Disclaimer:The characters in this story are not my creations and are borrowed from the works of Stepehnie Meyers. All rights to the original characters belong to their respective creators and copyright holders. However, the plot and narrative presented in this story are entirely my own.

AN: Hey all, hope you are enjoying the story so far, from now on I will try to upload a chapter a day until the story is done. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 3 Bella's Pov

We began to descend from our hiding spot. There were at least 15 people in the courtyard, ranging in age from about 16 to 25 years old. I approached the eldest-looking one and asked if they had room for two more. With a downcast expression, he said, "We need as much help as we can get. I'm Emmett. Anything you can stack, just add it against that wall."

"What's the overall plan?" I asked.

"There's no real plan," he admitted. "We just want to build a shelter to give us a sense of safety. We all live on the street, so we have nowhere to go."

A wave of dread washed over me, but I forced myself to stay calm for Alice''s sake. I checked my watch. According to the time frame from the broadcast, we had about 20 minutes left to build the makeshift shelter.

They were using crates, old pallets, and cinder blocks they'd found on the streets and in nearby alleys. The two adjacent buildings were the only things really holding the structure together. With five minutes to spare, the shelter was as complete as it could be, and we all huddled inside as quietly as possible.

The sirens and the panic in the streets were still audible, but the alleyway courtyard was eerily silent, as if the chaos was happening all around us but not here. Through the gaps in the pallets and crates, we could see that no one had entered the courtyard since my sister and I had joined the group.

Minutes later, we felt a huge explosion in the distance. From our position in the alleyway, we couldn't see what had caused it. Something came over me then, and I volunteered to go take a look.

I remembered the gun I kept in my duffle bag. I had purchased it the day I turned 19. Tammy, Alice, and I were three women with no man to protect us, so I gladly took on that role. My underground fighting experience had even introduced me to veterans and soldiers on leave who provided combat training—for a price.

I retrieved the gun, climbed out of the makeshift hatch we'd built at the top of the shelter, and grabbed hold of the damaged ladder leading to the nearest fire escape. I began climbing to the rooftop.

Once at the top, I looked around. There was no fire, no smoke, no flames—just darkness. I ran to the other side of the roof and saw a man. He was tall, and beside him was what looked like a woman, judging by her build. Her head was covered, and he was dragging her into a ground-floor apartment.

Something about him drew me in. I couldn't explain why, but every instinct in me told me to follow him.

I climbed back down the fire escape to the structure and looked at the group, unsure of how to explain what we were up against. All I could say was, "My sister and I are leaving. If any of you want to come with us, we have to go now."

There was a pull inside me—a deep, unexplainable sense—that told me exactly where I needed to go.

Alice looked at me with a confused stare. "What do you mean we're leaving?"

"Ali, do you trust me?" I asked.

"You know I do, but where are we going? And what about everyone in here?"

I glanced around the group before responding. "As I said before, anyone who wants to come with us is welcome. But I'll be honest—this shelter won't protect you forever. There's no food, no water, and we don't know how long this situation will last. What I do know is that we need to figure out what we're dealing with if we want any chance of beating it, and we can't learn that here."

I paused, scanning the makeshift room. "Something else I know is that some of us might not survive this. We have to be honest with ourselves—are we going to stay here and wait to die, or are we going to fight to protect ourselves?"

I turned to Alice. "I saw a man dragging a woman with a bag over her head into the building one alley over. Everything in me is telling me that's how we'll find out what we're dealing with. I can feel it in my bones."

One of the older girls spoke up. "So, you want us to follow you based on a gut feeling? A hunch?"

I met her gaze. "I'm not asking anyone to do anything except my sister. I have fighting and basic combat experience, but I can't protect all of you. You're free to make your own choice. I'm just being transparent so everyone knows the risks."

Emmett spoke up, his voice steady. "She's right. Staying here isn't going to save us. This won't even protect us if it rains." He looked at me and said, "Okay, I'm with you." Emmett, along with a young man who introduced himself as Jasper, were the only ones from the group who decided to come with us.