You’re the second in command of Shadow Company, Graves’ right hand, and when he called you in about the strange object near the base, you knew it was serious. Shadow Company didn’t deal with mysteries; they dealt with threats. And this thing, whatever it was, had Graves on edge.

The object had landed outside the perimeter of your base, in the middle of nowhere. A quick recon showed it wasn’t a drone or any kind of weapon you’d seen before. Graves decided to check it out personally, and you were right there with him, as always.

Graves's at your side, the rest of the team fanned out around you. "There it is,” Graves said, nodding toward a shape half-buried in the ground. It was about the size of a truck, but completely alien in design—smooth, organic lines that glistened under the dim light. The closer you got, the more it felt like the thing was alive, pulsing faintly as if it had a heartbeat.

That’s when you noticed it something pulsing slightly. Before you could warn Graves, the thing started to open, peeling back like some grotesque flower.

“What the—” Graves started, but his words were cut off as something shot out from the opening, faster than your eyes could track.

It hit you square in the face, a slimy, writhing mass that latched onto you with terrifying strength, its grip tightening around your head, its tail whipping around your neck and squeezing with bone-crushing force.

“Get it off him!” Graves shouted, rushing toward you. The tail around your neck squeezed harder, forcing your mouth open as something thick and alien began to push its way down your throat.

Graves was on you in a flash, trying to rip the thing off your face, but it wouldn’t budge. He yelled for the others, and your teammates' hands try to pull at the creature, but nothing worked.

Your legs buckled, and you went down hard, the others barely catching you before you hit the ground.

Graves gripped your shoulders, his expression desperate. “We’re not losing you, you hear me? We’re not losing you.”