The morning sun broke through the apartment window, hitting Reian and Flame right in their eyes.
Both brothers sat up at the exact same time, completely freezing in place.
They couldn’t believe what they were looking at.
There was Silvia, standing by the kitchen stove.
She had neatly made the bed, the entire living room was spotless, and the delicious aroma of a freshly cooked breakfast filled the air.
Reian gently nudged Flame with his elbow, whispering with a massive smirk, “Damn, bro…
when did you teach my future sister-in-law how to do chores?
Did she change overnight or what?”
Flame’s face instantly flushed a furious, bright red.
He awkwardly tried to play it cool and punched Reian lightly in the back, “Shut up, man!
Don’t talk nonsense.”
But luck wasn’t on their side.
Before they could even finish bickering, Silvia was already standing right behind them, holding something that looked suspiciously like a heavy rolling pin.
The atmosphere in the room plummeted to absolute zero.
Reian and Flame’s faces went completely pale with fear, expecting a brutal beating.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Silvia delivered a swift smack to both of their heads.
But this time, something felt different.
She hadn’t hit them anywhere near as hard as yesterday; it was more like a gentle, annoyed scolding.
Reian didn’t notice much of a difference, but Flame caught it immediately.
A soft, genuine smile crept onto Flame’s face.
Reian noticed his brother smiling and subtly gave him a quick thumbs-up from below, basically saying—Look at that, bro, she’s softening up for you!
Flame cleared his throat, trying to act serious as he looked at Silvia.
“Hey, uh…
why are you doing all this all of a sudden?”
Silvia casually pushed her hair back, resting her hands on her waist.
“Listen, let’s get one thing straight.
Since I’m staying under your roof, I’ll treat it like my own place and take care of the cooking and cleaning.
Now stop gossiping, get changed, and eat before the breakfast gets cold.”
The brothers quickly got ready, stuffed their faces with the incredible food, and headed out for school.
As they crossed the doorway, Flame looked back and muttered, “Bye, Silvia.
Take care of the place.”
Silvia gave a quiet, simple nod.
On their way down the street, Reian kept giving Flame a teasing, ridiculous grin.
Surprisingly, instead of blowing up, Flame just shook his head and let out a small, relaxed smile.
The moment they reached the school gates, Silya spotted them.
“Morning, Reian!” she called out with her usual bright, warm smile.
“M-Morning, Silya!” Reian stammered, his face turning a little pink as they all headed inside.
But when Reian sat down in his chemistry class, he immediately noticed something off.
The seat next to him was empty.
Beran hadn’t come to school.
It felt a bit strange considering how enthusiastic he was yesterday, but Reian brushed it off as the teacher started writing on the board.
A few periods passed normally until a sudden, synchronized wave of loud vibrations shook the entire classroom.
Every single student’s phone was buzzing at the exact same time.
Reian pulled out his phone.
A glaring, blood-red emergency pop-up covered the screen:
[EMERGENCY WARNING: ALL CITIZENS ARE STRICTLY ADVISED TO STAY INDOORS.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOMES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.]
The classroom erupted into a frantic buzz of whispers.
Everyone was visibly panicked.
Before the teacher could even calm them down, the school’s PA system crackled to life with an urgent announcement: “Attention all students and staff.
There is no need to panic, but for safety precautions, school is officially dismissed for the day.
Please head straight to your homes immediately.
Outside the school gates, Reian, Flame, and Silya huddled together.
“What kind of notice is that?
Why are they shutting down the entire city out of nowhere?” Reian asked, his anxiety rising.
Silya quickly pulled out her phone and handed it to Reian.
“Whatever it is, standing out in the open isn’t safe.
Head home right now.
Reian, here’s my number.
Save it.
If anything happens, we stay connected.”
Reian was completely stunned to suddenly get her number, but he quickly nodded, “Ah…
okay.
Please get home safe.”
“Bye!” Silya called out, turning around and sprinting down the sidewalk toward her house.
Reian and Flame didn’t waste any time either, picking up their pace as they headed back to their apartment building.
But they had barely walked two blocks when a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.
It was coming from a house just behind a concrete wall—the sound of a woman crying out in absolute agony.
The brothers shared a horrified look and sprinted inside the open front door of the house.
The sight waiting for them made their blood run completely cold.
A married woman was pinned to the living room floor, weeping and screaming, “Help me!
Please, somebody help me!” Standing over her was her own husband, but he didn’t look human anymore.
His eyes were completely bloodshot and vacant as he tore into her neck and arms with his bare teeth, biting her like a rabid animal.
Blood was splattered across the walls and the pristine carpet.
Panic seized the brothers.
They stumbled backward out of the house and ran toward their apartment as fast as their legs could carry them.
hope you enjoy the thirteenth chapter!