Behind the shattered wall, where darkness mingled with dim light, the ground began to tremble ever so slightly.
From within the black mist, five creatures emerged, wrapped in a deadly silence, as though the universe itself was holding its breath.
Their bodies were tall and skeletal.
Their skin was cracked and gray, like the ashes of burned human flesh.
Their faces had no noses.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs98JrhFo81
Their mouths were split vertically to their ears, while blood-streaked tongues slithered outward.
Their eyes glowed bright red unblinking, pulsing as they crept forward.
The scraping of their claws across the ground sounded like funerals moving in slow procession.
At the center stood their leader...41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37xHK5ZJwd
Jeros.
He was taller than the others, with a crown of bone growing from his skull.
His chest hung open, revealing black hearts that beat slowly inside.
When he spoke, it sounded like thousands of souls screaming at once.
Jeros (in a deep voice laced with whispers):
“Mohamed has returned... I can smell him... the traitor... the one who spoke my name in the light...”
One of the creatures crawled toward him on all fours, lifting its grotesque face.
Creature One:
“Shall we kill him, Jeros? Shall we feast upon his heart?”
Jeros:
“No... not yet. I want him alive. I want to see fear in his eyes, as I saw in the eyes of those before him. Search every path... every echo... every shadow!”
Creature Two (with a strangled laugh):
“He is in the Iron Gate sector... we shall make the iron scream beneath him.”
Creature Three (in a voice like a weeping child):
“Can we play with him? Like we played with Sofiane?”
Jeros let out a hellish roar.
Jeros:
“Aaah! Mohamed... I am coming for you, and I am starving. Bring him to me... by any means!”
The five creatures began to crawl away and spread across the eight paths, following whispers, searching through every corridor.
Behind them, the darkness closed its wide mouth over what remained of the light.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed between rusted stone walls.
Breathing was ragged.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydc4sOBwH4
Sweat streamed down faces.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEPVliR5Fb
Fear filled every eye.
Sarah was still gripping Omar’s hand tightly despite his desperate attempts to break free, while everyone ran behind Mustapha, who led them through twisting, maze-like corridors.
Mohamed turned back after hearing the creatures’ screams drawing nearer.
Mohamed:
“Damn it... they are chasing us! What kind of hell did you unleash, Mustapha?!”
Mustapha shouted while running.
Mustapha:
“The family house is close! Just beyond this stone bridge... we will be safe there for a while!”
Ryan shouted:
“For a while?! What the hell is chasing us? I saw their eyes... they looked like death itself!”
Sarah gasped for breath.
Sarah:
“Is there another way? An exit? A hiding place? Anything?!”
Mustapha replied sharply:
“Shut up and keep running! Our old house is fortified... they will not breach it easily. These creatures know fear if only we remember how to make them feel it.”
Mohamed suddenly stopped in anger.
Mohamed:
“This is no time for riddles! Who are they? Who is Jeros? And why did he say he is looking for me?!”
Mustapha stopped and looked at him intensely.
Mustapha:
“They are the People of the Last Silence... they were once human. As for Jeros... he was once our brother, before darkness swallowed his name and mind.”
Omar trembled.
Omar:
“Dad... are we going to die here?”
Mohamed looked at him, then at Sarah.
Mohamed:
“Not while I am still breathing.”
They reached a massive steel door covered in ancient engravings.
Mustapha pressed a hidden stone panel.
The door groaned open slowly, revealing a large stone house buried in silence and dust.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMxgyKdOq3
Mustapha smiled sadly.
Mustapha:
“Welcome... to our home.”
Sami entered first, looking around.
Sami:
“How much time has passed? Everything here feels... frozen.”
Mohamed whispered:
“Our childhood home... and the cradle of secrets.”
Suddenly, faint knocking echoed against the stone walls outside...41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1u7BNKGWEU
as though something had begun searching for them.
Mustapha turned to everyone.
Mustapha:
“We do not have much time before they find us... but if we wish to survive, we must face the truth we have tried to forget for years.”
Mohamed answered:
“Then tell it... from the beginning. Who is Jeros... and why is he coming for me?”
Inside the stone house, beneath the dim light of old lanterns, everyone sat around a wooden table while Mustapha stood silently for a moment, studying their faces.
Mustapha (calmly):
“You deserve to know who Jeros truly is. Not only because he hunts us... but because our past is tied to him more than you can imagine.”
Sarah hesitated.
Sarah:
“You... knew him?”
Mustapha:
“More than that... I was the one who opened the door of darkness for him.”
Ryan stared in shock.
Ryan:
“What do you mean?!”
Mustapha:
“Jeros... his true name was Yusuf. Our brother... in faith, in revolution, in blood. He was the smartest among us, and the purest in heart. But he carried a curse... the curse of curiosity.”
He paused.
Mustapha:
“When the signs of the Biological War first appeared, he led us toward the Tunnel of Secrets the one our ancestors warned us never to enter... the one now called the Passage of the Last Silence.”
Mohamed whispered:
“But no one ever returned from that tunnel...”
Mustapha:
“Yusuf did... but he did not return alone. He came back with something... something that now lives inside him. He is no longer Yusuf.”
He lowered his voice.
Mustapha:
“He has become Jeros.”
Sami recoiled in terror.
Sami:
“And is he... alive?!”
Mustapha:
“He lives in a way no human mind can understand... and now he is searching for you, Mohamed.”
Mohamed spoke sharply.
Mohamed:
“Why me?”
Mustapha:
“Because you are the last heir to the light within this family. You are the final seal of protection he seeks. If he takes you... nothing will stop him.”
A deep silence filled the room, broken only by the howl of wind outside.
Then Mohamed rose to his feet and looked at them all with resolve.
Mohamed:
“If Jeros is coming... then we will not wait for him to knock. We prepare... and we fight.”
Omar spoke fearfully.
Omar:
“But father... he is not human.”
Mohamed knelt and placed a hand upon Omar’s shoulder.
Mohamed:
“Monsters are born from fear... and we will defeat them with faith.”
Mustapha’s house was built of ancient stone.
Its windows were sealed with iron panels.
Everyone moved carefully, preparing whatever weapons and tools they could.
Mohamed stood by the window, staring into the darkness outside, while Mustapha drew a rough map upon the table.
Mustapha (serious):
“We have three defense points: the main door, the rear cellar, and the eastern windows. Each of you will guard a position. Do not let them inside, no matter what.”
Mohamed interrupted him.
Mohamed:
“We do not have time for a long war. If Jeros comes himself, we must isolate him from the others. Without their leader, they will lose control.”
Sarah, still holding Omar’s hand, asked:
“Can he even be killed? Is he like them?”
Mustapha:
“No... Jeros still possesses a human heart, though twisted. But he knows Mohamed. He will not kill him at once.”
He looked toward Mohamed.
Mustapha:
“He will try to break him first.”
Ryan looked at Mohamed.
Ryan:
“Are you ready to face him?”
Mohamed remained calm, eyes fixed on the darkness.
Mohamed:
“I am done running... I will wait for him.”
Then it began.
The front door burst open with tremendous force.
Dust exploded through the room.
Five creatures entered first.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPWvjlw7tR
They were tall and deformed, with gray skin, glowing red eyes, and half-open mouths whispering chilling words.
Whispers:
“Blood... betrayal... Yusuf... revenge...”
Then Jeros appeared behind them.
Taller than the rest.
Wearing a torn black coat.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjoV3ygTAe
His face was half-human...41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0TGwg167K
half-monster.
Jeros (deep gravelly voice):
“How long, Mohamed... how long have you pretended to be pure?”
Everyone stepped back.
Everyone except Mohamed.
He stood firm.
Mohamed (with sorrow):
“I knew you would return... but not like this, Yusuf.”
Jeros roared in fury.
Jeros:
“Do not speak that name with your tongue! You killed Yusuf! You threw us into the tunnel... for what? Power? Leadership? Hollow glory?!”
Mohamed answered coldly:
“You were digging into darkness... and I tried to stop you.”
Jeros:
“Stop me?! You used me... then left me to die below. You are the one who handed us to the Silence!”
Mustapha shouted angrily:
“Enough! We all lost Yusuf... but we did not abandon you. He made his own choice!”
Jeros’ voice dropped low.
Jeros:
“No... I betrayed myself.”
He raised one hand.
The creatures advanced.
The battle began.
Mohamed shouted:
“Plan B—now! Isolate Jeros!”
Ryan and Sarah lured the creatures toward the traps while Mohamed charged directly at Jeros.
Their swords collided in a furious duel.
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRXOthZVEC
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