ABYSS

Marcus glanced back, his heart pounding in his chest.

Evelyn whispered urgently, “Marcus, we need to keep moving.”

“I know,” Marcus muttered, his eyes still scanning the darkness. “But something... someone is following us.”

Jason’s voice cracked. “Who? You think it’s Kane?”

“No,” Marcus replied, his voice low. “It’s something else.”

Evelyn frowned. “Something else? What do you mean?”

“I can feel it,” Marcus said, gripping his weapon tighter. “It feels like Thomas... but not. It’s twisted.”

Jason’s eyes widened in fear. “Thomas is dead, Marcus. We saw him fall. Kane’s twisted him... or maybe something else has.”

Evelyn shook her head. “No, it can’t be. Kane’s power is dark, yes, but this... what you’re describing is worse.”

Suddenly, Chris stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. “Did anyone else hear that?”

Marcus froze, listening. A faint rustle, like someone—or something—moving through the trees behind them.

“There!” Chris hissed, pointing into the shadows.

Evelyn gripped her knife, whispering urgently, “We can’t stay here. We have to keep moving.”

Marcus didn’t move. His instincts screamed at him to run, but something held him in place. “It’s him. He’s here.”

Jason looked panicked. “Who’s here? Thomas? Kane? Who, Marcus?”

Marcus didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on the darkness ahead, the cold weight of realization settling in his gut.

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “But it’s getting closer.”

A low, guttural growl echoed from the shadows. The trees trembled.

Chris gasped. “That’s not human.”

Jason’s voice shook. “We need to leave. Now.”

“No,” Marcus said sharply, stepping forward. “We stand our ground.”

Evelyn looked at him in disbelief. “Are you insane? You can’t fight that thing. We don’t even know what it is!”

Marcus gritted his teeth. “Whatever it is, it wants us to run. I’m not giving it the satisfaction.”

Jason’s voice trembled. “You’re going to get us all killed.”

“Maybe,” Marcus said, eyes fixed on the darkness. “But if we don’t face it now, it’ll keep hunting us.”

Chris’s voice was barely a whisper. “What if it’s Thomas? What if Kane brought him back... different?”

Marcus’s heart ached at the thought. “Then I’ll put him down myself.”

Evelyn’s eyes softened. “Marcus... if it is Thomas, you can’t blame yourself for what happened.”

“I’m not,” Marcus said coldly. “But I’ll make sure Kane never uses him again.”

Suddenly, the trees parted, and a figure stepped into the clearing.

Evelyn gasped. “Oh my God...”

It was Thomas—or what was left of him. His once bright eyes were now dark, hollow pits, and his skin had taken on an unnatural, almost translucent hue. He moved with a jerky, unnatural gait, like a puppet on strings.

Jason stumbled back in horror. “That’s not Thomas... it can’t be.”

“Thomas,” Marcus called out, his voice steady. “If you’re in there, fight it. Don’t let Kane control you.”

The twisted figure that was once Thomas tilted its head, as if considering Marcus’s words. But then it let out a low, inhuman growl.

Evelyn stepped forward, her voice trembling. “Thomas, it’s me. Evelyn. We can help you.”

The creature’s eyes flickered, something almost human in its gaze for a brief moment. But then, with a snarl, it lunged.

“Move!” Marcus shouted, pulling Evelyn back just as Thomas’s claws slashed through the air where she’d been standing.

Chris screamed. “It’s too strong! We can’t fight that!”

Jason fired his gun, but the bullets seemed to have no effect. “It’s like shooting at a ghost!”

Marcus cursed under his breath. “We need to retreat. Fall back!”

As they scrambled through the trees, the creature moved with impossible speed, cutting off their path.

Evelyn gasped. “We’re trapped.”

Jason’s eyes darted around, panic setting in. “What do we do? What do we do?!”

Marcus’s mind raced. “We split up. It can’t follow all of us.”

Chris looked terrified. “What if it picks us off one by one?”

“We don’t have a choice,” Marcus snapped. “It’s either that or die here.”

Evelyn grabbed his arm. “No. We stick together. We face this thing as a team.”

Thomas—or whatever had become of him—let out another growl, circling them like a predator hunting its prey.

Marcus tightened his grip on his weapon. “Alright, we do this together. Jason, flank left. Chris, cover our rear. Evelyn, you’re with me.”

Jason’s voice wavered. “You really think we can take this thing?”

Marcus’s eyes were hard. “We don’t have a choice.”

Thomas lunged again, his claws slicing through the air. Marcus dodged, slashing at him with his knife, but the blade barely grazed him.

“It’s too fast!” Chris shouted, firing blindly into the trees. “We’re not going to make it!”

Evelyn’s voice was steady, despite the fear in her eyes. “We just need to hold it off long enough to find a weak spot.”

Marcus nodded, but deep down, he knew they were outmatched. Whatever Kane had done to Thomas, it had made him stronger, faster—almost invincible.

Thomas swiped at Marcus again, but this time, Marcus was ready. He ducked under the attack and drove his knife into Thomas’s side.

The creature let out a guttural roar, staggering back, but it didn’t fall.

“Marcus!” Evelyn shouted. “It’s healing!”

Marcus’s heart sank. “Of course it is.”

Jason fired another round. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?!”

Marcus’s mind raced. They couldn’t kill it. Not like this. But maybe... just maybe they could slow it down.

“Evelyn,” Marcus said urgently. “Do you still have those charges?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “You want to blow it up?”

Marcus nodded. “It won’t kill him, but it’ll buy us time.”

Evelyn hesitated for a moment, then quickly reached into her pack, pulling out a handful of small explosives.

Jason’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? You’ll blow us all to pieces!”

Marcus glared at him. “You got a better idea?”

Jason shut his mouth, shaking his head.

“Alright,” Evelyn said, handing Marcus the charges. “We’ll need to lure him into position.”

Marcus glanced at the creature, still circling them, its dark, hollow eyes locked onto them. “I’ll do it. You guys get to cover.”

“No way,” Evelyn protested. “We do this together.”

Marcus shook his head. “No. If this goes south, I need someone to make sure the others get out of here.”

Evelyn’s eyes softened. “Marcus...”

“I’ll be fine,” Marcus said, his voice steady. “Just trust me.”

Evelyn hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. But you better not die on me.”

Marcus gave her a small, grim smile. “I’ll do my best.”

As Evelyn, Jason, and Chris moved into position, Marcus took a deep breath, then stepped forward, calling out to the creature.

“Thomas!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the trees. “Come on, you piece of shit! You want me? Here I am!”

The creature’s head snapped toward him, its hollow eyes narrowing.

“That’s right,” Marcus taunted, backing toward the spot where he’d planted the charges. “Come and get me.”

With a snarl, the creature lunged.

Marcus turned and sprinted toward the clearing, his heart pounding in his chest. He could hear the creature gaining on him, its inhuman growls echoing in his ears.

“Now, Evelyn!” Marcus shouted as he dove behind a tree.

Evelyn hit the detonator.

The explosion rocked the forest, a deafening blast that sent dirt and debris flying through the air. Marcus felt the shockwave hit him, knocking him to the ground.

For a moment, everything was still. Then, slowly, Marcus pushed himself to his feet, coughing as he staggered toward the smoking crater.

“Marcus!” Evelyn called out, rushing to his side. “Are you okay?”

Marcus nodded, wiping blood from his face. “I’m fine.”

Jason and Chris appeared, both looking shaken but unharmed.

Jason’s voice trembled. “Did... did we get it?”

Marcus stared into the smoke-filled crater, his heart sinking as a familiar figure began to rise from the ashes.

“No,” Marcus whispered. “We didn’t.”

The creature that had once been Thomas was still standing, its body twisted and charred, but it was healing—slowly, but surely.

Evelyn’s voice was barely a whisper. “What do we do now?”

Marcus stared at the creature, his mind racing. “We run.”

Jason looked horrified. “Run? We can’t outrun that thing!”

Marcus met his gaze, his eyes cold and determined. “We don’t have a choice.”

As they turned and fled into the forest, Marcus couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. Kane’s twisted power was growing, and they were running out of time.

But