"The Ones Outside"
EXT. DARK FOREST – NIGHT
The forest shakes with heavy impacts — branches snap, the ground trembles. Damien and Cassie sprint through the darkness, their breathing sharp and uneven. The faint light of the glitching wall flickers behind them.
Cassie (gasping): They're still coming!
Damien: Just keep running! Don't look back!
But then—rustling leaves to their left.
Cassie glances over — her eyes widen in horror.
From the shadows, a Reaper bursts into view — grotesquely tall, its legs impossibly long, arms swinging like blades. Its grin stretches wider than its face should allow.
Cassie (screaming): Damien—left!
Damien whirls around, only to freeze as another Reaper emerges on their right — this one moving on all fours, its head twisted upside down, teeth glinting in the dark.
Damien (breathing hard): How—how did they catch up so fast?!
They stop, hearts pounding, as a third Reaper steps out ahead of them — massive, bloated, its mouth dripping with thick black fluid. The three surround them, their grotesque smiles unchanging.
Cassie (voice trembling, tugging his sleeve): D-Damien… what do we do…?
Damien (shaking): I— I don't know…
The Reapers don't move — they just stare, grinning, their bodies twitching in anticipation.
Then, as if waiting for a cue, they tilt their heads in unison.
A chill runs through Damien's spine.
Damien (whispering): Cassie… run.
He grabs her wrist — and they take off back the way they came. The Reapers remain still for a heartbeat, then—
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
They explode forward — trees shattering as they chase, their inhuman limbs moving faster than thought.
Cassie (screaming): They're toying with us!
Damien (shouting): Just run!!
Branches whip past them, claws slash through bark inches from their faces — Damien nearly trips, but Cassie yanks him up, both sprinting with pure desperation.
INT. UNDERGROUND MILITARY BASE – SAME TIME
Red lights flash across metallic halls. Sirens blare. Soldiers rush through corridors, loading magazines into massive rifles and sealing helmets into place.
Commander (shouting): Sector Seven breach confirmed! All units, move! Containment priority one!
A giant monitor flashes with distorted footage — the wall glitching, creatures swarming through the opening.
Operator (panicked): Sir, they're spreading faster than expected! The barrier's integrity is collapsing!
Commander: Then hold it together! Move out!
Troops storm through a launch tunnel as armored carriers power up, the thunder of engines echoing through the base.
EXT. FOREST – BACK TO DAMIEN & CASSIE
The two stumble into a clearing, gasping for air, faces streaked with tears and sweat. The distant sound of metal and engines grows louder — faint lights flicker in the far distance.
Cassie (barely speaking): What… what are those…?
Damien (panting): I don't know… but we're not safe yet.
Behind them, the forest shakes again — the Reapers are coming.
Cassie: They're coming ?
Damien: Just run.
They take off toward the faint glow as the camera pans up — the shattered dome gleaming faintly overhead, the night sky trembling like a dying screen.
The sound of thunderous footsteps filled the forest.
Scene cut — Military Command Base.
Red alarms blared.
Commander: "Sector Twelve breached! All units, move out!"
Soldiers scrambled, guns locking, armor plates sliding into place.
Cut back — Forest.
Damien and Cassie stumbled into an open clearing, their backs to the glowing breach. Surrounded.
The air reeked of rot and static.
Damien (breathing hard): "Stay behind me!"
He yanked Cassie close, shielding her with his body as the creatures slowly advanced.
Sweat rolled down his face. His hands trembled. This is my fault... I brought her here.
The long-legged Reaper crouched low and lunged—
BANG!
A loud crack split the silence. Warm liquid splattered across Damien's face.
He opened his eyes — the Reaper's head was gone, smoking.
A single, distant shot echoed. A mist of black blood splattered Damien's face.
The long-legged Reaper collapsed beside them, motionless — a smoking hole in its skull.
Damien blinked. "What…?"
Another flash of light from the treeline — a sniper.
Sniper (over comm): "Target down. Reloading."
Soldiers stormed in from every direction, shouting commands.
Commander: "Hold formation! Open fire!"
Gunfire erupted. The forest became chaos — flashes, screams, the smell of smoke and blood.
But no matter how many bullets hit, the Reapers kept moving, tearing through armor, ripping apart soldiers like paper.
Damien looked down at the fallen Reaper beside him — at the neat hole in its head. It wasn't moving.
Damien (realizing): "Wait… the head…!"
He turned toward the soldiers, cupping his hands.
Damien (shouting at the top of his lungs): "GO FOR THE HEAD! SHOOT THEIR HEADS!"
The Commander heard it.
Commander: "You heard him! Aim for the head!"
The line shifted.
Bullets changed direction. This time — one by one — the monsters dropped.
Each headshot made another Reaper fall, until the forest echoed only with the clicking of empty magazines.
When the gunfire finally ceased, smoke and silence filled the air.
Dozens of monstrous corpses lay still, heads blown open.
Cassie trembled behind Damien, her hands over her ears.
He turned, gently holding her shoulders.
Damien (softly, panting): "It's over… We made it…"
But his voice wavered — because deep down, he knew… this was just the beginning.
The battlefield had gone quiet.
Only the distant crackle of gunfire and the sound of blood dripping onto the dirt remained.
Damien's breathing slowed, his grip trembling as he turned toward Cassie.
They'd survived… for now.
But then — something shifted.
A cold, heavy pressure filled the air, like the air itself had turned to lead.
Damien's heartbeat stopped for a moment. His body froze.
And then he felt it — that aura of death, slicing through him like a blade.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the breach.
Something was standing there.
It was taller than the others — thinner, its limbs unnaturally long, its skin stretched tight over muscle and bone.
What made it worse… it had no eyes.
Just sunken, empty sockets hidden behind strands of filthy black hair.
But somehow… it was looking right at them.
Damien could feel it — like the creature was staring directly into his soul.
The thing tilted its head. A smile spread across its cracked face — wide, unnatural, mocking.
And before Damien could blink—
It vanished.
The air exploded with sound — a gust, a blur — and suddenly it was there, inches from him, mouth gaping wide enough to crush his skull.
Cassie (screaming): "Damien!!"
She shoved him with all her strength.
The next second — CRUNCH!
Blood sprayed across Damien's face.
The creature had torn Cassie's right arm clean off.
Cassie stumbled backward, eyes wide, her body in shock.
Cassie (weakly): "A-Are you okay?"
Damien didn't move.
Didn't speak.
His gaze was locked — on the blood pumping from her shoulder, the horror he couldn't process.
Cassie followed his stare — turned her head — and realized.
Her right arm was gone.
For a heartbeat, she didn't feel it. Then the pain crashed in all at once.
She collapsed to her knees, screaming, the sound raw and broken.
Cassie: "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The soldiers panicked.
They opened fire — a rain of bullets slicing through the air.
But this Reaper didn't fall.
The rounds bounced off its head like sparks off steel, leaving nothing but shallow dents.
Commander Anderson: "It's deflecting the shots! Fall back!"
The creature tilted its head again — almost amused — before turning toward the woods.
Then, in a blur of speed too fast to follow, it was gone, vanishing into the darkness beyond the breach.
Everyone stood frozen. Even the commander didn't speak.
The silence was louder than the gunfire.
Medic (rushing to Cassie): "She's bleeding out! We need a tourniquet — now!"
Anderson raised his radio.
Anderson: "Command, this is Delta One. Unknown Class Reaper escaped. We've got two civilian witnesses — one critical. Requesting evac."
Static. Then a cold female voice.
Radio: "Witnesses?"
Anderson: "Affirmative."
A pause.
Then —
Radio: "Terminate them."
Anderson froze.
His expression hardened.
Damien saw it — that single look told him everything.
They weren't saving Cassie. They were going to erase them.
Without a second thought, Damien grabbed a fallen rifle and Cassie's uninjured arm.
He fired blindly, bullets scattering as he dragged her backward toward the breach.
Damien (shouting): "Stay with me, Cassie! Just hold on!"
Soldier (yelling): "Stop them!"
Another soldier moved to follow, but Anderson held up a hand.
Anderson: "Don't. They're already dead. No one survives beyond that wall."
The smoke thickened, swallowing the two figures as they disappeared into the darkness — leaving behind silence, blood, and the unspoken truth:
The outside world had just claimed them.
The world was nothing but smoke.
Thick, choking, endless smoke.
Damien staggered through it, coughing violently, Cassie's limp body hanging over his back.
Each step burned his lungs.
Damien (hoarse): "Stay with me, Cassie... I'm going to find help. Just— please— stay awake…"
Cassie didn't respond. Her breathing was shallow, her skin pale, her blood dripping down Damien's shoulder in a dark trail.
He pressed forward through the haze, his boots crunching over broken glass and ash.
And then—
He stepped
The sight froze him where he stood.
The world… was gone.
Cars burned in the distance, their frames twisted and blackened.
Buildings stood like broken teeth against a crimson sky.
Fires raged from shattered windows, painting the streets orange and red.
Corpses — human, animal, unrecognizable — lay scattered across the ground.
The sun itself was black, hidden behind a blood-red eclipse.
Damien just stood there.
Breathing hard.
His mind blank.
Damien (whispering): "Is this… what I wanted to see?"
A tear rolled down his cheek before he even realized it.
A sudden screech shattered the silence.
Damien's heart dropped. He turned toward the sound — a shadow was moving through the smoke.
He ducked into the ruins of a collapsed building, hiding behind broken concrete, gasping for air.
Through the cracks, he saw it.
A Reaper — smaller than the others, hunched on four limbs. Its skin peeled like wet leather, its eyes glowing faintly red. It sniffed the ground like a hound tracking prey.
Damien held his breath.
Cassie's head hung loosely against his shoulder — too pale, too still.
Damien (whispering, desperate): "Please… just pass by…"
The creature stopped.
It lifted its head.
Its grin spread slowly — it had found them.
Damien (under his breath): "No…"
He tightened his grip on Cassie and ran.
The Reaper let out a howl that split the air.
From the shadows, others answered.
Damien sprinted through the ruins, weaving between collapsed walls and burning cars, his heart pounding in his ears.
Every turn led to more of them — tall, twisted silhouettes with their permanent, awful smiles.
Within moments, there were fifteen of them chasing him.
The sound of their footsteps and screeches filled the air, echoing through the dead city.
Damien's legs burned. His lungs screamed. Sweat poured down his face as his vision blurred.
Still, he ran.
Damien (panting): "Not yet… not yet… please…"
Behind him, the creatures didn't rush. They didn't have to.
They followed at an easy pace — smiling, savoring the hunt.
Finally, Damien turned a corner — and froze.
A wall of rubble.
Collapsed concrete and twisted rebar.
A dead end.
His legs gave out.
He fell to his knees, Cassie's body sliding gently from his back into his arms.
He looked at her face — pale, weak, fading.
Then back at the approaching shadows.
He could hear them laughing now.
Their long, grinning faces came into view through the haze, closing in like wolves around a dying flame.
Damien clutched Cassie close, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might burst.
There was nowhere left to run. He had met a dead end...
(To Be Continued)