Survival plot || H.S.

Chapter 7: The First Encounter

The sun had sunk low, leaving only a bruised sky in its wake, casting elongated shadows that twisted and stretched across the crumbling landscape. Ava moved cautiously through the desolate facility, a place where time had paused, leaving only the hollow echo of ambition and promise that had once filled these corridors. Dust clung to the air, swirling in beams of the last light filtering through broken windows, each breath heavy with the weight of past experiments and failures. Ava felt a strange cocktail of fear and resolve, her nerves singing with adrenaline as she navigated the husk of what had once been a thriving center of science.

Every step creaked beneath her feet, a reminder that this place, like her dreams, was on the verge of collapse. Flickering lights created illusions of movement, casting fleeting shadows that turned her surroundings into a phantasmal maze. Old laboratory equipment lay abandoned on dust-laden counters, remnants of another era, where beakers and test tubes now served as silent witnesses to her journey. They seemed almost accusatory, as if the ghosts of scientists past were questioning her right to be here, to carry their torch—one that had led her down a path darker than she’d ever anticipated.

The room expanded around her as she stepped forward, her flashlight revealing rows of glass cabinets lining the walls, their doors smeared with grime, obscuring whatever forgotten artifacts lay within. Ava’s heart thrummed louder, her instincts sharp, her every sense tuned to the threat lingering in the shadows. She clutched her notes and samples closer, grounding herself with the small fragments of knowledge she hoped would guide her through the nightmare.

As she moved deeper into the lab, a suffocating tension filled the air, thick and oppressive, like the calm before a storm. Silence clung to everything, broken only by the occasional drip of water somewhere in the distance. A faint rustling, the barest brush of movement, sent her pulse racing. Ava could feel the weight of countless eyes watching her from the void, as though the walls themselves held memories of secrets she was not meant to unearth. But she was here for a reason, a purpose that outweighed her fear—she was determined to end the nightmare she had unleashed upon herself and the world.

Then, a sound pierced the silence. Low, throaty, and menacing—the unmistakable growl of something not quite human. Her breath hitched. The creature was close. The entity she’d created in the lab had never seemed real, only a concept, an idea. But here it was, transformed into flesh and bone, stalking her through the ruins of her ambition.

Panic flared, but she forced herself to stay still, ducking behind an overturned lab bench. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the growl grew louder, each thudding beat of her pulse matching the heavy footfalls approaching her hiding place. The beast was prowling, circling, its presence filling the room like a dark tide, smothering all thoughts of escape.

Carefully, she peered around the edge of the bench, catching her first full glimpse of the creature. It was a monstrous silhouette, its form barely visible under the dim light that flickered on and off above them. Muscles coiled beneath its dark fur, each sinewy movement betraying a terrifying blend of power and grace. And its eyes—they glowed with an eerie intelligence, something that sent a chill down her spine. Ava’s breath caught as she realized that this was no mere animal. This creature was thinking, feeling… it recognized her.

The creature stilled, nostrils flaring as it caught her scent. For a frozen heartbeat, their eyes met—hers wide with fear, its gaze filled with a depth that shook her to her core. It wasn’t just looking at her as prey; it seemed to understand, to comprehend. This was her creation, her twisted progeny, and the glint in its eyes held an accusation, as if it understood it had been abandoned, left to its own monstrous devices.

Ava’s thoughts raced. She felt as though she were standing on the edge of a precipice, each heartbeat a countdown to an unknown fate. She could almost hear the silent question hanging between them, carried by the weight of its gaze: Why did you create me?