CHAPTER 5
"Haaa… Haaa…"
Ray panted heavily as he rushed forward with desperate urgency.
One hand was clenched tightly around his ability book, his fingers locked unconsciously as if letting go would doom him.
His arms sliced through the air in rough motions as he sprinted toward the location where his home once stood.
BZZZZ—!
The sound reached his ears, sharp and piercing, causing him to duck instantly.
A laser beam streaked past his head and slammed into a nearby building, burning straight through concrete and steel as molten debris rained down.
"Ba… thump. Ba… thump!"
His heart hammered violently as realization struck him.
Death had been inches away.
Still, he refused to slow down.
Gritting his teeth, Ray forced his aching legs to move faster as he cut through narrow corners and broken pathways.
He knew danger lurked everywhere. He was not foolish enough to throw his life away recklessly.
After all, how could he protect his family if he died here?
Using shortcuts through collapsed alleys and shattered streets, he maneuvered carefully, avoiding Abberants while diving aside from falling rubble or sudden laser strikes from the mothership overhead.
Every second felt like a gamble.
Turning sharply around a corner, his eyes widened in terror.
An enormous Abberant foot was descending toward him.
The creature was aiming to crush a building beside Ray, but the massive limb was already swinging downward, its shadow swallowing him whole.
Steeling himself, Ray hurled his body forward, sliding beneath the falling foot.
His skin scraped violently against the ground as jagged stones and twisted metal tore into his flesh.
Pain flared, sharp and searing, but he ignored it completely.
He rolled past the descending limb just in time.
Luck favored him.
His body was too small, insignificant like an ant beneath the nine-meter-tall creature.
It did not even notice that something had slipped beneath it.
Escaping the immediate threat, Ray burst forward again, legs pumping at full speed.
Beads of sweat streamed down his face, mixing with blood and stinging his eyes, yet his focus never wavered.
His sharp gaze stayed locked ahead.
'… Just one more corner,' he urged himself inwardly.
His hands flew up instinctively as a massive slab of earth was kicked toward him.
He ducked low, feeling the rush of displaced air skim past his scalp.
Springing back to his feet, he resumed his frantic dash.
'Mum… Amy… please be okay.'
His heart pounded harder with every step.
Fear twisted his thoughts into chaos as countless images flooded his mind, all of them things he prayed he would not see.
So consumed was he that he failed to notice the laser beam hurtling toward him.
By the time he sensed it, it was almost too late.
Heat washed over his face as he twisted his body desperately, barely managing to duck.
The beam grazed the top of his left eyebrow, slicing deep as it passed.
Blood burst forth immediately, warm and blinding.
Ray hissed but did not stop.
Without hesitation, he tore the sleeve from his shirt and wrapped it tightly around his head, pressing down hard to stop the bleeding before it could cloud his vision.
Then he ran again.
Moments passed in what felt like endless torment.
Every breath burned. Every step threatened collapse.
Death stalked him at every turn.
Finally, he burst into his neighborhood.
Or what remained of it.
His heart sank as devastation greeted him. Houses lay shattered in all directions, reduced to rubble and ash.
Massive chunks of fallen wall had crashed into buildings, crushing them completely and smothering everything beneath.
Nothing looked familiar anymore.
And Ray stood frozen, staring at the ruins, terrified of what he might find next.
His mouth ran dry as he felt his heart threatening to burst out of his chest.
With tears pooling in his eyes, he bolted forward.
Leaping over rubble where his house used to stand, the remains could now be seen in the distance.
His breath hitched as he rushed ahead, lungs burning with every step.
"No, no, no, no. No, please."
He murmured the words like a broken prayer as he pushed himself forward with all his might, legs trembling.
Soon enough, he was standing face to face with where his house once stood.
It was nothing more than a crumbled mess.
His mind spun violently, chest tightening as his vision threatened to blur.
A sharp dizziness washed over him, but he quickly shook his head, trying desperately to clear it.
Taking shaky steps forward, he could now see everything clearly, and the sight made his knees feel weak.
It felt like his body might give out at any moment.
Right in front of him, Amy lay buried beneath a massive rock.
Her face had been completely crushed against the boulder, blood spilling out like a river and staining the broken ground beneath her.
A choked gasp escaped his lips.
Groans suddenly echoed from the side, causing him to snap his head toward the sound.
His mother.
From her waist downward, she was trapped beneath collapsed rubble and a thick slab of earth.
"Am… Amy? Mu… mum?"
It was painfully clear that his sister was gone.
Beyond saving.
Completely crushed beneath the weight of the destruction.
Ray fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face in heavy waves as he stared at the scene before him.
He had almost forgotten that his mum was still alive as his head spun, his chest ached fiercely, heart pounding erratically as his thoughts spiraled out of control.
Memories of his sister flooded his mind without warning.
Just earlier that morning, he had been bantering with her, exchanging words and laughter like any other day.
And now she was lying there.
Gone.
The sound of knees hitting the ground echoed faintly.
Hearing it, Ray's mum's eyes slowly fluttered open as she struggled to clear her blurred vision.
The first thing she saw was her son kneeling before what remained of their destroyed home.
All around them, the sounds of devastation filled the air.
Laser beams continued to rain down from above, tearing holes and deep crevices into the ground as explosions shook the surroundings.
"R… Ray?"
Hearing her voice, the young boy's head snapped up instantly as he turned toward his conscious mum.
Overwhelmed by grief and the chaos tearing his thoughts apart, he had failed to properly register her faint groaning and labored breathing earlier.
The sight of Amy's condition had shattered his reasoning.
He had jumped to conclusions.
Seeing his mum staring at him, still alive, his eyes widened as relief surged through his chest.
He scrambled to his feet and rushed toward her without hesitation.
"Mum, mum. Don't worry, I will get you out of here. You will be fine."