That night, Adrianna stayed over at Jason’s apartment. The horror movie had ended hours ago, but the two of them had drifted into easy conversation until sleep slowly crept in. Adrianna eventually dozed off on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, her laptop still open beside her.

Jason, passing by the coffee table on his way to the kitchen, glanced at the screen. It looked like she had been working on a story. He scrolled up a little, curiosity tugging at him.

The main character walked into the grocery shop and was ambushed.

Jason frowned, but as the next lines unfolded, his interest faded. Just another one of Adrianna’s creative ideas, he figured. He set the laptop aside.

Adrianna stirred awake a little later, stretching as she sat up. She wandered to the fridge and peered inside. “We’re out of groceries,” she muttered.

“I’ll go get some,” Jason said immediately.

“You sure? I can—”

“Relax,” Jason interrupted with a smile. “I’ve got it.”

She shrugged, still half-asleep. “Okay. Don’t take too long.”

The streets were quiet in the early hours, washed in the pale light of morning. Something about the silence unsettled him. His senses prickled—an uneasy, crawling feeling in his gut. Still, he pushed it aside and stepped into the small grocery store down the street.

The place was nearly empty. Jason grabbed what they needed quickly, tossing items into a basket. Bread, milk, fruit… nothing out of the ordinary.

At the register, the cashier rang him up without much expression—until the end. She handed him his change and said, almost cheerfully, “Thank you for shopping with us… Atomic Man.”

Jason froze. His mind went blank for a second. “What did you—”

The explosion cut him off.

A deafening blast ripped through the store, shattering glass and hurling Jason backward. Smoke and dust choked the air. His ears rang as he staggered to his feet. Through the haze, a figure stepped in—wearing a gas mask.

It was Erik.

Jason’s shock barely had time to register before his brother charged him. They clashed in the rubble, fists and bursts of energy colliding in quick, brutal exchanges.

“This is insane!” Jason shouted between blows.

But the air was filling with something thick, metallic, and wrong. The gas seeped into Jason’s lungs. His head spun. His movements slowed.

Through the haze of confusion, another figure entered the ruined store. Adrianna.

Jason’s relief lasted only a heartbeat—until she looked at him with cold, unreadable eyes and said softly, “Sorry, Jason.”

Darkness closed in.