2025-08-30 06:52:14The road to his house was pure hell. Streets blocked by abandoned cars, shattered glass, smoke rising from different parts of the city. Distant sirens, isolated gunfire, and every so often, that emerald-green flash that could only mean one thing: someone else had just vanished.
Mike thanked God he didn’t live far from the area. Luckily, it would only take him a few minutes on foot to reach his home. However, it would take longer than expected—those humanoids wouldn’t stop hunting him until he was dead if they crossed his path.
When he finally turned the corner onto his street, Mike’s heart pounded harder. The house was still standing, lights on, and in the front doorway stood Amanda, trembling, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as if trying to shield herself from a cold that didn’t exist. The moment she saw him, she ran straight into his arms.
“Mike!” she cried desperately, hugging him so tightly she nearly knocked him over. At least, for now, she had forgotten the anger from the night before.
He felt her sobs against his chest, but there was no time to soothe her.
“I’m fine,” he murmured, stroking her back. “But listen… we can’t stay here.”
Amanda raised her tear-streaked face.
Mike locked eyes with her.
The color drained from Amanda’s face.
Mike nodded.
Amanda stepped back, covering her mouth with both hands.
“I know,” he replied firmly, cupping her face in his hands. “But she’s alone, Amanda. If we don’t go for her, no one will. She’s not prepared like I am to survive this chaos. So—we have to go.”
A heavy silence fell between them. Amanda’s breathing was fast, her eyes filled with fear and denial, but deep inside she knew her husband was right. Emily was their only daughter.
If they didn’t save her, who would?
Would there be anyone left in this nightmare with enough kindness to help others, instead of thinking only about themselves?
“Fine…” whispered the former model at last, her voice breaking. “But promise me we’ll make it.”
Mike didn’t answer. He simply took her hand and led her to the red SUV waiting in the garage. He started the engine in silence, dimming the headlights to avoid drawing attention.
As they drove away from the neighborhood, Amanda couldn’t stop staring out the window. The houses that once seemed safe were now nothing but potential tombs, and the echo of gunfire grew closer with every passing minute.
Mike kept his eyes locked on the road, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.
Inside, one thought repeated over and over: find Emily, no matter what it takes.
Then a shadow crossed the sky, and Amanda saw it first.
He looked up. Through the windshield, a triangular ship glided silently over the city, casting a greenish beam of light onto the buildings below.
Mike clenched his teeth.
Amanda gazed at the sky, disbelief in her eyes. How was it possible? How could they be real? Since when had they been discovered? None of it mattered anymore.
The only thing that mattered now was figuring out how to survive.
“Get down!” Mike shouted, his voice sharp like an order.
Without question, Amanda ducked, unable to see what lay ahead. Mike swerved hard, regaining full control of the SUV just before another disaster could strike. Because standing in front of them was a humanoid figure—larger than the ones Mike had seen at the hospital.
Its face was grotesquely deformed, as if it had walked through raging fire that melted its skin like candle wax. Its eyes, pitch black, bulged unnaturally out of their sockets, more horrifying than any weapon it carried.
Who could possibly stare into those eyes without wanting to run for their life?
Mike slammed the accelerator, the SUV roaring down the road.
He had told Amanda to duck, not only for safety, but also to spare her the terror of seeing what he was seeing.
They sped through the night until finally arriving at Emily’s friend’s house. Mike parked abruptly, a bit too rough, and he and Amanda jumped out.
As if fate had been merciful, their daughter burst out of the cabin, running straight into their arms. Her face was pale, streaked with tears, but when Mike caught her in his embrace, all he could see was the little girl she once had been.
“Thank God you’re here! I thought I’d never see you again!” Emily cried, her voice shaking but relieved.
“It’s alright, sweetheart. You’re with us now. Get in the car, we have to leave—right now,” her father ordered.
But Emily shook her head.
Mike and Amanda exchanged a glance.
Mike didn’t know who Brad was. His long hours at work had kept him so distant that he barely knew anything about his daughter’s personal life, let alone her friends.
But Amanda did.
“Come on, let’s help him,” she said firmly. “I know the boy, and Emily’s right. We can’t leave him to die—not now, not when we need to stand together and save each other.”
The family entered the cabin.
Emily led them to the living room, where a boy her age lay slumped on the couch. He was barely conscious, drenched in sweat, his body trembling. His hand pressed tightly over a bullet wound in his chest. The blood on his white shirt had long since dried into a dark, crusted stain.
If they didn’t help him soon, he would die.
Emily refused to let that happen.
“Dad, this is Brad. Brad, these are my parents—they came to get us. We’re leaving, and we’re taking you to a hospital, okay?” she said softly as she knelt beside him.
The boy opened his fading eyes, gave the slightest nod, and tried to smile. He couldn’t speak—his strength was nearly gone.
It was only a matter of hours before fate decided whether he lived or died.
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32 — Arena of Blue Fire
The blue fire churned like an ignited ocean as it met Mike’s silhouette. For a moment, the pilot felt as if his entire body were being torn into thousands of fragments and hurled through an endless tunnel. Then, suddenly, he found himself standing in the center of the arena.The place seemed built outside of time: columns of energy rose into the void, and beneath his feet the surface shimmered with ancient symbols that lit up with each breath. Above him, thousands of creatures watched from floating stands, roaring and howling, demanding blood.The Alpha appeared on the other side of the circle, walking with the calm of one who knows victory already belongs to him. With every step, his living armor contracted and expanded as if it were breathing with him. In his hand, the energy spear burned like a captured lightning bolt.Mike had no weapons. Then he felt it. The same power that had saved him in the Bermuda Triangle awoke in his chest. His veins blazed with a bluish glow, and the air
31 — Threat of Power
Mike looked at his family, but they remained silent, staring at him as if they were waiting for the answer only he could give.The pilot had no other choice but to accept. If the man on the skateboard was telling the truth, then there was no reason to refuse his help. On the contrary, it was better to take it, since he had no idea what exactly awaited inside that place, nor what kind of expertise he might need.“Yes, we accept. Go ahead, guide us to rescue our son so we can get out of here.”The man on the skateboard said nothing. With a small tap of his foot, the device descended smoothly to the ground and, once it landed, it simply powered off. He removed his helmet, and Mike was stunned to see his face—he recognized him instantly. It was the freak, the very coworker who had made his life a living hell before this entire apocalypse began.The freak had changed too much.He was no longer that weak kid who let everyone beat him up. Now, he was a brawny man, radiating an inexplicable b
30 — The Gatekeeper of the Unknown
The Hamilton family climbed down from the ship when its engines finally shut off.Mike asked to be the first to get out, then let the others follow, since he wanted to make sure everything was in order outside the ship and thus avoid any unexpected mishaps.Mike scanned the area like an eagle perching on the highest branch of a tree to ensure that everything was in absolute order. When he confirmed it was safe, Hamilton signaled to his family, and one by one they carefully disembarked, keeping their eyes fixed on the place that lay before them.Stanford suggested they walk together as a small group, with Mike and him leading; Emily and her mother agreed, taking refuge behind the men who accompanied them in the rescue of little Matías, who they believed had been kidnapped and was supposed to be there.Little by little, they approached the large metal door that awaited them and would allow them to enter.Mike had a bad feeling about it; his skin went cold with goosebumps, making him dou
29 — Heading into Hell in Sector X-13
The house breathed again, but it was not a calm that brought peace; it was the calm before the storm. Mike rose with effort, every muscle aching, but determination gleamed in his eyes like a weapon ready to strike. There was no time for regrets, no time for words that could further break what was not yet shattered.Stanford placed his hands firmly on the table and unfolded a small parchment map he always carried with him—since the invasion, one never knew when a map would be needed, and now was the right moment to use it. On the screen appeared maps, coordinates, and a red trajectory. The device flickered, restrained and solemn like its owner.“I have the exact coordinates,” he said. “Sector X-13 isn’t marked on any commercial map, but there are access routes. It lies in restricted territory, protected by cloaking and defense networks. If we go, we must be quick and silent.”Amanda, her eyes still swollen, entered the room. She walked unsteadily until she stood before Mike. Her voice,
28 — The Revelation of Sector X-13
Emily opened her mouth to begin, but she barely spoke the first words before Mike cut her off, raising his hand abruptly.“Don’t continue,” he said, his voice rough and his eyes burning with contained fury. “I don’t want to hear it… I don’t want to… I don’t need any more details about what that bastard did to you…”His breathing grew heavy, as if each inhalation carried tons of anger and pain. Amanda tried to approach, but she stepped back when she felt the energy beginning to emanate from her husband. It was as if the air itself vibrated around him, charged with an invisible electricity that made the windowpanes tremble.“Mike…” Stanford whispered, in a warning tone, hoping his father-in-law would hold his temper—because although he understood perfectly that Mike wanted to explode with rage, this was not the time to do it, or things would end very badly for them.But it was already too late. The magic in Hamilton’s veins woke like a beast that had been caged for too long. His pupils
27 — A Truth Burning in the Shadows
The silence that settled in the living room was suffocating. The only sounds were Amanda’s and Emily’s ragged breaths, mixed with the insistent ticking of the wall clock which, surprisingly, was still working normally—and would only stop once its batteries finally ran out.No one dared to speak; they were all trapped by the same question that was devouring them from the inside: where was Matías?Mike buried his hands in his head, pressing his fists against his temples as if he wanted to rip out the pain drilling through him. The vision of the emerald light devouring his son played again and again in his mind, like a punishment he couldn’t escape.“They took him…” he muttered, his voice hoarse, almost inaudible. “And I… I couldn’t do anything.”Amanda, her eyes swollen from so much crying, gripped his hand tightly.“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault. That thing caught all of us by surprise. If we had known about it before…”Emily, however, was trembling. Her lips barely moved as she
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