My brain couldn’t process what had just happened.The pressure suddenly began to fade; I felt the air return to my lungs, and the crushing weight on my body slowly disappeared. When I finally managed to lift my head, I saw that he was approaching.

  His steps were slow and calm, as if none of it had been extraordinary.

  His arm was dripping.Blood from the creature ran almost to his elbow, marking every movement. It made his presence even more terrifying.

  He stopped right in front of me and extended his arm—still covered in blood—toward me. I closed my eyes, expecting the worst. But when I looked again, he was just standing there, as if he wanted to help me up.I was surprised and a little embarrassed, but I accepted. I grabbed his bloodstained arm. My body wanted to recoil, but I fought the instinct and kept holding on.

  When I stood up, we walked together toward the door.The expressions of shock on everyone’s faces almost made me laugh. I know, I know… it wasn’t the moment for that. But I was so happy that, despite so many losses, we were still alive.

  Clary ran toward me, her eyes red and teary, bombarding me with questions.The younger siblings were in a corner, being tended to by Kharib.Fagus was on the other side, smoking a cigarette—and I saw his eyebrows rise when he realized that Saklas and I had come out of there unscathed.

  I explained to everyone what had happened, as best as I could.The looks of disbelief, surprise, and fear directed at Saklas were obvious.And honestly… it would have been hard to believe if I hadn’t seen it all with my own eyes.

  — LUNA HELEN

  When Mr. Davis told us everything that had happened, the only thing that came to my mind was the first time Saklas appeared. I already knew he wasn’t normal… but hearing that he had killed that thing with such ease filled me with even more fear—and a strange kind of admiration.

  What interest could he possibly have in us?Why did he save us?And what exactly did he do to me?

  Could he be some kind of vampire, protecting us only to use us as blood bags later? These thoughts came and went, circling endlessly in my mind as I tried to find an answer… an answer I was afraid to discover.

  When I realized it, I was staring at him. Erick nudged me.

  “Come on, Mr. Davis is calling us. We’re coming.”

  “Ah… right…”

  We started walking through the corridors again, until we saw lights coming toward us.They were drones. Several of them—easily a dozen. They passed by, scanning us one by one. Something curious happened: they completely ignored Saklas, as if he simply didn’t exist. That made me think again of the vampire stories… how they didn’t appear in cameras or mirrors.

  But vampires were cold. And I… I remembered the warmth of his body as he—

  Don’t think about that, Luna. Not like that.I need to stop these daydreams…

  We kept walking, now with the drones providing security and guiding the way, until we reached the elevator. There were seven of us, and it could carry about fifteen people, so there was plenty of space. As we descended, Mr. Davis was reporting the incident to his superiors, and they had changed the meeting point to floor 3, where most of the civilians were—according to what Kharib had told us.

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  He had talked to us a bit. He was a foreigner, met his wife, Laura, here while traveling. They fell in love and got married shortly after. Today they have a 15-year-old daughter, Letícia Hajar. He showed me a photo—she was a beautiful girl, dark-skinned, with wavy hair.I don’t know why he told us all that, but maybe it was his way of relieving the tension. After everything that had happened, he was a man who talked a lot…

  But while we were descending in the elevator, something terrible happened.

  The man, Kharib, began to complain about something strange in his abdomen. Clary went to him and lifted his shirt—the girl immediately fell backward, hand over her mouth, pointing at his belly. Something was moving inside… grotesquely.

  We were all horrified by the scene.He looked down, saw it… and panicked.I watched that man—until then calm and kind—completely break. He screamed, consumed by terror.

  “What is this inside me?! Please, help me! Get it out of me!”

  Everyone exchanged looks. Fagus aimed his gun at Kharib, which only made his desperation worse. He begged Mr. Davis, but there was nothing the man could do.Clary was trembling, still sitting on the floor with her hands over her mouth, horrified.

  “Fagus Crowser,” someone said, trying to get his attention.

  “We need to do something,” Fagus said, without lowering his aim. “There’s something inside him. We need to end this before it comes out.”

  Mr. Davis looked at Kharib with pity… but also with determination. He raised his weapon and aimed at him.

  “I’m sorry…”

  Just as he was about to fire, Kharib’s abdomen exploded, his blood spraying in all directions.Dozens of larvae burst out—pinkish, viscous, about 20 cm long. They had several legs that resembled distorted… deformed human hands.It was a grotesque sight.

  Everyone began firing at them as they advanced. I pulled Erick behind me and grabbed the knife Kharib himself had given me. That was when I saw Saklas step in front of me. He crushed the creatures with absurd ease.

  For the first time, his expression changed.He looked like a beast.

  His eyes had changed again—now they had a feline gaze, with vertical pupils, and the golden color was even more intense.It was terrifying… and at the same time, inexplicably magnetic.

  Fagus and Davis, together with Saklas, easily exterminated the creatures.

  In the frenzy, we didn’t even notice that the elevator had arrived. The doors opened quickly, and outside there were dozens of people waiting for us.

  When they saw the blood, the man with his abdomen torn open, ribs exposed, and dozens of disgusting larvae dead and scattered throughout the elevator, screams and chaos erupted. People fainted, others vomited; it was complete chaos.

  So much was happening that we didn’t know how to react. We all stood there, frozen, until we saw Dr. Helena forcing her way through the crowd, with a platoon of soldiers and androids walking behind her. When she arrived, I noticed her expression. I had never seen her look like that before.

  ---

  — HELENA RHOADS

  As soon as I was notified, I went down to receive them. When I saw the massive commotion, I called the guards and android units—I didn’t know what was happening, and I didn’t want to take any risks.

  When I arrived, I was confronted with a horrific scene that I will never forget. Everything and everyone was covered in blood.

  In the corner, there was a man with his ribs exposed, and everything that had once been inside him was now spread throughout the elevator. Grotesque remains were crushed everywhere.

  I froze for a moment. Then I remembered Mr. Crox’s words—I needed to react. I ordered my men to push the crowd back and told them to come with me.

  In the midst of all this, I ended up forgetting about the specimen.He was there, standing still. For a brief moment, I saw his eyes change—from a golden, vertical iris to a round, black one. It happened so fast that I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but no… I was certain.

  A chill ran down my spine.Everything I did to him… did he remember?

  I ignored those thoughts. This was not the time. I had to handle the situation first.

  I guided everyone to a floor in sector 3, the weapons research wing. It was the safest and most heavily guarded wing in sector 3. I took them all there. Their eyes were lost, cold, and empty—especially those of Mr. Davis and his platoon. I could not imagine what it was like to lose a friend in such a brutal way.

  After we arrived, I told them to rest, take a shower, and that I would come speak to them later. I asked an android to escort them and assign them to their rooms.