If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this whole mess, it’s that walking into your own origin story is a lot less cool than it sounds. Especially when the origin story involves bioengineered monsters, a morally bankrupt mega-corp, and a whole lot of lightning.
We stood at the edge of the quarantine zone, the air thick with tension and the sharp scent of ozone. Thunder rolled overhead like the sky was warning us to turn back. The compound loomed beyond the fence, a twisted blend of high-tech science and post-apocalyptic decay. Lights flickered behind grimy windows. Something inside that place pulsed—alive, watching, waiting.
Adrian adjusted his gear, the straps on his tactical vest creaking under the strain. “You sure about this, Elias?”
I nodded, though my stomach was doing Olympic-lev
