Evening settles in.
Anna is still asleep, her head drooping forward, drool pooling at the corner of her mouth. Quin steps closer and taps her shoulder.
"It's gone," he says. "Time to head back to base."
She jerks awake, irritated. Seeing his face only makes it worse.
"So much for protecting me," she mutters.
"I'm sorry." The remorse on his face is unmistakable.
They gather their things and prepare to leave. Tim is still knocked out on the floor, the sedative keeping him unconscious. Josh hoists Tim over his shoulder while Anna and Quin each take two bags.
They head toward the store's exit.
"Having fun over there with your boyfriend?" Anna taunts, glancing at Josh as he struggles under Tim's weight.
Josh whips around, pride flaring in his eyes. "Who do you think you're talking to?" His voice drops. "Keep talking like that and I'll kill you once we get back."
That ringing.
"It's still here," Anna says sharply.
She drops her bags and lunges forward, shoving Josh aside just as the creeper emerges in front of them, its claws slicing through the air—barely missing.
"Damn it," Quin snaps. "Run!"
He grabs Tim with Josh, helping lift his weight as they bolt from the store, abandoning all their supplies and equipment behind.
They sprint through the streets, veering away from their original route—the creeper blocks it. It follows close behind, crawling across floors and walls, sometimes phasing through them entirely.
They turn right, a construction site looming ahead.
Then Anna senses something else.
A different ringing—to her right.
It's calming. Inviting.
"This way," she calls. "Follow me."
She turns instinctively, and Quin follows without question. Josh hesitates, then does the same.
They tear through a narrow alleyway. The creeper gains ground now, the tight space giving it more surfaces to cling to.
Just as it lunges—
They burst out of the alley.
Ahead of them, in an open patch of land, stands another creature.
Its skin is dark blue and metallic. Its feet are fused together, spiraling into the ground like roots. There's a hollow cavity in its chest, carved with grooves. It has no head, no arms—only gramophone-shaped appendages where limbs should be.
It stands motionless, releasing an indescribable sound.
The creeper skids to a halt behind them.
Frozen.
"What just happened?" Josh whispers, staring. "Why did it stop? Is it dead?"
"And what is that?" Quin asks, nodding toward the rooted creature.
"It's a hummer," Anna says softly, mesmerized.
"A hummer?" Quin asks. "You know what this is, have you seen it before?"
"No," she replies. "It's just… humming. The name fits."
Josh eyes her warily.
"Humming?" Quin frowns. "It sounds like screeching. You find that comforting?"
"Yes," Anna says calmly. "Don't you hear the melody?"
"I thought there were only two types of monsters," Josh mutters.
"Guess that makes three," Anna says.
She steps forward, reaching out—
"Don't," Quin snaps, grabbing her arm, " Are you a dumb". He then looks back at the frozen creeper. "What about that thing? Will it follow us if we leave?"
"Let's kill it," Anna says flatly.
Both boys stare at her.
"If we kill it," she continues, "we don't have to worry about it again."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Josh challenges.
Anna scans the site, spotting abandoned construction materials. She walks over, rummages, then returns, dragging a metal rod, a wooden plank, and a sledgehammer scraping along the ground.
"This is for you," she says, handing the rod to Quin.
She drops the plank at Josh's feet without looking at him.
"And this one's for me."
They approach the frozen creeper.
"Shall we?" Anna says, nodding to Quin.
He meets her gaze. She nods once approvingly.
Quin strikes.
The rod slams into the back of the creeper's head. It stumbles—then freezes again.
He hesitates, then strikes once more.
This time, it collapses.
Anna raises the sledgehammer and brings it down hard.
Again. And again.
Josh joins in. Quin follows.
They don't stop until the creeper is reduced to shattered, unrecognizable pieces.
For a moment, they simply stare at each other—breathing hard.
"Well" Anna lets out
Quin kneels, picks up a fragment of the creature's mask, and pockets it. He pulls out the map and marks the hummer's location.
"Is it dead?" Josh asks.
"I don't think anything survives that," Quin replies.
"I never tough you could kill these things, much less of killing one, I always assumed hiding and fleeing were the best options."
"They still are, we just got lucky"
Anna glances at Tim, still unconscious, slumped against a wall. "How did that idiot sleep through all of that?"
"Don't insult him," Josh snaps. "You botched the signal."
"Botched it?" Anna fires back. "He panicked like a pussy. That's not my fault."
"Enough," Quin says firmly. "We don't have time. It's getting late. I don't want to find out what comes out at night."
"What about our things?" Anna asks.
"We can't go back now," Quin says. "We'll retrieve them another time."
Quin and Josh lift Tim between them again and move behind Anna. They close their eyes, placing their free hands on her shoulders. Anna shrugs from Josh's touch.
"Ready?" Quin asks.
Anna nods.
With one last glance at the hummer, they set off for the base.