𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖙

The Orphan

The apartment was eerily still, the air heavy with the quiet that only comes in the wake of something unspeakable. Nathan woke up that morning like any other—groggy, disoriented, his mind still in the haze of sleep.

The remnants of yesterday's tension hung in the air like an invisible fog, and he could feel it pressing down on him as he shuffled toward the door.

Yawning, he cracked it open, ready to face another day of survival and barricaded windows. But what greeted him on the other side froze him in his tracks. His phone slipped from his hand, clattering onto the hardwood floor.

There, in the living room, his parents lay motionless on the couch.

Nathan's heart seemed to stop beating as time itself ground to a halt. He stared at their faces—pale, cold, lifeless. His legs felt weak, and before he realized it, he was rushing to them, dropping to his knees beside his mother. His hands trembled violently as he shook her, desperate for some kind of response.

"Ma!? Pa!?" His voice cracked, echoing in the stillness of the room. There was no answer, just the deafening silence that followed. He shook her harder, his breath catching in his throat, panic bubbling inside of him. "MOM, DAD! WAKE UP! PLEASE!" He cried out, his voice breaking into a sob.

Tears blurred his vision as he collapsed against his mother's cold shoulder, his fingers clutching at her lifeless body. His heart pounded painfully in his chest, but it felt like it was breaking apart. He pressed his forehead into her arm, trying to will her back to life, but it was no use. They were gone.

The sound of Nathan's sobs was what brought Lorenzo to the scene. The door burst open, and Lorenzo stumbled into the room, rubbing his eyes, irritation clear in his voice. "Nathan, I'm trying to sleep. Can you just—"

Lorenzo stopped mid-sentence, the rest of his words evaporating as he saw Nathan on the floor. His gaze moved to the still bodies of Nathan's parents, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Oh my god..." Lorenzo whispered, frozen in place as the horror of the scene unfolded before him.

"They're... they're dead," Nathan choked out, his voice hoarse as he buried his face deeper into his mother's shoulder. His body shook with sobs, his fingers gripping her arm as though holding on could bring her back.

The rest of the apartment stirred with the commotion. Haylee and Kaylee came running out of their room, their eyes wide with fear. Kaylee gasped, covering her mouth with both hands as she stared at the scene before her. "Are they... are they really...?"

"Yes," Haylee whispered, her voice trembling. "They're dead."

Nathan's shoulders shook violently as he continued to sob into his mother's shoulder, the weight of it all crashing down on him like a tidal wave. He couldn't stop the flood of emotions pouring out of him—fear, grief, disbelief. The world had stopped making sense the moment the moon turned red, and now this...

Haylee moved closer, kneeling beside Nathan. Her own eyes glistened with unshed tears as she placed a hand on his back, offering comfort even though she knew nothing she could say would make it better.

"Nathan, it's okay," she murmured, though her voice was shaky. "It's going to be okay..."

The door creaked open again. Drake stood in the hallway, frozen in place as he took in the scene. His face paled as he realized what had happened. Behind him, the rest of the group crowded into the doorway, their expressions a mix of shock and sadness.

Without a word, Gian pushed past Drake, dropping to his knees beside Nathan. He wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling him into a tight hug. Nathan didn't resist, his sobs muffled against Gian's chest.