The darkness of the night swallowed everything, leaving only the rare glimmers of distant stars that flickered in the cold, indifferent sky. The forest whispered with a thousand voices: the wind moaned through the treetops, unseen creatures rustled in the leaves, and somewhere far away, a chilling scream echoed—like the final cry of a dying soul.

  Deiv stood in the shadows, his eyes emotionlessly watching the family desperately searching for shelter in this cursed world. He didn’t know why he was still following them. Maybe some remnants of humanity clung to him like rotting flesh on bones? Or was he simply looking for a new purpose, something to stop him from getting lost in his own emptiness?

  The parasites wouldn’t leave them alone. They could smell fear, hear the helpless hearts beating, sense the warm trail of living blood—and Deiv knew they wouldn’t stop. He killed them without a sound, like a shadow gliding through the trees. One, he slashed apart before it could even hiss. Another, he ripped its throat out, leaving it to choke on its own blood. A third, he smashed against a rock, reducing it to nothing but a wet, shattered mess.

  The family, unaware, found a cave. The father let out a weary sigh as he stepped inside first, followed by the mother, clutching her children tightly. They disappeared into the dark stone depths, and Deiv silently watched as they vanished into the blackness.

  He waited.

  An hour passed. Then another. He knew the parasites would return eventually. But since there was still time, he decided to check the cave. The tunnels stretched deep into the earth, the stone walls were cold and damp, covered in claw marks—either from animals or something far worse. The air was thick, stale, carrying an ancient, suffocating presence. But there was no immediate danger.

  Stepping back outside, he raised his head to the sky. It looked the same as it did in his past life. The stars shone indifferently, as if the rotting world below meant nothing to them.

  — "What am I even waiting for…?" — he whispered to himself, but no answer came.

  Morning arrived quickly, but it changed nothing. The world remained just as dead.

  The family emerged from the cave. The father looked rested, the mother as well—but the children… The children were exhausted, their eyes filled with restless fear. Deiv saw it. He saw how terror was slowly devouring them from the inside.

  He followed them in silence, lurking in the shadows, knowing that this morning would bring more blood.

  Silence. The forest whispered softly, the trees swayed under the weak wind, creating the illusion of living beings watching every step. Deiv moved soundlessly, observing the family's fear that never faded for even a second. His breath was quiet, his movements—smooth, almost unreal.

  — "Everything is going smoothly…" — he muttered to himself, but the moment the thought formed, creatures emerged from behind the trees.

  Several parasites, licking their slimy, fanged mouths, slowly approached the family, filling the air with the sickening sound of claws scraping against bark.

  — "Fucking cliché… FUCK."

  Deiv rolled his eyes, but he acted instantly. His face emerged from the darkness—distorted, twisted with an expression of pure madness. He didn’t make a sound. He just stared.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The parasites froze. Their bodies trembled, their thin limbs twitched in panic, and then… they screamed.

  Not a war cry.

  Not a threatening roar.

  A scream of terror.

  They turned and ran, clawing at the ground in blind panic, leaving jagged marks in the dirt.

  Deiv stood in the shadows, watching as the family cautiously looked around. They saw the parasites flee—but what had scared them so much? The question hung in the air like a sinister mist, impossible to escape.

  — "Looks like I overdid it…"

  He saw the tension in their bodies only grow. Now, they didn’t just fear the parasites. Now, they feared whatever had terrified the monsters that were supposed to be the embodiment of nightmares.

  Hours passed. The forest grew thinner, trees giving way to rocky roads. Finally, ahead of them, a massive, high wall of thick concrete slabs appeared, lined with barbed wire. The walls looked impenetrable, but most importantly—there were people on them.

  A sniper on the watchtower was the first to notice the family. He raised his rifle, looked through the scope, and quickly reported through the radio:

  — "Survivors spotted. Two adults, two children. Unarmed."

  Below, soldiers moved into action. Heavy boots pounded against the ground as uniformed men approached the gate, preparing to help the family.

  Deiv watched from a distance.

  He felt no relief.

  He didn’t care.

  Just… satisfied that he had gotten them to safety.

  He turned and disappeared into the shadows.

  Deiv wandered through the forest, lost in the emptiness of his thoughts. He had no purpose. He just walked, like an ordinary man following familiar trails—except he hadn’t been human for a long time.

  The days dragged on endlessly. Twenty days filled with boredom and self-discovery. He tested the limits of his strength, realizing how much faster he was, how his body regenerated at an unnatural speed. Pain was almost nonexistent—wounds sealed before his eyes, bones mended in an instant.

  But now what? If he had a reason to fight back then, now he had none.

  With nothing else to do, he memorized every inch of the land, every rock, every shadowed path around the fortified military camp. He was bored. Not physically—his body burned with energy, craving movement. But inside… emptiness.

  Night.

  He lay on the cold ground, staring at the sky, littered with stars. Beautiful… but meaningless.

  And then…

  A distant sound.

  Faint, but growing louder.

  A siren?

  Deiv tensed, sat up, listening. Far away, the alarm grew stronger, cutting through the night’s silence.

  Something was happening.

  He jumped to his feet and ran. Through the forest, through the dark silhouettes of trees, toward the growing chaos.

  And then he saw it.

  Parasites.

  Hundreds. No… more than five hundred.

  A horde of grotesque, twisted bodies, moving like a living ocean beneath the moonlight, advancing relentlessly.

  Gunfire flashed from the walls—soldiers desperately shooting, trying to stop the flood. Bullets tore through the monsters, but they kept getting up, their wounds sealing almost instantly.

  One of the soldiers, panicked, reached for a flare, ready to call for reinforcements.

  But then…

  Something moved in the air.

  A massive shadow streaked across the ground, leaving a jagged, violent trace.

  — "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" — a soldier shouted, disbelief in his voice.

  BOOM.

  The ground shook. A thick cloud of dust exploded into the air, obscuring everything.

  The soldiers and parasites froze.

  Everyone was staring at the same spot.

  From the swirling dust, a figure slowly emerged.

  Him.

  Ghost.

  Among the parasites, Alagana saw him—and immediately, her body went cold. Her heart pounded in her chest.

  Fear.

  Real, suffocating, paralyzing fear.

  Deiv stood before the monstrous army, his gaze cold, void of anything human.

  He didn’t care.

  Didn’t care that he was outside the walls now.

  Inside, he was still human.

  Above, on the wall, among the armed soldiers, one man recognized him.

  The same soldier.

  The one who had seen this parasite—this monster—cry.

  Now he stood before them.

  — "Is he with us… or against us?"

  Silence.

  A single second of stillness before the storm.