Alive

8

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~~~~~~⚫️Chapter 8⚫️~~~~~~
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I sprinted through the ruined city, my heart hammering so hard it felt like it might tear through my chest. My instincts were raw, animalistic, guiding my every movement as I leapt over obstacles with dizzying speed. Each jump felt like I was defying gravity, my legs launching me higher and farther than anything I'd ever known. It was exhilarating, but terrifying, too—I didn't feel like myself. Every inch of my body was coursing with a primal energy, a power that was as foreign as it was intoxicating.

But my throat—it ached with a searing pain that felt like something was tearing apart inside me. Every breath sent a jolt of agony through my neck, something in there snapping and cracking as if it were breaking apart and reforming all at once. I clenched my jaw, swallowing back the raw fear and horror bubbling up in my chest. The world spun around me, the endless, twisted shapes of the city warping in my vision, but I couldn't stop. I had to keep moving, to escape the nightmare of creatures pursuing me.

They were everywhere—swarms of them, pouring from buildings, shuffling down streets, their eyes hollow and lifeless, yet somehow focused on me with an eerie, ravenous intensity. Some were faster than others, their bodies slathered in that same black ooze, dripping from their twisted limbs and pooling on the ground in sticky puddles. Others had become grotesque, their skin warped, arms and legs elongated, massive claws sprouting from their hands. Their faces were twisted into horrific shapes, jaws hanging open, revealing rows of broken, jagged teeth.

The sight ignited something deep inside me, something fierce and primal. I wasn't just running out of fear anymore—I was angry. Raw, unfiltered anger rose up in me, burning through the confusion and fear. These creatures were after me, and something inside me refused to cower, refused to be prey.

I skidded to a halt, spinning around to face the swarm, my fists clenched as a low, guttural growl escaped from my throat. The pain there intensified, like something snapping inside me, and I doubled over for a moment, gasping. But instead of feeling weaker, the pain only seemed to fuel me, building until it reached a breaking point.

And then, without warning, I opened my mouth and screamed.

The sound that tore from my throat was nothing human. It was like the roar of an amplified jet engine, a violent, ear-splitting blast that reverberated through the city streets. The air around me trembled with the force of it, rippling outward in a wave that hit the creatures with staggering intensity. They collapsed, one by one, their grotesque forms crumpling to the ground as they clutched their heads, shrieking in agony. Even the largest of them, the ones with twisted claws and elongated limbs, fell, writhing in the black ooze that coated the ground.

When the scream finally died out, silence followed, heavy and eerie. My throat throbbed, the pain still sharp, but something in me felt powerful, unstoppable. I took a tentative step forward, breathing heavily, watching the creatures with a new, simmering fury. They were still lying low, some of them whimpering, crawling away from me in a desperate attempt to escape. I didn't understand it, but somehow, I could sense their fear. They were afraid of me.

A shiver ran down my spine as I stared at them, my own fear mingling with a strange, cold satisfaction. These things—whatever they were—they were beneath me. They were vile, twisted shadows, and I was... different. Superior. I couldn't explain it, but I felt it deep in my bones, a fierce certainty that I was something powerful, something they could never hope to rival.

And yet, beneath that feeling of strength, there was still a part of me that was afraid. This wasn't me. This power, this anger—I didn't recognize it. But as I looked at the creatures, crawling, slinking away in terror, I felt a dark, thrilling satisfaction that silenced my doubt, if only for a moment.

I took another step forward, watching as they scrambled to retreat, and my lips curled into a sneer. It felt natural, somehow, to look down on them. The more I approached, the faster they crawled away, their bodies trembling as if in reverence—or fear.

"What are you afraid of?" I whispered, my voice rough and raw from the scream, but laced with a cold edge I didn't recognize. "Come on. You were so eager to chase me down before. What's stopping you now?"

The creatures shrank back even further, their twisted bodies huddling together, pressing into the shadows as if that alone could save them from me. I felt a strange sense of satisfaction watching them cower, and it frightened me—yet I couldn't stop. I wanted to see them grovel, wanted them to know that whatever I was, I was no longer their prey.

But the longer I stood there, the more the initial thrill faded, leaving a hollow pit in my stomach. I looked down at my hands, seeing the red veins pulsing beneath my pale skin, and the anger began to cool, replaced by a heavy, gnawing fear. What was I turning into? This wasn't who I remembered myself to be—if I could even remember anything at all.

With a deep, shuddering breath, I tore my gaze away from the creatures and forced myself to step back. My body still thrummed with that strange power, but the high was beginning to wear off, leaving me feeling cold and empty. I looked around at the ruined city, the blood-stained buildings, the streets slick with the black ooze that seemed to be everywhere.

I wasn't safe here, and I certainly wasn't in control of whatever was happening to me.

I turned, taking one last look at the creatures huddled on the ground, and then I broke into a run, forcing myself to move at a more measured pace this time. But even as I left them behind, I could still feel their terror echoing in my mind, mingling with the fear that clung to me like a shadow.

I didn't know what I was, or why those creatures had feared me, but I knew one thing—I had to find answers.