Warning: The chapter contains scenes of extreme violence and gore...
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After a long coma, no one knew how long it had lasted...
Linda suddenly opened her eyes to the sound of ear-piercing screams. It wasn't a dream… it wasn't an illusion. She slowly got up, feeling a heaviness in her head, surrounded by a dense forest covered with tall trees, their dark leaves reflecting a dim light that sent shivers down her spine. On the ground beside her were scattered weapons, some rusty rifles and others strange knives, as if someone had deliberately left them there.
But the screams didn't give her a chance to process the situation, and she turned in terror to see something she never wished to witness.
It was William… or what remained of him. His body was mangled and completely torn apart, his legs severed, and his internal organs scattered on the ground, the earth soaked with his still-warm blood. His face, what remained of it, stared at her but without a soul… The scene was so nightmarish that Linda's eyes widened, nearly falling from their sockets, while her heart stopped beating for a few seconds.
Fate didn't leave her a chance for shock, as her gaze fell on an even more horrific scene: Rosie, her friend, in the hands of a massive monster, a green-skinned creature covered in scars, over three meters tall, its jaw dripping with the mixed saliva and blood of its victims. It was holding Rosie like a small doll, and she was crying bitterly, looking at Linda with eyes full of one last plea:
— "Help me… please…!"
But Linda was sitting on the ground, helpless, her hands covering her mouth in shock… Rosie's screams stirred nothing in her but a shiver of pain. Then, slowly and savagely, the monster began devouring Rosie piece by piece. It started with her arms, then her chest, her screams fading with each bite. Her tears mixed with blood as she gradually disappeared into the creature's mouth, until only her legs remained, which it finally swallowed, leaving behind a heavy silence and absolute shock in Linda's heart.
Linda felt as if she had lost her soul, staring into emptiness with vacant eyes, a single voice screaming inside her: "What is happening… i-i… is this a dream or what?"
Linda didn't know if what she had seen was reality or imagination…
The monster turned toward her, stepping slowly, its green saliva dripping mixed with the blood of her friends. There was a rifle on the ground beside her, but her fingers didn't move. Her body froze, as if resigned to her fate; she didn't even try to flee or call for help.
The monster stretched its massive hands toward her, grabbed her, lifted her high, bringing its jaws close to her head, about to devour her as it had with Rosie. She didn't scream, she didn't cry, only her eyes glimmered with silent tears.
But suddenly… a gunshot rang out.
The bullet pierced the monster's skull precisely, part of its head exploded, and its bloody saliva fell onto Linda's face. Two more shots followed, piercing its thick neck, causing the creature to stagger, its body trembling for a moment before collapsing like a massive mountain beside her.
Linda hit the ground, green sticky blood splattering over her, covering her skin and clothes until she felt completely immersed in it. Only then did she comprehend that what had happened was not a dream… that Rosie had died before her eyes, and that William had become nothing but scraps. She suddenly burst into tears, clutching her head, screaming with all the remaining strength of her soul:
— "Nooooooo! Why didn't I save her?! Why didn't I die instead of her?!"
Someone approached her and held her trembling hands. It was Elias, his eyes red from tears, his voice shaking as he said:
— "Linda! Wake up, we don't have time… there are too many monsters, they'll devour us too!"
She shook her head, crying:
— "No… no, Elias, I should have died… I should have let them take me and left her to live!"
He came closer, cupped her face in both hands, and pressed his forehead hard against hers to snap her out of her collapse, then said, his eyes swimming with tears:
— "Enough! It wasn't your fault… if Rosie were here, she would've shouted at you to run. Come on, Linda, we don't have time… let's survive!"
He gripped her hand tightly and pulled her behind him, while the sounds of monsters crawling approached from between the trees, drawn by the sound of the gunshots. The air filled with savage screams, massive shadows crawling among them.
They ran without stopping, the forest shaking around them, the sounds of heavy footsteps pursuing them, and every time they turned, they saw distorted shapes emerging from the shadows, eyes gleaming, mouths dripping with blood.
Elsewhere, a little farther away, there was an abandoned village, its streets paved with stones, two-story houses, windows broken, as if it had stopped breathing long ago.
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There, Jude suddenly woke from a sedated coma, finding himself lying on the ground. Beside him were Karem and Camellia. He shook them, trying to wake them, until they opened their eyes sluggishly.
Karem screamed in panic:
— "What's happening? Where are we?!"
Jude answered angrily, gasping:
— "I don't know… did that damn old woman trick us?!"
Suddenly, everything came back to him…
(Flashback)
The night before, they were wandering through a crowded street—lights, music, laughter. There appeared a hunched old woman, carrying heavy bags in her hands, asking for help. Jude, with his kind heart, didn't hesitate:
— "Let us help you, ma'am."
Camellia joined him immediately, but Karem hesitated:
— "I don't like this… I feel something's off."
Jude mocked him:
— "Stop being a coward, she's just an old woman."
Even Camellia said:
— "Don't you see she's weak? At least help her a little."
They carried her heavy bags and followed her through the alleys, away from the city's noise. The road became dark, the silence heavy. Karem, sweating, said:
— "This isn't normal… please, let's go back."
But Jude asked:
— "Is your house far, ma'am?"
The old woman smiled a strange smile and replied:
— "At the end of the road… there, in that building."
They arrived at an old, dark building, its windows broken, the entrance like a monster's mouth. Jude and Camellia followed the old woman inside to set down the bags, while Karem stayed at the door, his heart racing wildly.
Suddenly, without warning, in front of Karem's eyes appeared two men in formal suits, one wearing a tiger mask and the other a dog mask. In an instant, they struck Jude and Camellia from behind, knocking them unconscious. The old woman turned to Karem and said with a devilish smile:
— "Hehe… I forgot one."
Before he could react, the two men advanced toward him. Terrified by the horrifying scene, he immediately fainted, wetting himself in the process.
(Returning to the present)
Karem opened his eyes, crying, and said:
— "Didn't I tell you?! We should never have helped her!"
But Jude grabbed his hands angrily, shouting:
— "Yes… it's a trick by those stupid twins! They want revenge on us, it's just a trick or a prank to scare us..!"
The three of them looked around at the abandoned village, the air thick with the smell of death…
Jude whispered:
— "We have to explore this place… no matter the cost."
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