Chapter 26: Hunger Protocol
They didn't speak much after escaping the collapsing bunker.
The tunnel behind them had caved in completely, sealing away the memory vault and the ghostly fragment of Zayn's past. The Core Server orb pulsed with a deeper red now, as if it carried weight from the archive it had absorbed.
\[Archive Fragment 1/4 Secured]
\[Memory Integrity: Stable]
\[Next Signal Pending—Cooldown Timer: 2h 14m]
The squads moved in silence, emerging from the subway into a loading bay filled with overturned trains and flickering platform signs. A haunting wind moaned through the cracked tile, as though the city itself were breathing.
"Next signal's delayed," Iris murmured, examining the orb. "We wait."
Max sat against a rusted bench and exhaled loudly. "Perfect time for a nap then."
"No one sleeps yet," Reina said. She had a cut on her cheek from the earlier fight, dried blood tracing her jawline. "Dead City doesn't rest. Something always moves in the fog."
They found temporary shelter in an abandoned department store built into the station's upper level. Mannequins stood frozen in shattered windows, dressed in outdated digital skins and frozen battle poses. The floors were layered in dust, and strange footprints—bare and uneven—crisscrossed the aisles.
Zayn kept his weapon close.
Kira and Iris were whispering nearby. Reina stood by the entrance, motionless. It was Max who first noticed it.
"The fog," he said. "It's thicker than before."
Outside, visibility dropped fast.
A strange sound drifted in—wet, dragging, slithering.
Then—
A scream.
Far off. Echoing. Cut short.
Zayn snapped up. "Positions!"
Everyone drew weapons.
The Core Server flickered and released a static pulse.
\[New Threat Detected – Bio-Coded Entity]
\[Classification: Devourer Class | Mutation Type: Hunger Protocol]
\[Alert: Entities Feed on Memory Signature – Avoid Direct Contact]
"What the hell is a Devourer?" Reina asked, tightening her grip on her pulse rifle.
Before anyone could answer, the lights died.
Something moved in the fog outside the store.
It wasn't fast.
It was slow. Deliberate. Like it knew they were inside and wanted them to feel it coming.
Zayn crouched low, blade drawn. "Don't fire unless it breaches."
From the far end of the store, glass shattered.
A figure stepped through.
It had once been human—maybe. Tall, hunched, limbs too long for its frame. Its skin was etched with glowing veins that pulsed like embers under translucent flesh. Its head lolled unnaturally, mouth open too wide, twitching in every direction as if sniffing for something only it could sense.
Then it shrieked.
Not loud—but sharp. A noise that cut into memory like a glitching file.
\[Warning: Memory Drain Engaged – Sync Rate Falling]
\[Stay Mobile – Avoid Line of Sight]
Kira hurled a stun bomb.
The creature twisted unnaturally, evading it mid-flight.
Reina's team opened fire.
Bullets struck, but the Devourer barely slowed. It launched forward on all fours, lashing out with claws that shimmered like corrupted code. Max was closest—he dodged just in time, but the creature's tail caught his side and slammed him into a shelf.
"Kira, now!" Zayn yelled.
Kira surged forward with a glowing blade, slicing the Devourer's arm clean off. It hissed, shrieking again—and this time, two more shapes appeared in the fog behind it.
"More incoming!" Iris shouted.
Zayn's mind raced.
If the Devourers fed on memories, and the Core Server carried archive data, then—
"They're after the fragment," he said. "They're hunting it."
Reina cursed. "So we give it to them?"
"No," Zayn said. "We lure them."
He grabbed a flare from Max's pack, lit it, and threw it toward the broken escalators. The red blaze caught the Devourers' attention instantly—they howled and pounced on it as if starving.
"Move! To the maintenance wing!" Zayn ordered.
The squad sprinted down a side corridor filled with cardboard cutouts and old vending machines. The creatures followed, but slower now—uncertain.
They reached a secure storage room with thick doors and emergency locks. Zayn slammed the panel and the room sealed with a hiss.
Inside, the silence was deafening.
Max groaned from the corner, clutching his ribs. "Next time, I vote we log out."
"There's no logging out," Reina said coldly. "Not until we finish this."
\[Cooldown Remaining: 1h 38m]
\[Fragment Status: Secure – Protection Level: High]
\[Devourer Threat: Temporarily Distracted]
Zayn looked at the server orb floating silently in the center of the room. Its light pulsed softly, almost like it was breathing.
He sat down, back against the wall, blade still in hand.
The danger had passed—for now.
But he could still hear the Devourers.
Pacing the hall.
Sniffing.
Waiting.
---
Author's Note:
Thank you again for reading Chapter 26! The Dead City arc deepens with the terrifying introduction of the Devourers. What are they really after—and why do they crave memory fragments? More answers (and danger) await in Chapter 27. I appreciate you journeying with Zayn and the squad. Stay sharp, and see you in the next chapter!