la Bamba

The portal in front of John began to shift color. First it was green, then yellow, orange, and finally a deep, crimson red, as if reality itself were being torn apart, releasing electric shocks. The vertex spun faster and faster, and the deep, grave sound it emitted filled the command room with an almost deafening vibration. John adjusted his exosuit as his eyes remained fixed on the portal. He knew he shouldn't act yet.

"System, prepare all defenses," John ordered in a cold, determined voice.

The computer responded with a beep. On the screen, automatic weapons activated, shields charged, and traps tensed. Still, John couldn't take his eyes off the scarlet portal. That color brought back memories... images he had never managed to bury. A portal like this had already ruined his life once.

He remembered the day his family was ripped from him by the monstrosity that emerged from a similar portal. Chaos and destruction seized the city, turning a sunny day into a hellish nightmare. The screams of his loved ones echoed in his mind, fueling a fire of vengeance that had burned within him ever since.

He was 22 years old then. It was a sunny, peaceful day, the kind of day that doesn't prepare you for horror. They were stuck in traffic, the noise of horns and the curses of other drivers echoed outside, but inside the car everything was different. His family laughed out loud, singing "La Bamba" in unison. His family's car was an oasis of happiness in the midst of urban chaos. John, sitting in the back seat, watched his mother and sister as they sang, and couldn't imagine that that would be the last time he would see those smiles.

Then, it happened. The air itself seemed to tear apart, as if reality were falling apart. Suddenly, in the middle of the crowded street, a dark red portal materialized. The impossible appeared before them, like an open wound in the sky. And from that abomination began to emerge creatures that he could not have conceived in his worst nightmares. Twisted and deformed monsters, their bodies grotesque and unnatural. The crowd began to run, screams of agony and despair mingled with the roar of the beasts.

John tried to open the door, but his hands were shaking. The creatures fell on the nearby cars, tearing everything to pieces. He wanted to scream, but fear trapped his voice in his throat. In the midst of the chaos, his father yelled that they had to get out of there, but the traffic was completely stopped, there was no escape. The screams of his family became echoes that faded as the creatures descended upon them. Teeth and claws sank into the flesh, tearing people apart around him, John, along with his family, tried to run and hide but it was in vain, for in the blink of an eye his family was also a victim of the massacre.

His mother, his father, his younger sister... one by one they were devoured, their bodies reduced to nothing more than unrecognizable remains. The road, which had previously shone under the summer sun, was stained with blood and cars reduced to scrap metal. The stifling heat of that day was replaced by the cold of death. The screams of his family echoed constantly in his head. John didn't remember how he had survived. Perhaps it was the cruelty of some entity, leaving him alive to carry the weight of that vision. Or maybe it was pure luck, although that had never mattered to him.

When the defense squads finally arrived, it was too late to save anyone else. They found him covered in the blood of his loved ones, barely conscious, dragged away from the corpses. He became an empty shell filled with hatred, a desire for revenge that never disappeared. He enlisted, but not in just any force. He joined the elite squads, those who hunted and destroyed the creatures that emerged from the portals. He learned to fight, to kill... and above all, to wait.

Now, in front of this new portal, the feeling was the same. The cold air, the stench of death. But this time, John was not a terrified child. He was ready to return the horror.

The scarlet vortex flickered, and from it emerged the creature. Its head was large and bulbous, similar to that of a cockroach, with a shiny black, oily shell. Multiple compound eyes, small but full of malice, watched him from different angles, while its outer jaws opened to reveal a second inner set, sharp and eager to tear. Its body, elongated and segmented, moved with a creepy agility, protected by a thick, tough black exoskeleton. Curved, sharp spines protruded from its back, secreting an acidic substance that sizzled when it touched the ground. A putrid stench emanated from its body that filled the room, and corrosive vapor escaped from small crevices.

John didn't move. His eyes narrowed as he watched the creature analyze the environment, looking for its first prey. "Wait..." he murmured, more to himself than to the computer.

The portal continued to emit a reddish glow. The creature took another step. John felt his heart race, but it wasn't fear. It was pure adrenaline, the preparation before the battle. He knew he couldn't rush, not this time.

"Now..." he said softly.

The computer beeped in confirmation. The turrets activated, the flamethrowers sputtered, and the plasma cannons began to charge. But John didn't immediately launch into attack. He waited. He had always been better at waiting, learning from his past mistakes. And this time, the creature wasn't going to have a chance.

Horror had emerged from a portal again, but this time John wasn't the victim. This time, he was prepared.