章 275: Chapter 275
The bird appeared just after dusk, its body outlined in an unnatural red glow. It had always been the same. No one knew when it came, or why, but its arrival marked a shift in the city. People who looked up saw nothing but a flash of fire across the sky, then nothing more. Those who looked away never got to see the end.
The city of Singapore was used to strange things happening. Tourists never seemed to notice much—the flashy lights of the skyscrapers, the endless buzz of traffic, the crowds rushing from one place to the next. But then there was that bird. In the beginning, it was just a rumor, whispers between workers in the markets, a flicker of fear in the eyes of people who had seen things they couldn't explain. Then it happened again. And again.
Lian, a twenty-nine-year-old accountant, wasn't a believer in folklore or tales about the city's darker corners. She didn't care about things that didn't make sense. The world was logical, predictable. Or it had been, at least. That was until she saw it.
The day started like any other. A steady stream of figures moved through the MRT station, people swiping their cards, rushing to work. Lian stood by the ticket barrier, tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for the train. Her phone buzzed. A message from her friend, Mei: You heard about the bird? It came again.
Lian rolled her eyes and didn't bother replying. She was tired of hearing about the flaming bird—stories she dismissed as overactive imaginations and tired minds. The bird had come and gone so many times, no one bothered to think about it. The media had even stopped reporting on it, tired of scaring people with nothing but rumors. That's all it was, she thought.
It wasn't until the sun started setting that Lian realized something was different. The sky was turning an unnatural shade of red, like the clouds were burning. At first, she thought it was some sort of atmospheric phenomenon, maybe a reflection of a nearby fire or pollution. But no, it was far too bright. As the minutes passed, the redness deepened, suffusing the air with a heat that seemed to sink into her skin.
Her phone buzzed again. It was Mei: I saw it. I saw the bird, Lian.
Lian froze. Her heart rate quickened. She looked up. The glow in the sky intensified, sharper now, like a flare signaling something ominous. She tried to shake off the nervous feeling rising in her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt truly afraid, but now her body was betraying her. Her chest tightened, the pulse in her throat beating faster.
And then she saw it.
A flash, like a comet tearing across the horizon. It was massive, wings stretching out like the flames of an ancient fire, its body streaked in gold and crimson. The thing moved with purpose, descending quickly, and in an instant, it was overhead, blotting out the sky with its impossible size.
Lian's stomach churned. She wasn't sure whether to run or stay still. Some people screamed. A few tried to take photos, but the phone cameras malfunctioned. No one could capture it. The bird flapped its wings, sending gusts of heat that made the buildings tremble. People scrambled to cover, but it was clear that nothing could shield them from this nightmare.
Lian stood frozen, watching in horror as the bird circled above. It felt as if time had stopped, the city beneath it like a living thing, holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable.
A scream echoed through the air. Someone was gone. One second, they had been on the street, the next, they had vanished. Just like that. The bird's wings beat again, and the ground trembled. The noise was deafening, like an explosion in the sky, the crackle of flames reaching the ears of everyone below.
And then, it happened again. Another person gone. No warning, no reason. Just a quick flash, the bird swooping down, and then... nothing.
Lian's thoughts scrambled as panic set in. It was real. This thing wasn't a rumor, or an illusion, or a trick of the mind. It had always been real. And now, it was hungry.
People ran through the streets, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. The bird moved faster than anyone could comprehend, swooping down to take whoever it wanted. The city's lights flickered out one by one, a darkness creeping over the world. A man ran into a shop, locked the door, only to scream seconds later as the window shattered. He was pulled out. His face was frozen in terror.
Lian's legs wouldn't move. It was like the air itself had turned to stone, holding her in place. She looked around. People ran, but their screams didn't make sense anymore. They didn't sound real. It all felt wrong, like the world was slipping away from her.
Her phone buzzed. Mei again. Lian, the bird—it's after me.
Lian felt her heart leap into her throat. She typed back quickly: Where are you?
There was no reply.
The heat was unbearable now. It was like standing in the mouth of a furnace. The bird hovered above, its glow brighter than ever, casting shadows over the city that were impossible to escape. Its eyes burned like the sun, searching, watching, waiting for the next victim.
The sky cracked with the thunder of its wings. Lian took a step back, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. She had to get to Mei. She had to make sure her friend was okay. She didn't want to be alone.
But the bird seemed to sense her hesitation.
Without warning, it dived. The air split apart, and the ground trembled beneath Lian's feet. She felt the heat before she heard the sound. The ground cracked open beneath her, the building to her left erupting into flames. The bird had landed.
It was larger up close. Its body was composed of flickering, living flames, its beak sharp, its wings stretching to block out the sky. For a moment, Lian couldn't breathe. Her chest tightened, her hands trembling. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't listen. The bird tilted its head and stared at her with those eyes, burning with hunger.
Lian stumbled backward, but there was no escape. The bird's wings unfurled again, sending a blast of heat so intense that it knocked her to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, but it was too late.
Something inside her screamed, but no sound came out. The bird dove, faster than any human could react, its talons reaching down with an inhuman precision.
Lian's last thought was of Mei, and then she was gone.
But that wasn't the end.
Days later, when the fires had mostly died down, when the city had tried to resume some semblance of normality, there was a report. A strange thing was found on the rooftop of a burned-out building. They couldn't explain it.
It was Lian's phone.
The screen was cracked, but it still worked. The last message sent, typed in frantic haste: It took me. It's taking me. I can't escape.
And in the background, something else was visible in the blurry photo Lian had sent.
The bird's beak.
Blood-red.
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