— ERIK HELEN

  I opened my eyes, disoriented. Everything was red—flashing lights, distorted alarms.My body felt heavy, numb.

  When I tried to get up, a horrific pain exploded inside my head.

  Echoes. Shapeless murmurs, whispering inside me as if trying to tear me open from within.

  My heart raced.My legs gave out, and I dropped to my knees, gasping.

  I felt my veins burning, as if something were crawling beneath my skin.

  Amid the mental cacophony, I recognized her voice:

  “Erik! You… are you okay?”

  I tried to answer, but the sound that came out of my mouth wasn’t mine.It was distorted. Unnatural.

  I saw fear in her eyes.

  She was holding something shiny in her hand… and approaching slowly.

  When her hands touched my shoulders, I felt a sting in my neck.

  The world began to fade, and everything stopped.

  ---

  — LUNA HELEN

  Hearing Erik’s voice… after everything… made me want to cry.But within seconds, joy turned into panic.

  He dropped to his knees, clutching his chest as if it were about to burst.The voice that came out of him didn’t sound human.

  My stomach turned to ice.

  I knew what this meant.I had seen this happen on the bus.

  I looked at the drawer.The anesthetic injector was there—the same one Dr. Helena had given me some time ago.

  I remember hoping I would never need to use it.

  But now… there was no choice.

  I approached, even while trembling.He didn’t look like my brother in that moment.Crimson veins glowed beneath his skin, pulsing like living serpents.

  I pressed the injector against his neck and squeezed.

  “Please… work…”

  Seconds later, his body relaxed.The veins lost strength, shrinking.

  I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.

  I went into the corridor—the wheelchair I had seen on the way here was still where I remembered.I pushed it back, placed Erik into it, adjusted the straps, and secured his arms and torso with the safety braces.I didn’t want to… but I had to.

  That’s when I heard screams coming from the room next door.

  My heart froze.

  What happened to Erik……was happening throughout the entire facility.

  I didn’t know the exact number of people in comas.But there were hundreds in this installation alone.

  And now, one by one…

  …they were waking up.

  ---

  — General Edmond Crox

  I was seated in the operations room, in a meeting with the council—what was left of it, at least.

  Four of our members had to be placed into comas after showing the first symptoms.

  Now there were only three of us left: myself, Dr. Helena, and Dr. Lucas Varela, head of robotics.

  We were discussing the progress of the Power Armour project.

  Dr. Lucius was visibly tense. His fingers tapped endlessly against his tablet—a tic he only showed when he was truly worried.

  He insisted that prolonged exposure to the mist was altering the volunteers’ mental patterns—small anomalies, micro-lapses, unstable neurological responses.

  But Dr. Helena remained firm.According to her, the latest tests had been promising, and despite the risks, the project was our best chance at survival.

  She spoke with her usual cold, precise tone, but even so, it was clear she was at her limit too.

  I, however, couldn’t fully focus on the discussion.My mind kept hammering on Luna’s words.

  I saw that thing on the monitors.

  I repeated that silently at least ten times.It was true—I had seen it. And what I saw should not exist.

  The physical destructive capability of that creature was monstrous on its own.But what kept me awake at night…

  …was what Luna described about people nearby being corrupted within moments.

  I had tried to rationalize it, to find some scientific explanation—anything that could make it comprehensible.

  But there was no explanation.It was simply irrational.Something that did not belong in our world—and yet, it was here.

  I looked at the two of them seated at the table and realized the gravity of the situation in a cruel way:

  Four council members were already in comas.

  Now only three remained:Myself, Dr. Helena, and Dr. Lucius.

  And looking at those two—some of the most capable humans I had ever known…

  …I had no idea how humanity was going to survive this.

  As we were wrapping up the meeting, multiple alarms went off at once.Shrill sounds ricocheted through the operations room, warning lights flashing red.

  PROXIMITY ALERT — appeared in massive letters on one of the main screens.

  My stomach sank.

  I grabbed the intercom immediately.

  “This is General Edmond Crox. All five remaining units currently available: prepare for immediate mobilization. Code red.”

  As my voice echoed through the loudspeakers, I felt the atmosphere grow even heavier.

  Dr. Helena stood up almost instantly, command badge already in hand.

  “Sir, permission to deploy the Power Armours.”

  She was serious. Determined.This was the moment she feared—and had been preparing for—for months.

  “Permission granted,” I replied without hesitation.

  Dr. Lucius stepped forward, pale.

  “But sir… the tests aren’t finished yet! Exposure to the mist, the neurological failures—”

  “We have no other option!” I cut him off, louder than I intended.

  The alarms filled every inch of the room.The lights flickered.The entire building seemed to tremble.

  “If we don’t act now, there won’t be any system left to finish tests on,” I added, more quietly.

  Lucius’s gaze wavered, but he didn’t argue.

  Time to impact was dropping exponentially.

  30s, 20s, 10s…

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  We felt the impacts coming from Sector 1.

  The sound was so strong the ceiling shook, dust falling from the pipes.

  Our defense system was useless.

  The thing was flying too fast, piercing through barriers as if they were made of glass.

  Using its own body like a torpedo, it ignored everything in its path—reinforced walls, electronic sentries, containment drones.

  Nothing stopped it.

  Watching through the monitors, I saw again that creature resembling a deformed falcon.

  But it wasn’t the same one we saw during the Unit 7 incident.

  Now it was even larger.

  It easily exceeded twelve meters in height, not counting the wings—twisted bone structures covered by torn membranes, spreading crimson miasma as if it were part of the creature itself.

  It had breached the external area of Sector 1.

  We mobilized the entire robotic unit and several snipers positioned in the internal towers.

  Even so, the damage caused had yet to be calculated.

  All our energy was being drained just to contain that thing.

  The main generator oscillated with every blow it struck against the armor.

  The laser cannons demanded enormous power to maintain continuous fire—and even they could only inflict light injuries on the creature.

  All our weaponry could do was slow it down.

  ---

  — Dr. Helena

  I ran through the corridors of Sector 2, alarms blaring alongside the echo of explosions from the floor above.

  I needed to reach Sector 3 as fast as possible.

  The power support was on the verge of collapse.

  Wall panels flashed red, displaying successive current failures.

  We were already at critical level.

  Entering the elevator, I quickly typed the access code for floor 3.

  My fingers trembled so much I almost missed the sequence.

  The system flickered, froze, rebooted… until it finally worked.

  The elevator began descending with violent jolts.

  For a moment, I thought it would stop halfway.

  But the doors opened.

  And before me stood my unit—all already equipped, aligned, silent.

  Emergency lights reflected off the metal of the Power Armours, creating a golden, threatening glow.

  Every man and woman there had the same look: determination forged by desperation.

  Ready to face whatever was coming.

  None of them asked if they would survive.

  They were only waiting for my orders.

  ---

  — Captain Anthony Welkers

  When the alarms sounded, I gathered the entire unit here.

  There were six of us—the best from each division, trained to face whatever came.

  Almost all of us had relatives or friends in Sector 1.

  We knew many were in comas…

  Our fight was bigger than any one of us.

  We could not fail.

  We put on the Power Armours.

  Each metallic coupling sealed around the body with a heavy sound, as if we were stepping into metal tombs.

  We waited for authorization from Dr. Helena, head of research for our unit.

  Only she knew how to activate the aureate compound.

  The golden liquid bubbled inside the pressurized cylinders—like molten living gold, pulsing. It was beautiful and oppressive at the same time.

  I didn’t know exactly what it was—but I knew what it did.

  It gave us resistance to the crimson mist.

  It would allow us to fight the creatures without being instantly corrupted.

  At least, that was what we hoped.

  And only with it could we fully activate the Power Armour’s offensive systems—impact modes, energy catalysts.

  After minutes that felt like hours, Dr. Helena arrived.

  The team of scientists followed closely, carrying the compound containers and connecting pressurized tubes to the armours.

  The monitors glowed in the background, displaying the gigantic silhouette of the creature invading Sector 1.

  Everyone’s breathing grew heavy inside their helmets.

  The moment had arrived.

  ---

  — LUNA HELEN

  I didn’t know what to do, or where to go.I ran toward the elevator, but along the way I glanced through a half-open door…

  And I saw Gabriel.

  He was kneeling on the floor, crying, holding his pregnant wife in his arms.She was one of the people in a coma—and now she had awakened.

  They clung to each other, and for a moment I thought… maybe… everything was okay.

  Until she started squeezing him.Harder and harder.

  Crimson veins began to overflow beneath her skin, like living cracks.The tissue of her body tore, as if something inside was forcing its way out.

  She squeezed him so tightly that I heard a snap.A dry sound.Like bones breaking.

  Until his body went limp, collapsing in her arms.

  That’s when the woman’s belly… split open.Literally torn open down the middle.

  And from the rupture emerged the torso of a grotesque being, twisted, covered in fresh flesh and pulsing veins.The creature grabbed his legs and began devouring him right there.

  The woman cried—or what was left of her—with a completely distorted face.It was a human cry… and yet it wasn’t.

  I wanted to vomit.I covered my mouth and swallowed the bile back down.

  I fled as fast as I could.All I could hear behind me was the distorted crying of the woman…Or whatever that thing was now.

  Everything was chaos.

  Most people had locked themselves inside their rooms with their relatives or friends, thinking it would be safer that way.But that…Was proving to be a terrible idea.

  The corridors were filled with echoes:desperate screams, muffled sobs, pleas, frantic pounding against automatic doors that barely responded.Every sound reverberated through the metal walls as if the structure itself were afraid.

  I pushed Erik’s wheelchair, trying to ignore the growing weight of my breath.

  Sector 1 was now a labyrinth of shadows, electrical failures, and broken doors.

  I knew—knew for certain—that we couldn’t stay there.

  We had to leave.

  Before whatever was outside reached us.

  I turned the corner and finally saw an elevator working.

  The panel flickered, but the door was open.

  I quickened my pace.

  That’s when I heard the soft click of a door unlocking behind me.

  I looked instinctively.

  The door opened just a few centimeters, and a man fell out—or rather, dragged himself.

  He writhed on the floor with desperate urgency, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

  One of his legs… had been torn off.Not cut.Ripped off!

  “S-someone… help… please…” his voice broke, faltering.

  My body froze.

  It was a reflex.

  Instinctive terror.

  Then, before I could react, a hand—thin, twisted, almost skeletal, but with muscles trembling beneath cracked skin—reached out from the darkness of the room.The fingers bent at impossible angles, like claws.

  And dragged the man back inside.

  He clawed at the floor, leaving deep marks, trying to grab onto anything.His final scream was cut short as the door slammed shut.

  I swallowed hard.My eyes burned.My hands trembled on the wheelchair handles.

  But I ran.

  I ran as if my life depended on it—because it did.

  I reached the elevator, pushed Erik inside, and slammed the panel.The door shut with a jolt.

  The system wavered.The screen flickered with error messages.

  And then—total darkness.

  A suffocating silence.Only my ragged breathing… and Erik’s sleeping one.

  The elevator began to plummet uncontrollably, vibrating as if it were about to split in half.Emergency lights flashed, bathing the interior in red pulses as the panel showed the abrupt descent:

  Sector 1…Sector 2…Sector 3…Sector 4…?

  The number made no sense.

  As far as everyone knew, there were only three sectors.I had no idea where I was.

  The elevator shouldn’t have gone that far down.That level…

  The corridor was narrow, metallic walls closing in, the few lights flickering irregularly.

  There was only one door at the end of the corridor.Its lock sparked faintly—the access panel locking and unlocking on its own, like everything since the blackout.

  As I approached the door, I noticed the security lock was truly failing, the red light blinking erratically.Each step echoed far too loudly, betraying my presence in that place.

  When the door finally slid open with a metallic groan, I saw the interior.It was a cold room—so cold my skin prickled instantly.The lighting was dim, almost nonexistent.

  I sat down on the floor.My body simply collapsed.The adrenaline that had kept me standing evaporated all at once, leaving only exhaustion, fear, and pain throbbing in my injured knee.

  Kneeling on the floor, I cried.I cried until my throat burned and there was nothing left inside my chest.Everything was falling apart—the facility, the people, my control, my entire world.

  When I finally took a deep breath to try to stand, something broke the silence.

  Erik’s breathing shifted.It was soft at first, but began to accelerate, becoming irregular… urgently fast.

  I froze.I slowly turned my face to look at him.

  He was about to wake up… again.

  And I didn’t know if it would be my brother……or the thing trying to take his place.

  ---

  — Captain Anthony Welkers

  After Dr. Helena activated the Power Armour, it was never comfortable—but that day felt different.As soon as the aureate compound began circulating through the internal conduits, I felt heat rise through my arms and chest.

  The golden liquid vibrated softly, pulsing in sync with the armour’s core—which beat like a second heart.Each pulse made the armour respond with a subtle internal impact, almost as if the machine were breathing with me.

  It was strange.It wasn’t just technology.It felt… alive.

  We prepared to deploy.

  We used the emergency elevator that took us straight to Sector 1.

  When we arrived, everything was chaos.

  There was blood, entrails, and torn pieces of clothing scattered through the corridors, as if someone had been dragged along the corners.

  The metallic smell of blood mixed with smoke burned my nostrils.

  What is happening here?

  The attack hadn’t been limited to the external area.

  That thing was still outside… so what caused this massacre inside?

  “Lívia Carter: Captain, permission to scout ahead.”

  “Permission denied. We advance together.”

  “But Captain… my brother’s room is just a few corridors away. I… I’d like to see if everything’s okay. He was taking care of his pregnant wife…”

  Her voice trembled.

  “Sergeant, we cannot make exceptions. Whatever happened here, our mission is to stop that thing outside and prevent it from reaching Sector 2.”

  “But sir—”

  “MOVE!”

  “Yes, sir…”

  The lighting was unstable; the lights flickered three times before returning—weak, reddish.

  The medical wing was closest to the elevator, designed that way so that in an emergency, aid would be immediate.

  After that came the cafeteria, then the other rooms.

  Each was separated by reinforced metal doors.

  But with the power system fluctuating like that, I didn’t know if the locks were functioning properly.

  And, to be honest, I feared they weren’t.

  I hoped that whatever had happened here hadn’t spread… but the nervous silence in the air said otherwise.

  Something was loose in Sector 1.

  And now we were inside with it…