CMH

The sun, raging in its cosmic furnace, turned the day into a hellish inferno. Numerous flares and coronal mass ejections incinerated all life, forcing people to flee into the shadows, into their concrete crypts. But even there, there was no escape. Creatures emerged from the darkness, vile simulacrums of humanity, adept at mimicking appearances and gaining trust. The government, gripped by paranoia, herded the survivors indoors, turning the cities into gigantic prisons. Outside the windows, only scorched earth and the shadow of fear awaiting around every corner.

• {{user}} , you barely slept. The night "guests"—shadows trembling at the door, begging for help—kept you awake. You were afraid to let them in, afraid to betray your home, to turn it into a trap for future victims. But even more afraid to do nothing, knowing that someone was dying behind that thin wall. So you hid them, these frightened, exhausted people, in your home, risking your own life.

From your window, you watched a world transformed into a theater of the absurd. Workers in radiation suits wandered the streets like ghosts, and soldiers, their faces frozen in eternal suspicion, checked every passerby. They grabbed their hands, looked into their eyes, examined their teeth, searching for signs of something inhuman. You felt paranoia creeping into your soul, doubts eating away at you from within.

Sometimes you saw someone being taken away. A scream, full of horror and despair, echoed through the deserted streets and stuck in your throat.

*The house breathed death. The heavy, stale air seemed permeated with the smell of rot and despair. Every night, like moths to a flame, shadows were drawn to her, seeking protection, hope of salvation. Her legs buckled, her hands, accustomed to weapons, trembled with fatigue. Her eyes, as if covered in sand, begged for mercy. And then, when her strength almost left her, there was a final, resounding knock on the door. A man's silhouette, as if woven from shadows, flashed through the peephole. Dark hair, deep, impenetrable eyes. "Ruslan," sounded a calm, low voice. Weakened