The night fell over the city, shrouding it in a thick layer of darkness like a burial shroud. Simon and Victor found shelter in a half-ruined store whose façade had once been lit up with bright neon lights. Now, the windows gaped emptily, and inside was pitch black.
"We'll stay here for the night," Victor said quietly, surveying the place.
Simon nodded and settled against the wall. His gaze flickered over the shattered shelves that once held merchandise. In this chaos lay remnants of a past life, so distant it seemed unreal.
"Victor," Simon broke the silence, "you said you used to live here. Before all of this. What was your world like?"
Victor froze, clearly not expecting the question. He sat down opposite Simon, wrapping his arms around his knees.
"Normal, I guess. I had a job, friends, sometimes beer nights. Nothing special. I never thought it could all vanish," he chuckled, but his voice carried bitterness. "What about you?"
Simon hesitated. Images of his past life surfaced: a small apartment with peeling walls, the ringing laughter of his younger sister, his mother's tired but kind gaze. It all felt distant now, like someone else's dream.
"I had a family. Mom and my sister. After Dad died, we managed somehow. I worked in construction, helped make ends meet. It wasn't easy, but we had hope," Simon's voice wavered. "The Abyss took that from us."
Victor sighed heavily.
"It took that from many. But you're still here, which means not everything is lost."
Silence fell between them again. Strange sounds echoed outside: faint hissing, claws scraping against concrete. Simon tensed, feeling the fire in his chest stir.
"They're close," he whispered, clenching his fists.
Victor raised a finger to his lips, urging silence.
"Don't move. They can sense movement."
The shadows outside the window began to thicken, becoming almost tangible. Through the broken glass, Simon saw something humanoid, with elongated limbs and hollow eye sockets. It paused, as if staring into the store's darkness.
"Don't breathe," he mentally repeated, trying to quiet his pounding heart.
The creature took a step forward, then another. Simon felt the heat in his chest intensify. The fire, like a living entity, wanted to break free.
"No…" he whispered, struggling with himself.
The creature froze. Victor pulled out a knife, gripping it tightly.
"You need to learn to control it," he whispered. "If they sense it, we're done."
Simon closed his eyes, focusing. He imagined the fire dimming, the heat replaced by cold. Gradually, the inner turmoil subsided, and he felt relief.
The creature outside suddenly let out a piercing screech and vanished into the night, dissolving into thin air.
"It's gone," Victor exhaled, putting away the knife. "We got lucky."
Still trembling with tension, Simon looked at him.
"That wasn't just a creature. I felt… something else."
"There are many of them," Victor said briefly. "And they're multiplying every day."
"Why? Why is the Abyss doing this?"
Victor shook his head.
"No one knows. But one thing is clear: this is only the beginning."