The night felt wrong.
Not just dark, wrong, as if something had been taken out of its proper place and put there carelessly. The streets Davincci and Elloysa walked through were poorly lit, with streetlights either off or flickering irregularly, casting broken shadows that stretched too far across the cracked asphalt.
The sound of their own footsteps echoed too loudly.
Elloysa walked a few meters ahead, her arms crossed tightly against her body, her gaze alert and restless. Davincci followed close behind, constantly turning his head, as if expecting something to appear behind them at any moment.
— This has gone too far — he said, breaking the silence. — We've been walking for way too long.
— I know — Elloysa replied without stopping. — But I can't turn back now.
They passed a vacant lot overgrown with tall weeds and piled trash. Torn plastic bags shifted with the wind, producing a dry sound, almost like footsteps. A rusted shopping cart lay tipped on its side, and something inside it rattled when the wind hit, making Davincci flinch.
— Elloysa… — He lowered his voice. — This isn't normal.
She stopped for a moment and looked at him.
— Since when has anything been normal? — she replied tiredly. — People are disappearing, my mom is missing, the government is putting armed people on the streets… normal died a long time ago.
They resumed walking.
A few blocks later, the distant sound of muffled music began to emerge, pulsing irregularly. Colored lights flickered ahead, reflecting off nearby building walls. A nightclub stood there, far too large for that part of the city, with partially burned-out signs.
The contrast was disturbing: music, light, fun… surrounded by empty, dark streets.
— I didn't know there was a place like this here — Davincci murmured.
— Me neither — Elloysa replied, slowing her pace.
They passed in front of the club, continuing along the narrow sidewalk. That was when Davincci felt it first.
The smell.
He stopped abruptly.
— Wait.
Elloysa took two more steps before realizing he had stopped.
— What is it?
Davincci wrinkled his nose, his stomach tightening.
— Do you smell that?
She took a deep breath… and her eyes widened slightly.
The air was heavy, saturated with a metallic, strong, nauseating odor. It wasn't just rust. It wasn't just trash.
It was blood.
— It's coming from there — Elloysa said, pointing toward a narrow alley beside the club.
The alley was poorly lit, its walls stained with dampness and old graffiti. The ground was uneven, covered in dark puddles that reflected the little light available.
Davincci grabbed her arm.
— Don't go in there.
— What if my mom passed through here? — Elloysa shot back, her voice trembling. — What if someone's hurt?
— Elloysa, please… — He tightened his grip. — That smell isn't from someone hurt. It's from… a lot of things gone wrong.
She hesitated for a second.
Then pulled her arm free.
— I need to see.
She entered the alley.
Davincci cursed under his breath and followed.
With every step, the smell grew stronger, nearly suffocating. Davincci felt his throat burn, as if the air were saturated with hot metal. The silence there was absolute — no wind, no insects, no music.
After a few meters, Elloysa stopped abruptly.
To the right, there was a straight, narrow staircase leading up to a gray metal door marked with a worn red sign: EMERGENCY EXIT.
— This must lead into the club — she murmured.
— Elloysa… — Davincci tried to say, but the word died in his throat.
She pushed the door open.
The metallic creak echoed far too loudly.
And then, the world seemed to break.
The interior was lit by cold white light. The floor… wasn't a floor — it was an uneven surface of mutilated bodies, twisted limbs, soaked clothing. There was so much blood it pooled into a small lake, slowly seeping toward the corners of the room.
Some bodies were stacked. Others looked as if they'd been thrown against the walls with absurd force. Faces frozen in expressions of absolute terror.
Elloysa clapped a hand over her mouth.
Davincci felt his legs give out.
The smell was unbearable inside.
— My God… — Elloysa whispered, her voice barely audible.
Davincci couldn't speak. His brain seemed incapable of processing what he was seeing. It was too real. Too raw. It didn't feel like a crime. It felt like… slaughter.
— We… — He swallowed hard. — We have to get out. Now.
Elloysa nodded quickly, stepping back.
They closed the door and began to turn to run.
That was when the alley grew darker.
A shadow stretched out in front of them.
Davincci lifted his gaze first.
And the world seemed to freeze.
The creature was there.
Too tall. Too thin. Pale white skin stretched over impossible bones. Its smile was grotesque — the jaw opened wider than it should, completely smeared with blood, pieces of flesh still caught between crooked teeth. Visible wounds covered its face and body, as if something had tried to hurt it… and failed.
It stared at them.
Without moving.
Without blinking.
Elloysa felt Davincci's hand tremble as he instinctively grabbed hers.
Neither of them could breathe properly.
The creature slowly tilted its head to the side.
Then it began to open its mouth.
Very slowly.
The sound was wet, cracking, like bones being forced past their limit.
— Run — Davincci managed to whisper.
Elloysa didn't think.
She yanked his hand and started running.
They burst out of the alley, hearts hammering, lungs burning. For a few seconds, they heard nothing behind them.
Then, a heavy impact hit the ground.
The creature started running.
Too fast. Its steps were irregular but absurdly quick, echoing off the narrow alley walls. Davincci risked a glance back and felt panic explode inside him.
It was close.
Way too close.
— Faster! — Elloysa screamed, her voice breaking.
That was when a different sound cut through the night.
A siren.
Loud. Piercing. Approaching fast.
The moment they exited the alley, a black SWAT vehicle screeched to a halt in front of them, blocking the street. Doors flew open, weapons raised.
The creature stopped.
For a fraction of a second, it stared at them one last time… then retreated into the darkness.
One of the officers jumped out quickly, aiming his weapon toward the alley.
— You two! — he shouted. — Are you hurt?
Davincci could barely respond.
Elloysa was breathing in sobs.
— N-no… — she managed. — We're… we're okay.
The officer lowered his weapon slightly, still alert.
— Names? — he asked. — I'm Albuquerque, SWAT. You were very lucky.
Davincci stared at the dark alley, his entire body shaking.
He knew, with icy certainty, that it wasn't over.
It had only just begun.
The air was still vibrating with the distant echo of the siren when the SWAT officer lowered his weapon just enough to look directly at them.
Albuquerque's face was tense, jaw clenched, eyes far too alert for someone who believed they were safe.
— Breathe. — he said, his voice firm but controlled. — Tell me exactly what happened.
Elloysa was still shaking. Davincci stood pale, eyes locked on the alley as if expecting the creature to emerge again at any second. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Elloysa stepped forward.
— We… — she took a deep breath — smelled something strange. Really strong. It was coming from that alley. We went in and there was a staircase… a door… and inside…
Her voice faltered for a moment.
— A lot of bodies. Torn apart. Blood everywhere.
Albuquerque frowned, exchanging a quick look with another officer.
— And then?
— When we came out… — Elloysa swallowed hard — that thing appeared. Tall. White. Its mouth… full of blood. It just stared at us. Then it started following us.
As she spoke, the other officers exited the vehicle, forming a perimeter almost automatically. Two moved toward the alley entrance. Others aimed their weapons at rooftops, windows, shadows. Every movement was calculated, trained, but something in their faces revealed real tension.
— You did the right thing by running — Albuquerque said. — If that entity is still nearby, you—
He stopped mid-sentence.
The ground trembled.
Not violently. Not explosively. It was a deep, heavy impact, as if something enormous had just touched the asphalt.
One of the officers turned slowly.
— Sir…
Before he could finish, the streetlight beside them burst.
Darkness fell like a curtain.
Then it appeared.
The creature was now three times larger.
Its body had elongated impossibly, towering over the low buildings around them. Its limbs were far too thin to support that mass, yet they moved with grotesque ease. The pale skin looked tighter, cracked in places. The smile… the smile was even wider, stretched impossibly, revealing teeth coated in dark blood.
Part of its neck was simply gone — as if ripped away, leaving an irregular cavity that somehow wasn't bleeding.
Elloysa felt her legs give out.
— My God… — Davincci whispered.
The creature slowly tilted its head, observing all of them at once.
Then it charged.
It crushed the SWAT vehicle with a single sideways blow. Metal folded like paper, glass exploded into thousands of fragments. The impact threw two officers to the ground.
— FIRE! — Albuquerque shouted.
Weapons discharged almost in unison.
Entire bursts hit the creature. The sound of gunfire deafened the street. Sparks flew where bullets struck, but… nothing else. No spray of blood. No real recoil.
The bullets barely penetrated.
The creature just kept advancing, step by step, its smile never fading.
— It's not working! — one officer screamed.
— Keep firing! — Albuquerque ordered, though he already knew.
The creature slammed the ground.
One officer was hurled against a wall with enough force to crack concrete. Another had his torso crushed into the asphalt before he could even scream. A third tried to retreat but was grabbed by the arm — the dry crack of bone echoed before the body was thrown aside, lifeless.
Elloysa felt Davincci's hand tighten painfully around hers.
— Albuquerque! — she screamed.
The officer turned toward them, blood streaming from a deep gash on his forehead.
— RUN! — he bellowed. — NOW!
They didn't hesitate.
Davincci pulled Elloysa and they sprinted down the street, the sound of gunfire fading behind them. One by one, the screams stopped.
The creature killed five of the seven officers.
Albuquerque managed to dive behind a parked truck as the final shot echoed. The other surviving officer hid on the opposite side of the street, motionless, holding his breath.
The creature stood in the middle of the road for several seconds.
Then it slowly turned its head… as if listening to something no one else could hear.
Seizing the moment, Albuquerque grabbed the radio attached to his vest, his hand shaking.
— Central… — his voice faltered — this is Albuquerque, SWAT. Visual contact with the entity near the club. Conventional weapons are ineffective. I repeat: ineffective.
On the other end of the line, the silence lasted less than a second.
— This is Commander Hamilton — the firm voice replied. — Situation?
— We lost almost the entire team. — Albuquerque struggled to breathe. — The creature doesn't bleed. Doesn't react to gunfire. I… I'm injured.
Hamilton closed his eyes for a brief moment.
— Fall back immediately — he ordered. — All survivors. Do not engage.
— Sir… — Albuquerque hesitated — it's just me and one other left.
— Then hide. — Hamilton's voice was grave. — Survival is the priority now.
— Understood.
The radio crackled and went silent.
In the laboratory, Hamilton stood motionless, staring at the data on the screen. The massacre images, the reports, Y119's body… everything fit together with cruel clarity.
— Conventional bullets… — he murmured. — They were never enough.
He turned abruptly and activated the internal communicator.
— Michael. Main room. Now.
Seconds later, the scientist appeared, still adjusting his lab coat.
— We need to accelerate — Hamilton said bluntly. — Notify all laboratories. I want specialized weapons. Ammunition with controlled density. Carbon at the exact value.
Michael's eyes widened.
— That will take—
— We don't have time — Hamilton cut him off. — These things are already on the streets.
He took a deep breath.
— And now… the world either knows it or is about to.
The camera would slowly pull away from the laboratory, while across the city, sirens echoed in the distance… and something impossible continued to roam free in the darkness.