THE LAST SURVIVOR

Rain fell like a curtain over the abandoned highway, turning the asphalt into a river of black glass. Lightning ripped across the night sky, briefly revealing the silhouette of a young man running for his life. His name was Ethan Carter, eighteen years old. His clothes were soaked with rain and stained with blood. Every breath burned in his lungs, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. Behind him, the roar of engines grew louder. Three black SUVs tore through the storm, their headlights sweeping across the road like the eyes of hungry predators. "They're gaining on him!" a voice crackled over a radio. Ethan stumbled, catching himself before he hit the ground. His right hand tightened around the silver pendant hanging from his neck. It felt strangely warm, almost as if it had a heartbeat of its own. "They must never get this," he whispered through gritted teeth. A gunshot shattered the silence. The bullet slammed into a road sign just inches from his head, sending sparks flying into the rain. "Stop running!" someone shouted through a loudspeaker. "There's nowhere left to hide!" Ethan ignored the warning. He darted off the road and disappeared into the thick forest. Branches whipped against his face as he pushed deeper into the darkness. The storm swallowed every sound except the pounding of his heartbeat. He didn't know how long he had been running. Minutes. Hours. It no longer mattered. What mattered was staying alive. Another flash of lightning illuminated the trees—and for a split second, Ethan saw them. Figures dressed in black tactical armor moved silently between the trunks. They weren't ordinary soldiers. They hunted like machines. One of them raised a weapon unlike anything Ethan had ever seen. A blue pulse burst from its barrel, striking a tree that exploded into splinters. "They're using those weapons already..." Ethan whispered. His heart sank. If they had authorization to use experimental weapons, then this wasn't an arrest. It was an execution. He reached a cliff overlooking a raging river. The water below crashed against jagged rocks. Behind him came the sound of boots. In front of him was a deadly fall. For one terrifying moment, Ethan realized there was nowhere left to run. A calm voice echoed from the darkness. "You've done well surviving this long, Ethan." A tall figure stepped into the lightning. His face was hidden beneath a black hood. "But every experiment has an ending." Ethan stared at him. "What... are you talking about?" The man smiled. "You really don't remember, do you?" The pendant around Ethan's neck suddenly blazed with brilliant silver light. The ground trembled. The soldiers froze. The hooded man's smile disappeared. "...Impossible." Ethan felt a surge of energy race through his body. Pain. Heat. Power. And then... A flood of memories that were never supposed to exist.