Silence settled after the body fell.
It was not the silence of grief, but one of confusion-as if reality itself had taken a step back.
Omar was the first to kneel beside the body, his hands trembling, his eyes fixed on his father's face.
Omar (in a broken voice):
"...Father?"
Mustafa did not approach immediately.
He stood still, his chest rising and falling slowly. His eyes showed no shock-only deep suspicion.
Fatima, unlike the others, was calm.
Far too calm.
She stepped forward with steady strides, looked down at the body, then raised her gaze to the group.
Fatima (cold, decisive):
"Do not mourn yet."
Eyes turned toward her in disbelief and anger.
Rayan:
"Have you lost your mind? That's Mohamed!"
She shook her head slowly.
Fatima:
"No...That was not Mohamed."
A low murmur spread, as if the words themselves were being rejected by their minds.
Omar (exploding):
"You're lying! We saw him, heard him, touched him!"
Mustafa finally moved.
Not toward Omar-but toward the nearby table.
He picked up a glass of water, stared at it for a brief moment, then said quietly but clearly:
Mustafa:
"Fatima... now?"
She nodded.
Mustafa approached the body, bent down, and-
poured the water in one motion over Mohamed's face.
At first... nothing happened.
Then The body convulsed violently.
Its features twisted, as though the skin could no longer contain itself.
The eyes turned completely black.
The mouth split open wider than any human mouth should.
The skin began to crack-not bleeding, but leaking thick shadow from within.
A collective scream filled the room.
Adam:
"My God... what is that?!"
The face finished changing.
It was no longer Mohamed.
But a creature with sharp features, dark gray skin, and pulsing black veins-
One of the Creatures of the People of the Last Silence.
Its voice emerged hoarse, layered with multiple tones:
The Creature:
"...You are late."
Sarah staggered back, her hand covering her mouth, tears filling her eyes.
Sarah:
"So... Mohamed...?"
Fatima closed her eyes for a brief moment, then spoke:
Fatima:
"Mohamed died there...In the tunnel.
This thing wore his voice, his memories-even his weakness...Just to pass among us."
All eyes turned to Mustafa.
Rayan:
"And you... you knew?"
Mustafa did not answer immediately.
He stared at the creature, then spoke in a broken yet steady voice:
Mustafa:
"I was afraid I might be wrong...But Mohamed...
He would never have looked at us that way."
The creature smiled-a slow, twisted smile.
The Creature:
"You did not survive.
You only... went deeper."
Fatima raised her sword, her gaze unshaken.
Fatima:
"Your role is over."
Before the creature could move-the sword fell.
This time, the body collapsed without convulsions, without sound, without deception.
Silence returned.
But this time...It was not the silence of safety.
Mustafa whispered, as if speaking to the void:
"If that was not Mohamed...then where is he now?"
And that question...Was more dangerous than any answer.
Fatima stepped out of the house first.
She did not say a single word.
Her steps were steady, yet the air around her felt unbearably heavy, as if warning of an approaching disaster.
They all followed her-Mustafa, Omar, Sarah, Rayan, Adam, walking behind her in a terrifying silence.
It was not the silence of calm, but the silence of a funeral without a body.
No one could comprehend what was happening, or even find the strength to ask a question.
Suddenly Fatima stopped.
Standing in the middle of the road was Jeros, wearing a faint smile.
A cold smile, utterly devoid of life.
Mustafa (stunned):
"Jeros...?"
Jeros gave him no time to think.
In a single swift motion, he lunged forward-
his blade plunging straight into Fatima's chest.
The sound of flesh being pierced shattered the silence.
Time froze.
Fatima collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide open, breathless... lifeless.
Sarah (screaming):
"Noooo! Fatima!!"
Omar (dropping to his knees beside her):
"No... no... this can't be happening..."
Mustafa (his voice broken):
"...It's over."
A sharp, cruel laugh burst from Jeros.
Jeros (mocking):
"Calm down.
That wasn't Fatima to begin with."
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Rayan:
"What are you saying?! We saw her! She fought with us! She saved us!"
Jeros (coldly):
"She was one of the Creatures of the Last Silence.
A perfect imitation... but in the end, she failed."
An even heavier silence fell over them.
Then Thhkk!
The sickening sound of flesh being pierced.
Yusuf's body jolted violently then collapsed to the ground.
An arrow was lodged deep in his neck.
Death was instant.
Adam (horrified):
"Yusuf!!"
Before anyone could move the real Fatima stepped out of the shadows.
Her face was exhausted... but alive.
Her eyes were sharp, her sword stained with blood.
She stood beside Yusuf's body.
Fatima (with deadly calm):
"And you...are also one of the Creatures of the Last Silence."
Everyone stared at her in shock.
Yusuf (smiling as he takes his final breaths):
"It's obvious... isn't it?"
Mustafa (bitterly sarcastic):
"Yes...as clear as the sun."
A short, hysterical laugh escaped Omar.
Omar:
"Liar...You're just like me.
You didn't realize it until the very last moment."
Yusuf's smile faded, the light draining from his eyes.
Silence.
But now, everyone understands one horrifying truth:
No one knew anymore...who was human,
and who was the thing hiding behind a human face.
Silence fell once more...but it was not the silence of an ending it was the silence before the collapse.
Yusuf's body lay motionless on the ground, his blood slowly spreading, as if drawing the borders of a cruel truth. Everyone's eyes were frozen between him and Fatima, as though they were desperately trying, for the last time, to distinguish the human from the mask.
Mustafa did not speak.
He stood still, his body rigid, his soul shattering piece by piece. Everything they had lived through, everyone they had trusted-nothing felt certain anymore.
Omar wiped his face with a trembling hand and let out a short, broken laugh before whispering:
"Who's next?"
Sarah tightened her grip on the sword and said softly, yet sharply:
"From this moment on... we trust no one. Not even ourselves."
As for Fatima, she stared into the surrounding darkness as if she could hear what the others could not.
She spoke with deadly calm:
"The People of the Last Silence are no longer hiding... the real game has begun."
From somewhere far away, the echo of a faint laugh returned-no one knew whether it was real or imagined, but it was enough to ignite fear in every heart.
The night closed its mouth around them...leaving them face to face with one undeniable truth:
In this world, survival does not mean you are alive it only means you have not been exposed yet.