In the lonely West, the Texas Lab stood like a ghost under a dark, stormy sky. Its empty halls felt cold and wrong. Justin looked around, his face full of confusion. "Why is this lab so empty? It feels like nobody's here at all."
A deep, scary growl rumbled from somewhere close, making their hearts jump. Mr. Keery froze. His eyes grew big with shock. "What the heck was that noise? Is it coming from that room over there?"
Jessy, nervously nodded slowly. "I think so, yeah."
Mr. Keery took a deep breath and stood taller. "You two stay right here. I'm going to check it out."
Justin and Jessy exchanged worried looks, their hands shaking a little. "Okay, we'll wait outside," they said together, their voices small.
Mr. Keery walked carefully to the metal door, his boots echoing in the quiet hall. He turned the handle and pushed the door open slowly. What he saw made his stomach drop—a black, human-shaped creature hunched over a scientist's half-burned body. Its rough, dark skin looked like burnt wood, and it tore into the flesh with sharp teeth. When the door creaked, the creature spun around, its glowing red eyes locking onto him. It charged forward with terrifying speed, its long arms swinging.
Mr. Keery's heart pounded, but he snapped out of his fear. With all his strength, he slammed the door shut, the bang echoing loudly. Outside, Justin and Jessy stood clueless, waiting for his signal to come inside, their faces curious but scared.
Mr. Keery turned to them, his face pale as a sheet. "Run! Run now!" he shouted, his voice shaking with panic.
Episode 11 - The Living Dead
The loud yell startled them. Without a second thought, they turned and ran down the hall toward the roof stairs, their sneakers pounding the floor. Mr. Keery let go of the door and sprinted after them, his breath heavy.
As they climbed the narrow stairs, Justin grabbed his walkie-talkie, his hands trembling. "I don't know what's going on, but something really bad is in the lab. Mr. Keery saw something scary in a room, and now we're running to the roof."
They burst through the roof door, the cold wind hitting their faces. For a moment, they felt a tiny bit safe, catching their breath. But then they saw Mr. Keery running toward the door, a huge, 6-foot-tall black monster chasing him.
The monster was horrifying. It stood as tall as a man, its skin rough and completely black, like coal. Its long arms ended in sharp, claw-like fingers, and it moved fast, desperate to catch Mr. Keery.
Jessy's eyes widened in terror, and she let out a small gasp, her body frozen in fear. Justin's jaw tightened, his breath stuck in his throat as he tried to stay brave, though his hands shook.
Mr. Keery reached the roof door and yelled, "Shut it! Hurry!"
Justin rushed to the door, his heart racing. As Mr. Keery stumbled through, Justin slammed it closed just in time, the metal clanging loudly. The three of them stood there, breathing hard, hearing the monster pound on the other side.
Justin pressed the walkie button again. "Guys, there's a creature in the Texas Lab trying to break through the roof door. We're stuck up here," he said, his voice shaky.
On the other end, Ivan and Sam listened, their faces worried.
Sam muttered a curse. "What's happening now?"
Ivan grabbed the walkie. "What do you mean? Is it some kind of animal?"
Justin started to answer, "No, it's not an animal , it's living but it's dead . it's a 6-foot-tall black creature with—"
A loud crash cut him off as the door broke apart, and the creature stormed onto the roof.
Ivan's voice came through, full of worry. "Justin? Justin, what's wrong?"
The roof turned into a nightmare. The creature charged at Mr. Keery, its claws outstretched. As the door shattered, more monsters poured in, their red eyes glowing in the dark. The first one grabbed Mr. Keery tightly, its grip like fire. He fought to break free, but where it touched his arm, his skin burned horribly, turning black and painful.
Two other monsters grabbed Justin and Jessy, their claws burning their skin too. The kids screamed as the pain spread, their arms and hands blackening where the creatures touched.
The monster raised its claws to rip into Mr. Keery's chest. Suddenly, thunder boomed, and heavy rain poured down. The creatures screamed in fear, their bodies starting to melt like wax in the water. One by one, they jumped off the roof, desperate to escape the rain.
The three collapsed, gasping through the sharp pain of their burns. Then, a man's groan came from behind them, making them tense up.
The sound came from behind a low wall on the roof. They moved toward it slowly, their steps careful on the wet surface.
Justin whispered, his voice low, "Who's there?"
Jessy put a finger to her lips. "Shh, don't make a sound."
When they reached the wall, they saw an old man lying there, weak and hurt. Mr. Keery quickly checked his ID card. It read "Dr. Edward William."
"So you're Edward William, the guy who kidnapped Ivan?" Mr. Keery asked, his voice sharp with anger.
Justin and Jessy stared, shocked to see the doctor so weak and frail.
Dr. William struggled to breathe, his voice faint. "Yes, that's me. But I didn't want to do it. Please don't hate me. They forced me to."
Mr. Keery crossed his arms. "Stop with the excuses. You did it."
Dr. William's eyes were sad. "I can tell you why I took Ivan and what the experiments were about. I know I'm dying soon."
Just then, Mikk and James ran onto the roof, holding pipes as weapons, their faces full of worry.
James panted, out of breath. "What was that loud noise? I thought you all jumped off the roof!"
Mr. Keery shook his head, rain dripping from his hair. "No. When the rain started, the monsters just jumped off to get away."
Dr. William begged weakly, "Please listen to me. I need to tell you everything."
Ivan, who had followed, froze when he saw Dr. William. The doctor waved him closer, his hand shaking.
"Don't be scared, kid," Dr. William said softly. "I won't hurt you. The first person they tested was my daughter, Hana."
Flashback: November 1984 – Dr. Edward William's House
The house was warm and cozy, filled with morning light. Hana, a cheerful 10-year-old, called out, "Papa, where's my school uniform? You were supposed to iron it!"
Dr. William smiled from the kitchen, flipping eggs. "It's done, sweetheart. Check your closet."
Hana grinned wide. "You're the best papa ever!"
"Time for lunch, honey," he called, setting a plate on the table.
"Coming!" Hana skipped in. "Bread and eggs? That's so yummy!"
A loud knock interrupted them. Dr. William opened the door to see grim-faced guards.
"Dr. William, you and your daughter Hana need to come with us," one said.
"What? Why?" he asked, his voice rising.
A guard pressed a cloth with a bad smell to his face. Dr. William fell, the world going dark.
Hana ran to him, tears in her eyes. "Papa! What's wrong? Wake up!"
She turned to the guards, angry. "You mean people! Why did you do this? I'll make you sorry!"
They pressed the cloth to her face too, and she collapsed.
Scene: Secret Place
Dr. William woke up in a cold, strange room, tied to a chair. Hana was still unconscious beside him, her small body limp. Footsteps echoed, and the President of the USA walked in, smiling coldly.
"Hello, Dr. William, welcome to the Texas Lab. How are you?" he said smoothly.
The Texas Lab Anomaly
Sarthak Kashyap
End of Episode 13 - The Living Dead
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