Fog.
Thick, white fog swallowed everything outside the shelter.
…No—
There was something else.
A shadow.
Faint. Wavering.
But undeniably there.
Darkness poured through the torn entrance first, thick and unnatural, writhing as if it were alive. Then came the smell—sharp, foreign, wrong. It burned my throat and made my stomach churn.
Something entered the shelter.
It was impossible to describe.
Long, shifting appendages dragged behind it, bending at angles that made my eyes ache to follow. They moved independently, twisting and recoiling as if guided by a will of their own. A low, vibrating sound filled the room, humming through my bones.
No one screamed.
No one could.
What… is that thing?
It shifted.
Too many shadows.
Too many movements.
No single shape—only motion.
Then someone broke.
A scream tore through the silence, high and desperate.
Others ran—only to slam into the solid steel walls. There was nowhere to go.
I couldn't breathe.
My heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst out of my chest.
***
That thing… it looks so wrong.
Is it going to kill us?
I turned and saw Sera beside me, gasping for air. Her eyes trembled violently, unfocused.
What am I supposed to do?
The creature moved—no, flowed—those appendages carrying it forward in a way that barely touched the ground. Limbs… tentacles… did it even matter?
Then it vanished.
My head snapped around.
Where did it go?That thing… it looks so wrong.
Is it going to kill us?
I turned and saw Sera beside me, gasping for air. Her eyes trembled violently, unfocused.
What am I supposed to do?
The creature moved—no, flowed—those appendages carrying it forward in a way that barely touched the ground. Limbs… tentacles… did it even matter?
Then it vanished.
My head snapped around.
Where did it go?
Swish.
It reappeared in an instant, tearing past us with impossible speed. Screams erupted as it struck elsewhere in the shelter.
Should I run?
No—wait.
It's attacking the ones who move.
Does it have poor vision…? Or does it track motion?
"Are we… are we going to die?" Xylia whispered, her voice shaking.
Sera was frozen.
I looked at the creature again, then back at her.
"I don't know," I said quietly. "But one thing's clear."
I pointed.
"If it wanted us all dead, it would've been over already. Did you see how fast it is? This… this feels deliberate."
My voice dropped.
"I think it knows we're trapped. And I think it's enjoying this."
I smacked Sera forcefully on the head. "Snap out of it. Are you planning on dying?"
***
Pain stung the back of my head, snapping me back to reality.
My skin prickled.
Of course.
That thing… it's still here.
"What were you spacing out about?" Siris asked.
"…" Smack.
"Ow—hey!"
I stopped when I saw it again.
The creature didn't even glance at us. It was occupied elsewhere, moving slowly now, almost… leisurely.
"Shouldn't we run for the exit while it's distracted?" Xylia whispered urgently. "At least save who we can!"
"It won't work," Michael said calmly from behind us.
I flinched. Do these reps have a habit of sneaking up behind other people's back?
"Others tried," he continued quietly. "It caught them." he pointed at a mass of bodies without legs.
Silence fell.
"Then what do we do?" I whispered. "We can't fight something like that."
"I think we can," Michael said.
Siris nodded. "Yeah. It has weaknesses."
"Like what?" I asked.
My chest felt tight. That strange sensation was getting stronger, making it hard to think.
"I'm not sure," Siris admitted. "But… I don't think it sees us properly."
"I thought that too," Michael said, "but it attacked people who weren't moving."
"…It's looking down at us," I said suddenly.
They stared at me.
"It sounds insane, but—" I swallowed. "That feeling inside me… it's telling me that's how it perceives us."
Xylia clenched her fists. "Then it doesn't matter. It's not focused on us right now. We need to act before that changes. We have to reduce casualties."
"She's right," Michael agreed.
As if on cue, a student hurled something burning toward the creature.
It withdrew it's tenteceles and screamed ferociously. It was a scream so unbearable that made my ears bleed. Everyone covered their ears.
Then it moved it swiftly as it used it's long tenteceles to rip out the student's gut out.
It was horrifying. The smell of iron was more much more stronger than before.
Everyone felt so sick that they might throw up at any second.
But the horror came with a price. We now know what is it's weakness.
---