Infected Realms

Chapter 19: Lost in the Dark

The forest seemed to stretch endlessly before them, the trees thickening as Evelyn and Maya pressed deeper into the wilderness. The growls and distant howls of the creatures had faded for the moment, but neither of them dared to slow down. Marcos was out there, and if the creatures hadn't already found him, they had to—before it was too late.

Evelyn's muscles ached, every step through the dense underbrush feeling heavier than the last, but she refused to stop. The image of Marcos's empty room replayed over and over in her mind. Why had he left? Where could he have gone?

Maya moved beside her, keeping pace, her flashlight casting eerie beams across the twisted branches. "He can't have gotten far," Maya muttered, though her tone was filled with doubt.

"I hope you're right," Evelyn replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Her mind raced with worst-case scenarios, each one more terrifying than the last.

The air grew colder as they continued, the trees towering above them, blocking out the faint light of the moon. The darkness here was suffocating, and with every step, Evelyn couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking deeper into something unknown, something far worse than what they had already encountered.

Suddenly, a faint sound broke the silence—a rustling, barely audible but unmistakable. Both women froze, their breath catching in their throats.

"Did you hear that?" Maya whispered, her hand tightening around the flashlight.

Evelyn nodded, straining her ears to locate the source of the sound. It was coming from ahead, deeper into the forest. A faint glimmer of hope flickered in her chest. "Marcos?"

Without waiting for a response, Evelyn surged forward, weaving through the trees, her heart pounding in her chest. Maya followed closely behind, the beam of her flashlight dancing over the darkened ground.

As they pushed through a thick patch of underbrush, they stumbled into a small clearing. There, standing in the center of the clearing, was Marcos. He stood with his back to them, his head lowered, shoulders slumped as if he was in a daze.

"Marcos!" Evelyn shouted, rushing toward him.

But as she got closer, she felt a cold knot of fear tighten in her stomach. Something wasn't right. Marcos didn't respond. He didn't even flinch at the sound of her voice. He just stood there, unmoving.

Maya hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she approached more cautiously. "Marcos?" she called softly, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Evelyn reached out, grabbing his arm. "Marcos, we have to—"

He turned slowly, his movements stiff and unnatural. When he finally faced them, Evelyn gasped in horror.

Marcos's eyes glowed faintly, the same eerie light they had seen in the creatures. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and veins pulsed with a dark, swirling energy just beneath the surface.

"Marcos, no..." Evelyn whispered, stepping back in shock.

He looked at her, his expression distant, almost as if he was struggling to recognize her. Then, in a voice that sounded warped and hollow, he spoke. "It's... in me."

Evelyn's heart shattered. "What... what did they do to you?"

Marcos shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with pain. "I... I left the house. I thought I could—" His voice cracked, his body trembling. "But they found me. I didn't... I didn't want this."

Maya stepped forward, her voice calm but urgent. "Marcos, listen to me. We can help you. We can figure this out."

But Marcos shook his head again, more violently this time. "No... you don't understand. It's too late. The energy—it's spreading. It's... controlling me."

Evelyn's stomach turned as she realized the truth. Marcos had been infected, not by the creatures but by the energy breaches themselves. Whatever had been unleashed in the facility had found its way into him, warping him, transforming him into something between human and creature.

Tears welled in her eyes as she stepped closer, her voice trembling. "Marcos, we can fight this. You're still you. We can—"

Suddenly, Marcos's body convulsed, his eyes glowing brighter, and he let out a pained scream. His limbs twisted, contorting unnaturally as the dark energy surged through him. Evelyn and Maya stepped back, horror etched on their faces as they watched their friend being consumed by the very thing they had been trying to stop.

"Evelyn..." Marcos gasped, his voice barely recognizable. "You have to... end this. Stop... stop it before it spreads."

Evelyn's breath hitched, her hands trembling. "No, we can still help you. We can—"

"Do it!" Marcos roared, his voice filled with agony. "Before it takes me completely!"

Evelyn's mind raced, torn between the desperate need to save him and the harsh reality that there was no way out. The energy had corrupted him, and he was slipping further into the grasp of whatever malevolent force had emerged from the breaches.

Maya grabbed Evelyn's arm, her voice urgent. "We have to go. He's right. If the energy spreads, we're all done for."

Evelyn shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I can't... I can't just leave him."

Marcos let out a final scream as the dark energy overtook him completely, his body warping and twisting into a monstrous, unrecognizable form. His eyes, once filled with life, now glowed with the same eerie light as the creatures they had fought in the facility.

Evelyn's heart shattered as she took a step back, her legs trembling beneath her. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking.

With a final burst of strength, Marcos—or what was left of him—lunged toward them, his once-human form now fully consumed by the energy.

Maya pulled Evelyn back just as the creature that had once been Marcos let out a guttural growl, its glowing eyes filled with rage. "We have to go!"

They turned and ran, the sound of the creature's snarls echoing through the forest as they fled into the darkness. Evelyn's heart ached with every step, the weight of what they had lost crushing her spirit.

As they disappeared into the shadows of the forest, the sounds of pursuit began to fade, but the horror lingered. Marcos was gone, and with him, a piece of the fight they had so desperately clung to.

But as they ran, Evelyn knew that this was far from over. The energy breaches were spreading, corrupting everything in their path. The creatures were growing stronger, and now, the force that had taken Marcos was out there—waiting, hunting, and evolving.

Evelyn didn't know how they would stop it, but she knew one thing for sure:

The world wasn't safe.

Not yet.

Not until they found a way to close the breaches for good.