The world around them felt frozen.
Not from the cold—but from fear.
Milo, Riley, and Lena stood in pure horror, their minds still catching up to what had just happened.
Ethan stood firm, his bloodied baton gripped tightly in his hands.
And then—
Kia smiled.
Not a normal smile.
Not a human smile.
Her lips stretched unnaturally, too wide, as if her skin wasn't meant to contain the movement.
At first, it looked like her jaw was simply unhinging.
But then—it tore.
Her cheeks ripped apart at the corners, the skin splitting open with a sickening wet sound, exposing raw flesh underneath.
But that wasn't the worst part.
As her mouth opened, her teeth pushed forward.
Not like normal teeth.
Not falling out.
Not breaking through the gums.
They emerged.
Growing outward, layer after layer—jagged, sharp, endless.
Some were long and needle-like, others curved like hooks, twisting unnaturally.
Her teeth extended past her lips, spiraling outward, growing into something that no longer resembled a human mouth.
Her once-soft, human smile had morphed into something monstrous, something hungry.
And then—
She breathed in.
A slow, rasping inhale, as if savoring the fear in the air.
Her black eyes—once warm, once filled with life—
Were now empty.
And yet—
They were still locked on them.
Still watching.
Still smiling.
A moment of stillness.
Then—
"RUN!!!"
Milo's scream ripped through the night, snapping them out of their frozen terror.
And just like that—they ran.
Their bodies moved on instinct.
Feet pounding against the icy road.
Breath ragged, sharp, visible in the cold night air.
Hearts slamming against their ribs like they were trying to escape their own bodies.
Lena gasped, her lungs burning from exhaustion, her legs screaming in protest, but she kept running.
Riley was right beside her, his body moving on pure adrenaline, barely registering the pain.
Milo—who had been the first to react, the first to scream—was already a step ahead, his mind too overwhelmed to do anything except move.
Ethan ran with them, but his mind was racing even faster.
It happened again.
Just like Phase One.
He had made a choice.
He had taken a risk.
And now, something inhuman was chasing them.
He couldn't help it—he looked back.
And what he saw made his blood go cold.
The creature was growing.
Its limbs—**once human—**were stretching, elongating.
Arms and legs extended unnaturally, the skin pulling tight over bone, muscles twisting in ways that should have been impossible.
Its spine snapped and cracked, bending backward—its posture no longer human.
It was tall.
At least seven meters.
A grotesque, stretched-out figure, its body still resembling something human—
But it moved like something else entirely.
Its limbs crawled along the road like a spider, its unnaturally long fingers gripping the ground, pushing it forward with terrifying speed.
The skull-cracked face of Kia remained twisted in that horrific, unnatural grin.
Her teeth—those **razor-sharp, spiraling layers—**gleamed under the dim light of the night.
And worst of all—
It was fast.
Faster than them.
The pounding of their footsteps was lost beneath the sickening, wet crunches of the Shape Shifter's crawling limbs.
And it was gaining on them.
Milo's voice came out in ragged, gasping breaths, his lungs barely keeping up with the terror fueling his speed.
"HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT—"
His words blurred together, tumbling out frantic, desperate, terrified.
"IT'S TOO FAST—WE'RE DEAD—WE'RE FUCKING DEAD!"
Behind him, Lena's voice cut through the night, high-pitched and filled with panic.
"IT'S GAINING ON US!"
She was falling behind.
She was the slowest.
Not because she wasn't trying—but because she had never been a good runner.
She had never needed to be.
And now, that weakness was going to kill her.
Riley, running just behind Milo, could barely think.
His legs burned, his chest felt like it was going to cave in, but the only thing that mattered was not stopping.
"WE CAN'T OUTRUN THIS—WE NEED A PLAN!" He shouted, voice shaking. "WE CAN'T JUST FUCKING RUN FOREVER!"
Ethan, catching up quickly, gritted his teeth.
His body moved on pure adrenaline.
He had done this before.
He had run for his life before.
And he was faster than the others.
Faster than Milo.
Faster than Riley.
A lot faster than Lena.
And the Shape Shifter was closing in on her.
Ethan heard the way its limbs scraped against the ground.
He heard the wet, choking breaths it took, the slithering sound of shifting bones as it moved faster—faster—
And then—
He heard Lena scream.
"IT'S—IT'S RIGHT BEHIND ME!"
And Ethan knew.
If they didn't do something now—
Lena was dead.
Lena's lungs felt like they were collapsing.
Her legs screamed in pain, her knees threatening to buckle beneath her.
Every muscle in her body burned, screaming at her to stop.
But she couldn't.
Stopping meant death.
And yet—she was slowing down.
No matter how hard she pushed herself forward, she could feel it—
She wasn't going to make it.
The Shape Shifter was right behind her.
She could hear it—the disgusting, bone-snapping movements, the wet, slithering sounds of its unnatural limbs scraping against the pavement.
She didn't dare look back.
She couldn't.
But she knew.
It was right there.
And she was about to die.
Her breath came out in ragged, uneven gasps.
She couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
And in that moment—she did the only thing she could.
She screamed.
"ETHAN!!"
Her voice cracked, raw with desperation, with terror, with helplessness.
It wasn't just a scream.
It was a plea.
"PLEASE—ETHAN—HELP ME!"
She was begging.
Not to Riley.
Not to Milo.
But to Ethan.
Because he was the reason she was here.
Because she had trusted him.
Because she believed in him.
Because she had followed him, thinking that as long as she was with Ethan, she would be safe.
And now—
She was about to die.
Ethan heard Lena's scream.
Her voice, ragged, desperate, filled with terror, echoed in his mind—but it didn't register.
Because the only thing his brain played on repeat was another moment.
Another cry for help.
But that time, there was none.
Karlos.
His best friend—his brother.
The way Karlos had stood frozen, staring at death, never screaming, never fighting back.
His lifeless expression burned into Ethan's mind.
How Ethan had been too slow.
Too weak.
Too stupid.
He could still see it—the blood splattering across the ground, the empty look in Karlos's eyes, the silence of his death.
And now—
Lena.
Another friend about to die.
Another person he swore to protect.
Another mistake.
Lena's body gave up.
Her knees buckled.
She collapsed onto the ground, her legs completely drained of strength, her lungs unable to take in enough air.
Her vision blurred, heart pounding so fast it felt like it would explode.
She tried to push herself back up—but she couldn't.
She had nothing left.
Her body had shut down.
And as she lifted her head, struggling to focus, she saw them—
Her team.
They were still running.
She saw the sheer horror in their faces.
She saw Milo's mouth open, screaming something—
She saw Riley's wide, terrified eyes—
And then, she saw Ethan.
The person she had followed.
The person she had trusted with her life.
One last look.
Because it was over.
It was going to tear her apart.
Its grotesque limbs twisted unnaturally, its jagged teeth stretching wide—it was going to kill her.
And Ethan—
Ethan stopped running.
He saw it all in perfect detail.
Lena's trembling body, her arms weakly trying to push herself up.
The panic in her eyes, the realization that this was it.
His brain screamed at him—Move. MOVE.
But his heart was already ahead of him.
"Please, God. Grant me this one ounce of strength."
A desperate prayer. A plea to a God he never even believed in.
But right now—
He would believe in anything if it meant saving her.
His body exploded forward.
Not a normal sprint—a force.
His muscles, his aching lungs, the exhaustion weighing him down—none of it mattered anymore.
Because the only thing that mattered—was Lena.
And within just a few steps, he was there.
The Shape Shifter's limb came down, slicing through the air like death itself—
Lena's body was frozen, bracing for impact—
And Ethan lunged.
His arms wrapped around her.
A tight, protective embrace.
His feet dug into the ground, instinct taking over, adrenaline pushing him beyond his limit.
At the very last second—
He stopped.
He twisted his body, using every ounce of force to jump backward—
Away from death.
The Shape Shifter's limb slammed down where Lena had just been.
The force of the impact shattered the pavement, a deafening boom echoing through the air as cracks splintered outward.
But Ethan—
Ethan was already falling.
His body twisted mid-air, pulling Lena with him, turning away from the attack.
They crashed onto the cold, cracked road, Ethan landing on his back, gripping Lena tightly in his arms.
His lungs emptied as they hit the ground hard, but—
They were alive.
He had saved her.
He had done what he failed to do before.
For the first time—he was strong enough.
For the first time—he didn't just watch someone die.
And the weight of that realization—
It changed something inside him.
Lena trembled in his arms, her fingers gripping onto his shirt.
Her breath shaky.
Her voice barely above a whisper.
"Ethan…"
But before she could say anything—
A shadow loomed over them.
The Shape Shifter wasn't done yet.
The Shape Shifter's massive limb recoiled, bending at an unnatural angle—before swinging upward.
Its twisted, monstrous body lurched forward, preparing to slam down—
Directly onto Ethan and Lena.
Ethan's instincts screamed at him.
There was no time to think.
He grabbed Lena, shoving her away with every ounce of force he had.
"GO!"
She stumbled, barely managing to catch herself as she tumbled a few feet away—just far enough to avoid the attack.
And then—
WHAM!!!
The ground cracked and shattered as the Shape Shifter's limb slammed down, missing Ethan by mere inches.
Ethan had barely dodged to the right, rolling out of the way just in time.
But now—
The group was broken apart.
Milo and Riley, who had been running ahead, suddenly stopped.
They turned—and their eyes widened in disbelief.
They saw it.
Ethan had saved Lena.
She had survived.
But now—Ethan was in danger.
The Shape Shifter's elongated form loomed over him, its grotesque limbs twitching, preparing for another attack.
Milo's breath hitched.
He saw Ethan off-balance, vulnerable.
He saw the Shape Shifter towering over him.
And his body moved on instinct.
"ETHAN!!"
His voice cracked with panic.
Without thinking, he started stepping forward.
He had to help.
He had to do something.
But before he could take another step—
Riley caught him.
A strong grip latched onto Milo's arm, yanking him back.
"No."
Milo jerked his arm, trying to break free.
"LET GO OF ME—"
"No, Milo!" Riley snapped, his voice sharp and filled with fear.
Milo turned, face contorted in frustration.
"HE'S GONNA DIE! I CAN'T JUST—"
"AND WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GONNA DO?!" Riley's grip tightened.
Milo froze.
Riley's voice was low, pained—but firm.
"You run in there, and we lose you too. We don't even know how to kill this thing."
Milo's breath was shaky, his body trembling in anger.
"I can't just leave him!"
Riley gritted his teeth.
"We need to escape! That's what Ethan would have said too!"
Milo's stomach twisted.
He watched helplessly as Ethan struggled to regain his footing—while the monster loomed closer.