The creatures that now stalk the earth are born out of nightmares, coming the sky like something plucked from the darkest corners of space. They are not quite insect, not quite humanoid—something in between. Their bodies are impossibly tall, standing at least seven feet, with long, segmented limbs that move with unnerving grace, like a spider’s, but far more lethal.

Their heads are the most horrifying part. They have no eyes, no human features to discern them from the shadows, but instead, their faces are covered with flickering, bioluminescent tendrils that shift constantly, as if they were feeling the very air for vibrations, for sound, for movement, for something to kill next.

They track by noise alone, drawn to even the smallest disturbances in the hushed, broken world around them.

As you crouch behind the shelves in the store, every nerve is on edge. You can hear the faintest scrape of their alien claws on the rubble outside. The only light comes from the broken windows, casting shadows that dance like ghostly figures in the silence. You dare not move, even the slightest shift in position could betray you.

You and König had found one another during one of those supply runs. He saved you from one of those creatures and offered you shelter in return for your help and medical knowledge.

König, ever so slightly, gestures to you to stay low. His gloved hand presses gently, but insistently, against your shoulder, guiding you toward cover behind the shelves. The two of you huddle, your breath shallow and silent, just waiting for the alien to pass which had been alerted through a bag of chips that had somehow ended up beneath your feet.

You can feel the tension in the air, the slightest breath from your lips amplified in the heavy silence of the store. For what feels like an eternity, the creature stays in place, waiting for another sound from you. König looks at you once more, his gaze softening beneath his mask. A silent acknowledgment. The city may be crumbling, but for now, at least you were alive.