Hours... I spent hours moving through it.
But I finally reached the other side of the tunnel, where an immense forest surrounded by dense fog awaited... it was bright; there was no darkness to hinder me, but the fog had taken its place.
!
At that moment, a sudden crack echoed behind me. The tunnel had collapsed, and returning was now impossible. All that remained was finding another way out.
—Zzzz
—This place
—Zzzzz
—I like it...
—Zzzz
—Zz
That voice... I searched the surroundings for a radio. I found one lying on the ground beside my flashlight and a magazine of bullets.
—...
I picked up the items and reloaded the pistol.
—This forest feels familiar...
Just a few steps after entering the immense fog, which prevented me from seeing beyond four meters, I found part of what appeared to be an investigation.
"We have been collaborating with various research centers around the world to discover everything possible about the LongDeath phenomenon; apparently, it is affecting the entire globe.
We must uncover everything we can. We have already requested all documentation regarding the Huaquillas attack case from the Ecuador headquarters.
Recently, we discovered that many years ago, a man from a small village hidden among the mountains claimed to have lived through a terrifying experience. However, his words were dismissed as the delusions of a madman. Now, we believe he was a victim of the LongDeath phenomenon."
—What nonsense...
It's all just nonsense...
I crumpled the "investigation" and threw it away for what it was: trash. I focused on continuing my journey and finding some way to orient myself better... it was impossible to know whether I was walking straight or simply going in circles.
With every step, I saw only trees; one after another emerged from the fog to stand before me.
—I'm starting to get tired...
With no purpose beyond finding an exit, I had no choice. But a crack snapped me out of that trance. Then, interference.
—Zzzzz
—Zzz
The radio had started warning me, and I knew why.
—In the end, I didn't escape...
I readied my pistol, but nothing... no creature appeared.
—Zzzz
—ZZZ
The radio's noise only grew louder and louder, as if the beast hidden in the fog were drawing closer. My senses went on full alert, ready to detect any disturbance around me, my body prepared to attack or flee.
—Damn it... show yourself already.
I continued walking, trying either to escape death's jaws or find them directly. But all I caught sight of was a path made of pieces of flesh, blood, and marks in the earth. Something had caused them...
Whatever it was, I had to follow that trail. I had learned to follow the signs the world left for me. Resisting them seemed impossible; they always appeared to be leading me somewhere. All I could do was hope it was the way out.
!
The radio kept emitting static until suddenly, a noise... it was the sound of something being dragged. I got as close as I could to the end of those marks on the ground and hid.
I saw it. It was a monster...
Grayish skin covered with black patches, as though it were rotting from necrosis. Its build was amorphous. It had a masculine shape, but its proportions were abnormal; many parts were far too large or far too thin. It had no face. Just a bald head with no openings, no ears. Nothing but skin.
It dragged two bulbous, amorphous masses of flesh. They gave the impression of having human shapes, but that was all—an impression. One chunk of flesh in each hand; one was the size of a person, and the other was very small...
Those masses were chained to its arms, the chains embedded into the creature's flesh and skin...
—What the hell is that?
It looked nothing like the beasts from the zoo. Those beasts were animals; they behaved like animals. But the creature nearby was... human?
Again, doubt. It didn't seem human, but it was very different from the beasts I'd encountered before. I decided to stay hidden. If I could avoid wasting bullets, it was the best choice. At least, that's how it seemed at first.
But it found me.
!!!
It attacked the tree I was hiding behind with the masses of flesh. The tree couldn't withstand the impact and shattered. My cover had been destroyed and my presence exposed. I fired directly into the beast's body at point-blank range.
It didn't work. I didn't even stun it. Instead, the beast simply moved closer to my face...
Staring at me with its nonexistent eyes. Suddenly, it attacked...
With one of the masses of flesh, the larger one. It tried to crush me, but fortunately it was slow enough for me to escape and keep my body intact.
—The bullets do nothing to it...
The beast roared with absolute force. It seemed to be in pain... and then I realized.
The chunk of flesh that had slammed into the ground while trying to crush me was now writhing grotesquely, blood pouring from it.
—I found your weakness.
The creature's body felt nothing. Because that wasn't the creature... the bulbous masses of flesh were. I fired immediately, missing some shots but landing others.
—It worked...
The beast roared in pain for a second time. However, it no longer left those masses exposed. It hid them behind its enormous body to protect them while advancing toward me.
—Damn it...
The bullets had stopped being useful. I moved toward the remains of the tree the beast had destroyed, positioning myself directly in front of them. Waiting for the creature to attack.
—It's now or never.
The moment the beast raised the chunk of flesh, I quickly slipped beneath it, letting the remains of the tree do all the work.
!!!
The flesh was torn apart, scattered across the tree, while the rest of the creature collapsed lifelessly if it had ever been alive at all.
—I... managed to win...
But the calm didn't last long. I noticed bones around the tree.
—...
They were human. A human skull had rolled to my feet. My stomach burned, nausea surged, vomit rose through my throat. I couldn't hold it back.
—They're human bones...
The shock only grew when the other, smaller chunk of flesh burst apart, spilling out several human bones—but smaller ones.
—A... ba...
I didn't want to stay in that place any longer. I quickly moved away.
…