The Ones Who Never Left

The store lights flickered out, plunging the group into total darkness.

Then the screaming began.

Not human. Not animal. Something else.

Eve Voss snapped her M4 carbine up, scanning the dim outlines of the abandoned shelves. Tyler and Sam clutched Riley, their small bodies trembling as they stared into the shadows.

The man at the counter—the one who had warned them—stood up slowly, his face pale. "Stay quiet," he whispered.

Eve's grip tightened on her rifle. "Tell me what's coming. Now."

The man shook his head. "They don't have names."

Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the windows. But it wasn't the wind.

Footsteps.

Hundreds of them.

Moving in perfect unison.

Something was outside.

Something was surrounding them.

Riley whispered, "What the fuck is happening?"

The man exhaled, his hands shaking. "Every night, they walk. And if they see you, if they hear you—"

The window beside him shattered.

Eve barely had time to react before a hand shot through the broken glass, fingers too long, too thin, reaching.

The man screamed.

Then the hand grabbed him.

And yanked him into the dark.

Leon awoke to nothing.

No sound. No air. Just blackness.

For a second, he wasn't sure if he was alive or dead.

Then—something moved.

A whisper.

Low. Crawling. Right beside his ear.

"You are home now."

Leon's pulse slammed against his ribs. He forced himself to sit up, his breathing sharp.

Where was he?

The room was massive—cold stone stretching endlessly in every direction. The only light came from the walls, faintly pulsing like veins beneath skin.

Then he saw them.

Figures standing in the dark.

Dozens of them. Staring.

All wearing his face.

Leon's hands clenched into fists. "Fuck this."

A slow, hollow laugh echoed through the chamber.

Then—one of the copies stepped forward.

"You should not have come here."

The man's screams faded instantly.

Like he had never been there at all.

Then, silence.

Eve stood frozen, gun raised, her breath coming fast.

Tyler whimpered. Riley pressed a hand over his mouth, keeping him quiet.

The things outside moved slowly now, their footsteps pacing the perimeter of the store.

Waiting.

The flickering streetlights cast shifting shadows on the walls. And for the first time, Eve saw them clearly.

They weren't human.

Tall, thin silhouettes. Hollowed-out eyes. Stretched mouths sewn shut.

Not the same creatures from the underground tunnels.

Something worse.

Then—one of them turned its head.

Looking directly at her.

Eve's stomach dropped.

It had seen her.

Then it moved.

The copy of himself stepped closer.

Leon aimed his SIG Sauer P226, finger hovering over the trigger.

The copy smiled.

"That won't work here."

Leon fired anyway.

The gunshot echoed through the chamber. The bullet ripped through the copy's skull—

And it didn't flinch.

The hole sealed shut instantly.

Leon's stomach twisted.

The copies around him laughed softly.

"You do not belong," they whispered in unison.

Leon took a step back. "Then let me leave."

The first copy tilted its head. "A trade must be made."

Leon's jaw clenched. "What trade?"

The copy smiled wider.

"One soul for another."

The first creature charged.

Eve fired instinctively, the gunshot roaring through the store.

The bullet ripped through the thing's chest—

And it didn't slow down.

Eve barely had time to react before it lunged through the broken window, fingers clawing for her throat.

Riley grabbed Tyler and Sam, yanking them toward the back. "We have to go! NOW!"

The front door slammed open.

More of them.

Dozens.

Their stitched mouths trembled, as if struggling to speak.

Then, at the same time, they all whispered.

"Come with us."

Eve didn't hesitate.

She turned and ran.

Leon's breathing slowed.

His mind calculated. Options. Risks. Consequences.

If he stayed, he'd die here.

If he fought, he wouldn't win.

Which meant the only option was playing their game.

He squared his shoulders. "Who do you want?"

The copies all spoke at once.

"Anyone."

Leon's jaw tightened.

A trade.

One soul for another.

Leon exhaled. He already knew his answer.

"If I give you someone, you let me leave?"

The first copy nodded slowly.

Leon took a breath.

Then he said a name.

And the room shook.

The back door burst open.

Eve shoved Riley and the kids through first, spinning to fire at the things crawling after them.

The bullets ripped through flesh, but the creatures never stopped moving.

The town was warping around them.

Buildings shifting. Streets stretching into infinity.

There was nowhere left to run.

Then—

A voice whispered through the air.

Low. Commanding.

"Let them go."

The creatures stopped.

Froze in place.

Eve's heart pounded.

The wind shifted. The world tilted.

Something changed.

Then—the creatures backed away.

One by one, they vanished into the shadows.

Eve's breath shook. "What just happened?"

Riley clutched the kids. "I don't know. But we need to leave before they change their minds."

Eve nodded.

And they ran.

Leon felt the change instantly.

The air shifted. The walls stopped pulsing. The copies of himself stepped back.

The first one smiled.

"It is done."

Leon exhaled, his fingers shaking.

Then, the door appeared.

A massive, towering gate of black stone, cracking open just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Leon didn't hesitate.

He stepped through.

Pain.

It ripped through his skull, his vision splitting, twisting.

Then—

Cold air.

The scent of damp earth.

The weight of a gun in his hand.

Leon opened his eyes.

He wasn't underground anymore.

He was in the forest.

Alone.

The door behind him? Gone.

Like it had never existed.

Leon exhaled, his entire body trembling.

He was back.

But at what cost?

They didn't stop running until the town was far behind them.

Eve's legs burned, her lungs raw.

But they were alive.

She slowed, finally allowing herself to breathe. "We made it."

Riley wiped sweat from her face. "Barely."

Tyler and Sam didn't speak. They just held onto each other.

Eve turned toward the open road ahead.

They weren't safe yet.

But something told her the worst was behind them.

Then—

A branch snapped behind them.

Eve spun, rifle raised.

A figure stepped from the trees.

Tall. Broad. Covered in blood.

Eve's breath caught in her throat.

Leon.

He was alive.

But something was wrong.

His expression was blank. His hands trembling.

Eve swallowed. "Leon?"

Leon slowly looked up.

And whispered,

"I made a deal."