Story 876: The Gauntlet

The walls trembled as three Stalkers lunged at once.

Leon barely had time to dodge before razor-sharp claws slashed through the air where his throat had been. The creatures were fast—too fast. Their elongated limbs allowed them to scramble across walls and ceilings, their grotesque tongues snapping out like whips, slicing through debris as they cornered the team.

“Move! Now!” Reaper barked, unleashing a hail of gunfire at the nearest one.

The bullets ripped into its chest, black ichor spraying the ground—but it didn’t stop. The creature’s exposed brain pulsed, tendrils twitching as it adapted to the pain.

It snarled and lunged.

Mia barely ducked in time, feeling the wind from its claws brush past her face.

Samantha fired her shotgun at the second Stalker, blowing off half its face. It reeled, its jaw hanging uselessly—but its body kept moving.

Evelyn’s mind raced. They were evolving.