Trouble never arrives alone.

We are not the only ones who want to leave the town. Ahead of us, the long road is blocked by several wrecked vehicles which, possibly, have collided with one another during the frenzy escape. Now, monsters rampage on their roofs, smashing through the glass and clawing after terrified humans.

This, unfortunately, includes the water serpents that are still on our tail.

One of the wheels gets punctured and our car spins around to a sudden stop. As we scream, the glass shatters around us. Shards slice across my cheek and arms, drawing blood and a sharp gasp of pain from me. Beside me, Avery shrieks out loud as a tail wraps itself around Leo's body and pulls him out through the broken window swiftly. He disappears from our sight and his frightened yelp is the last thing we hear.

Horrified tears streaking down her face, Avery screams as I reach for her. "Leo! Leo—"

But her hand slips from mine, and she's gone too.

I curse out loud. "Shit, Avery!"

I stagger out of the car and bolt after her, but something long and scaly wraps itself around my left ankle and yanks me back. Forcing me to topple over with my knees and palms scraping against the rough concrete. Looking over my shoulder, I see one of the menacing serpents raise its upper body that's twice the thickness of my body. With a loud hiss, its tail coils up and around my legs, squeezing them together and holding me in place.

A voice resounds in my head suddenly. It doesn't belong to me, it's somebody else's.

"Blood. Humans. Enemies."

Fangs sink into my arm, forcing a cry out of me. Warm blood spills from the punctured holes and it's all for the ravenous creature to drink. Using my good arm, I punch its head and eyes repeatedly, but it remains relentless. Hell, I don't even know if this serpent's bite is poisonous or not.

"Hungry. Must eat."

Blood pounds in my head. I bellow in pain and terror, close to losing my edge. My elbow jabs into the tail repeatedly, trying everything I can to get it to release me. If I had a weapon, something sharp, it would make everything easier.

A gunshot rings in the air, blowing off the serpent's head. Feeling its grip slacken, I scramble out of the disgusting prison and swivel around to meet my savior. To my sheer surprise, slender arms catch me for a quick hug and the scent of a familiar perfume envelops me.

Relief sweeps through me. "Mom!"

She pulls away from me. Her eyes run a quick scan over me and they narrow at my bleeding arm. Likewise, I mimic her actions. Mom's unscathed mostly; her hair disheveled, her white business suit has blood stains, but I don't think they belong to her. Arm with a pistol in her right hand, she's looking all gangsta like a mafia lady boss in the movies.

I used to joke about her carrying a firearm around in her bag and being overdramatic, but now, I can see how wrong I was.

As always, Mom is right.

Eyes alert and jaw set, relief floods in her eyes for a second when she sees me still alive. Taking my good arm, she steers me towards our car. "We got to go. Where's Avery and Leo?"

Cursing under my breath for forgetting my best friend, I jerk to a stop and whip around. "Avery!"

My voice drowns in the terrified screams and monstrous snarls that are happening around us. We hurry across the bloodied road and maneuver around the cars, avoiding those that have already burst into flames. Clutching my bleeding arm, I hear Mom fire a couple more shots at the creatures to clear our path.

And then I see her.

My best friend lies on the gravel, her hair falling over her face. I see two punctured bloody holes in her neck, and it's all because of the serpent that has gotten to her. Mom raises her gun and fires another shot right through the head, killing it. A couple of feet away, we see Leo's body sprawl across the floor, blood pooling around him. His chest is unmoving, showing no sign of life.

Emotions rush up my throat. I rush to my best friend's side and press a hand to her neck, trying to suppress the bleeding. "Avery?"

Her eyelashes flutter slightly. "D-Delia... Run..."

"Avery," I sob. "Avery."

Her breath leaves her body for the last time before she lies utterly limp. Her eyes flutter close halfway, her pale lips parting. When I place my hand over her heart, there's no beat.

I'm too late.

She's dead.

Nausea settles in my stomach. Tears blur the edge of my vision as I clutch at her body, bawling my eyes out. Mom is right beside me, urging me to leave, but I can't hear her.

Just minutes ago, I was speaking to my friends, and now, they are all dead. I'll never be able to hear their voices. I'll never be able to hear their jokes and laughter again.

They are gone. Forever.

Anger overwhelms me. An animalistic growl rises in my throat, like there's something itching to crawl out of me, but Mom grabs my arm and holds me to her chest.

"No, sweetheart. No," she whispers into my ears and pulls me back. "We need to go."

My emotions are running high, but I don't argue with Mom. The surrounding situation is dire and if I behave rashly, I might end up getting us killed instead.

Giving Avery and Leo one last glance, I weep in despair. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..."

And we leave them behind.

We make a run for the nearby buildings. Just like what Mom is doing, some men have pulled out loaded guns from their trunks and are firing at the creatures that are charging towards them. Everybody's fleeing from the monsters on foot because of the congested road, but few of us are making it out alive. Down the street, I see a family of four, including two young children, get attacked by a group of monsters. Their hysterical screams add to the chaos and cut straight to the core, sending fear whirling in my mind.

Hearing a sickening crunch, I look away.

Something darts behind us and lands on Mom's back suddenly, knocking her pistol away from her hand and pushing her onto the ground. Terror fills me immediately. Acting on instinct, I ram my shoulder into the monstrous seal-like creature before it can take a nice bite out of Mom's shoulder. Pain lances through my muscles but I ignore it.

I've already lost Ella, Leo and Avery. I can't afford to lose anybody else right now.

Especially Mom.

The thing flips itself midair to regain its control. Ravenous, red eyes lock on me. With a snarl, it comes dashing towards me again, but suddenly, bullets fly over my head. Startled by the sound, I dive to the ground to avoid being shot at. From behind, I can hear Mom screaming my name.

"Delia!"

In front of me, the strange creature topples to the ground, blood pouring out from the bullet wounds. It twitches once and stops, lying completely still. Dead.

We turn to meet our savior, who's holding a shotgun in his hands. "Ladies!" The owner of Black Rose Bar—a man in his early forties with a clean shaven head and glasses—waves us over to his place. Holding the door open for us. "Quick! Get in here!"

He doesn't need to tell us twice. Mom snatches up her pistol and we scramble into his bar for safety.