Crunch.
"AARRRGHHH! STOP! STOP! IT HURTS—PLEASE!"
The man crawled forward, clawing at the ground.
Away from the flames.
Away from death.
"I–I can't feel my legs anymore," he realized, panic flooding his voice.
A shadow fell over him.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEASE—SHE'S GOING TO KILL—"
CRACK.
Silence.
A small girl stood in the heart of the burning village. Her hands were slick with blood, crimson and warm. She lifted them to her mouth and licked them clean.
On the ground lay a dead man. His neck bent at an impossible angle.
A deep gash split his stomach open. His fingers twitched weakly, nerves firing without purpose. His eyes rolled back, showing only dull white.
"Not enough," the girl murmured. "They can't come to this planet. The Queen is not ready yet."
A faint sound reached her ears. Someone was crying.
"M–Mom… D–Dad… Where are you…?"
A boy stood nearby, trembling—shaking with fear. He looked about her age.
She turned toward him and smiled—bright, innocent, wrong.
"Where did you come from?" she asked gently. "Do you wanna be my friend? Or are you scared of me like the other kids?"
The boy stared at her. Something deep inside him screamed that this was wrong.
"W–We can be friends… yeah…" he said, forcing the words out.
"Yay!" The girl clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling. "I haven't had a friend in such a long time. Hehe."
The boy's thoughts spun wildly.
Had she lost her parents too?
"D–Did you lose your mom and dad too?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. I lost them a long time ago…" She tilted her head, then laughed softly. "But it doesn't make me sad anymore."
"C–Can you help me find my mom and dad?" the boy begged, his voice shaking. "I–I don't want to be alone. It's so cold and dark without them."
The girl froze.
Her smile vanished. Tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks.
She wiped them away with the back of her hand and her smile returned.
"I used to miss my mommy and daddy too," she said brightly. "But you'll get over it really fast. So don't worry about it!"
Then she perked up, bouncing on her heels.
"But I do miss my big sis… Oh! But soon she'll be the Queen of this Earth! Then I can spend as much time with her as I want!"
The boy glanced past her.
A man lay crumpled on the ground. His eyes were closed, his face twisted in agony.
"Hey," the girl said suddenly. "What's your name? When the Queen finally reigns, I'll make you my accomplice—because you're my friend!" She beamed.
"My name is… Ethan," the boy whispered.
"Woah! What a nice name! I'll remember it."
She stepped closer and placed her hand gently against his cheek.
Behind her, the ground split open.
A mechanical limb emerged. It was long, jointed, unnatural. Like a living tentacle. At its tip gleamed a small, razor-sharp blade.
Slowly, carefully, it moved toward Ethan's face.
The blade carved a cross into the right side of his forehead.
He felt nothing.
His thoughts were too loud. His mind spiraled too fast.
Then it hit him.
"I marked you!" the girl said cheerfully. "Now you'll be my friend forever and ever… right? Hehe."
He understood.
She was the killer.
She was the reason his parents were gone.
She was the source of this nightmare.
Rage boiled inside him.
But his body refused to move.
Frozen. Terrified. Helpless. Like a deer in headlights.
He didn't know why she spared him—but he knew one thing.
He had to survive.
Survive, to make her pay.
She stepped back, smiling sweetly.
"I have to go now…" she said softly. "Oh…! But before I forget! I never told you my name!"
The fire around them burned brighter. Hotter.
"My name is—"
A thunderous sound echoed nearby.
A bright light flared in the distance.
***
The stench of burnt flesh hung thick in the air.
Devastation.
The village had been reduced to ash and ruin.
Houses were torn apart, their remains scattered. At the village center, everything had been obliterated.
Bodies lay everywhere. Arms and legs twisted unnaturally. Stomachs torn open, organs exposed.
And yet—there was no blood.
Not a single drop.
Every corpse had been drained dry, leaving behind only flesh clinging to bone.
Police cordoned off the area. Soldiers lined the streets. Detectives combed through the destruction.
The Commander walked through the wreckage—past charred wood, shattered stone, and lifeless bodies.
His expression was blank.
Then he heard it.
A child crying.
He ran toward the sound.
A young boy knelt beside two corpses. Their eyes were shut. Their stomachs were sliced open, like every other victim. Their organs were spilled on the ground. A nauseating stench overwhelmed the Commander. He felt like gagging.
The kid stared at them, tears streaking through the soot on his face.
"Are you okay?" the Commander asked worriedly. "Are you hurt?"
The boy turned toward him.
His eyes were sunken in. His skin was blackened with ash. Blood stained his hands and knees. There was a strange injury on his forehead that resembled a cross.
The Commander called for medics. They arrived quickly, surrounding the boy, tending to his wounds and reassuring him that everything would be fine.
Stella approached, watching silently.
"I feel so sorry for him," she murmured. "Everything he had… gone. His eyes look so empty. So hopeless."
The Commander looked at the boy once more.
His eyes were not empty, they weren't hopeless either.
No, his eyes were determined—angry, out for revenge.
"Do you know who did this?" the Commander asked him.
The boy met his gaze. His gaze was unwavering.
"Beware of the ground, mister," he said. "There are monsters down below."
Then he was taken away.