Into The Fog
1594 Words
The yellow police tape flapped in the wind, marking the end of the safe world. Beyond the tape, the city of Jiangnan stopped looking like a city.
The buildings were covered in thick, gray moss that pulsed like it was breathing. The streets were hidden under a blanket of heavy fog that didn't move, even when the wind blew. This was the Gray Zone—the part of the city the meteors had changed the most.
Xin stood at the edge, adjusting his gloves. His new tactical suit, patched together by Mei, felt tight and secure. He didn't have his big silver armor anymore, but he didn't miss it. He felt lighter.
"Radio check," Captain Han whispered. He was checking his rifle for the third time.
"Signal is weak," Mei said. She was tapping on a small wrist-computer. Hovering next to her head was a small, round robot made of scrap metal and a camera lens. "Gears says the interference inside is off the charts. If we go in, we’re on our own."
"We have to go in," Xin said. He looked at the gray wall of mist. "The Void-Leech came from here. If there are more of them, the base won't survive another night."
"Host," the Engine’s voice was calm and quiet in his mind. "Atmospheric analysis: The fog contains 15% alien spores. Do not remove your mask."
Xin pulled his gas mask up over his face. "Masks on. Let’s hunt."
They stepped over the tape.
Immediately, the sound of the city vanished. No sirens, no wind, no distant shouting. The Gray Zone was dead silent. It felt like walking into a library where making a noise would get you killed.
They walked down the middle of a wide avenue. Cars were rusted through, looking like they had been sitting there for a hundred years, not just a few weeks. Strange purple flowers grew out of the asphalt, twisting around the streetlights.
"It’s too quiet," Han murmured.
Xin used his Pulse Sense. He sent a small ping of gravity out from his feet. It rippled through the ground like sonar.
Thump... thump...
He felt something ahead. Not one thing. Dozens.
"Contact," Xin whispered. "Fifty meters. In the mist."
They stopped. The fog swirled, and shapes began to emerge. They looked like people, but they moved wrong. Their limbs were jerky, like puppets on strings. As they got closer, Xin saw their faces. Their eyes were rolled back, white and blind. Their mouths hung open, drooling a black liquid.
"Husk-Soldiers," Han cursed. "They were the first response team that went missing last week. The fog... it hollowed them out."
The Husks saw them—or smelled them. All at once, twenty of them broke into a sprint. They didn't scream. They just ran, their boots slapping the wet pavement.
"Open fire!" Han yelled.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Han’s rifle flashed. Three Husks dropped, holes in their chests. But they didn't bleed red; they bled gray dust.
"Mei, stay back!" Xin ordered.
He stepped forward. He didn't panic. He didn't summon a giant blast. He remembered his training. Efficiency.
A Husk swung a rusty pipe at Xin’s head. Xin didn't dodge. He caught the pipe with one hand.
[Kinetic Touch.]
Xin didn't blast the Husk. He sent a tiny, focused pulse of gravity into the pipe. The metal vibrated so hard it shattered into dust in the Husk’s hand.
The Husk looked confused. Xin stepped in, grabbed the soldier by the collar, and swept his leg. As the Husk fell, Xin punched downward—a short, sharp strike.
Thud.
The Husk hit the pavement and stopped moving.
"Behind you!" Mei screamed.
Two Husks jumped from the roof of a bus, aiming for Xin’s back.
Xin spun around. He didn't use a shield. He stomped his foot.
[Gravity Ripple.]
A small wave of distorted air shot out from his boot. It wasn't enough to crush a tank, but it was enough to knock the Husks off balance in mid-air. They crashed into each other and tumbled to the ground.
Han finished them off with two clean shots.
"Clear," Han panted, scanning the street. "You move different now, kid. Less flashy."
"Flashy wastes energy," Xin said, checking his surroundings. "I only use what I need."
Mei walked up to one of the fallen Husks. She commanded Gears, her drone, to scan the body. The little robot beeped and flashed a red light.
"Xin, look at this," Mei said, pointing to the Husk’s ear.
Xin knelt down. Inside the soldier’s ear, there was a strange, fleshy growth. It looked like a mushroom made of wet gray skin. It was vibrating slightly.
"It’s a receiver," Mei whispered. "These guys aren't zombies. They’re being controlled. Someone is broadcasting a signal to them."
Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched screech echoed through the fog. It sounded like metal scraping against glass, but magnified a thousand times.
SCREEEEEECH!
Xin grabbed his head. The sound wasn't just loud; it hurt. It felt like needles poking his brain.
"My ears!" Mei cried, falling to her knees.
The fog around them started to churn. It turned from gray to an angry, swirling black.
"Warning," the Engine alerted. "Sound wave detected. Frequency is weaponized. It disrupts human equilibrium."
"Where is it coming from?" Han yelled over the noise.
Xin looked up. Through the swirling fog, he saw a shadow on top of a building down the street. It was a creature with a massive, swollen throat and no eyes. It opened its mouth, and the air in front of it rippled.
"The Sound-Eater," Xin realized. "It’s not just a monster. It’s the alarm system."
The screech changed pitch. It became a low, thumping bass.
BOOM. BOOM.
The ground shook. From every alleyway, every broken window, and every sewer grate, red eyes began to glow. The screech had called for backup.
"We triggered the hive," Han said, reloading his rifle. "We need to move. Now."
"We can't outrun sound," Xin said. He stood up, fighting the dizziness. "If we run, they hunt us down. We have to shut up that noise."
He looked at the building where the Sound-Eater was screaming. It was ten stories up.
"Mei, can Gears make a distraction?" Xin asked.
"Maybe," Mei winced, holding her head. "I can make it mimic a siren. But the drone won't survive."
"Do it," Xin said. "Han, cover me. I’m going climbing."
Mei tapped her wrist. The little drone, Gears, zipped into the air. It flew down a side street and started blasting a loud police siren sound.
WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO!
The Sound-Eater on the roof turned its head toward the new noise. The screeching stopped for a second. The pressure in Xin’s head vanished.
"Go!" Han shouted, firing into the fog to keep the Husks back.
Xin ran. He reached the wall of the building. He didn't have claws, but he had gravity. He focused the energy on the soles of his boots.
[Gravity Walk.]
He ran up the vertical wall. It felt weird, like the world had tipped on its side, but he kept his legs moving. He sprinted past broken windows and old air conditioning units.
He reached the roof. The Sound-Eater was there. It was ugly—a hunched beast with pale skin and a mouth that took up half its face. It saw Xin and inhaled, ready to scream again.
"Oh no you don't," Xin gritted his teeth.
He didn't punch. He reached out with his hand and clenched his fist.
[Gravity Muzzle.]
He created a tight bubble of heavy gravity right around the monster’s mouth. The creature tried to scream, but the sound couldn't escape the bubble. Its throat bulged. It clawed at its own face, panicked.
Xin stepped forward and kicked the monster in the chest. It flew off the roof, tumbling ten stories down into the fog.
SPLAT.
The screeching was gone. The city was silent again.
Xin stood on the edge of the roof, looking down. The red eyes in the alleyways blinked and faded back into the dark. Without the command signal, the drone monsters were confused.
"Target neutralized," Xin said into his radio.
"Good job, Spider-Man," Mei’s voice came back, sounding relieved. "But you better get down here. Gears found something else before he died."
Xin ran back down the wall and joined his team. Mei was holding a piece of paper she had pulled from a Husk’s pocket. It wasn't old trash. It was a fresh, crisp flyer.
Xin took it. It was an invitation.
"To the survivors of Jiangnan. Safety is real. Food is plentiful. Come to the Stadium. The Architect welcomes you."
Xin stared at the paper. "The Stadium? That’s deep in the Gray Zone."
"It’s a trap," Han said instantly. "The Architect's Daughter... she’s gathering people."
"Or she's feeding something," Xin said grimly. "We found the source. The Void-Leech was just a scout. The real army is at the Stadium."
He crushed the paper in his hand.
"We’re not going back to base," Xin said. "We’re going to the game."
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