[Some distance from New Horizon]
Horvath: Snap out of it. Luna, it's not your fault. No one would have thought they were cannibals, feeding on human flesh. We couldn't do anything without knowing it.
Luna: I know, but just I was reading this...
She shows a diary labeled Michelle's life.
Luna: And its making me uneasy, like how does just radiation make you into a humanoid octopus? There must be something else we don't know. and I think it is effecting us through radiation.
Nexus, hearing the words Luna said, starts to think about the cave in which he transformed, agreeing internally that just radiation may not cause a species to evolve and reach intelligence comparable to humans.
Horvath takes the diary from Luna's hands and opens it to read it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
March 25th, 2058.
I can't shake off the feeling that something's wrong. It's been weeks since...since everything changed.
At first, it was small things. Mom would forget our conversations, or Grant would snap at me for no reason. I thought it was stress or exhaustion.
But now...now it's like they're different people.
Mom's eyes seem darker, her smile twisted. She talks about the most disturbing things, like she's fascinated by death and decay.
Grant's strength is unnatural. He lifts massive weights like they're feathers. And his laughter sends chills down my spine.
I've tried talking to them, but they just brush it off. They say I'm paranoid, that I'm seeing things.
But I know what I see.
It's like they're transforming into something else. Something monstrous.
I'm scared. I don't know what's happening or why.
Am I next?
Do I even want to find out?
I've started hiding my journal, afraid they'll discover my thoughts.
What if they're not who they were anymore?
What if they're not even humans?
I'll keep watching; keep waiting.
For what, I don't know.
But I know I won't be silent.
Not yet.
[scribbled in the margin]
Trust no one.
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 22, 2058.
Mom's gone.
I can barely write these words.
Last night I heard a scream. I rushed downstairs, but... it was too late.
Mom lay on the kitchen floor, her eyes frozen in terror.
The Guards say it was a break-in, but I know better.
I saw Grant arguing with Mom yesterday. He's been acting so strange lately.
And now she's dead.
They asked me questions, but I couldn't bring myself to say them.
Grant's been acting weird, and now Mom's gone.
Is it a coincidence?
I don't think so.
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________
August 23,2058.
Grant's been avoiding me, but I caught him staring at me today.
His eyes—they're not his.
I'm scared.
I told the police about Ryker's argument with Mom, but they just patted me on the head.
"Family disputes," they said.
Don't they understand?
Ryker's changed.
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________
August 24,2058.
I found a journal hidden in Ryker's room.
It's...disturbing.
Sketches of Mom crossed out.
Notes about "transformation" and "purification."
What has he done?
I confronted him, but he just laughed.
Said I was paranoid.
But I know.
I know.
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 25,2058
I've been researching.
About cults, mind control, and...and monsters.
I think Ryker's involved.
And Mom discovered his secret.
That's why she's dead.
I'll keep digging.
For Mom's sake.
For my own.
[scribbled in the margin]
Ryker's watching me.
I can feel it.
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Here's the continued diary:
August 26,2058.
I found the evidence.
In Grant's room, hidden beneath the floorboards.
A journal, filled with Mom's handwriting.
And Grant's sketches.
Of me.
Tied to an altar.
Surrounded by candles.
And strange symbols.
The words...the words are indescribable.
"Preparation for the Feast"
"The Sacrifice of Innocence"
"The Consumption of Flesh"
Mom and Ryker...they were planning to...eat me.
As a ritual.
To summon something.
I feel sick.
I want to scream.
But I'm trapped in this nightmare.
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________
August 27, 2058.
I've been reading more.
About the cult.
The Order of the Devouring.
Mom and Ryker were members.
They've been grooming me.
For this moment.
The ritual, My sacrifice.
I have to escape.
But where can I go?
Who can I trust?
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________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 28, 2058.
I've packed a bag.
I'll leave tonight.
Under the cover of darkness.
I'll find help.
I'll stop them.
Before it's too late.
[scribbled in the margin]
If I don't make it...
If they catch me...
Know this...
Mom and Grant...
They're monsters.
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______________________________________________________________________________________________
Horvath: That was... horrifying, though I still think it's the scribbles of a madman... or woman, anything.
Luna: I hope...
when suddenly Luna is cut off by Nexus, who suddenly speaks, interjecting in their conversation abruptly.
Nexus: It is true.
Luna : How do you say it???
Nexus: The man has the smell of the woman on his mouth and stomach, but the woman doesn't have his, so they didn't mate. And he has her flesh in his mouth.
Luna: That's...
Nexus: Sometimes I think your humanity is confusing, always moving between light and darkness.
They appear near the settlement when suddenly Horvath turns back, looking into the distance. The wind howled through the barren wasteland, whipping sand into tiny tornadoes. Horvath stood there against the desolate horizon.
"You see, human nature is a cruel joke," he spoke to the emptiness, his voice carried away by the wind. "We're born with innocence, only to be corrupted by our own darkness."
He gazed out at the vast expanse, his eyes reflecting the bleakness.
"We're capable of beauty, of love, of compassion...but also of unspeakable horrors. We're a paradox, trapped between light and darkness."
The wind died, leaving an oppressive silence.
"History's canvas is painted with the blood of our atrocities. Wars, genocides, cruelty...yet we still cling to hope."
Horvath's voice cracked, his words laced with regret, past memories coming back.
The sand swirled, shrouding his feet.
"Because we're wired to survive, no matter the cost. We're predators, masking our true nature behind masks of civility."
The sun dipped, casting the wasteland in a sickly orange glow.
"And when the masks crack, the beast emerges. The darkness consumes us, and we're left with...this."
Horvath, turning around, swept his arm across the settlement.
"A world ravaged by our own hand. A reflection of our soul."
The wind stirred, whispering secrets in the sand.
"I've lost faith in humanity," he whispered, the words barely audible.
The desert swallowed her confession, leaving only the haunting silence.
Luna: We should move.
Horvath (recovering): Yes, we should.
Nexus stands there for a few seconds, observing Horvath's silhouette in silence, and begins to walk slowly while whispering something.
Nexus: Beasts.. huh..
They walk to the settlement when they start to see smoke rising from the settlement. Which causes unease to spread in the hearts of Luna and Horvath, making them start to speed up towards the settlement.
The sun set over the ravaged landscape, casting a bloody orange glow over the carnage. The land lay scorched and blackened, the stench of death hanging heavy in the air.
Corpses littered the ground, contorted in twisted poses. armor, blades once polished and proud, now lay dented and battered, the owners' faces frozen in eternal agony.
A severed arm, still clutching a sword, protruded from a nearby ditch. Flies buzzed around the stump, feasting on the sweet, sticky blood.
Survivors stumbled through the wreckage, their faces etched with shock and grief. A young woman, her clothes torn and stained, cradled a lifeless child in her arms, her eyes vacant and unseeing.
The air reeked of smoke, sweat, and death. The ground was slick with blood and entrails. The cries of the wounded and the mournful wails of the bereaved filled the air.
As night fell, the stars twinkled above, indifferent to the suffering below.
This scene caused Luna and Horvath to become sad and angry.
Angry that their supplies and base were destroyed.
Sad because they lost the only place that comes closest to home from their lives.
Nexus, being oblivious to all the human emotions, asks what they should do.
Luna (angrily): Of course we kill whoever bastard destroyed our base.
Horvath (hoarsely): No, we first rest.
while Nexus, seeing this, remembers Horvath's words.
Nexus (whispering): Humanity... huh...
[In the distance a couple of KM from the settlement.]
The convoy of modified muscle cars and trucks thundered across the desert wasteland, kicking up clouds of dust and debris. The settlement's logo, a skull with crossed guns, adorned the side panels.
Vinnie "The Bull" LaRosa, former leader of the New Horizon, gripped the steering wheel of his customized Camaro, its engine roaring as he floored it.
Vinnie: Alright, boys! We are going to leave this city and rule the world!!!!!
The rest of the gang:: Long live the bull!!! hoorah!!
Vinnie: hahahahhah
Unbeknownst to them, their destruction of the base has caused a cat to be on a hunt for them, unknown to even itself why.
Perhaps it may be more human than it appears, even to itself.
What are these new emotions and feelings that are starting to appear in our hero going to cause? Is this another evolution or perhaps a weakness?
to be continued!!!!!