Chapter 3

I curled up on the damp, cold concrete floor, my arms tightly wrapped around Daisy's tiny, incomplete leg.

The small limb was already ice-cold, the sock stained with dark red blood.

From the next room, the rhythmic creaking of a bed frame and Cassandra’s exaggerated moans slithered into my ears like venomous snakes.

“Ah… Julian… you’re so much better than that old hag…”

I bit down hard on my lower lip, the taste of rust spreading in my mouth.

The small sock in my arms suddenly slipped, revealing a stark white bone.

That was the only part of Daisy that was still somewhat intact.

My stomach clenched violently, bile and acid surging up my throat, but I swallowed it back down.

Memories from three years ago suddenly flashed through my mind.

Back then, the apocalypse hadn't arrived.

Julian knelt under a cherry tree outside the company building, holding a diamond ring, looking so sincere.

His voice trembled slightly in the spring breeze. “Willow, I will protect you and our future child with my life.”

At that time, the sincerity in his eyes made me cry like an idiot.

The scene shifted to the day Daisy was born.

In the delivery room, Julian held our swaddled daughter, his fingers gently caressing her tender, pink face, his eyes soft as a spring puddle.

“Our princess is so beautiful.”

He leaned down and kissed my sweaty forehead. “Thank you for giving me a complete home.”

Seeing the joy in his eyes made all the pain feel worthwhile.

When the first pollution alarm sounded, he drove through the night from the east side of the city to the west to pick up Daisy and me.

In the rearview mirror, his gaze was as firm as iron: “Don’t be scared, I’m here.”

Outside the car window, crowds scattered in panic, but his arms were my safest harbor.

The fragments of memory suddenly sharpened.

When did he change?

Was it the day Cassandra arrived with her five-year-old son Leo, seeking refuge with us?

Or when supplies became increasingly scarce?

I watched his eyes grow colder, watched his growing disdain for our daughter, and his overwhelming care for Cassandra…

A dull thud from the next room – bodies hitting the wall – followed by Julian’s sated sigh.

My hands trembling, I unbuttoned my collar, carefully tucking Daisy's small sock and that piece of bone into my pocket, close to my skin.

The fabric immediately soaked with blood, burning against my heart.

“Mommy, don’t be scared… Daisy will protect you…”

Before my last outing, Daisy wiped away my tears with her tiny hands.

She always said she was a little superhero, meant to protect her timid mommy.

She didn’t know that Mommy was the one who should have protected her.

Moonlight slanted in through the vent. I looked down at my blood-stained hands.

I stood up mechanically, my legs long since numb. I stumbled before I could steady myself.

The blast door opening required triple authentication, but I had long memorized Julian’s fingerprint sequence.

When the third green light glowed, I opened the blast door.

In the early morning, the howl of mutated wolves ripped through the night sky as I stood on the lookout tower.

The sound was unlike a normal wolf's howl; it made my scalp crawl.

Soon, a dozen pairs of eerie green eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Julian burst out, shirtless, Cassandra following, disheveled, one high heel missing.

Their panicked flight towards the SUV made me laugh out loud.

"Willow, are you insane?"

Julian looked up, saw me standing on the lookout tower, and his face instantly turned ashen.

In the moonlight, I could clearly see the un-faded lipstick mark on his neck, vivid red like blood.

I didn't answer, just watched silently as the first mutated wolf pounced on Cassandra.

The beast was the size of a small calf, its fur patchy and falling out, revealing rotting muscle underneath.

It bit into Cassandra's meticulously styled long hair, dragging her to the ground.

Her scream cut short as the second wolf clamped its jaws around her throat.

Julian hesitated for a second.

Just one second, then he plunged into the driver’s seat without looking back.

The roar of the engine mingled with Cassandra’s dying screams.

The SUV rammed through two mutated wolves blocking its way and sped off, leaving a trail of dust.

More mutated creatures poured in through the open blast door.

I knew this was just the beginning.

Julian, you can escape for a while, but you can’t escape forever.

From today on, I am no longer the weak Willow.

I will live, live longer than anyone else, until I see Julian descend into hell with my own eyes.