*Crash*
Solonar stirred from his sleep, jolted by what sounded like a lamp falling to
the floor.
"Shit," he whispered under his breath, looking around the dark room.
'It's probably just the wind.' he thought, mustering the courage to
investigate.
Solonar slowly got up from the couch. Leaving the lights off, he moved silently
toward the bedroom where the sound had come from.
Facing the hallway that led to their single bedroom and the kitchen, he paused
to pick something up—a shiny metal baseball bat they kept near the couch.
Neither Solonar nor Misty played baseball. The bat was meant for home defense,
for nights when Misty wasn't home.
The outer city, where they live, had a very high crime rate. Rape, drug
trafficking, murder, and robbery were all commonplace.
His grip on the bat tightened. He held it firmly—ready to swing at anything in
his way.
As he inched closer, he stepped into the kitchen. A cold wind from outside hit
him.
A window was wide open.
Meow~~~
Solonar flinched. The sound came from the bedroom.
'Maybe a stray cat just entered through the window.' he reassured himself.
Within two steps, he was out of the kitchen and back in the hallway.
He noticed something—the bedroom door was open.
'Cats can't open doors… right?'
He stepped closer.
Meow~~~
He heard it again, but it sounded different this time.
Sinister and uncanny.
Something felt deeply wrong.
Every cell in his body screamed at him to step away from the door. His palms
were sweaty. His heart was pounding.
His heart thumped like his worst nightmare was waiting behind that door.
'Breathe.'
Solonar reminded himself. With two deep breaths, he gathered his thoughts and
pushed the door open with his foot.
The broken lamp was in front of his feet, but his mind didn't register it as he
stepped on a few glass shards. Something he couldn't explain was right in front
of him.
Goosebumps rose across his skin. His eyes widened. He started shaking all over.
Moonlight poured through the window, illuminating the creature in front of him.
Its back was turned. A frame that had human proportions—but
beastly features.
Pure nightmare fuel. Its long, metallic-looking claws
stained with a reddish substance. He noticed the metallic smell in the air.
Blood.
Its forearms were fully covered in fur akin to one of the many
wild beasts that roamed the tainted lands outside of the walls.
Irregular patches of fur dotted whatever was "human" that
peeked through the shredded work clothes.
"C-C-CORRUPTED!!!"
Solonar stammered and screamed, his voice echoing through the dark night.
An unnerving silence hung in the air—like nobody heard him.
Nobody except the corrupted in front of him.
It turned toward him.
The face of the corrupted was filled with morbid features—hollow sockets where
eyes should have been, a row of sharp, jagged teeth exposed for the world to
see. It lacked skin around its mouth, and saliva quietly dripped down its chin.
Meow~~~
It opened its jaws and let out the now harrowing sound.
It was a mystery how it could make that sound with a mouth like that.
He froze.
He tried to compel his wobbling legs to back away and run to almost no avail.
'MOVE!!'
Solonar screamed at himself internally. It felt like death was staring him in
the face. The dread was so thick he could almost taste it.
His eyes were fixed on the corrupted. He couldn't look away—as if its grotesque
features commanded his attention.
'JUST FUCKING MOVE!!!'
He finally managed to take a single step back.
The grotesque creature bent its head slightly, as if puzzled by the fact he was
able to move.
Solonar blinked—
In that instant, the creature vanished from where it stood. For a single
second, it seemed like it wasn't anywhere in the room.
Then its chest appeared directly in front of him.
The metallic stench of blood hit him harder—thick, nauseating and undeniable.
The corrupted was much larger up close, standing at least seven feet tall.
His eyes rose slightly and finally met those hollow sockets. There was just
darkness where there should have been eyes.
His heart rate spiked. His breathing turned shallow and rapid. He was reaching
critical levels—a bit higher and a heart attack was within the realm of possibility.
A seemingly familiar energy began flowing within him, like he had regained a
missing limb he didn't know he had.
It wasn't coming from his emocore. This was something else. Something deeper.
It started in his spine, crawling upward like liquid fire.
It felt like time had halted to a slow crawl.
His vision sharpened.
The Corrupted's morbid features became clearer and more defined despite the almost
pitch darkness of the moonlit room.
His perception had received a strange boost.