CHAPTER 10: Secure and Withdraw

CHAPTER 10: Secure and Withdraw

The rain lashed against the windshield as the Enid Corp vehicle advanced down the forest road. The car's lights illuminated the facade of Waisenhaus Am Wald, its dark red brick like scabs of dried blood under the storm.

Fénix gripped the steering wheel until the leather creaked. A shiver of anticipation ran down his spine.

The team disembarked in silence. The yellow "DANGER" tape glowed under the lightning flashes as Lucian unspooled it with trembling hands.

"Are you sure we just mark the area and leave?" he asked, looking at the orphanage's broken windows. "This smells like a trap."

Fénix adjusted his rifle.
"The orders are clear. Secure and evacuate." A drop of blood fell from his nose into the mud. "But if anything goes wrong... we improvise."

Vanessa sniffed the air.
"Smells like... rotten meat."

The team approached the main door, which gave way with a groan of agony. The interior was plunged into a darkness that not even the military flashlights could fully penetrate.

Fénix entered first, his lycan senses amplified by the serum picking up every detail:

The crunch of cockroaches under his boots.
The buzz of flies around... something on the ceiling.
The almost inaudible whisper of "help us" coming from the basement.

Lucian clung to his weapon.
"Did you hear that?"

Fénix smiled, showing too many teeth.
"Welcome to hell, kids."

The pain hit him like a hammer. The serum in his system made him see flashes of images that weren't there:

A girl in a white dress running down the hallway.
Skeletal hands emerging from the walls.
Darem laughing in the darkness.

"Fénix!" Vanessa shook him. "Your nose is bleeding again!"

He wiped the blood with the back of his hand.
"Side effects. Nothing serious."

He lied. Dr. Reinhardt had warned him: "The serum is dangerous at the slightest effect, don't hesitate to consult." But what did it matter, if it gave him the strength to keep fighting...

The stairs creaked under his weight. The smell of death became unbearable.

When the flashlight illuminated the bottom, even Fénix held his breath:

Dozens of small bodies hung from the ceiling like broken puppets. Their faces, frozen in silent screams.

"My God..." murmured Lucian, turning pale. "The missing children."

A creak. A whisper.

"Let's play..."

The shadows behind them came to life.