"I guess this is it," Zeb thought, squeezing his eyes shut as he braced for Kane's devastating fist. Time seemed to stretch, each second an eternity. But the expected impact never came. An uncanny silence enveloped the arena.
Cautiously, Zeb opened his eyes. Kane stood frozen, his massive fist halted mid-swing. His gaze was fixed upward, face contorted in bewilderment. The crowd, moments ago a roaring beast, had fallen utterly silent.
Zeb followed their collective stare. Above, thousands of tiny creatures hovered—resembling black bees but distinctly different. They clustered together, forming a dark, pulsating sphere that shimmered with an unsettling energy.
Without warning, the sphere exploded outward. The creatures swarmed, diving toward the people like a living shadow.
Screams erupted as the swarm descended. The creatures latched onto people's heads, their tiny bodies writhing and burrowing. Panic ignited, spreading faster than wildfire.
Horror gripped Zeb as he watched Kane—a titan moments ago—now flailing amidst the swarm. The creatures engulfed him, their relentless assault tearing into his flesh. Kane's agonized screams pierced the air as blood splattered across the ring.
"I have to get out of here," Zeb whispered, adrenaline surging through his veins. Instinct propelled him to his feet. Images of his mother and sister flashed in his mind. "Mom... Sera... I need to get home."
Chaos consumed the arena. Hundreds of masked spectators surged toward the exits, a frantic tide crashing and colliding in desperation. The underground bunker, once a den of clandestine thrill-seekers, had become a nightmare realm.
Zeb darted through the turmoil, weaving between panicked bodies. The air was thick with terror, the sound of screams and the ominous buzz of the creatures intertwining in a deafening cacophony.
Overhead, lights flickered as the swarm spread, shadows dancing erratically across the walls. The exit signs glowed like beacons amid the darkness.
A hand grasped at Zeb's shoulder—a man pleading for help, eyes wide with fear as a cluster of creatures clung to him. Zeb hesitated but knew he couldn't stop. "I'm sorry," he said, pulling away.
The chaos pressed in on Zeb from all sides. Every exit was choked with frantic bodies, clawing and shoving, each person desperate to escape. The screams blended together, creating a disorienting roar that filled the air. Zeb's chest tightened as he forced his way through the crush of panicked people. His breath came in short, ragged bursts.
Suddenly, a different kind of scream pierced through the chaos, high-pitched and unnatural. Zeb whipped his head around just in time to see one of the fallen bodies convulsing on the ground. It twitched violently, limbs jerking in ways no human body should move. With a sickening crack, the body shot up, standing unnaturally tall. Its arms and legs lengthened grotesquely, the skin pulling tight over rapidly expanding muscles. Patches of hair fell away, leaving pale, taut skin in its place.
Zeb froze. His heart pounded in his throat as the thing—no longer human—let out a soul-rattling screech. The sound was deafening, driving everyone nearby to clutch their ears in agony. Then, in a horrifying burst of speed, the creature launched itself into the air, landing in the middle of the fleeing crowd. The force of the impact cracked the floor beneath its feet, leaving a crater where it landed.
For a moment, everything seemed to stop. Zeb's eyes widened in disbelief as the creature grabbed a man from the crowd. With a terrifying display of strength, it tore the man's body in half, blood spraying across the concrete. The creature didn't hesitate, digging into the flesh like a wild animal, ripping and consuming with unrelenting savagery.
Zeb's stomach lurched. His legs felt like lead as he watched in stunned horror. *This can't be real,* he thought, his mind struggling to process the nightmare unfolding before him. *I have to be dreaming.*
The screeching only grew louder. Zeb's blood ran cold as he heard more cries—inhuman, guttural noises echoing from different parts of the arena. Bodies that had once lain lifeless on the ground now twitched and convulsed, their forms distorting, mutating into more of those grotesque creatures. In moments, the arena was teeming with them, their elongated limbs moving with animalistic precision.
Zeb's breath caught in his throat as one of the creatures snapped its head toward him, its dark, hollow eyes locking onto his. The world seemed to narrow to that single moment, the creature's stare sending a wave of terror crashing over him.
No, no, no, Zeb's mind screamed. He's looking at me.
Heart racing, Zeb turned and pushed harder through the throng of bodies, every inch of his being focused on escape. The crowd surged around him, panicked people pushing and pulling in all directions, but Zeb shoved through, desperate to put distance between himself and the creature.
He risked a quick glance over his shoulder, but the creature had disappeared into the swarm of people. Sweat beaded on his forehead, adrenaline spiking as he fought against the press of bodies toward the exits.
All around him, the arena was collapsing into chaos. The mutated beasts moved with deadly speed, tearing through the crowd with reckless abandon. Blood sprayed across the concrete floor, pooling beneath the fallen. The air was thick with the scent of fear and iron.
Zeb's muscles burned as he fought to keep moving, the instinct to survive overpowering the horror of what he was witnessing. *Mom. Sera. I have to get home,* he thought, each step feeling heavier than the last.
Suddenly, one of the creatures leapt from the side, landing on a fleeing group with an earth-shaking crash. The impact sent people flying in all directions, their screams blending with the creature's guttural roar. Zeb's heart leapt into his throat as he narrowly dodged the debris, his body moving on instinct as he ducked and weaved through the chaos.
But the exits—once a distant hope—were now clogged with bodies, too many people cramming into narrow doorways at once. It was a bottleneck of terror, and Zeb knew if he didn't find another way out, he'd be trapped.
As he frantically scanned the room, the creature's screech pierced the air again. The sound was closer now. Zeb felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. His instincts screamed at him not to look, but he couldn't help himself. His eyes flicked over his shoulder.
One of the creatures was bounding toward him, its long, sinewy limbs carrying it across the arena with terrifying speed. Its mouth hung open in a grotesque, twisted grin, sharp teeth glistening in the dim light. Zeb's heart raced, fear threatening to consume him.
Don't stop. Don't look back, he told himself, shoving past a pair of people tangled in the chaos. He could feel the creature closing in, its presence a looming shadow behind him.
Suddenly, Zeb spotted a narrow side passage—an emergency exit, half-hidden in the confusion. Without thinking, he made a sharp turn, darting toward it. His lungs burned, each breath ragged, but he pushed forward, adrenaline surging through his veins.
The passage was dimly lit, the flickering lights casting eerie shadows along the walls. The sounds of screams and screeches echoed faintly behind him, but Zeb didn't dare slow down. His legs moved on pure instinct, his thoughts a blur of panic and desperation.
Finally, he burst through the door at the end of the passage, the cool night air hitting his face like a slap. He gasped, filling his lungs with the fresh air, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. His feet pounded against the pavement as he sprinted down the darkened alleyway, his heart racing as fast as his thoughts.
Behind him, the sounds of carnage still echoed, distant but present. But Zeb couldn't afford to look back.
He had to survive. For his mother. For Sera.
He had to keep running.