The neon sign above Club Orion flickered wearily in the dark as the last of the late-night patrons stumbled out, laughter echoing into the humid Heldale air. Inside, the scent of cheap alcohol clung to the curtains, and the bar had emptied save for one stubborn customer slouched over the counter—Tam.
His friends had already left thirty minutes ago, throwing half-hearted concerns about the new town-wide curfew as they disappeared into the night.
Tam had waved them off with a grin and another swig of his beer. "Just one more," he'd said.
Now, alone and swaying on his feet, Tam stumbled out into the night with a burp and a lazy grin, unaware of the predator that now roamed the forgotten corners of Heldale.
He stood at the deserted bus stop, hands in his pockets, breathing in the heavy, silence-laced night. The time on his wristwatch read: 10:57 PM.
"No buses at this hour?" he muttered, squinting down the empty road. "Lame."
With no options in sight, he began to walk—down one street… then another hoping to find a taxi . Streetlights flickered as he passed. His head spun as the pavement seemed to twist under his feet.
Soon, the streets became unfamiliar. No shops. No traffic. Just walls smeared with graffiti and worn out paint crept too far.
Tam stopped at a four-way corner. "What the hell…" he murmured, turning in circles. Nothing looked familiar.
Then he saw it—someone, or something, standing a few meters ahead, unmoving.
He squinted, rubbing his eyes. "Hey! You there! Uh… I need help. You seen a cab around here?"
No reply.
He staggered closer. "C'mon man, don't be weird. I'm just—" He froze.
That wasn't a man.
The thing before him shimmered oddly under the streetlight—its body plated like dull silver armor, humanoid yet twisted, its face expressionless except for two glowing red orbs set deep where eyes should've been.
Tam's breath caught in his throat. "Shit."
The figure lunged forward, brandishing a sharp object—long, jagged, and humming low like something mechanical.
Tam turned and ran, legs uncoordinated, breath ragged, his vision darkening around the edges. He stumbled over a stone and crashed to the ground, scraping his elbows.
When he looked back…
There was nothing in sight.
He panted, eyes wide, sweat clinging to his skin. "No way…"
He hadn't drank that much for him to be hallucinating or seeing things that weren't there.
Trying not to panic, he picked himself up and hurried through an alley littered with trash, bottles, and the stench of everything foul. His mind raced. Just a hallucination… his mind playing delicate tricks…
But the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
And then—grab.
A cold, firm grip around his throat yanked him backwards like a rag doll. Tam kicked and gasped, but the strength of the figure was inhuman.
The thing was behind him now—its metal hands crushing his windpipe, its breathless presence humming like twisted machinery.
Tam's eyes rolled as he gasped for air.
With a sickening shunk, the sharp object drove straight through his stomach and out his back.
Tam's body arched in pain, blood gushing from his lips, his mouth twisting in a silent scream. His limbs trembled, vision turning red. The thing let him go.
He collapsed onto the concrete, his blood pooling thick beneath him.
The alley fell still.
The metal figure stood for a moment longer, then vanished into the darkness like a shadow never meant to exist.