Smoke filled the corridor like a living thing, wrapping around me as I ran.
My lungs burned. My legs felt heavy. Every step echoed against metal walls that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction.
Behind me, alarms wailed and boots thundered. Voices shouted orders I couldn't make out. Somewhere, deep in the chaos, I could still hear the muffled gunfire and the inhuman roar of Subject 9.
I didn't look back.
My only thought was simple—get out.
I sprinted through one corridor after another, turning corners blindly until the red lights faded behind me. The sound of gunfire grew distant. The world went eerily quiet again.
I stopped, panting, my heart hammering like it was trying to break free of my chest.
The silence felt wrong. Too sudden. Too empty.
"Where the hell am I?" I muttered, my voice trembling.
I pressed my hand to the nearest wall—it was smooth, metallic, humming faintly with hidden power. My reflection flickered faintly in its surface, warped by the dim light.
That's when I saw it.
A door ahead.
Half open.
A faint white glow spilling out from inside.
Something about it pulled me in.
I approached slowly, pushing the door open with the back of my hand. The hinges groaned quietly.
The room inside was massive—round, silver, sterile. The walls shimmered faintly, reflecting light like mirrors.
I stepped inside.
And froze.
Every wall… every surface… reflected me.
Not one or two—dozens. Hundreds.
I turned, heart racing, but they all moved with me.
Each reflection was perfect—same expression, same eyes, same fear.
But then—one didn't move.
I stopped breathing.
In the far wall, my reflection stood perfectly still while I took a step forward. Its head tilted slightly to the side, eyes dark and hollow.
"What… the hell…"
I reached toward it, hand trembling. My fingertips brushed the cold surface—
—and the mirror rippled like water.
Light burst from the wall, blinding white. The ground shook beneath my feet as the mirrored surface melted away to reveal something behind it.
Rows of glass tubes.
Dozens. Maybe hundreds.
Inside each one floated a body.
My body.
Men, women, children—every single one wearing my face. Each connected to wires and machines, glowing faintly in the dim blue light.
My stomach twisted. The air felt too thick to breathe.
"What is this…?"
I stepped closer, pressing my hand against the glass of one tube. The body inside twitched slightly, eyes flickering beneath closed lids.
"No…" I whispered. "No, no, no…"
The truth slammed into me like a freight train.
I wasn't special.
I wasn't chosen.
I wasn't even real.
I stumbled back, my vision spinning. That's when I heard it—metal footsteps echoing down the corridor behind me.
Voices. Getting closer.
Panic surged. I looked around for an exit—anything.
But before I could move, something heavy slammed into the back of my head.
White flashed across my vision.
And then—nothing.