The lights throughout the shelter suddenly went out.
Amara and Miyu had already walked through several corridors when they found themselves in complete darkness. Miyu grabbed her friend's arm, and both of them froze instantly. Then, a voice echoed from the loudspeakers:
"This is the curfew. No one is allowed to leave their rooms from now until the lights come back on in the morning. Have a good night."
Amara and Miyu breathed a sigh of relief. They had feared the sudden blackout was a sign of a new attack.
"Phew, what a scare…" Amara said, still feeling the cold grip of her friend's hand on her arm. "I'm turning on my phone flashlight, but now it's going to be harder for us to find the elevator."
"Not to mention, if the guards catch us, we'll get in serious trouble."
"But we have our reasons, right? We need to tell someone what's going on and…" Amara suddenly stopped talking as she turned on her phone.
"What is it?" Miyu asked, shaking her arm.
"It's just… it's not even ten o'clock yet… Isn't the curfew at ten?"
The two of them exchanged scared glances under the faint light from the phone screen.
"And also…" Miyu swallowed hard. "Don't they usually make an announcement first… before turning off the lights?"
These details coming back to them sent both girls into panic. Their hearts beat like drums in sync, and Miyu, sweating cold, let go of Amara to grip the rifle with both hands… trembling.
"Are they planning to attack while people are asleep? How many Sombros are infiltrated here besides the mayor's delegation?" Amara whispered urgently.
"Amara, it was a guard who attacked your sister. What if all the guards are Sombros?" Miyu looked around nervously. "We have no one to tell what's going on!"
"There are the Cobalt Flames!" Amara answered immediately.
"And what if they're dead?"
"That's impossible, Miyu!"
"Then why haven't they done anything yet? The Sombros went after them, and we haven't heard anything since… By now, they've probably been killed, and the Sombros are coming to wipe out the rest of us!" Miyu's whole body trembled, and her voice broke, like she could cry at any moment. "Amara, let's go back to the hospital!"
"Miyu, calm down. I'm scared too, but I don't believe the Cobalt Flames are dead… We need to stick to the plan. My dad is alone in that dorm, my sister is unconscious, and my mom is defenseless. I can't let those beasts attack us again!"
Miyu nodded, holding back her tears. Amara lit the way with her phone flashlight and said, trying to sound as steady as possible:
"Don't forget we have a weapon. If you see anything suspicious, shoot immediately, okay?"
Then, they resumed walking through the corridors. Amara led the way with the light, and Miyu followed behind with the rifle ready to fire. Their hurried footsteps were the only sounds in the cold, silent darkness.
Finally, when they turned into the corridor where the elevator was located, they found several shelter guards standing in front of it.
The moment the flashlight's beam hit them, all the guards turned their heads at the same time. Though they looked human, their eyes glowed scarlet, revealing their true identity.
"All humans must remain in their rooms," they said in unison. "Those who disobey… must die."
"MIYU, SHOOT!!!" Amara screamed as the guards reached for the rifles holstered at their waists.
A hail of bullets shattered the silence as Miyu pulled the trigger of her own rifle over and over, firing at the guards. Deafened by the storm of gunfire, Amara could only watch the massacre, her trembling flashlight illuminating the scene.
"MIYUUU!!!" She screamed again. "That's enough! They're already dead!"
However, her friend only stopped when the bullets ran out. Then, Miyu collapsed to the floor, shaken, as she saw the amount of black blood pouring from the corpses. The stench was unbearable.
"Miyu…" Amara crouched down, grabbing her shoulders. "It's over, okay? You saved a lot of lives by doing this. Stay calm!"
This time, Miyu couldn't hold back her tears and clung to Amara in a tight embrace.
"I never want to use a gun again… never again!"
Miyu sobbed in complete despair, and Amara, still trembling herself, forced herself to stay strong as she hugged and comforted her friend. There was no time for weakness… not now.
"Then you won't use a gun anymore… I will." Amara glanced back toward the Sombro guards and their rifles.
"Y-you still want to go on?" Miyu stammered.
"We have no choice."
With the rifle she had taken from one of the dead Sombros, Amara ascended floor after floor in the elevator, determined. Miyu by her side, with dry tears and a serious expression, had also grabbed a new rifle, despite having sworn she wouldn't hold another weapon again.
Both knew they would likely encounter more Sombros upstairs, but it was a risk they had to take. Staying alert and prepared was the least they could do.
When they reached the top floor, where the monitoring room was located, they took a deep breath. The lights were on there.
Amara was the first to dare peek her head out of the elevator to see what awaited them.
But…
She wasn't prepared for the scene before her.
Red blood staining the corridors.
A massacre…
Of humans!