The silence didn’t last.
From the far end of the street came the sound of hundreds of footsteps.
Luther looked up.
People.
Dozens of them.
No…
Hundreds.
They poured into the streets, running as if death itself was chasing them.
Some clutched children in their arms.
Others carried bags or whatever they could grab before fleeing.
Car horns blared as abandoned vehicles crashed into one another.
“They’re… real.”
Luther muttered.
He stepped into the road, raising a hand.
“Wait!”
“What happened?”
“Can someone tell me what’s going on?”
No one answered.
Not a single person slowed down.
Their faces were pale with fear.
One man shoved Luther aside without even looking back.
Another woman screamed for her son.
Whatever they had seen…
It terrified them more than answering a stranger’s questions.
Luther clenched his fists.
“What the hell is happening…?”
“Hey!”
A familiar voice called out.
He turned.
Running toward him was Ariel Jett.
She was breathing heavily, strands of her dark hair sticking to her face.
For a brief second…
Luther completely forgot the world was ending.
“…Ariel?”
She stopped in front of him.
“Luther!”
“Do you know what’s going on?”
He stared blankly.
She frowned.
“…Luther?”
She waved a hand in front of his face.
“Earth to Luther.”
He blinked.
“W-What?”
“I asked if you know what’s happening.”
“N-No!”
He answered a little louder than he intended.
Several people glanced at him before continuing to run.
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I mean… no.”
“I was at the office a few minutes ago.”
“And then…”
He looked around the unfamiliar chaos.
“…I woke up in my bedroom.”
Ariel’s expression changed.
“…You too?”
Luther nodded.
“So it wasn’t just me.”
She looked toward the city skyline.
Far away…
A strange pillar of blue light stretched into the clouds.
“The institute…”
She whispered.
“I think whatever caused this started there.”
Luther followed her gaze.
“…You think so?”
“It’s the only explanation I have.”
She took a deep breath before looking back at him.
“We need to go.”
“Back to the office.”
“If anyone knows what’s happening…”
“It’s the people who built Genesis.”
Luther agreed immediately.
“Yeah.”
Then he remembered something.
“But first…”
“I need to find James.”
Ariel smiled faintly.
“I figured you’d say that.”
Without another word…
The two ran toward the heart of the city.
Neither of them noticed…
High above the buildings…
A pair of glowing crimson eyes silently watched them from the sky.