The world had become a cacophony of buzzing wings and desperate screams.
Johanna's hand remained outstretched, her fingers grasping at nothing as the swarm descended upon her like a living shadow. The neon green glow pulsed brighter, faster, and in that terrible light, everyone could see the truth of what approached them.
These were not the same Night Hornets from before.
Each creature was easily three times the size of the previous swarm, their bodies grotesquely swollen with corruption. The fluorescent glow emanated from their abdomens, pulsing in rhythm with something that resembled a heartbeat. Their wings beat with a strange, discordant hum that made the air itself feel wrong, as if reality was being churned by their very existence.
"Johanna!" Lucy's scream cut through the buzzing as she lunged forward, her hand outstretched toward her sister.
But she was too slow.
