The old farmhouse door shuddered once… then fell silent.
Mara froze, hand hovering over Daniel's shoulder as he blinked himself awake. His eyes were still unfocused, his voice groggy from the damage he hadn't fully healed from.
"Mara… what—?"
"Shhh." She pressed a finger to his lips.
Outside, the footsteps stopped.
But something breathed.
Not human.
Not machine either.
A low, cracked rasp, like metal dragging across bone.
Evelyn rose from her chair slowly, her face pale in the lantern glow. "That can't be possible… Twelve wasn't scheduled for activation—"
"Scheduled?" Daniel whispered harshly. "You knew about it?"
Evelyn's jaw locked. "Rumors. Nothing I could confirm."
Another breath rasped at the door.
Ten whimpered. "It sounds hungry…"
Mara stepped forward, pulse hammering as the boards creaked beneath her. Zero's silhouette flickered faintly beside her—not fully present, but a ghost in her peripheral vision.
"Don't open it," Zero whispered.
"Twelve was designed to assess its prey before entering."
Mara swallowed hard. "Prey," she whispered. "Great."
The breathing stopped.
Silence.
Then—
SCRAAAAAAPE.
Long claws dragged slowly across the wood, tracing the outline of the door from top to bottom. The sound vibrated through the floorboards, through Mara's bones, through her teeth.
Daniel pushed himself upright despite the pain. "We need weapons. Now."
Evelyn shook her head violently. "No. Twelve isn't like Nine. It learns. Every movement. Every noise. If we fight now, we die."
Mara stared at the door, her voice barely audible.
"It already knows we're here."
Ten tugged at Mara's sleeve. "It's calling you."
Mara froze. "Calling me?"
Before Ten could answer—
A distorted whisper seeped through the cracks of the doorframe:
"Ma…ra…"
Daniel raised his gun, but Evelyn slapped it down. "DON'T."
The whisper stretched into a stuttered click—like a corrupted audio file struggling to form a word.
"Ma…—ra… ssssub…ject…"
Mara felt the air thicken around her, like the entire farmhouse was holding its breath.
Zero's flickering image leaned close, her glowing eyes sharp with warning.
"Don't speak to it. Don't answer."
Mara clenched her fists. "Why not?"
Zero's voice was no longer cold—it was afraid.
"Because it was programmed to obey your voice."
The boards at the base of the door splintered as long, pale fingers pushed through the gaps—
Too many joints.
Skin stretched too thin.
Cold steam rising from the knuckles.
A single ruined eye peered through the crack—glowing faintly with flickering digital static.
Ten screamed.
Daniel fired on instinct—
BANG!
The hand vanished.
Silence.
Then a low, animalistic growl rattled the walls.
Evelyn grabbed Daniel. "You idiot—now it knows your threat signature!"
But Mara wasn't listening.
Because the broken signal in her mind suddenly flared—
[—Target lock confirmed—]
[—Mara: Acquisition protocol online—]
[—Subject Twelve… adapting—]
Mara staggered back.
"Zero—what does that mean?"
Zero's fading silhouette slowly turned toward her.
"It means Twelve just upgraded."
The front door exploded inward in a blast of splinters.
And Subject Twelve crawled into the house.