Tbilisi, 2007 summer evening.
On the balcony of a small apartment, the fairy lights were glowing, casting their glow on the table laden with dishes. The scent of kebabs, fresh vegetables, and wine filled the air. Deiv, or as he was known in his regular life—David—sat at the head of the table, laughing with his friends and enjoying the celebration.
— "Deiv, do you even feel like you're growing up?" teased his friend Levan, clinking his glass of juice.
— "I was born an adult, just kept it hidden!" David laughed, sparking another round of joy.
Parents, neighbors, and friends raised toasts one after another. The evening seemed perfect. But no one knew that this calm would soon be shattered.
Closer to midnight, when the streets of Tbilisi began to empty, something strange appeared in the sky. A massive, dark, living silhouette froze on the horizon. It was so enormous it seemed to cover half the city. Silence fell over the street. Everyone froze, staring upward.
— "What is that?" David's mother whispered, gripping his hand.
Before anyone could respond, several capsules detached from the flying object, cutting through the clouds and racing toward the earth at terrifying speed. One of them crashed at the end of the street with a deafening roar, raising a cloud of dust and debris.
Deiv and his friends stood frozen. People closer to the crash site cautiously approached the capsule, some pulling out their phones to film the event.
— "Maybe it's military drills?" someone suggested.
— "What drills? We're in Tbilisi!" another replied.
The capsule began to slowly open. Thick steam poured out, and suddenly, something emerged...
The creature vaguely resembled a human, but it was taller, thinner, and covered in strange, dark skin with veins running through it. Its eyes glowed faintly. It slowly straightened, looking around, and then... screamed.
It lunged forward with inhuman speed, grabbing the nearest man and tearing him in half in an instant. Screams of terror filled the street. People scattered in all directions, but the monster was already attacking others.
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— "Run!" someone screamed, and that cry ignited the panic.
David, with his parents and friends, stood at the other end of the street, horrified by what was happening. But this was only the beginning. More massive living objects appeared in the sky, and new capsules began to detach from them.
The capsules opened, releasing even more creatures into the streets. The night, which was supposed to end with a warm celebration, had turned into a nightmare
— "Deiv, grab your mother and run to the basement! Now!" his father's voice cut through the chaos.
David hesitated for a moment, but quickly grabbed his mother by the hand and rushed to catch up with the others. The screams of people, the roars of monsters, explosions—it all melded into a wild nightmare.
They ran down the dark street, weaving between cars and scattered bodies. His father, Levan, and the others were ahead, while Deiv and his mother began to fall behind.
BOOM!
A blinding flash lit up the street, and a deafening explosion threw David to the side. His body slammed into a wall, breath knocked out of him, stars dancing before his eyes. A ringing filled his ears, his head spun.
— "Shit..." he struggled to lift his head.
His mother lay motionless nearby.
— "Mom!" he crawled to her, tapping her cheek. She didn't respond, but she was still breathing.
Clenching his teeth, Deiv lifted her into his arms and staggered forward.
— "What the hell is going on?! What the fuck?!"
Every step sent sharp waves of pain through his body, but he kept going. Suddenly, something heavy knocked him off his feet.
CRASH!
Sharp pain pierced his side. David fell, nearly dropping his mother. He looked up and saw the creature slowly approaching her.
— "No..."
The monster leaned down, its long fingers reaching for her.
— "Don't touch my mother, you bastard!" Deiv roared, grabbing a sharp metal rod from the ground.
He lunged forward and drove the weapon into the creature's arm. The monster howled, jerked back, but immediately retaliated.
SWOOSH!
Black claws sank into David's stomach. His body was pierced by burning, sharp pain, and blood poured out.
— "Ghh..."
He staggered, but gritted his teeth.
— "Get your jaws off my mother, BASTARD!"
But the monster ignored him. Slowly, almost predatorily, it leaned over the helpless woman and...
CRUNCH!
Its jaws snapped shut around her throat.
— "NO!!!"
Rage overwhelmed David, but his body no longer obeyed him.
The creature raised its head, blood dripping from its jaws. Then it simply turned and walked away, leaving only fear and death behind.
Deiv crawled to his mother. His body weakened, breathing heavy.
— "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!"
— "Mom... I'm sorry... Sorry, sorry, sorry..."
— "I'm sorry... I... couldn't... protect... you..."
Darkness closed in around him. The last thing he heard was the echo of his own voice.
Then, there was nothing.