Price's heart nearly stopped. He had borne witness to countless horrors, stared death in its many forms, and confronted the darkest facets of humanity. But nothing in his 37 years of existence, not even the harshest military training, could have prepared him for this. His fingers tightened around the cold steel of his rifle as he instinctively aimed the weapon at the entity that loomed before him.

The being, perched but towering at a ghastly 8 feet, possessed skin resembling sickly green moss, with eerie, doll-like black eyes that held a disconcerting human resemblance. It was bound, shackled, and yet Price couldn't shake the disquieting sensation that it could break free at any moment.

In those massive, sorrowful eyes, he sensed an overwhelming sadness, the weight of being reduced to a mere experiment, a numbered test subject, an abomination. Deep down, he felt a pang of empathy, but he dared not lower his guard. In an oddly calm voice, he muttered, "Stay right there."