Through Broken Glass

As they made their way toward the police station, the journey felt longer with every step. The air grew colder, and a strange silence settled around them, broken only by the occasional distant rumble or the crackle of fire somewhere far off. The world around them seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something, anything, to happen. 

The once-bustling streets now looked like remnants of a life they would never return to. Buildings stood tall, but their windows were shattered, their walls crumbling, as if the city itself had become a skeleton of what it used to be.

The further they walked, the worse it got. What started as the occasional overturned car became entire streets blocked off with burning debris. Some buildings were in ruin, others simply gutted from within, as if something had torn through them. The destruction was like a wave, growing stronger and more chaotic with every step they took toward the heart of the city.

Evelyn walked quietly beside Zane, her hand gripping his arm tighter as they passed through the wreckage. She didn't speak, but Zane could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Even the elves, previously composed, now seemed to hold their guard up more than usual. Whatever was happening, it was clearly escalating.

They reached the police station after short walk. It loomed in front of them, its usually proud structure now a shadow of its former self. The once pristine building, a symbol of law and order, was now barricaded, a crude patchwork of wooden planks nailed hastily over the front door. The windows had been shattered, and the glass had either fallen inside or been cleared away, leaving jagged edges that caught the dim light from the streetlamps.

Kade walked up to the barricade and ran a hand along the rough wood, his fingers tracing the nails driven into the makeshift barricade. "This doesn't feel right," he muttered under his breath. "Why would they lock themselves in?" He paused, his mind racing, trying to make sense of the situation. "As police officers, wouldn't they be the most equipped in the city to deal with this destruction?"

He stood there for a moment, thinking it through. Sure, goblins, moles, wolves …everything they'd seen so far seemed like a nightmare come to life, but the police? They had weapons, gear, bulletproof and stabproof vest. They were trained to handle chaos, to confront danger head-on. If the police couldn't cope with this, even for a little while, then what chance did regular people like him have?

The thought gnawed at Kade. If the trained officers couldn't hold it together, what did that say about the rest of the city? What about the people trying to survive without the resources or the training to defend themselves? The military wasn't here yet, and it felt like Earth had suddenly found itself standing alone in the middle of a war it never saw coming. It was a sobering realization, one that made him question whether survival was even possible.

He shifted his weight, frustration mounting as he stared at the barricade. "If they couldn't hold their ground," Kade muttered, shaking his head, "then how are any of us supposed to survive?"

Zane stepped forward, his brow furrowed in thought, but then a grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "Why bother with the front door?" he said with a dry chuckle. "It's the end of the world, right? What's the worst they could do, put me in a cell for safety? That would actually be kind of nice right about now." He shook his head as if dismissing the weight of the situation, clearly trying to make light of it, but Kade saw through the mask of humor. Zane was just as unsettled as the rest of them.

Without another word, Zane reached for a large rock lying on the ground nearby. He hefted it up and, with one solid swing, smashed it against the glass. The sharp crack of shattering glass echoed in the heavy silence, and Zane immediately ducked, expecting to be caught by some alarm or a guard inside. But nothing. It was eerily still.

He peered through the broken window, the jagged edges still vibrating with the impact. What he expected to see was an empty lobby. Maybe overturned furniture, a few abandoned desks. But what he actually saw sent a shock through his body, the sight momentarily freezing him in place.

A line of pistols, gleaming under the dull light, were trained right at him. The cold metal reflected the faint glow of the streetlights. In the dim room beyond the window, two officers stood with their guns pointed directly at his head, their eyes unwavering, alert. They were hidden in the shadows, silent and still, but their presence was unmistakable.

Zane's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively raised his hands halfway, trying to show he wasn't a threat, but his mind raced, trying to process everything. The reality of the situation hit him in full force. The world outside had become a war zone, and he was standing on the edge of a new reality, one that was more dangerous than he could have imagined.

"Well... this is awkward"