Return to the Station
When the group returned to the station, tension hung in the air. Those who had stayed behind watched them with worry, and the expressions on their faces only deepened the unease.
Victor immediately gathered everyone in the large room that now served as their meeting hall.
"We need to talk," he began, his gaze heavy. "Today, we encountered something inexplicable."
He described the strange symbol, the voices, and the attack by the creature. The group listened in silence, holding their breath.
"This means the Abyss is no longer just a threat. It's already here," he concluded.
"What was that creature?" someone asked.
"It looked human but wasn't," Victor replied. "We need to be ready for more of them."
Simon stood in the corner, silently listening. His thoughts were elsewhere. The symbol they had found… It was eerily similar to a drawing he had seen in his dreams just days ago.
"What does it all mean?" he wondered, clenching his fists.
---
The Whisper of Memories
That night, Simon couldn't sleep again. Sitting in his corner, he stared at the wall, replaying recent events in his mind. The whispers were still there, more insistent than ever.
"You know… You know why we are here…"
"Shut up!" he muttered.
"You were the reason… You opened the door…"
The words felt like hammer blows to his consciousness.
Suddenly, images flooded his mind: a laboratory filled with strange equipment, scientists discussing something vital, and the moment when a door to infinite darkness opened.
Simon shot to his feet, his breathing ragged.
"It wasn't me… It couldn't have been me," he whispered.
But the images persisted, haunting him with a past he had tried to forget.
---
Revealing the Truth
The next day, Simon approached Victor.
"We need to talk," he said, finding the man in the main hall.
Victor looked up from the map he was studying and nodded.
"What's on your mind?"
Simon sat across from him, struggling to find the right words.
"I think… No, I know the Abyss is connected to me," he finally said.
"What do you mean?" Victor asked, frowning.
"Before the apocalypse, I worked in a research lab. We were studying something unexplainable… energy that defied the laws of physics. One day, we…" He paused, his throat tight. "We opened a door."
Victor stared at him in silence, processing the words.
"You're saying you… brought the Abyss here?"
"Not just me," Simon replied. "But yes, I was part of it."
---
Preparing for Attack
Meanwhile, tension continued to grow on the station. After Victor's account of the tunnel encounter, everyone was preparing for a possible attack. Barriers were reinforced, weapons checked.
"Do you really think we can survive if they come?" Anya asked, sitting next to Artyom.
"We have to try," he replied. "There's no other choice."
Suddenly, a loud scream tore through the station. It was a sound filled with pain and fear.
"They're here!" someone shouted.
People scrambled for their weapons, bracing for the worst.
---
Facing the Darkness
Simon ran to the main hall, seeing strange figures emerging from the far end of the tunnel. They were the same creatures that had attacked them before—former humans, twisted by the Abyss.
"Everyone, to your positions!" Victor shouted.
Simon felt the black flames within him ignite again. He rushed into the fray, unleashing waves of fire on the advancing enemies.
But for every creature he destroyed, more appeared. They moved as a single entity, surrounding the station.
"We can't hold them off for long!" Artyom yelled.
"We don't have a choice," Victor replied.
Simon realized something had to change. Remembering the symbol in the tunnel, he decided to go back.
"I'm going," he told Victor.
"Where?!" Victor shouted.
"The tunnel. I need to find a way to stop this."
Victor wanted to argue but saw the resolve in Simon's eyes and nodded.
"Be careful."