A Second Chance in a Doomed World

Leo stared at the symbols.

They stretched across the walls in uneven strokes, like they had been carved in a frenzy. Some were simple, resembling tally marks. Others were intricate spirals and jagged lines, looping over each other like a madman's script. The worst part? The symbols weren't just there—they pulsed.

The worst part was that these symbols weren't static; they pulsed, as if they held a life of their own, a heartbeat of something dark and unknown.

Lisa, with caution, ran her fingers over one of the symbols, only to pull her hand back quickly. "It's warm," she said, her voice laced with a mix of surprise and unease.

Leo didn't reply, his silence thick with tension. His instincts were screaming at him, a primal warning of danger that he couldn't ignore. The whispers that had followed them through the subway were gone, but the sensation of being watched, of eyes on them from somewhere unseen, was palpable.

Lisa wiped her hand on her jeans, the action more a reflex to cleanse herself of whatever energy the symbol held. Shaking her head, she murmured, "I've seen some crazy shit today, but this? What the hell is this supposed to mean?"

Leo didn't have an answer. His mind was racing, trying to piece together the fragments of this new reality. In his years of survival through the apocalypse, he had learned the rules, the patterns, the predictable chaos. 

But this? These symbols, this pulsing, warm graffiti, it wasn't part of his knowledge. whatever this was? It wasn't in his memories. It was as if whatever he knew had been rewritten, or perhaps, someone or something had changed the script, he decided to play a new game.

Leo didn't know. But deep inside, he felt a gnawing certainty—this wasn't random.

And now, they were marked.

The air around them felt charged, as if each breath they took might summon whatever entity had left these marks. Leo knew they couldn't linger. Every moment they stood there was a moment closer to whatever was coming for them.

He finally spoke, his voice low and firm, "We need to move. Now."

Lisa nodded, her earlier bravado replaced by a grim acknowledgment of their situation. They turned away from the symbols, from the pulsating threat they represented, and started walking briskly. Leo led the way, his eyes scanning every shadow, every corner, for signs of movement or more of those enigmatic marks. 

Leo and Lisa moved away from the subway entrance, weaving through the city ruins. The streets were quieter than before—too quiet.

It felt wrong.

Even in the apocalypse, there was always something. Distant gunshots, screams, looters fighting for scraps. But here? Nothing.

Lisa noticed it too. "Where is everyone?"

Leo checked the rooftops. No movement. His grip on his sword tightened.

Then, he saw them.

Figures.

Not close, not approaching—just watching.

From alleyways, from broken windows, from the rooftops above. Dozens of them, standing motionless, faces hidden by the darkness.

Lisa followed his gaze. Her breath hitched. "Leo…"

Then, like a bolt of lightning , something clicked in Leo's head. That first monster they'd encountered, the first one with the red eyes, what if it hadn't just run from them? What if it had been tricking them, leading them right into this part of the city? Or worse, what if all of New York was now teeming with this new, unknown danger?

He stepped back, eyes scanning them. They didn't move. They didn't attack. They only watched.

Lisa whispered, "What do we do?"

Leo exhaled slowly. "We don't run. We don't show fear."

They kept walking, forcing themselves not to break into a sprint. The figures remained still. But with every step, the weight of their gazes pressed heavier against Leo's mind.

Lisa kept her gun at her side, finger ready on the trigger. "This is bad."

Leo agreed. But there was no point in saying it.

They turned a corner—and the figures were gone.

Just… gone.

Lisa let out a shaky breath. "Okay. That was terrifying."

Leo wasn't listening. He was staring at the ground..

Lisa saw it too. Her voice was quiet. "What the hell is going on?"

Lisa bit her lip, scanning the area as if expecting something to jump out at them at any moment. "If this is all over the city, where do we even go?" she asked.

Leo didn't answer. Because for the first time since coming back in time, he felt something he hated.

Uncertainty.

He turned to Lisa, his face etched with urgency. 

"Change of plans, we need to leave New York now," he said.