The silence was suffocating. It wrapped around the streets like a shroud, pressing against my ears, making every small sound louder, sharper. Masyadong tahimik. Too quiet, even for a place like this.
I crouched behind a rusted, half-sunken car, gripping my knife so hard the leather-wrapped handle bit into my palm. I knew this kind of silence. It was the kind that came before something went horribly wrong.
Ahead of me, the crumbling remnants of my hometown loomed like ghosts of the past. Buildings that had once stood proud now leaned dangerously, swallowed by vines and time. Broken windows reflected the pale light of a cloudy sky, and the roads were cracked and uneven, as if the earth itself was trying to reclaim what humanity had destroyed.
This used to be home.
Pero hindi na ngayon.
I adjusted the strap of my bag and forced myself to move, my boots making soft, calculated crunches on the cracked pavement. The wind carried a faint, familiar scent of decay, and my muscles tensed involuntarily. They were close. The Faded.
My destination was just a few steps away—a convenience store I’d raided once before. It had been months since then, and desperation had driven me back. Gutom na gutom na ako. Supplies had run dangerously low, and the thought of finding even a single can of food was enough to push me into this risk.
The rule was simple: survive. Avoid the Faded. Trust no one. That rule had kept me alive for five years.
I was halfway to the store when I froze.
A loud crash shattered the stillness, the sound ricocheting off the hollow shells of buildings.
Hindi ako ‘yon.
I dropped into a crouch, my heart pounding as I pressed myself against the corner of a wall. My knife was ready, the blade gleaming dully in the weak light. Slowly, carefully, I peeked around the edge.
The noise had come from inside the convenience store. My pulse quickened as I scanned the entrance. A shadow moved behind the shattered glass doors.
May tao ba?
I hadn’t seen another person in months, maybe longer. And I hadn’t forgotten the last time I had—how that encounter ended in blood. People were more dangerous than the Faded, because they still had minds capable of deceit, desperation, and cruelty.
Another sound reached me: a low, guttural groan.
The Faded.
I crept closer, keeping low, my breathing shallow. Through the broken window, I saw them. Three Faded, their gray, twisted forms jerking unnaturally as they moved. Their hollow eyes were fixed on a single figure—a man, cornered between an overturned shelf and a collapsed wall.
He held a crowbar in one hand, swinging it in slow, deliberate arcs. He didn’t look panicked, but the way his movements faltered told me he couldn’t hold them off for much longer.
“Stupid,” I muttered under my breath. Bakit ka pa gumawa ng ingay?
I should’ve left him. He was a stranger. Not my problem. But something about the way he stood his ground—calm, calculating—made me pause.
“Gago ka, Liora,” I muttered to myself as I slipped inside the store.
The stench of rot hit me like a wall. Dust hung thick in the air, mingling with the faint metallic tang of old blood. I moved silently through the wreckage, sticking to the shadows.
The first Faded didn’t notice me. Its attention was locked on the man, its clawed hand reaching toward him. I stepped forward and drove my knife into the base of its skull. The blade sliced through with a sickening squelch, and the creature crumpled.
The man turned at the sound, his dark eyes locking onto mine. For a split second, I saw the tension in his shoulders ease—relief.
“Get down,” I hissed, already moving toward the next Faded.
To his credit, he didn’t argue. He ducked just as I lunged, my knife slashing across the throat of the second creature. Dark fluid sprayed, but I didn’t stop.
The third Faded was faster. Its clawed hand swiped toward me, catching my arm. Pain flared as its nails tore through the fabric of my jacket, but I twisted away before it could grab hold. Gritting my teeth, I plunged my knife upward into its jaw.
The room fell silent again, save for my heavy breathing.
The man straightened, brushing dust off his jacket. “Nice work,” he said, his tone annoyingly casual for someone who had almost just died.
I glared at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Same as you,” he said, gesturing to the scattered supplies. “Looking for food.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed.” I gestured to the shattered glass around us. “At pati ako, idadamay mo. Walang kwenta ‘yang ingay mo.”
His lips twitched, as if suppressing a smile. “Well, thanks for saving me.”
I ignored him and started searching the shelves. Most of it was useless—crushed boxes, empty cans, spoiled food. But I managed to find a few things: a dented can of beans, a packet of powdered milk, and a half-empty water bottle. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
The man watched me as I worked.
“Name’s Elias,” he said after a moment.
I didn’t respond.
“Not much of a talker, huh?”
I stuffed the supplies into my bag and slung it over my shoulder. “I don’t care who you are. Just don’t follow me.”
I turned to leave, but his next words stopped me cold.
“You’re Liora, right?”
My breath caught in my throat. Slowly, I turned to face him, my hand tightening around my knife. “How do you know my name?”
His expression shifted, the easy smile replaced by something sharper, more serious. “Because you’re part of this. The Faded, the end of the world... it all started with you.”
I stared at him, my mind racing. Sinungaling. He couldn’t be serious. He didn’t even look familiar.
Before I could respond, a distant growl echoed from outside.
“We need to go,” Elias said, his voice urgent now.
I didn’t trust him. I didn’t even like him. But the sound of shuffling feet growing louder outside left me with no choice.
“Tangina,” I muttered, gesturing for him to follow me.
---
The streets were alive with movement. Shadows shifted between the buildings, and the sound of groaning and scraping claws filled the air.
“This way,” I said, leading Elias down a narrow alley.
He kept pace, his breathing steady despite the growing tension. “So, do you always save strangers, or am I just lucky?”
I shot him a glare over my shoulder. “If you call this lucky, sure.”
He chuckled softly, and the sound grated against my nerves. “You’ve got a sharp tongue. I like that.”
“Shut up and move,” I snapped.
We reached the edge of the alley, where a rusted fire escape clung precariously to the side of a building. Without hesitation, I started climbing, the metal creaking under my weight.
Elias followed, his movements just as sure and practiced. By the time we reached the roof, the Faded were swarming below, their hollow eyes scanning the streets for any sign of us.
For a moment, we both stood in silence, catching our breath. The town stretched out around us, a maze of decay and ruin.
Elias broke the silence. “You didn’t answer my question earlier.”
“Which one?” I asked, not bothering to look at him.
“How I know your name.”
I turned to him, narrowing my eyes. “Because I don’t care.”
He smirked, but there was no humor in it. “You should. Because whether you want to admit it or not, you’re connected to all of this.” He gestured to the streets below. “The Faded, the end of the world... it all ties back to you.”
My stomach twisted, unease clawing at my insides. He couldn’t be serious.
But before I could respond, the sound of shattering glass echoed from below.
The Faded had found us.
The sound of shattering glass sent a cold jolt through my veins. My grip tightened on my knife as I scanned the edge of the roof, looking for the best way out.
“Looks like they’re persistent,” Elias muttered, stepping closer to the ledge. He was too calm—his voice too even for someone in this situation. It unnerved me.
I ignored him and focused on the task at hand. Below, the Faded swarmed into the alley we’d just escaped from, their hollow groans echoing off the walls. The way they moved, jerky and disjointed, reminded me of marionettes controlled by invisible strings.
“Dito,” I said, pointing to a rusted metal plank bridging the roof we stood on to the next building. The plank was narrow and bent in the middle, but it was our only option.
Elias followed my gaze and nodded. “After you.”
I shot him a glare. “Just don’t fall. I’m not saving you again.”
“Noted.”
I moved first, stepping onto the plank cautiously. It groaned under my weight, the sound loud enough to make my heart race, but it held. I didn’t look down. I’d learned long ago that looking down was a mistake.
Halfway across, the metal creaked louder, and I froze. Below, the Faded were drawn to the noise, their faces tilted upward. I could feel their empty eyes on me, could hear their guttural groans intensify.
“Liora,” Elias called softly, his voice steady but insistent. “Keep going.”
I forced myself to move, my steps slow and deliberate until I reached the other side. The moment my boots touched solid ground, I exhaled a shaky breath and turned back to watch Elias.
He crossed with the same measured ease, his movements unhurried despite the chaos below. It annoyed me how calm he seemed, as if he’d done this a hundred times before.
The moment he stepped onto the roof beside me, a loud crack split the air. I turned just in time to see the plank collapse, falling into the alley below with a deafening crash.
“Well, that’s one way to close the door,” Elias said with a small shrug.
I glared at him. “You’re too calm for someone who almost just died.”
He shrugged again, looking over the edge of the roof. “I’ve been through worse.”
I bit back a retort and turned away, scanning the horizon for our next move. The buildings stretched endlessly, some partially collapsed, others choked with vegetation. The Faded would keep following us, but for now, we had the advantage of height.
“Where are you headed?” Elias asked, breaking the silence.
“None of your business,” I replied curtly.
He didn’t press, but his gaze lingered on me. I could feel it, like a weight against my skin.
“Why are you following me, anyway?” I demanded, turning to face him. “What do you want?”
“To help,” he said simply.
I laughed bitterly. “Help? From someone I just met? I’m not stupid.”
Elias tilted his head, studying me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. “No, you’re not. But you are stubborn.”
I clenched my fists, my patience wearing thin. “If you don’t start explaining yourself, I’ll leave you here. I don’t have time for this.”
Elias raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. You want answers? Fine.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You asked how I know your name. It’s because you’re not just some scavenger trying to survive. You’re connected to all of this, Liora. The Faded, the world ending—it all started with you.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. My first instinct was to deny it, to call him a liar. But the look in his eyes stopped me. He wasn’t joking. He wasn’t lying.
“You’re insane,” I said, my voice colder than I intended.
Elias smiled faintly. “Maybe. But that doesn’t make me wrong.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but a distant scream cut through the air. It was high-pitched and raw, filled with a terror I recognized all too well.
Someone else was out there.
“Tangina,” I muttered under my breath. Every instinct screamed at me to ignore it, to focus on getting out of here. But the sound tugged at something inside me, something I’d tried to bury.
“Liora,” Elias said, his tone cautious. “We don’t have time for this.”
I ignored him and moved toward the edge of the roof, scanning the streets below. In the distance, I saw her—a girl, no older than twelve, running as fast as her legs could carry her. The Faded were close behind, their grotesque forms gaining on her with every step.
“Don’t,” Elias warned, stepping beside me. “You can’t save everyone.”
“Shut up,” I snapped, already searching for a way down.
Elias sighed. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”
I didn’t bother replying. The girl was heading toward a dead end—she wouldn’t last another minute on her own. Without thinking, I slid down the rusted ladder on the side of the building, landing in the alley below.
“Liora!” Elias called after me, but I didn’t look back.
The girl’s screams grew louder as I ran, weaving through the debris-strewn streets. My lungs burned, but I pushed forward, the sound of the Faded growing closer.
When I reached her, she was backed into a corner, clutching a broken pipe like it could save her. Her wide, tear-streaked eyes locked onto mine as I stepped between her and the creatures.
“Takbo!” I shouted, brandishing my knife.
She hesitated for a heartbeat before darting past me, her footsteps fading into the distance.
The Faded lunged, their claws swiping through the air. I ducked and rolled, slashing upward as I moved. The first one fell, but the others kept coming.
“Liora!” Elias’s voice rang out, and a second later, he was beside me, swinging his crowbar with deadly precision.
We moved together, each strike calculated, each step in sync. By the time the last Faded fell, I was gasping for air, my muscles trembling from the effort.
“You’re welcome,” Elias said, brushing dust off his jacket.
I glared at him. “I didn’t ask for your help.”
“No, but you needed it.”
I didn’t have the energy to argue. Instead, I turned and started walking in the direction the girl had gone.
“She’s gone,” Elias said, falling into step beside me.
“Good,” I muttered. “She’ll have a chance now.”
He didn’t respond, but I could feel his eyes on me, like he was trying to figure me out.
As we climbed back onto the rooftops, I realized something had shifted. The rules I’d lived by for five years—trust no one, avoid the Faded, survive—were beginning to crack.
And I didn’t know if I could put them back together.