The air in Mustafa's forsaken sector was different… heavier, as if you were breathing in the ashes of forgotten souls. The ruined buildings rose like ghosts of the past, their hollow windows watching intruders as though they knew their secrets. The silence here wasn't peace—it was a threat, the kind that comes just before an explosion.
Mohamed advanced with measured steps, Sarah and Omar at his side. The rest of the team followed, weapons raised, eyes locked on the shifting shadows between the wreckage. Thick fog crawled along the ground, wrapping around their feet like a hidden serpent. This place wasn't alive—it was dying slowly.
Omar tightened his grip on his sniper rifle and said,
"Are we sure Mustafa is here? This place feels like it swallowed everyone and refused to spit them out."
Mohamed responded in a low but sharp voice,
"He's here… Only those who've severed every tie with life would hide in a place like this. And tonight, we're not leaving until we find the truth… or die trying."
Sarah stepped forward slightly, inspecting a half-collapsed building.
"Was this really a hospital once?"
"It was…" Mohamed replied, his gaze fixed on a faded emblem on the wall. "But now, it's nothing more than a forward graveyard."
A distant explosion shattered the moment, followed by the echo of a muffled laugh… a laugh Mohamed knew all too well.
He raised his head, eyes scanning the ruins above, and muttered,
"It's him… Mustafa."
A haunting voice echoed from above, playful and venomous, slicing through the dense green fog like a blade.
Mustafa (mocking):
"Hello, brother… Did you miss me?"
Mohamed narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on his weapon.
Mohamed (furious):
"Come down here before I bring you down in pieces!"
Mustafa's silhouette appeared on a shattered balcony, laughing as if he were untouchable.
Mustafa (grinning):
"You're not exactly in a position to make threats, are you?"
He held up a small device—its blinking red light glowing through the mist.
Mustafa:
"Anyway… I've prepared a little gift for you. A proper welcome to my sector."
Mohamed (shouting):
"Don't you dare send them! Mustafa!"
Suddenly, everyone tensed—those who had survived Mustafa's tricks before already knew what he meant. But two voices rose from the group, confused and alert.
Sarah (whispering, glancing at Mohamed):
"Send who? What's he talking about?"
Sami (clutching his rifle, uneasy):
"What the hell does he mean by a gift?"
One of the older team members, Kareem, didn't take his eyes off the shadows ahead as he spoke grimly.
Kareem:
"If he releases them… this whole mission could turn into a bloodbath."
Mohamed didn't respond. His silence said enough.
Mustafa shouted from the top of the building, his voice echoing across the ruined sector:
"My dear children… come out! I've brought you a feast!"
Suddenly, a pack of strange creatures emerged from the shadows. Their bodies resembled lions, but they had horns—and most disturbingly, human-like faces. It was as if people had been transformed into monsters.
Without hesitation, Mohamed and his team dropped into a defensive formation under his command. What followed was nothing short of a brutal battle for survival. The creatures attacked, vicious and relentless, but the team fought back with everything they had.
In the end, the beasts were slain… but at a terrible cost. Four of Mohamed's comrades lay dead, their bodies still warm on the battlefield.
Mohamed descended the building slowly. He walked straight toward his brother, smiling softly—eerily. The rest of the team raised their weapons, aiming directly at Mustafa.
All except Mohamed, who stood still… eyes locked onto his brother, as if he understood him more than anyone else could.
One of the fighters shouted furiously:
"Give us one good reason not to pull the trigger right now!"
Another stepped forward, aiming down his sight:
"What you've done is unforgivable, Mustafa."
Sarah's hands trembled as she clutched her weapon, voice barely audible:
"Why… why were you with them?"
Before anyone could act, Mustafa surprised them all.
He opened his arms and pulled Mohamed into a long, heartfelt embrace—one that lasted minutes.
As if time itself froze.
As if the war between them had never happened.
But in the eyes of the team, forgiveness was far from easy.
Mohamed :
"Enough, Mustafa. I have a reputation to uphold."
Mustafa, laughing as he lets go of him:
"Ah yes, I forgot… the ruthless killer."
Mohamed:
"I've warned you countless times to stop this madness. I have kids with me—especially my son.
If Omar had died, I would've hung you by your d*ck."
Mustafa:
"You're still the sadist I've always known. I often wonder how Fatima ever accepted you as a husband."
Mohamed:
"You know she's even worse than I am."
A tense silence falls between them, broken only by the heavy breath of the remaining soldiers.
Then, Mustafa speaks again, his tone more serious now:
"This sector... it's dying. Ever since the dome fractured, the poison has seeped in deeper. I've lost more men than I can count. And you? You brought your team into a deathtrap."
Mohamed:
"I had no choice. We needed answers. Someone had to confront the source."
Before Mustafa could answer, Sarah interrupts, her voice trembling with urgency:
"There's something else going on… the assassinations. Marco and Gerard—they're behind them, aren't they?"
Mustafa nods slowly, his expression darkening.
"There are things you don't know. Things only Gerard, Marco, and Mohamed are aware of. Especially... the whispers."
The team shifts uncomfortably.
Sami:
"What whispers? We've been hearing voices—low, ancient... like something is watching us."
Mustafa:
"You're not alone here. There are civilizations near you... listening. Judging."
Suddenly, Mohamed steps in sharply.
"That's enough. We're not here to uncover secrets—we're here to make a deal with you. This secrecy... it's one of the reasons you were exiled."
Mustafa, smirking:
"Really? Is that the official reason, Mohamed? Or was I just a scapegoat so you could gain power? Just like you sacrificed our parents? This place is your witness. This cursed land remembers how you betrayed our brother—yellow-blooded Sofiane.
He added :
Never mind that. Follow me."
They begin walking through the twisted remains of Sector M. The deeper they go, the more unsettling it becomes—until they reach a strange intersection, where the ruins split into eight different paths. From each direction, whispers rise—soft, insidious, and hauntingly intelligent.
Everyone halts. Sarah instinctively grabs Omar's hand, her own trembling.
Omar looks at her, confused.
"Why are you holding my hand?"
She swallows her fear and mutters,
"Don't judge me. I'm scared."
The whispers grow louder And this... is only the beginning.