Emergency lights flickered dimly.
Their shadows stretched long across the cracked marble floor, creating silhouettes that looked alien as if they no longer belonged to ordinary humans. The air that had pressed down before now felt empty, light, but full of unresolved tension.
The faceless figure stood in the center.
Smaller.
Denser.
More real.
It looked… limited.
Richard Blackwood did not wait.
He stepped forward.
One step.
Two steps.
His weapon remained raised.
His gaze was locked on the center of the creature's body.
"Now," he said quietly, "there is no place for you to hide."
The figure did not respond.
But its body trembled.
Fine cracks across its surface pulsed.
Like something inside it
was unstable.
Leonard Graves moved to the right side.
His stance was low.
Ready to shoot at any moment.
"I like this condition. More honest."
Daniel adjusted his device.
Frequencies were tuned.
The graphics began to stabilize.
