The silence returned, thick and suffocating. The creature's ragged breathing was the only sound cutting through the air. Each gurgling gasp grew weaker than the last.
Maggie crouched beside Dylan, her eyes narrowed. She studied the bones embedded in the creature's body, then cast an uneasy glance at the dark forest encircling them.
"If that thing's still nearby, we need to move..."
Dylan didn't answer imdiately. He kept watching. The creature's agony resembled a slow torture. The projectiles sank inch by inch, rooting into its flesh as if sothing pushed them from within.
"See that?" he whispered.
Maggie frowned.
"Yeah... It's..."
She froze. Sothing shifted. Subtle. Beneath the creature's skin.
"Wait..."
Dylan edged back, heart hamring. The creature's black veins pulsed, writhing just beneath the surface. The bone blades were no longer still. They vibrated.
"Hell..." Maggie breathed.
The first crack was nearly silent. A faint pop, followed by another. Then a third.
The bones inside the creature's body exploded, one by one.
"Back up."
Dylan grabbed Maggie's arm and yanked her backward. They ducked behind the riddled car carcass, breath shallow.
The creature's body shuddered violently, convulsing in the mud. The impaling bones were no longer weapons. They grew. Lengthening as if feeding on its blood.
"What the hell...?" Maggie muttered.
Dylan shook his head, speechless. The projectiles burrowed faster into the creature's flesh, as if accelerated after prolonged contact with its blood and tissue.
The scene belonged in a horror film. The relentless cracking of bone mingled with the creature's fading whimpers. Each fracture sprayed shards of bone and gore into the mud, the tallic stench of blood saturating the air.
Dylan hesitated, rooted in place. His shallow breaths betrayed his panic, but his feet refused to move. Beside him, Maggie watched with eerie calm.
But beneath it, both were terrified.
"It'll stop... right?" Dylan whispered, not expecting an answer.
Maggie didn't reply. Her gaze stayed fixed on the twitching corpse, eyes tracking the unnatural movents rippling beneath its skin. The bones kept growing, twisted and malford, piercing muscle with agonizing slowness.
Then, abruptly, the creature stilled. No breath. No sound.
Icy silence fell.
"Is it... over?" Maggie whispered.
Dylan frowned, wary. Nothing felt over. Even the air seed to hold its breath.
He squinted. Sothing was wrong. Nothing in this world made sense.
Then fear gripped them, and they hurried toward the van—or what remained of it. The vehicle was riddled with holes, offering no shelter.
Inside, a few military supplies had survived the chaos. Dylan carefully gathered three items into a pack: ergency rations, basic tools, and minimal hygiene supplies. With these, he could last three days... if he survived that long.
He already wore military gear—a bulletproof vest, three magazines for his HK416F assault rifle, plus two spare mags and the one loaded. A thigh holster held his pistol. He slung the rifle over his shoulder, vowing to use it only as a last resort. Gunfire risked attracting attention... or worse, one of these bulletproof creatures.
His machete gripped firmly in one hand, his other brushed the hilt of his dagger, ready to draw.
With this arsenal, Dylan finally felt prepared. He glanced at Maggie. She was ard too.
His gaze drifted to the bony creature's corpse on the ground. He closed his eyes briefly, then turned to the forest.
They had no choice. Turning back was impossible. Only the vast, nacing forest lay ahead. They'd have to carve a path through its shadows, hoping to find proof they weren't alone.
Dylan exhaled slowly, cracked his neck, and stepped forward. His eyes scanned every rustle in the grass, every shifting shadow between trees.
This world wasn't his anymore. Here, it wasn't about war or fighting a defined enemy. It was about survival.
"Commander Maggie... let's go."
Maggie nodded and fell into step. Her movents were precise, asured, conserving energy.
The forest lood as a dark, oppressive mass. Gnarled branches ford a dense canopy, barely filtering light. A frigid wind whistled through the trunks, carrying indistinct whispers.
Dylan advanced cautiously, machete in hand. Every step deliberate, every sound analyzed. Maggie walked slightly behind, weapon raised, covering their rear.
After minutes of silent progress, a crack echoed to their left.
Both soldiers froze. Dylan raised a fist, signaling a halt.
A second noise, closer. Sothing moved in the shadows.
Dylan swallowed. "Do we go around or engage?"
Maggie didn't answer imdiately. She scanned the gloom, fingers tightening on her weapon.
A rasping breath hissed between the trees.
Dylan turned his head.
Sothing hurtled toward them.
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