Several minutes passed in complete silence, trying to process what was happening...
The conference room, once a symbol of corporate opulence, now seemed like a world apart from the chaos devouring the city, immersed in an uncontrollable hell. In the blink of an eye, those few square meters had turned into a claustrophobic prison and, at the same time, a refuge for the fourteen men inside.
Columns of black smoke rose into a leaden gray sky, marking the horizon.
Inside the room, tension and fear were palpable.
The businessmen, accustomed to controlling their emotions during the worst financial crises, now squirmed in their seats, unable to process what was happening.
Some tried to stay calm, others muttered desperate prayers, and a few remained in a state of absolute shock, their eyes fixed on some indefinite point on the floor. It was evident that none of the men in the room would be useful to Elián, who was already beginning to devise a way to escape; he knew that getting trapped without food would mean his doom.
He didn't understand how he had ended up in the body of a stranger in a strange place, but he was determined: he wasn't going to die.
Bzzzzzt!
The uncomfortable silence was suddenly broken by the constant buzzing of a mobile phone on vibrate mode. Everyone turned their head toward the man who was pulling the device from his trembling hands.
Upon answering, his already pale face turned ashen.
"H-Hello? Lucía? What...?" His voice cracked.
Before he could say more, another phone began to vibrate, then another, and another. Soon, the room was filled with the constant buzzing of vibrating phones. The businessmen answered in unison, some with anxiety, others with panic.
"Dad, there's something at the house! It's at the door, please come! It's trying to get in!"
"We can't leave! They're everywhere! Husband, help us!"
"We're trapped! Do something!"
The voices on the other end of the phone were so deafening that it wasn't necessary to get close to hear them clearly.
"Aaaagh!"
Clink-clink!
Upon hearing a blood-curdling scream before the line went dead, the man closest to the window dropped his phone. Others, whose phones hadn't rung, desperately tried to call their own families.
The atmosphere filled with the murmurs of dialing, busy signals, and muffled sobs as the calls didn't connect.
It was impossible not to think about their families, their loved ones trapped in an uncertain danger. Many of the men stared at the door in desperation, some even began to approach it slowly.
"Wait," murmured Edmund.
Exchanging glances, the two elderly men communicated silently. Edmund stood up with effort. His voice, though deep, trembled slightly: "Going out there would be suicide," he said, pointing toward the windows where the streets resembled a cannibal battlefield.
Upon seeing this, the men who had been approaching the door stopped, paralyzed by fear.
It was then that one of the security guards, a burly man with blonde hair and a scar on his forehead, spoke. His voice, rough but firm, cut through the air: "There's a way... There's a helicopter on the roof. It was supposed to leave yesterday, but there were delays. If it's still there, it's our only chance."
Edmund nodded slowly: "That's certainly our best shot. But there's something more important now."
"What is it?" asked Rupert, frowning.
The answer came from Elián, who was in a corner. His voice, though low, had an unexpected calmness: "First, we need to deal with what was banging on the door a moment ago."
Although he had no idea what a helicopter was, Elián knew that it might be his only chance to escape, so he decided to give it everything.
"..."
The entire group froze. Since no one had mentioned it, they had all forgotten the guttural sound and the banging that had shaken the door moments earlier.
Once again, the tension filled the room, heavy and unbearable.
"We'll take care of it," said the scarred guard, raising his gun. The bald man did the same, lifting his weapon with determination.
Somehow, seeing both pistols managed to calm them a little.
One minute later, everyone was ready to leave, although some were trembling and sweating profusely.
Criiic...
Moving toward the door, the two slowly opened it, the hinges creaking loudly in the silence. With weapons ready, they stepped into the hallway, moving swiftly and aiming in all directions.
"There's nothing," murmured the bald guard, signaling to the others that they could come out.
With a simple design, the building featured offices around the perimeter and a central hallway shaped like a ring. At the center, an elevator connected all areas directly.
The group cautiously advanced toward the elevator, located only a couple of minutes away at a normal pace. Each step resonated on the marble floor, as if the entire building could hear their approach. Fortunately, the path was smooth and uneventful, as if there was really no one on this floor.
Obviously, they knew this was impossible; on a workday like any other, this floor should have been full of people working in the various offices.
Upon arrival, one of the guards pressed the elevator button while keeping a vigilant eye on both sides of the hallway.
Lights began to flicker on the panel, indicating the floors the elevator was ascending.
The wait became interminable; after all, the cabin was on the top floor, even below the parking lot. One of the men, desperate, tried calling his family again: "Why aren't they answering?" he grumbled, swatting the air in frustration. In his carelessness, his phone slipped from his hands and hit the ground with a 'Crack!' that echoed in the hallway.
"!"
Everyone looked at the man with an empty expression, unable to believe someone could be so incredibly stupid.
Tap, tap, tap!
"Grrraaahh!"
That sound was enough. From the left hallway, fast footsteps approached rapidly, followed by an inhuman growl that echoed in the air.
Everyone turned toward the direction of the noise, frozen in fear.
Elián, on the other hand, watched the numbers on the small panel above the elevator. Only 10 floors left to reach the 19th.
With a furrowed brow and biting his lower lip, he looked toward the hallway.
Time seemed to stop, making each second feel like minutes. Everyone sweated and swallowed nervously, paralyzed by terror. Suddenly, their eyes widened when the creature appeared running. Its appearance was such an indescribable aberration that no human mind could fully comprehend it.
It was so repulsive that they couldn't understand how, at some point, it had been a human being like them.
The creature's body appeared disjointed; its arms swung as if they had no bones, although several bones jutted through the flesh, making them completely visible. It was covered in large amounts of yellow blood, accompanied by a thick foam so nauseating that even from several meters away, the air was filled with its stench.
But that wasn't the most terrifying part; its posture while running was twisted, as if each step tore it apart even more.
Its skin was swollen and yellowish, like a corpse that had been submerged in water for days, slowly decomposing.
Where its eyes should have been, there were only empty sockets from which that strange, foul foam was leaking.
"Aaaaahh!"
"Grrraaaaahh!"
"P-please, help meee! Mmmphh...!"
The businessman who had thrown his cell phone earlier screamed in panic and tried to turn to flee, but the creature lunged at him with terrifying speed. The guards tried to shoot, but before they could react, the creature sank its rotten teeth into the man's face, tearing off a chunk of flesh as he screamed in agony.
Tap, tap...
As everyone watched in shock, a growing sound of footsteps was heard in the distance, approaching rapidly.
"Shit..." Elián whispered, looking back at the elevator, which still had two floors to go. His gaze scanned the surroundings for an escape, but he stopped when he saw the two guards. They were at each end of the hallway, aiming their weapons with such intense concentration that their faces barely showed any emotion.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Each step echoed louder, closer, until it was impossible to ignore the fact that this wasn't a small group. There were too many!
In the distance, figures began to emerge from both ends of the hallway, running with chilling speed. Though they initially looked like men and women, their bodies had transformed so much that it was impossible to identify them as human. Now, their twisted, decayed forms were nothing more than monsters, with an insatiable hunger for human flesh.
Panic spread like a plague among all of them.
Ding!
Just as the guards were about to pull the trigger, a metallic chime pierced the air: the elevator had finally arrived, moments before the creatures could reach them!
"Get out! I'm going first!"
Two businessmen, with no dignity left, lost all composure. Without thinking, they shoved the elderly Rupert and Edmund, who staggered back with a muffled scream. The businessmen lunged for the elevator doors, blinded by fear, determined to enter first.
But then, the doors opened completely, and reality hit them like a brutal blow.
Inside the elevator, there was no safety. There were three creatures!
Grrr... Uuuurrrr!
Rrrraaahhh!
Aaaarrghh... grrrr...
The businessmen didn't even have time to scream. The creatures launched themselves at them with a violence that surpassed any human understanding.
Soon, the sound of flesh being torn apart was the only thing left.