As I made my way down the road, the only thing visible ahead of me was a faint light, lost in the dense fog. The fog itself seemed alive, coiling around me as if it wanted to hide the world—and maybe something else too.
It was impossible to see more than a few steps ahead, and as I moved forward, strange sounds and unsettling shapes appeared out of nowhere, sometimes too close, sometimes a bit farther away—always just close enough for me to hear them clearly.
The most disturbing thing, though, was knowing those noises and figures weren't a product of my imagination. And when you're sure of that, everything becomes much more macabre.
At least for now, I hadn't seen anything bigger than that thing that resembled a whale. Of course, it wasn't like I could see much with all this thick fog around me.
By the way... what exactly is this fog? Why is it here? And more importantly: why does it seem like these anomalies appeared alongside it? The questions piled up in my mind, but there was no one around to give me answers.
With these thoughts swirling in my head, my feet continued moving down the road, guiding my body almost instinctively, as if it knew where to go, even if I didn't.
As always, with every step I took, a strange sound echoed around me—creaks, snaps, as if the very place was complaining about my presence. In the end, I decided to ignore them and kept moving forward.
However, just a few meters ahead, something unusual began to happen: the ground started to shake, and a heavy sound of footsteps echoed through the darkness, rhythmic and growing louder, as if something enormous was getting closer.
At first, I thought it was an earthquake, so I stopped where I was, waiting for it to pass. But it only took a few seconds to realize that it wasn't. The tremor was too rhythmic, too coordinated... and it was getting stronger.
The next moment, I slowly turned my body around, the tremors growing stronger and more constant. Then I looked up, and from a distance, the fog seemed to twist as if it were alive.
For a moment, I thought it was just an effect of my imagination—until I realized it wasn't the fog that was moving. It became clear when something emerged from it: a colossal paw, infinitely larger than any building I had ever seen. Soon after, another paw appeared, followed by another... and another.
The creature was walking with a threatening slowness, but I still couldn't see its body. Only those titanic paws, disappearing into the thick fog, made it clear that whatever was there was monstrously immense—and it was heading straight for me.
Its body seemed too tall to be seen in full, hidden by the thick fog that covered the sky. In the end, all I could do was blink, stunned, as I watched that colossal creature slowly cross the space high above me.
With every step, when its feet finally touched the ground, a tremor shook the earth beneath my feet—something like a small earthquake. Honestly, I had no idea how gigantic that thing was. It might have been over 130 meters tall... that's what I could assume based on what I saw. But the truth is, I couldn't see its body—just its legs, huge and seemingly endless.
Although the camera attached to my body was silent, I had a pretty good idea of what the others were thinking at that moment. Even for me—a being used to the unusual—the sight before me was undeniably overwhelming.
It's true that my thoughts tend to be indifferent, but from the perspective of an ordinary human, incapable of acting in the face of such a colossal entity, it probably looked like the herald of a new era.
An era in which humans would no longer have a place, or even the means to survive. In the end, I just shrugged at the situation. No rush, I kept walking down the deserted road, as distorted sounds and shapeless whispers echoed from the thick fog that swallowed everything around me.
***
(POV – Emily Parker)
Emily no longer knew what to think. Was there any point in trying to reason when everything around her seemed so irreparably destroyed? Abnormal abominations walked outside with the naturalness of beings who belonged to that world—and maybe they did belong? What if, instead of invading the human world, these creatures had always been there, hidden under a veil that no one could see? Maybe they never came from anywhere else... maybe they just inhabited an ancient fog, once invisible to human eyes. In the end, everything changed when this fog finally became visible—and with it, the truth that many preferred to ignore.
With both hands resting on her face, Emily wore a deeply melancholic expression, almost desolate—as if everything she had believed in had crumbled in the blink of an eye. Her eyes wandered, lost, as the heavy silence of the place was broken by Laura's voice, echoing through the area.
There was exhaustion in her tone, an obvious weariness... and yet, something still lingered there, almost imperceptible—maybe hope? Emily wasn't sure. Not with the chaos surrounding them.
"Guys, I know this seems a little... hopeless, but try to see the bright side" Laura said, visibly trying to sound upbeat, though her eyes still reflected the tension of the moment.
Rupert, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke, his voice echoing clearly and loudly through the space, as if challenging the very oppressive atmosphere around them: "Is there a bright side to this shitshow?" he asked, the sentence coming out with a bitter resignation: "We walked into hell without even realizing it. If we leave, we'll die at the hands of those things. If we stay... Well, we'll die either way, but in a much more desperate way" His words hung in the air, heavy as the stifling atmosphere surrounding them, and a sense of inevitability spread among the group.
Emily couldn't help but agree with Rupert's words. The hope, which had once seemed like a faint flame, had now extinguished completely. The moment that... thing, something impossible to define precisely, appeared, the last sparks of optimism vanished.
Even in the face of the anomaly similar to the whale they had encountered before, Emily had tried to convince herself that it was just another rare anomaly, something that defied logic but still a unique phenomenon, confined to the creatures from the outside.
But now, her belief had been shattered completely. How many of these creatures were out there, lurking? How many of them walked the earth as if it were truly their home? There was no room left for illusions. The Earth no longer belonged to humans; it was now the domain of the abominations.
As her mind sank deeper into dark thoughts, Laura's voice broke the silence, echoing with a tone that overflowed with hope, as if she refused to succumb to despair. Her speech seemed like a beacon of light in the darkness: "Of course there's a way out. The [Angel of Death] is still on our side, has always been. I'm sure these fake anomalies out there are nothing to her. She'll fix this whole mess in no time, I know she will" Her gaze, firm and convinced, contrasted with the tension in the air, as if her faith could challenge the chaos around them.
Personally, Emily couldn't help but wonder where all that confidence was coming from, but, as much as she hesitated, Laura was right. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it was impossible to deny that the [Angel of Death] really helped humans voluntarily.
Even at that moment, she was out there, walking among the massive horrors of the mist, facing the chaos to try to resolve the situation. In short, there was still hope — a silent but persistent hope.
With a subtle smile, Emily spoke, her voice taking on a more upbeat tone again: "You're right, Laura, we can't give up hope so soon. I'm sure we'll figure something out. What we know about anomalies so far is that they follow a pattern, something that seems unchanging. And considering that all these occurrences started when the fog appeared, I believe that if the fog disappears... all these things will vanish with it"
Emily had no solid foundation to support her theories; her words were just speculation, but it was precisely those speculations that everyone at the base needed. Moreover, Emily's previous decision to keep everything happening on the outside under wraps turned out to be the wisest one.
She doubted that most people inside the facility had a mind as strong as Laura's. The most likely scenario, in her opinion, would be a wave of mass suicides.
With these thoughts, Emily turned her gaze back to the screen, where only the thick, impenetrable fog was visible. However, in the mist, a small figure, about the size of a ten-year-old child, walked with bold determination, steps firm and resolute, as if facing a vast unknown. Its sole purpose was clear: to help humans. That was the only certainty Emily needed to keep in mind, the focal point that pushed her to keep moving forward.
(We're counting on you) thought Emily, a sense of relief spreading through her body. She felt her breath soften, and the tension that had been weighing on her shoulders began to dissipate.
***
(POV - Arthur Hensley)
Walking through the alleys now completely swallowed by the thick fog, Arthur quickly glanced behind, his eyes restless, fixing on the narrow, winding path he had just traversed. The alley seemed to tighten with every step, and the constant stench of rotten garbage made the air heavy and unbearable, causing his nose to sting.
However, despite the irritation, his eyes kept searching the fog that stretched around him. The silence was broken by distant, low, dragging noises, but loud enough for his sharp senses to pick up.
His body reacted instinctively: with a swift movement, Arthur slammed his cane against the ground, and suddenly, shadows began to form from the absolute void, as if the very air was tearing apart. They surrounded him with disturbing speed, creating a dark and oppressive dome.
Arthur leaned his back against the cold, damp wall of the alley, his heart pounding hard, as his body curled in on itself, trying to disappear into the shadows. Each breath was choked, caught in his throat, as if the air around him had become too thick to inhale.
The silence was almost tangible, as heavy as the darkness that surrounded him. Then, suddenly, the muffled sound of something moving quickly sliced through the stillness. They emerged, like a nightmare taking shape: hundreds of grotesque, monstrous beings, leaping from one alley to the next, their long spider-like legs tapping against the concrete. Their bodies were disproportionate, over five meters tall, and every movement exuded a sense of impending destruction.
But the most horrific part was their faces. Where there should have been humanity, there were only skeletons stripped of flesh, with pairs of eyes pulsating and grotesque glows, nothing resembling any living being. The eyes, devoid of empathy, were black spheres that emitted an unsettling glow, as if each one were a window into an unfathomable abyss.
Arthur remained still, his breath held, waiting patiently as one of the beings approached, its footsteps echoing like a whisper of death in the oppressive silence of the alley.
The monster stopped a few meters in front of him, its deep, empty eyes darting quickly to the sides, as if sensing something or someone in its presence. Then, it let out a deafening scream, a sound that seemed to cut through flesh, so high-pitched and piercing that it reverberated off the walls, tearing through the air and invading Arthur's bones.
He held his breath even tighter, his throat dry and tight as if the air had turned to poison. The creature, with its grotesque human-like head, interrupted its scream and, with an unnatural movement, twisted its neck in a complete 360-degree turn. Its eyes, blurry and bulging, spun frantically as if searching for something it couldn't comprehend, a desperate, blind hunt.
In the next instant, a scream echoed from outside the alley, a human sound, but distorted by pain and fear. The monster, with the agility of a predatory creature, immediately turned, its muscles contorting under its pale, thick skin.
A horrible, almost animalistic roar escaped its throat as it jumped with monstrous agility, leaping between the damp walls of the alley, its body stretching and contorting as if it were made of shadows.
In the blink of an eye, Arthur was once again alone in the alley, the heavy, cold silence enveloping him like a shroud. His breath, still rapid, began to slow down, but his eyes were fixed on the piece of sky visible between the tall walls. However, instead of a clear sky, a thick, pitch-black fog had taken over the horizon, concealing any glimpse of light.