Evelyn's heart raced as the creature stepped closer, its glowing eyes cutting through the darkness like twin beams of pure malevolence. Maya stood frozen beside her, terror etched across her face as they both realized the horrifying truth—they were trapped.
The creature's twisted, half-human form shuddered as it approached, its movements jerky, as though it was struggling to contain whatever unnatural energy surged through its veins. Its body was a grotesque fusion of the creatures they had encountered in the facility and the tactical agents who had once controlled them. Whatever this thing was, it had crossed the boundary between the dimensions Lila had warned them about.
Evelyn's mind raced, her instincts screaming at her to run, but there was nowhere to go. The back door was blocked by the creature, and any attempt to go through the front might only lead to more of them waiting in the shadows.
Maya took a step back, her voice barely a whisper. "What do we do?"
Before Evelyn could answer, a loud crash echoed from the direction of the kitchen, followed by the unmistakable growl of another creature. It was closing in on them.
"We fight," Evelyn said, though her voice trembled. She grabbed a fire poker from the nearby hearth, the metal cold in her hands. Maya, her face pale but resolute, snatched up a heavy lamp from the nearby table.
The creature growled, its mouth stretching into something that resembled a twisted grin. It lunged, its claws slashing through the air with terrifying speed.
Evelyn barely had time to react, swinging the fire poker with all her strength. It connected with the creature's arm, but instead of slowing it down, the blow seemed to send a jolt of energy coursing through its body. It shrieked, a sound that made her bones ache, and staggered back—but only for a moment.
Maya screamed as the lamp shattered against the creature's shoulder, sending shards of glass scattering across the floor. But the thing barely flinched. It was too strong, too otherworldly, and whatever they had done in the facility had made it almost unstoppable.
"We need to get out of here!" Maya shouted, her voice desperate.
Evelyn's mind raced, adrenaline surging through her veins. The only option was to find an escape, but with the creatures closing in, it seemed impossible. Then she remembered—Marcos's room. The window had been left open.
"The window," Evelyn gasped, grabbing Maya's arm and pulling her toward the hallway. "We can get out through Marcos's room!"
Maya didn't hesitate, following Evelyn as they bolted down the narrow hallway. The creature let out another ear-piercing screech, but it was slower now, still reeling from the blows they had landed. It was buying them precious seconds.
They reached Marcos's room just as the second creature emerged from the kitchen, its eyes glowing with the same unnatural light. It snarled, but Evelyn didn't look back. She threw the door open and rushed to the window, pushing it open wide enough for them to escape.
"Hurry!" Maya urged, already scrambling through the window and onto the narrow ledge outside.
Evelyn followed, slipping through the window just as the creatures reached the doorway to Marcos's room. She landed hard on the ground below, the cold dirt and leaves scratching at her palms. Maya was already on her feet, pulling her along as they sprinted into the dense woods.
Behind them, the creatures screeched and clawed at the window, their twisted forms too large to follow immediately. But Evelyn knew they wouldn't be stopped for long. Whatever these things were, they had an unnatural resilience that made them relentless.
The woods were dark and unfamiliar, the thick trees and overgrown brush making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. But Evelyn didn't care. She could hear the creatures in the distance, their growls growing fainter as she and Maya put more distance between themselves and the house.
"We can't stop," Maya panted, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "We have to keep moving."
Evelyn nodded, her legs burning from the exertion, but she didn't slow down. The cold air stung her lungs, and every shadow in the forest seemed to hold the promise of more horrors lurking just out of sight.
They ran until their bodies ached, until the sounds of the creatures faded completely into the distance. But even then, Evelyn couldn't shake the feeling that they were still being hunted—that those things, whatever they were, would never stop chasing them.
Finally, they reached a small clearing, the moonlight casting an eerie glow over the tall grass and trees. Evelyn collapsed against a tree, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
Maya slumped beside her, wiping the sweat from her brow. "What were those things?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
Evelyn shook her head, still trying to process what had just happened. "I don't know... but they're different from what we saw in the facility. Stronger. More controlled."
"They've evolved," Maya whispered. "Whatever we unleashed back there... it's gotten worse."
A cold chill ran down Evelyn's spine. She thought of the creatures' glowing eyes, their twisted forms, and the energy that had pulsed through their bodies. They were no longer just the result of the breaches—they had become something else entirely. Something more dangerous.
"We need to find Marcos," Evelyn said, her voice hardening with resolve. "We can't leave him behind."
Maya nodded, though her expression was grim. "He's out here somewhere. But so are they."
As if on cue, a faint sound echoed from deeper in the woods—a low, guttural growl. The creatures hadn't given up the hunt. They were still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike again.
Evelyn stood, her muscles aching but her mind sharp. "We can't stay here. We need to keep moving."
Maya rose to her feet as well, her eyes scanning the dark forest around them. "Where do we go?"
Evelyn clenched her fists, determination flooding through her. "We find Marcos. We regroup. And then..."
She glanced back toward the direction of the house, her heart pounding with the weight of the decision that lay ahead.
"Then we finish this."
YOU ARE READING
Infected Realms
Science Fiction**Infected Realms** *The end of the world isn't always what it seems.* A routine sleep study turns into something far more sinister when a group of participants begin experiencing unexplainable phenomena. What starts as an ordinary experiment soon...
