CHAPTER 15: WHEN THE UNKNOWN STARES BACK

  The pressure was now bearable.

  Still heavy, suffocating, but no longer crushing.

  I stepped closer and pulled her into my arms. Dr. Helena’s body was cold and trembling—far too heavy for someone who was still conscious. She was in terrible condition. Her chest rose and fell irregularly, and each breath seemed to tear something apart inside her.

  I lifted my gaze.

  Saklas stood with his back to us.

  Indifferent to the pain, the blood, the suffering he had left behind. He walked toward the door as if none of it mattered—as if we were nothing more than background noise.

  As he approached the exit, the door opened.

  On the other side, several Acrox soldiers, drones, and droids were waiting. Even in her weakened state, I could tell: they were all exhausted, pushed far beyond their limits. Their hands trembled on their weapons, betraying the fear no one dared to voice.

  Dr. Helena stirred in my arms.

  She forced herself forward and screamed:

  “STOP!”

  The sound came out muffled, choked by the blood in her mouth, but it was enough for everyone to hear.

  For a moment, no one moved.

  Then I heard another voice.

  A familiar one.

  It was a man.

  Mr. Crox.

  He pushed through the soldiers, brushing past weapons, breaking formation until he stood face to face with Saklas. The man I had always seen as intimidating now seemed… small. In essence. His presence diminished, crushed by the mere existence of the being before him.

  ---

  GENERAL EDMOND CROX

  When I saw what that being had done to Miss Helena, I gathered every resource I could and went there. I wasn’t far—only three rooms away—but each step felt heavier than the last.

  The moment we arrived, we came face to face with him.

  The fight-or-flight instinct seized me violently. To be honest, my entire body wanted to run. But I restrained myself.

  My trembling hands clenched inside my uniform, my fingers struggling not to give in and drop the weapon. Then I heard Miss Helena’s muffled scream. In that instant, I knew she was still alive.

  I sighed in relief.

  This didn’t have to become a sea of blood.

  “LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!”

  The order came out loaded with every ounce of will I still had. I tried to hide any sign of weakness in my voice.

  I pushed my way through them.

  My body failed me with every step toward him. My muscles responded sluggishly, my breathing grew short, as if the very air resisted me. Still, I continued… until we stood face to face.

  Saklas stopped.

  His mouth opened slowly.

  The words that came out were indecipherable, but their meaning pierced the body before reaching the mind:

  “αδ?ναμο?.”

  Everything shook.

  The pressure surged in violent waves. Everyone within a two-meter radius was thrown to the ground, coughing up blood, as if their bodies were being punished for remaining there.

  The power system failed instantly.

  The lights went out all at once.

  The only visible thing was the golden glow of his eyes, shining within the absolute darkness.

  And then…

  They faded.

  Within seconds, the lights returned. The corridor was silent.

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  The being was gone.

  As if it had all been nothing more than a nightmare.

  But I knew.

  We all knew.

  None of it was imagined.

  Everything had been real.

  And the certainty that remained was worse than any wound:

  if he had wanted to, there would have been no orders, no weapons, no walls capable of stopping him.

  Even after he was gone, the fear lingered in the air.I could feel it in the tense muscles, the racing hearts, the heavy impact of each heartbeat against my chest.

  People were still getting up around me—some in complete silence, others murmuring softly, trying to recover from the shock.

  I stood and headed toward the room.

  Helena was there—covered in blood—in the arms of the girl, Luna. Her face was far too pale, almost colorless, and her body shook in pure agony. I rushed closer and knelt beside her. Her breathing was weak and irregular, each breath a desperate struggle to continue.

  “CALL THE MEDICAL UNIT!” I shouted. “THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!”

  The desperation in my voice was impossible to hide.

  I had known Dr. Helena since she was young. She had grown up before my eyes. She was my daughter’s best friend—the two of them inseparable, sharing dreams, laughter… before she passed away.

  The memory tightened around my chest.

  I couldn’t lose anyone else.Not like this.Not after everything.

  The minutes that followed dragged on, unbearably long. Each second weighed on us, as if time itself had slowed on purpose.

  Until, finally, the medical unit arrived.

  Two advanced support droids crossed the room, sensors active and mechanical arms moving with precision. Right behind them came Dr. John—the second-in-command of the medical wing, who reported directly to Helena. The seriousness in his gaze betrayed the gravity of the situation.

  Without wasting time, Helena was placed on a stretcher. The droids began initial procedures right there, while Dr. John analyzed her vital signs.

  She was then rushed to the medical wing in Sector 2.

  I stood there, watching as she disappeared down the corridor, with the cruel sensation that this moment would mark yet another irreversible turning point in our lives.

  After everyone was examined, I returned to my office in Sector 2.The doors closed behind me with a dry metallic sound, sealing off the corridor and plunging the room into an uncomfortable silence.

  Dr. Lucius was already there, waiting for me.

  Now it was just the two of us.

  He stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder—a simple gesture, but one filled with genuine concern.

  “Are you alright?” he asked. “I managed to see parts of what happened through the droid recording systems… but it was a mess. Failures, cuts, interference.” He took a deep breath. “That Being is no longer detected by the cameras after its awakening.”

  I pressed my lips together for a moment before answering.

  “Yes…” I murmured. “But my concern is Miss Helena. Her condition… is critical.”

  The word felt heavier than it should have when spoken aloud.

  Lucius nodded slowly, averting his gaze for a moment.

  “I understand…” he said quietly. “We’ve done everything possible so far.”

  Silence settled between us again—thick, heavy with unspoken thoughts.

  “And the exploration on Floor 1—how is it progressing?”

  Lucius sighed before answering.

  “A disaster. According to the latest report, the droids detected dozens of creatures… and hundreds of dead.” He paused briefly. “Some of the survivors are on the verge of madness.”

  I swallowed hard.

  “As for the creatures,” he continued, “we’re isolating and eliminating them whenever possible. We’ve discovered it’s much easier to neutralize them before they feed on other beings.” His tone darkened. “They grow stronger as they consume. It’s terrifying.”

  He slid a finger across the tablet, opening charts and notes.

  “We’re working on a way to categorize them by threat level. That should make understanding—and dealing with them—easier in the future.”

  I nodded slowly.

  “That’s a good idea. Let me know as soon as it’s ready.”

  Lucius nodded in confirmation.

  “And the supplies?”

  “Our organic supplies will last for about two more weeks,” he replied. “Three, if we ration severely. Synthetic supplies, however… we’re in a good position. No immediate concern there.”

  “Alright…” I murmured. “And the external exploration of Sector 1?”

  “We’re starting immediately.” He raised his eyes. “Would you like to observe?”

  “Yes.”

  Lucius entered a few commands on the tablet, and images appeared on the main screen.

  It was a scene of utter devastation.

  The destruction was unimaginable. Walls of metal and concrete twisted like paper. Turrets, drones, droids—dozens of them reduced to smoldering wreckage. The transmission advanced slowly, revealing more and more ruin.

  Then I saw them.

  The special unit.

  Their bodies were scattered across the ground.

  I already knew what had happened to them… but even so, the sight ate away at me from the inside.

  As the camera moved closer, something caught my attention.

  Something was wrong.

  The bodies. The armor.

  There was no trace of the auric compound.

  Everything was dry. Empty.

  My stomach sank.

  “It could only have been him…” I murmured.

  I raised my voice immediately:

  “Images. Sector 4 images. Now!”

  Lucius hesitated.

  “Sir… I’m not sure I can. The system hasn’t been fully repaired yet.”

  “Try now,” I said firmly. “This is extremely important.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  His fingers flew across the tablet, lines of code flashing on the screen. After a few unbearable seconds, the image appeared.

  Sector 4.

  Or what was left of it.

  Everything was destroyed.

  There wasn’t a single drop of the auric compound left.

  He had taken everything.

  My legs gave out. I collapsed into the chair, utterly drained.Without the compound… we had no chance if something like that appeared again.

  We were alone.Isolated.And now… defenseless.

  “Sir… the compound…” Lucius began.

  “His blood,” I finished, my voice hollow.

  I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

  How had he gotten there so fast?Done all of that… and left?

  He accused us of being thieves.

  So this was the punishment.

  We are lost.