Inside the training hall.
Mousta drills a squad of village youths on raw physical endurance.
The air is tight. Heavy.
Sweat pours off bodies.
Mousta shouts, his voice sharp and merciless.
"There's no such thing as tired here.
Out on the field, tired means you die."
The group struggles.
Faces twist. Legs shake.
He keeps going.
"Every drop of sweat you lose today… is blood you won't spill tomorrow."
One of them collapses.
Hits the floor hard.
Completely drained.
Too weak even to lift his head.
He sees it.
He storms toward him.
"Stop?!"
"Try stopping when you're buried under rubble. Then tell me how surrender helped you."
The young man whispers, broken.
"I can't take it anymore…"
Mousta's eyes turn cold.
"The weak don't belong here."
He points to the exit.
"Leave. Now.
From this moment on, you train with the kids… or the elderly."
The young man exits.
Silence follows.
He turns back to the squad and pushes them harder.
"You are the youth unit.
You must be the strongest.
The toughest.
You are the first—and last—line of defense for this village."
Some groan in pain.
Mousta snaps.
"If I hear you whine, you're out.
Silence is the law here."
Mid-training, He notices one of them.
A young man of Chinese origin.
Solid. Focused. Unshaken.
He ignores him and continues driving the rest forward.
"I'm not training you to be heroes.
I'm training you to stay alive.
The world out there won't give you a break.
So why should I?"
One by one, they fall.
Bodies hitting the floor.
Only the Chinese youth remains.
Still standing.
In a calm meditation stance.
Breathing steady.
Endurance unreal.
He watches him.
A flicker of respect in his eyes.
"This," he says.
"This is what I want."
He steps back.
"Rest five minutes.
Then we move on to combat techniques."
---
Inside the operations room.
Almy dives deep into the shadow networks using her powers.
Data floods her vision.
Too fast. Too much.
She slips through secret sites…
Until she finds it.
Government files.
Classified.
Joint operations between the United States and Japan.
A project.
Giant robots.
Built to eliminate mutants.
Military base designation: Robot 103.
The specs scroll rapidly.
Mini counter-missiles.
Heavy machine guns.
Capture-and-hunt weapon systems.
It can identify age, gender, and injury…
Just by looking at you.
Almy freezes.
Stunned.
She shifts deeper into the dark web, searching for anything—anything—linked to vampires.
Then she hits encrypted files.
Unknown origin.
She tries to breach them.
Fails.
Her eyes widen.
"How?!"
"This is the first time… I can't get in.
Even with my power.
That's impossible."
She tries again.
And again.
Finally—
It opens.
A private file.
A genius named Diego.
From Mexico.
Old videos load.
Dated before the explosion.
Diego stands in a car repair shop, speaking to the camera.
"I know this sounds insane…
But the end of the world is close.
Zombies will appear any moment now—because of pandemics and disease.
Every year, new viruses emerge.
They evolve.
The population keeps growing faster and faster…
And that's the perfect breeding ground for unstoppable outbreaks."
Another video.
Diego looks exhausted.
Broken.
"I get bullied. Mocked.
Even my friends laugh at me when I talk about what's coming.
I tried to warn people.
To make them aware of the end.
But I don't care anymore.
I did what I could.
Now I'll just save myself."
Another video loads.
An underground shelter.
He's building it by hand.
Weapons.
Survival gear.
All made from scrap—car parts, motorcycle pieces.
It's obvious.
The man is a genius.
He explains every step.
How he builds.
How to survive.
Suddenly—
Daisy walks in.
"Hey, Almy!
What are you doing?"
He's snaps back to reality.
"Oh—hey.
I was just… digging through the dark web."
Daisy smiles.
"We need you.
Help us prepare for the Halloween party."
Almy blinks.
"Oh. Okay…
Starting early, huh?"
Daisy nods.
"The whole village is setting up in the main square."
They walk out together.
Almy looks around.
"Everyone's here.
Nice."
The small village is alive in a way it hasn't been in a long time.
Kids run through the alleys with masks and glowing pumpkins.
Cold wind flutters black and orange flags on the windows.
In the center of the square stands Stan.
Heavy coat on.
Eyes sharp.
He barks orders over the noise.
"No chaos!
Make sure the lights don't go out at midnight!"
Connor stands near a tree, watching with a faint smile.
Hana moves through the crowd, helping villagers decorate, assigning tasks with playful energy.
Simon and Ethan joke with the kids preparing for trick-or-treating.
Simon grins.
"If you see a strange shadow tonight… don't panic.
It might just be me."
Laughter erupts.
Hena notices Daisy and Almy approaching and walks over.
While they talk, Almy's eyes drift.
She spots Ethan with Simon, hanging decorations on the trees.
Almy's gaze sharpens.
She whispers to Hana.
"That guy next to your brother…
Is that Ethan ?"
Hana nods.
"Yeah. The mutant we brought from Spain.
Did you forget him?"
Almy frowns.
"No…
I remember him unconscious in the medical hall."
Daisy jumps in.
"He was shot in the leg.
He's healed now.
He came to the last meeting—you didn't see him?"
Almy shakes her head.
"I didn't notice."
She pauses, then asks—curious.
"What's his full name?"
Daisy smirks.
"What, you suspect him too? Like Connor?"
Almy snaps back.
"No!
I'm just asking."
Hana answers calmly.
"I think… Ethan Walker."
Almy looks at him from afar.
Her stare lingers.
---
On the other side of the village, Khaled repairs an old generator, preparing extra power for the night.
Mousta approaches, a towel over his head.
Khaled turns.
"You're here.
How was the squad today?"
Mousta nods.
"The youth unit.
They did well."
Khaled smirks.
"Just got out of the shower?"
Mousta exhales.
"Yeah."
He eyes the generator.
"Are you sure that fuse will hold?"
Khaled shrugs.
"If it doesn't, no big deal.
It's just backup lighting for the party."
When Khaled finishes—
Mousta says,
"Let's head to the main square.
See how Stan and the others are doing."
Before moving, Khaled's eyes drift toward the forest edge.
He watches.
Silent.
Alert.
They walk as the sun begins to set.
Khaled smiles.
"What a view."
Mousta nods.
"Nothing beats nature."
When they arrive, they stop—impressed.
Khaled laughs.
"Wow…
You guys outdid yourselves."
Stan answers calmly.
"We did what we could to make the kids happy."
---
In another corner, Almy can't stop thinking about Ethan.
She sits at a table and opens her laptop.
Her eyes glow white—bright, unnatural.
She hacks the internet with her powers, searching social media.
"Ethan Walker."
Results load.
An old Facebook account.
She scrolls through his past.
University life.
Posts.
Interests.
Naval engineering student.
Photos of his father in the navy.
Pictures of the sea.
Music posts—
A lot of The Weeknd.
Almy thinks quietly.
"Ah… okay."
Pinned to his profile—
An old song.
"I Feel It Coming."
A spark ignites in her mind.
---
Night falls.
Kids run through orchards and wooden houses, knocking on doors for candy.
Torches and orange lamps light the village.
The team gathers around the fire.
Smoke rises from the grill.
Khaled holds a warm cup, smiling softly.
"You know…
Halloween was always just costumes to me.
But today…
Looking at you all…
It feels different.
Like family.
People who lived through the same pain I did—
Pain that still lives inside me."
Everyone listens in silence.
Connor crosses his arms, eyes heavy.
Simon clutches his chest dramatically.
"Oooh… my heart's breaking."
Mousta stares at the ground.
Stan watches Khaled, cold on the outside—shattered within.
Khaled smiles again.
"Every one of you lost someone.
Family. Friends.
We all carry suffering.
We all live in a dark hole of pain.
Tonight, we're not celebrating fear.
We're celebrating that we're no longer afraid."
"Halloween means darkness to most people.
But for us?
Darkness is where we found each other…
And where we became stronger."
He raises his cup toward the fire.
"To this team.
To the family we built.
To the sacrifices.
To the memories that shaped us—
And to the nights we laughed anyway."
Everyone raises their cups.
"Cheers!"
Connor grins.
"And now—before the meat burns—
Simon, step away from the fire!"
Light laughter fills the air.
---
During the barbecue, Almy keeps stealing glances at Ethan.
He doesn't notice her.
He's laughing with Simon.
Mousta speaks up.
"Anyone gonna play some music?"
Hana nods.
"Yeah. One second."
She pulls out a speaker and queues calm, classic music.
Almy thinks to herself.
"This is my chance."
She steps in.
"Wait. Let me choose a song."
She plays "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd.
Ethan turns instantly.
He looks straight at Almy.
Their eyes meet—for the first time.
Almy's heart slams in her chest.
I did it…
He noticed me.
Ethan asks, surprised.
"Who picked this song?"
Daisy and Hana laugh and point at Almy.
"Her."
Ethan smiles.
"Wow… you listen to The Weeknd?"
Almy blushes.
"Yeah… haha.
He's the best.
Especially this song."
Ethan nods.
"It's my favorite.
This one… hits different."
Simon nudges Connor.
"Ooooh.
Something's happening here."
Connor smirks.
"They like each other."
A harsh training, a mysterious digital discovery, and the warmth of a celebration unlike any other Halloween night.
Is it just a night of festivity… or the beginning of a new chapter of shadows?
⚡ Read now and share your thoughts: which scene touched your heart the most? ❤️