The creature moved.
Slow.
Heavy.
With each step—
click.
Snap.
Crunch.
There was no flow—no fluidity—to it.
Every step, it shifted. Like pieces dragging each other forward.
Weight transferring—
lagging—
then catching up.
Every movement sounded wrong—something pretending to be alive.
It stepped closer.
Closer.
Closer—
No one moved.
We couldn't.
That… thing…
It filled the corridor.
Air thick—breath shallow.
Then—
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang
gunfire.
From behind.
Sharp and precise.
Rounds tore through the creature's chest—
punching holes clean through.
Chunks of metal—flesh—whatever it was—exploded outward.
The creature froze—Dead still.
There was hope—
For a second…
Then—
The holes moved; spiders crawled—wiggling, pouring—
Filling the gaps—
stitching it back together.
Rebuilding—reforming.
Like it had never been hit.
The creature turned—sluggish.
Deliberate.
A woman stood behind it.
She seemed about my age. But she was wearing a military uniform—was she a soldier? The part that instantly stood out to me was the red bandana tied around her neck.
Is she part of—
That… MEI?
Nevertheless—
Rifle raised.
Eyes sharp.
She didn't hesitate.
A charge built at the barrel—
bright—
unstable.
She squeezed the trigger.
A beam tore through the hallway—glowing a magnificent gold—
slammed into the creature's torso and blew a hole clean through it.
Bigger this time.
Violent.
It staggered.
Different to before.
It was struggling to maintain its balance.
There was a pause—an opportunity.
The girl's lips curled.
"Okay…"
She adjusted her stance.
"This might work."
The hole closed.
Spiders swarming—
faster now.
Desperate.
Repairing.
The creature took a step towards her.
Its foot slammed into the wooden floorboards.
She aimed lower.
Fired.
One leg exploded.
Then another.
The creature dropped—
crashing to the floor—
but didn't stop.
It crawled.
Dragging itself forward.
Still coming.
"MOVE!" The girl shouted.
"FOLLOW ME!"
We moved—finally—feet slammed against the floor.
We ran past the thing—
through the corridor—
into the nearest room.
An abandoned classroom.
Desks overturned.
Chairs scattered.
Dammit, we're back where we started—another classroom.
The soldier slammed the door shut.
"Help me barricade it!"
We pushed everything we could find against it.
Desks, cabinets, whatever would hold.
Shortly after, everyone returned to groups—outlining the edges of the room again.
Krista remained by my side.
I looked at her, and she smiled back.
It gave the urge—
The need—
To awaken the power.
Protect Krista.
I couldn't let her…
Those things…
Burrow.
Tear.
Devour.
I tried—
forced it.
Come on.
COME ON—
Nothing.
No light.
No heat.
No purple.
Every muscle in my body tensed up—cramped.
I ground my teeth—
Hard.
COME ON.
Nothing.
Just—
No.
That's not enough.
What can I do without it?
My chest tightened.
…why…
I clenched my fist.
Why won't it work?
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
My breath hitched.
"You ok, George?"
Everything loosened.
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm… fine."
Her eyes narrowed.
"There's… something I—"
The woman tapped her comm.
"Himiko—come in."
Static.
"…Himiko?"
Nothing.
"Himiko!"
Silence.
She lowered it.
"…Shit."
"Everything alright?" I asked.
"Don't worry. Equipment's acting up. It'll be back soon. What are your names?"
"George."
"Krista."
The woman smiled gently.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Miko. I work for the Ministry of Extraterrestrial Investigation. I'm here to get you out of here."
"What the hell is going on?"
"Aliens came out of nowhere—"
As the woman spoke, I felt something—
Strange.
My hand was shaking—no.
Not shaking…
Vibrating.
Then it moved up.
Up to my wrist—
my arm
I frowned—pulled up my sleeve.
A spider.
Small.
Black.
Sitting on my skin.
Watching.
I froze.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't move.
It didn't move.
Didn't make a sound.
Just watched.
The walls reverberated—the ground shook.
Thumping
getting louder—
Louder.
Closer.
Then stopped—
suddenly.
There was a moment of painful silence.
The door creaked.
SMASH!
The door splintered.
The spider on my arm twitched.
Like it was listening—no.
Like it was feeling.
"George—" Krista started—
The door exploded inward.
Wood shattered.
Desks flipped.
The creature forced its way through—
followed by a flood of spiders.
Miko fired.
Rapid.
Precise.
Rounds slammed into it—
again—
again—
again—
The crystal on her rifle flickered.
Cracked.
Shattered.
Dead.
"…Shit."
She dropped it.
Didn't hesitate—pulled a knife.
And ran straight at it.
"MIKO—!"
Too late.
She was already moving.
Fast.
Fluid.
The creature swung—
She slipped under it.
She shimmered—faded into nothing.
Invisible.
My breath caught.
"…what—"
She reappeared—
just for a second—
blade flashing—
then vanished again.
Strikes.
Precise.
Targeted.
Tendons.
Joints.
Weak points.
The creature faltered—
dropped to one knee.
Then both.
It stilled.
Miko reappeared, chest rising and falling heavily. Knife lowered.
She flashed me a smile.
"I've got it."
She disappeared again.
Relief flooded my chest—
too soon.
Spiders began climbing—
up thin air.
Miko.
They latched onto nothing—
and were kicked away mid-air.
The creature—
moved.
Just slightly.
Rising.
Could Miko see it?
feel it?
Maybe—
An arm shot out.
Fast.
Too fast to react.
It grabbed her.
Mid-breath.
Invisible.
Crushing.
She screamed.
"Miko!"
She struggled.
Kicked.
Twisted.
flickering—
But it didn't matter.
She was already in its grasp—wait…
The one on my arm twitched again.
That's how.
That's how it finds us.
"Miko—!"
She forced her arm free—
knife still in hand—
and stabbed.
Again.
Again.
Scraps—
Flesh—
Dry blood—
sprayed.
She was desperate.
Like a wild animal, moving on pure instinct.
"I—won't—die!"
It didn't react.
Didn't feel pain.
It—
tilted its head.
Eyes shifting.
Like it was trying to understand.
Miko froze.
For a second.
Just a second.
"…no…"
Her voice dropped.
I saw it in her eyes.
Recognition.
Fear.
"That thing…"
Her grip tightened.
"…it's like—"
Her eyes widened
Something inside her fired up.
Rage flickered—
fought with fear—
"SYLVA—"
Too late.
The creature moved.
And threw her.
Hard.
She smashed through desks—
into the wall—
cracked it.
Then dropped.
Still.
Blood ran down her forehead—over her closed eyes.
"Miko…?"
No response.
Spiders poured in.
Flooded the room.
Students screamed—
cut off—
engulfed.
Swallowed whole.
Buried beneath black.
Still moving.
Still alive—
I think.
I hope.
Krista grabbed my arm.
We stepped back until we could no longer.
The wall—
It stopped us in our tracks.
Nowhere left to run.
No one to save us now.
We were the only ones left.
The only ones not—
taken.
The only ones still standing.
The creature turned.
Again.
At me.
Always me.
Silence.
The halls were silent.
Empty.
Even outside—the MEI base, now surrounded.
Dead silent.
It was different.
Not calm.
Not quiet.
Dead.
Soldiers whispered.
No one laughed anymore.
No one smiled.
Distant gunfire echoed—
every few seconds.
Each time—
flinches.
Subtle.
Unavoidable.
Himiko walked through the base.
Eyes on her—
then away.
No one said anything.
What was there to say?
She felt it.
That weight.
That creeping thought—
This is it.
We fought so hard…
Made so much progress.
Every time, it's like they're one step ahead.
Is this how it ends?
Her clenched fist tightened.
Where are they?
The purple one.
The red one.
The ones who showed up—
changed everything—
then disappeared.
Were they ever on our side?
The thought lingered.
"Side? You see sides here?"
"There are no sides—just you… and everyone else."
Her breath hitched.
…Was he right?
Had she—
misunderstood everything?
Used.
Played.
A pawn.
Her chest tightened.
Then—
another image.
Burned into her mind.
A figure—
wrapped in a fluorescent purple glow.
Just like a miniature sun.
Standing over her in Rengappon—at her lowest.
Looking back—
and raising two fingers.
A peace sign.
Simple.
Casual.
Human.
Her jaw set.
No.
She shook her head.
Hard.
Rejected it.
"He saved me for a reason."
Her voice—quiet, but firm.
"He's on our side."
She stood up.
Straightened.
Grip steady.
"…He's out there."
"He has to be."
I tried again.
Forced it.
That feeling.
That power.
Come on.
Come on—
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
My hands shook.
My chest burned.
"I can't…"
My voice cracked.
"I can't do anything…"
The creature stepped closer.
Dragging.
Unstoppable.
I felt it then.
The truth.
Without it—
without that power—
I was nothing.
Useless.
A weight.
A liability.
My vision blurred.
Tears.
"…I can't even help anyone…"
My knees weakened.
"I can't even—"
A hand grabbed mine.
Warm.
Firm.
I looked up.
Krista.
Tears in her eyes.
But she was smiling.
Not fake.
Not forced.
Real.
Even now.
Even here.
"Hey," she said softly.
I stared at her.
She squeezed my hand.
"You're here."
A beat.
"That's enough."