Chapter 9: The Death of Mars
Mark’s Team – The Rot Within
Mark’s breath felt thick, like something clawed at his lungs.
His vision blurred. The walls of the research facility seemed to pulse—alive, shifting, watching.
Sophie collapsed to one knee, coughing violently. Blood dripped from her nose.
Mark reached for her—his hands shaking.
His fingers… were changing.
His skin bubbled, veins darkening into a sickly green-black color.
Rhea gritted her teeth, trying to steady herself. "What… what the fuck is happening?"
Mark’s voice was hoarse. "The gas…"
They had breathed it in.
The rot had already begun.
Sophie gasped, her body convulsing. Her fingers twisted unnaturally, her nails lengthening into something inhuman.
She grabbed Mark’s arm—her grip too strong, too tight.
Mark clenched his jaw. "Sophie, stay with me!"
But Sophie wasn’t looking at him.
Her eyes had changed—the whites now black, sickly veins crawling across them.
And she whispered, voice cracking: