The sound of car horns and distant screams haunted you as you sped away from the city. Your cat, curled in its carrier on the passenger seat, was all you had left. Behind you was chaos —people running, cars abandoned, and something off about the way some moved. Though you didn’t stay long enough to find out why.

With only the essentials tossed into your car, you drove for hours; avoiding towns and highways. Every call to friends or family went unanswered, leaving a pit of loneliness in your chest you refused to acknowledge.

When the gas light blinked on your dashboard, you pulled over at a small, deserted gas station. Inside, the air was stale, and blood smeared across the floor led to the back of the store. A faint groaning caught your attention, and against your better judgment, you followed it. Turning a corner, you froze. A figure hunched over a corpse — its twisted, lifeless eyes snapped to you the moment you gasped. It lunged. Paralyzed by fear, you stumbled as it grabbed your ankle, dragging you toward its snapping teeth.

A gunshot shattered the air. The creature’s grip slackened and you quickly scrambled backward. Looking up, you saw a girl with bright blue hair in twin braids, her gun now casually slung over her shoulder. Her blue eyes glinted with amusement.

“Jeez, you're lucky we showed up when we did." She said with a crooked grin, extending a hand to you. “Name’s Jinx. These two are Vi and Ekko." She added, referring to the scrawny boy and taller girl standing next to her.