Kade's shoulder slammed into his grandmother's chest just as the knife came down. The blade clattered against the tile floor and skidded beneath the kitchen table as the two of them crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.
For a split second, everything was still. Then she moved.
Kade had wrestled with his grandmother before in playful moments when he was younger, when she would swat his arm with a towel for stealing food before dinner. She had always been small and gentle, her strength fading with age.
But the woman beneath him now felt nothing like that.
Her hands shot up and grabbed his shirt.
The force of it nearly threw him off.
"What the hell?"
She shoved him so hard that his back slammed into the cabinet beside them.
Her eyes were still empty. Still hollow. But her body was moving with terrifying energy.
A low growl escaped her throat. It wasn't a scream or a word. It was more of a deep, animal sound.
Kade's heart hammered wildly in his chest as she lunged at him again, clawing for his face.
"Grandma!" he shouted. She didn't answer.
Her nails scraped across his cheek as he twisted away and grabbed her wrists. The strength in her arms shocked him.
It felt like he was wrestling with someone three times her size.
She shoved against him with enough force to drive him backward across the floor. Kade grunted as his shoulder hit the wall. His grandmother kept pushing, snarling under her breath as though she didn't even recognize him.
"Grandma, stop!" he shouted again. Her head snapped forward suddenly.
For a terrifying moment, Kade thought she was about to bite him.
Max screamed behind him. "Kade!"
Kade twisted his body and shoved his grandmother sideways, pinning her arms against the wall.
"Max!" he barked.
The boy stood frozen in the hallway, his face pale and his eyes wide with terror.
"Grab my phone!" Kade shouted. "It's in my backpack! Call Mom!"
Max didn't move.
"Max!" Kade yelled again, his voice cracking with urgency. "Now!"
The boy jumped and ran for the bag near the door, fumbling with the zipper as Kade struggled to keep his grandmother pinned.
She thrashed violently beneath him. Her feet kicked wildly against the floor.
A harsh growl rumbled from her throat again as she tried to tear her arms free.
Kade tightened his grip.
"What's wrong with you?" he breathed. His eyes darted around the room desperately.
He needed something to tie her with.
A length of rope was on the far side of the kitchen counter. He had used it last week to secure packages to the bike. But it was too far away. If he let go of her now, she would bolt. Or worse, she might grab the knife again.
"Max!" he shouted. "Did you call Mom?"
"I'm trying!" Max's voice trembled.
Kade gritted his teeth as his grandmother jerked violently beneath him. Her strength was unreal. For a woman her age, it should have been impossible.
In a haze, her knee slammed into his side. Pain instantly shot through his ribs.
Kade hissed and shoved her harder against the wall.
"Grandma, please!"
The sound of Max crying filled the room.
And then the front door exploded open.
A loud bang echoed through the house as someone stormed inside.
Heavy footsteps thundered across the floor.
"Kade!" It was his mother's voice.
She burst into the kitchen a second later, gripping a metal rod in both hands.
Her hair was wild and sweat streaked her forehead. Her eyes scanned the scene in a single sharp glance.
Before Kade could say anything, she grabbed his grandmother by the back of the shirt and yanked her away from him.
"Move!"
Kade stumbled backward just as his mother swung the rod forward.
There was a loud crackle. A sharp electric snap filled the air. The rod touched his grandmother's shoulder and she convulsed violently. The growling instantly stopped. Her limbs jerked once more before going limp as she collapsed to the floor.
Max let out a soft sob.
The room fell into stunned silence. Kade's fingers were trembling and his eyes were wide in shock and fear.
His mother was already moving again.
"Rope," she muttered quickly.
Kade blinked.
"The rope, over there," she panted softly, pointing to a rope Kade had been staring at before. But he was frozen in a spot in shock.
She went for the rope before he could respond and worked quickly, hauling the unconscious grandmother into a chair.
Within seconds she had the rope wrapped tightly around the woman's arms and torso, binding her firmly to the wooden frame.
Only when she finished did she finally step back.
Kade leaned heavily against the counter, dragging a hand through his hair as he struggled to breathe.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded hoarsely.
His chest was still rising and falling too fast.
His grandmother sat motionless in the chair with her head hanging forward.
The rope creaked slightly as she shifted weakly.
Max stood near the doorway, clutching Kade's phone with trembling hands.
Their mother didn't answer.
Instead, she rushed across the kitchen and yanked open one of the cabinets.
She grabbed a bag and began stuffing food into it in a hurry.
She shuffled through canned beans, dry packets, and water bottles.
Kade frowned. "Mom, what are you doing?" He trembled slightly.
She didn't stop. When she finally spoke, it was quiet. "It's starting," she said.
Kade stared at her. "What is starting?"
There was no response from her. She grabbed another container and shoved it into the bag.
Kade's frustration boiled over.
"Mom!" he snapped. "What is going on?"
His mother paused for the first time. She looked up at him with an expression he had never seen on her before. It was an expression of fear.
"Get Max," she said quickly. "And grab a bag. Pack clothes."
"What?"
"Hurry, Kade!"
Outside, a loud crash echoed through the street and was followed by screaming. Real screaming.
Kade's stomach twisted.
He moved to the window and peeked through the curtain. People were running. Cars were swerving wildly through the street. Someone was shouting for help.
"What the hell is happening out there?" he muttered.
Another scream echoed closer this time. His mother grabbed his arm.
"Kade." Her voice was firm. "We don't have time. Go."
Kade hesitated only a second before grabbing Max's hand.
"Come here, Max."
The boy's small fingers clung tightly to his. Max was crying now.
"Kade… what's wrong with Grandma?" the little one whispered.
Kade swallowed hard.
"I don't know," he admitted.
They rushed down the hallway toward their room.
Kade yanked open the closet and began grabbing clothes.
He stuffed them into an old travel bag while Max stood nearby wiping his eyes.
"Hey," Kade said softly.
Max looked up.
"It's going to be okay."
Even as he said it, Kade wasn't sure he believed it.
The screams outside were getting louder.
Somewhere nearby something heavy smashed against metal.
Kade zipped the bag shut and grabbed Max's shoulders. "Stay close to me, okay?"
Max nodded weakly.
They hurried back to the kitchen. Their mother was waiting with two packed bags. Kade set his down.
"Mom," he called softly. She looked up. "What did you mean when you said it's starting?"
For a moment she didn't speak.
Then she stepped closer and cupped his face in both hands. "We need to look for a way to leave the Rift," she said quietly.
His heart skipped. "What?"
His mother continued, "We have to get to the outskirts."
"Why?"
Her eyes darted toward the window.
"Because one way or another," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "we need to reach The Scepter."
Kade stared at her like she had lost her mind.
"You can't be serious."
She shook her head and sighed. "Kade, trust me, the only way is to go through the iron wall and into The Scepter."
"The Iron Wall?" he interrupted. "You think we can just walk in there?" His voice rose. "They'll shoot us before we even get close!"
Max sniffled quietly beside them. Their mother sighed and looked around the room.
"There's a lot I need to tell you," she said.
"Then tell me, Mom!"
"But there isn't time."
Max tugged on her sleeve. She immediately looked down.
Max's eyes were filled with tears as he asked, "What's happening to Grandma?"
The question hung like a heavy rock in the air. Their mother looked toward the kitchen and Kade followed her gaze.
His grandmother was slumped in the chair, still bound by the rope.
Her chest rose and fell slowly. Kade's throat tightened.
"What are we going to do with her?" he asked.
His mother swallowed thickly. "We have to leave her."
Kade blinked. "What?"
"The next twenty-four hours will decide what happens to her."
"What does that even mean?"
But she was already grabbing the bags. "Come on."
Kade stood there for a moment longer before finally picking up his own bag.
Max clung tightly to his side and they stepped outside.
The Rift had become a nightmare. People were running everywhere. Some were screaming. Some were laughing hysterically.
Some were smashing themselves against walls. A car crashed into a streetlamp across the road with a deafening bang.
Max cried out and buried his face in Kade's chest. Then something roared overhead.
Kade looked up just in time to see a passenger plane descending far too fast.
The engine screamed as it tilted sharply toward the ground.
"Oh my God."
The plane vanished behind a row of buildings.
A second later the explosion rocked the district.
Fire erupted into the sky several blocks away. Max screeched in terror.
Kade wrapped his arms around him and shielded the boy's eyes.
"It's okay," he whispered desperately.
But nothing about this was okay. The streets were chaotic. People were running in every direction. Some were convulsing on the pavement.
One man nearby was slamming his head repeatedly against a parked car while foam dripped from his mouth. Kade felt his stomach turn.
His mother grabbed his sleeve and yanked him. "Stay close," she said sharply. "And hold your brother tight."
Kade nodded. They moved quickly down the street.
Suddenly a man stepped directly into their path.
He stopped and stared at them with blood covering his face.
Kade's heart dropped. He recognized him as their upstairs neighbor.
The man's lips curled into a strange smile.
A baton hung loosely in his hand.
"Kade…" his mother whispered.
The man took a slow step toward them and Kade instinctively stepped back.
"Mom," he responded softly. His heart was about to leap out of his chest.
The man's smile widened. He snarled softly, and suddenly, he lunged.
"Move!" Kade shouted.
He dove sideways, clutching Max tightly as the man charged forward again.
Max screamed in his arms.