Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Concert of Shadows

Zack stood at the window of his hotel room, staring out over the sprawling city of Paris, the glow of the city lights dimming as the sun dipped below the horizon. The air was thick with anticipation; it was supposed to be a night of celebration, a star-studded concert featuring JLo and Kesha. It was a big event, one that had drawn crowds from all corners of the world. But now, standing here, Zack couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. A gnawing, unsettling sense that whatever he had already faced—the creature, the terror, the nightmarish world he had stepped into—was only the beginning.

The phone in his pocket vibrated, dragging him from his thoughts. It was an alert, flashing across the screen: "Massive blackout in Paris. Concert in jeopardy. Reports of people missing." Zack's pulse quickened as he read the message. Another crisis. Another wave of terror sweeping across the globe. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the headlines, trying to make sense of the information. The lights had gone out across the entire city, and the concert—meant to be a shining beacon of joy—had turned into a haunting spectacle. Fans in the audience were now in chaos, screaming, running, with reports of many vanishing without a trace.

Zack clenched his jaw. There was no time to waste. He couldn't afford to let this continue. The creature—the dark force that had been attacking at night—wasn't confined to one city, one ship, or even one country. It was spreading, its reach growing wider with every hour.

He grabbed his jacket and rushed out of his room. His mind raced, but his steps were sure. He needed to get to Paris. Now.

---

The flight to Paris was uneventful, but Zack couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled in his chest. His thoughts wandered back to the ship, to Jason and Kate, and the terror they had experienced there. He had barely escaped with his life. And now, there was another outbreak, another place where the creature was striking. His job had gone from bad to worse. But he had no choice. If this thing was going to be stopped, he was going to be the one to do it. There was no one else.

Zack arrived at the concert venue in the heart of Paris just as night fell, the massive arena now dark, the only illumination coming from the faint moonlight above. The once-vibrant streets had descended into a disorienting, eerie quiet. People had gathered outside, huddled in small groups, some still searching for their loved ones, others trying to get answers from the scattered emergency responders. The atmosphere was thick with fear. The kind of fear Zack had grown all too familiar with.

He approached a police officer, flashing his badge. "What's going on? What happened?"

The officer looked up, eyes wide with panic. "It's like the lights just… went out. All over Paris. And then… the people… they just vanished. Right before our eyes. And the sound… it was like something was chasing them, grabbing them. We haven't been able to make sense of it. It's just too much."

Zack's brow furrowed. He had seen this before—the panic, the disappearances—but this was different. This was something else, something more organized, like the creature had planned this. As he turned toward the concert venue, he could feel it, an overwhelming sense of dread that hung in the air. The concert was supposed to bring joy, but now, it had become the perfect backdrop for something far darker.

---

Inside the concert hall, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The stage had been left abandoned, the performers nowhere to be seen. The audience—what was left of it—stood in small, scattered groups, faces pale and filled with confusion. Some clung to one another for comfort, while others stared at the stage, waiting for answers that would never come.

Zack moved swiftly through the crowd, his eyes scanning the faces for any sign of the creature. He could feel the weight of the darkness pressing in on him. It was like the creature was already there, lurking, waiting for the moment to strike.

He reached the center of the arena, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun, even though he knew it would be useless. The creature wasn't something you could fight with bullets. But there had to be something—anything—that could stop it. He had learned, through painful experience, that the key to surviving this was understanding its nature. And to understand it, he had to figure out what it wanted.

A sudden scream pierced the air, followed by the sound of scrambling footsteps. Zack turned just in time to see a figure—one of the concertgoers—vanish into thin air, swallowed by the darkness like a phantom.

The panic was immediate. The crowd erupted into chaos, running in all directions, desperate to escape the horror that had arrived. Zack sprinted toward the source of the scream, trying to cut through the crowd. But it was no use. The creature was already here.

Then, without warning, the lights flickered. A soft hum buzzed overhead, and the faint outline of something began to emerge from the shadows. It was the creature. But this time, it wasn't just a shadow. It was taking form, its dark silhouette coalescing in the center of the arena.

Zack's heart pounded as he stared at it. It was the same thing he had seen before—tall, formless, and flickering like a flame caught in a gust of wind. But this time, there was something new. There was a pattern to its movement, a deliberate pacing as it stalked through the crowd.

The panic in the crowd grew even louder, if that was even possible. People shoved and trampled one another, desperate to flee. But Zack knew, deep down, that there was nowhere to run. The creature wasn't confined to the walls of the concert hall. It was everywhere.

Zack knew he had to act fast. He couldn't let this creature claim any more lives. He forced his way through the chaos, moving toward the stage. The creature was drawn to the sound, the energy of the crowd, but he had to lure it out of the crowd, away from the innocent people who had no chance of surviving.

As he reached the stage, the creature followed. It flickered in and out of view, its form constantly shifting. The darkness seemed to grow with it, swallowing everything in its path.

Zack stood his ground. He wasn't going to let it win. He had learned enough about this thing to know that the only way to survive was to stand firm and face it head-on. He could feel the creature's presence, its cold, oppressive aura pressing down on him.

He raised his gun, aiming at the creature. It wasn't much, but it was all he had.

The creature lunged at him, moving with terrifying speed. But Zack was ready. He fired, and for the first time, he saw a flicker of light—something that resembled the creature's shield. The bullet bounced off the invisible barrier, sending a shockwave through the air.

Zack didn't hesitate. He fired again, and this time, something changed. The creature's form began to twist and distort, flickering more violently than before. It let out a guttural, inhuman sound, a screech that echoed through the hall.

The creature recoiled, and for a moment, the room was silent. The lights flickered back to life, and the crowd stood still, stunned and bewildered. But Zack knew this wasn't over. It was just beginning.

The creature had been wounded, but it wasn't defeated. Not yet.

Zack could feel its anger building. But there was something deeper, something he couldn't quite grasp. Why did it only come out at night? Why did it target only certain people, leaving the rest of the crowd untouched? There had to be a reason. It wasn't random. This was methodical. Strategic.

Zack's mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle. The creature was bound by darkness, by the cover of night. It thrived in the shadows, in the absence of light. But why? And what was its true purpose?

Then it hit him. The creature wasn't just hunting—it was feeding. It was using the darkness to hide itself, to move undetected. And when it attacked, it was absorbing the essence of its victims, the fear, the terror. The more fear it harvested, the stronger it became. That was the pattern he had seen in every attack: the creature only grew more powerful in the dark, feeding on the panic and dread of its victims.

There had to be a way to stop it, to trap it. But how? Could the creature be captured? Could it be contained somehow, stripped of its power?

Zack clenched his fists. There was a solution. He would find it, no matter what it took.

---

Zack looked around, the fear in the air palpable. He had no idea what was coming next, but he knew one thing for sure: he was going to need more help. And time was running out. The creature was getting stronger, more aggressive. And now, it had come for Paris.