent both of them crashing into a shelf. Ethan gasped as pain shot through his back. Rotten breath filled his nose, clawed fingers raked across his jacket, desperation surged through him. He drove the pipe upward with every ounce of strength he possessed.

The woman collapsed instantly, silence returned. Ethan remained on the floor, trembling violently his chest rose and fell in ragged breaths the infected woman didn't move again. Minutes passed before he finally forced himself upright.That was when he noticed something strange.

A bite mark covered her arm, not a human bite. The shape was much larger and  deeper. A cold feeling crawled down his spine.

The mysterious animal from the news broadcast, the one he had seen last night. Before he could think further, another sound echoed outside.

Growling, dozens of growls. Ethan slowly approached the shattered window and peeked through.

His blood turned to ice, people were running through the street.Some carried weapons.Others carried children.

Behind them came a pack of enormous black creatures.

The monsters moved like wolves but towered over cars. Their glowing eyes burned gold against the gray afternoon sky, they tore through fleeing crowds with horrifying speed.

Then every creature suddenly stopped, their heads turned together toward the pharmacy, toward Ethan toward the scent they had somehow detected.

And as one, the entire pack began running straight for him.