An arm lay thrown in the mud, broken and split open. Everything around it was splattered with blood and deep gouges, like something had shredded the ground with blades. The air was heavy, smelling off – like metal and fear mixed with the damp and the sweat of those who were still breathing. Further away, two bodies lay still, eyes open, staring at the sky. No one understood how they died, only that it was quick.
Kael moved through what was left of the camp, head cold. Every order came out simple and direct. "Alphonse, watch the flank. Rockbrand, cover the rear." Everyone's movements were short, controlled; nobody wasted a step. Specter Squad knew how to work under pressure. No one shouted, only quick gestures and signals. Black shapes lurked, tall and twisted, long fingers shining in the mist, but fear didn't make them lose their grip.
A creature jumped and brushed past Rockbrand. With one swipe it sliced the cigar in his mouth clean off, the lit end landing in the mud and going out instantly. Rockbrand didn't even flinch; he just clenched his teeth and raised his weapon. Kael didn't hesitate, fired twice, aiming dead center. The thing's slimy body fell apart and came back together on the ground. There was no panic, just an adjustment of positions and another order. "Don't stand still. Keep your eyes on the fog."
The flashlights didn't help; they only drew bigger shadows. The creatures moved between them, fast, like they owned the place. Every time someone from the squad dropped, the rest closed ranks, the formation tightened – no gaps, no one left alone. It was a routine: shoot, move, cover your buddy, repeat, no cap.
A soldier screamed, but there was no disorder. Kael ignored it, focused on the ones still on their feet. There was no time to look back or count the dead. "Change course. We're headed to the woods. Open field is a death sentence – deadass."
They grouped up without arguing, covering each other's backs, advancing on Kael's command. No one doubted, not a single question, not an extra shout. Each knew what to do as if they'd drilled it a thousand times. All they heard was breathing and boots pounding in the mud, the fog behind and the monsters following them.
Kael was the first to move, crouched with his weapon ready. The others followed, stuck close, alert for any movement in the trees. It wasn't a stampede or a panicked run. It was a calculated retreat, grim, leaving zero room for error. They went into the woods without looking back, ready to fight another day.
The forest stayed quiet, just the panting of those left and the click of ready weapons. They huddled against a thick trunk, nobody dropped their guard. Kael glanced around, counting under his breath.
"We were thirteen. Now there's nine of us left."
No one argued the number. Everyone knew who was missing. Rockbrand dropped the stub of his cigar and wiped his face with his sleeve. Alphonse clenched his jaw, checking pockets and glances. The mud was already mixing with the blood on their uniforms and their breathing was short, like the air refused to go all the way in.
"Peláez, Hauer, Soria and Yamil. They didn't make it out of the camp."
No one asked if they'd seen how they went down. There wasn't a prayer either. Just a couple seconds of silence, quick and dry.
"Ammo, med kits. Share whatever you've got, fast. We don't know how long we'll be stuck out here."
Magazines and bandages passed from hand to hand. Nobody said a thing about the fallen. They already knew what this was like. Sticky sweat, that metallic smell and pulses shaking, but no one would let go of their gun.
"Injured?"
One soldier showed his leg, blood already soaking the pant leg and he couldn't put weight on it. Kael looked at him then pointed to Rockbrand. The big guy came over without a word and slung the wounded man's arm over his shoulders, ready to haul him if they needed to move fast.
Alphonse swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the fog. "Did anyone get a good look at those things?"
Rockbrand shook his head. "They didn't have faces. No eyes. Just that void. They fell apart and stuck back together. I don't even know if shooting did anything."
They stayed still, listening for any noise. The planet felt more hostile by the minute, the fog covering everything. Kael didn't lower his weapon.
"We're moving. Nobody gets left behind. If we have to run, Rockbrand carries the wounded. No one splits off."
Everyone nodded. The fear was still there, but there was no room for doubt or fatigue. They walked single file, glued together, looking everywhere, ready to lose more if it came to that. No one wanted to be the next name on the list.
The squad advanced in a tight column, pressed together, each step measured like parts of a machine. The forest wasn't normal: branches crunched under their boots, but you could also hear metallic clanks when they stepped on steel roots or rusted plates under the dirt. The air smelled of sap and rust, electricity and damp. By the way, the vibes were off. Every now and then, the sheen of a metal leaf cut through the fog like a blade, and everything felt like a place designed to trap you.
Kael was up front, weapon raised, alert to any shadow. No one spoke. Only the crunch and the odd echo among the trees, like the woods were breathing too. Behind him, Alphonse watched the rear. Rockbrand carried the injured man, the others moved tense, without glancing back. They followed Kael's signals without hesitation.
The fog barely let them see six feet. A fallen tree, half wood, half corroded pipes, forced them to circle around. Then a stifled scream cut the air. No one saw where the shadow came from. Just a long black shape yanking a soldier away in one clean pull, disappearing among the branches and cables. The helmet spun on the ground; the rest of them lined up instantly, weapons up, back to back. No one ran. No one screamed. They only waited for orders.
Kael checked quick. Counted. Lowered his voice and said, "Free fire. If you see movement, shoot."
They barely took two more steps and another shadow fell from above. The body of the second to last in line was lifted and swallowed by the mist. Rockbrand let go of the wounded man, aimed where his comrade disappeared and emptied his gun, shouting as he fired, fury spilling out in bullets. The rest shot too, bullets bouncing off the metal of the trees, tearing leaves that sparked as they fell.
The echo of the shots mixed with the smell of gunpowder and that weird air, half woods, half machine. There were no more screams. Only trembling fingers and fear stuck in their throats. Kael raised his hand, signaling halt. No one lowered their weapon. Everyone knew that here, even breathing could cost you your life.
The echo of the gunfire still hung in the air, but everything went quiet again. The group, surrounded by twisted trees and metal leaves, didn't move. No one wanted to be the first to lower their weapon; no one dared to speak. Kael breathed slow, forcing himself to calm down. They had lost two more in seconds, and the shadows were still out there, hiding somewhere in the biomechanical forest. Sweat ran down his back, sticky, cold. For the first time in a long time, he hesitated.
He closed his eyes for just a second, just one, and the darkness of the forest became something else. Now there were no guns, no metal trees, no monsters in the fog. Just a playground and a memory that always came back when fear hit hardest.
Kael was walking through the metallic forest, his ragged breathing echoing in the night's silence. But in his mind, he saw another forest – a playground on the space colony, where a group of kids surrounded Haruto.
"Hey, albino! Why don't you talk much?" one of the kids asked, shoving Haruto, who was only six.
Haruto looked at him with curiosity. "I don't understand the purpose of this game."
The kid scowled. "You're weird!"
Haruto sat on a bench, pulling out a book with constellations drawn in it. The kid snatched the book away.
"Give me that!"
Haruto tried to get it back, but the kid held it away.
"I don't understand why you want my book," Haruto said softly.
The kid walked off, taunting. Kael, ten at the time, watched from a distance. He couldn't stand seeing his little brother suffer. He lunged at the group, shoving the kid who had taken Haruto's book.
"Give him his book back!" Kael yelled.
The kids mocked him, circling around him. Kael knew they were bigger and stronger, but he didn't care. He threw himself into the fight with a ferocity that surprised the others. He dodged blows, blocked others, and threw punches with a strength that belied his size.
The kids, shocked by Kael's intensity, backed off. Kael seized the moment, snatched the book from the kid who held it. He handed it back to Haruto.
"Leave him alone," Kael said, voice firm.
Seeing the determination in Kael's eyes, the kids decided it wasn't worth it to keep messing with them. They wandered off, muttering.
Haruto looked at the book in his hands, not grasping the reason for the fight. To him, it had all been a series of senseless events.
Kael was walking through the metallic forest, feeling the weight of his gun and the gaze of his men behind him. The memory stayed with him, like it had just happened. He'd made a promise when he was a kid and now, in the middle of all that darkness, he couldn't shake it. Protect Haruto. It didn't matter where they were or what they had to face, that promise was still there, as alive as the fear he felt in that moment.
Each step got heavier. The group felt surrounded, even though no clear enemies could be seen. You could see it in the way everyone glanced sideways, aiming into the fog, sweating cold, holding their breath so as not to make more noise. The clearing wasn't a refuge; it was a trap. The black figures seemed to move among the trees, changing places every time someone blinked. There weren't just one or two; there were more than the eye could count.
Rockbrand looked at Kael, waiting for an order, but even Kael didn't seem sure which way was best. The wounded man murmured that something was moving behind them, but nobody looked back, nobody wanted to be the first to see those things up close. Every sound was a threat, every shadow a possible end.
For the first time, Kael felt the promise was too big, that the weight wasn't just protecting Haruto, but everyone who trusted him. He doubted. He thought about how easy it would be to drop his gun and fall right there. The fear of failing burned worse than any companion's wound.
A shadow crossed again among the trees. This time it was closer, and the group huddled even tighter, back to back. They heard light steps, almost slippery, and the scrape of long fingers against the metal floor and roots. It seemed like only seconds before they would all be attacked at once.
Then the impossible happened. A low, deep hum filled the air. It was different from the electric buzz of the structures, more alive, more unsettling. It vibrated in the ground and in all their chests. Kael felt like something was pulling his heart downward.
The creatures froze in place, just yards away from the group, standing at the edge of the clearing. They had no eyes, but their very presence, the void where a face should have been, gave everyone goosebumps. They all sensed the danger, as if the forest was breathing with them.
The hum grew stronger, like a summons. Suddenly, all the figures turned in perfect sync, as if obeying a silent command. They rushed off, melting into the fog and metallic trees, sliding over the wet ground. The squad saw, without doubt, that they were all heading in the same direction: toward the rendezvous point where Kael was supposed to meet Haruto.
For a second nobody moved. The air got colder and heavier. The emptiness of those creatures still felt there, but the threat was no longer aimed at them.
Kael didn't get it. He looked at his men, saw the disbelief, the fear, the relief mixed with distrust. It wasn't luck. It was something else, a new threat moving somewhere else – straight up. Deep down, he knew it could only mean something worse for Haruto.
When he gave the order to move, some hesitated. We barely made it out, and now we're chasing after them, one thought out loud, almost a whisper. The fear was real. They'd been through a lot together, but this was different. Some couldn't even look at Kael. No one wanted to say it, but the idea of going after those things was almost insane.
Kael didn't judge them. He knew what true fear felt like. He looked at Rockbrand and Alphonse. He didn't need to say much else. Rockbrand just gripped his weapon and nodded. Alphonse met his gaze, steady.
"Anyone who wants to stay, set up camp here. We'll be back soon. I'm not gonna force you to do this."
The squad split in two. A few stayed, picking up tarps and checking ammo with hands that still shook. Kael, Rockbrand, Alphonse and two others got ready to move. Nobody needed speeches. They went on – out of a promise, out of habit, out of not leaving a comrade alone. That's just how it is.
Kael adjusted his weapon one more time, his mind already on the objective. He thought of Haruto again, and that old fear that had chased him since childhood. He gave the signal. Without looking back, they left the clearing, walking into the fog that had just swallowed up the creatures.
Darkness covered everything. There was nothing left but to wait, and pray that those who had gone would manage to come back.
Elara jolted awake, throat tight, like she was breaking the surface after being underwater too long. She opened her eyes and found only darkness. Not a single point of light. Everything was black, dense, crushing. She raised a hand and could barely move it; her fingers hit the cold, curved lid of the capsule. The space was so tight she felt her chest ready to explode.
She tried to steady her breathing, but every gulp of air tasted like confinement, recycled metal, fear. She hit once, twice, with her open palm, but only got a dull thud, as if she were screaming from inside a coffin. Elara felt cold sweat down her back, her heartbeat racing. She swallowed hard, felt for the emergency button, found nothing.
"Help!" she finally shouted, her voice bouncing off the capsule walls, muffled and alone.
No one answered. Outside, only darkness.