Camouflage is the only way to survive

Zale groggily opened his eyes, a dull ache thrumming in the back of his skull. The cold metal floor beneath him sent an uncomfortable chill through his body. He was in a dimly lit room, the stench of sweat and rusted iron thick in the air. His wrists were bound behind his back, a coarse rope biting into his skin.

His mind felt sluggish, his limbs heavy—whether from exhaustion or something more sinister, he couldn't tell.

"Zale," a hushed voice called from his right.

Jared.

Zale turned his head slightly and saw his friend slumped against the wall, hands bound like his own. Jared's face was bruised, a nasty gash across his cheek still fresh. Despite that, his eyes burned with a familiar intensity—one that spoke of defiance, not fear.

Zale exhaled slowly. Five hours. That's how long they had been here. Five hours since their plan went sideways. Five hours since the CEO slipped through their fingers and left them at the mercy of his guards.

And yet, he wasn't panicked.

Sloth's influence had dulled his sense of urgency, but something else simmered beneath the surface—a quiet certainty that escape was inevitable.

He rolled his shoulders slightly, feeling the presence of his Avatar pulsing faintly around him. Though his body was restrained, his power wasn't.

His eyes flickered toward the door. Two guards stood outside, their silhouettes visible through the reinforced glass. Armed, alert. But not invincible.

"Jared," Zale murmured. "Ready to leave?"

Jared snorted. "What do you think?"

Zale smirked. He closed his eyes, exhaling softly. His Avatar stirred, the air molecules shifting, forming a barely visible orb behind him. It hovered silently before reshaping itself into thin, thread-like strands. The bindings around his wrists began to unravel, slipping away like they were never tied in the first place.

Jared's eyes widened slightly as he watched. "I'll never get used to that."

Zale stretched his fingers. "No need to. Let's move."

With a simple gesture, the Avatar extended toward Jared's restraints, untying them with the same eerie precision. Jared flexed his wrists, wincing at the raw skin but nodding in thanks.

"Now," Zale said, his voice calm. "We need to deal with them." He nodded toward the guards outside.

Jared cracked his knuckles. "Leave it to me."

Before Zale could argue, Jared was already on his feet, using the element of surprise to his advantage. He slammed his shoulder into the door, kicking it open with explosive force. The first guard barely had time to react before Jared's fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The second guard fumbled for his weapon, but Zale was faster. A subtle shift in the air—his Avatar extended, wrapping around the man's arm like an unseen chain. The illusion took hold in an instant.

The guard froze, eyes going wide with terror.

"Where am I?!" he gasped, looking around in confusion.

Zale had twisted his perception, making him believe he was trapped in a never-ending corridor of darkness. The fear in his eyes was instant, primal.

Jared wasted no time, delivering a sharp kick to the guard's stomach, knocking him unconscious.

"That's freaky," Jared muttered, rubbing his knuckles.

"Effective, though," Zale replied.

They grabbed the guards' weapons and moved quickly through the corridors. The stronghold was a maze, but Zale's memory was sharp. He retraced the path they were dragged through earlier, leading them toward an exit.

The alarm blared overhead. Their escape had been noticed.

"Move faster," Zale muttered.

"No kidding!" Jared shot back.

As they rounded a corner, more guards appeared. Gunfire erupted, bullets tearing through the air. Jared ducked behind a pillar, cursing under his breath.

Zale, however, didn't flinch.

His Avatar expanded, forming a translucent shield of compressed air molecules. The bullets that should have torn through him slowed, then stopped entirely, suspended in the air like floating raindrops.

Jared stared. "You're telling me you could do that this whole time?"

Zale smirked. "Figured I'd test it now."

With a flick of his wrist, he redirected the bullets back at the guards. Two of them dropped instantly, while the others scrambled for cover.

Jared took the opportunity to charge forward, taking out the remaining men with swift, brutal efficiency.

They didn't stop to catch their breath.

The stronghold was on high alert now. Every hallway they passed was swarming with reinforcements.

"Where's the CEO?" Jared asked as they sprinted toward the main exit.

"Gone," Zale muttered. He could feel it. The slippery bastard had left the moment the alarms went off.

And sure enough, as they burst through the last door leading to the open courtyard, they saw it—a helicopter rising into the sky, the CEO safely inside.

Jared cursed violently. "He's getting away!"

Zale stared up at the helicopter, his fingers twitching. He could send his Avatar after it, but the distance was growing too fast. The effort wasn't worth it.

Let him go.

He wasn't the real threat.

They turned toward the perimeter, but something made them stop.

A sound. A scream.

Then another.

The guards around the courtyard were no longer focused on them. Instead, they were firing wildly at something in the shadows.

A dark presence slithered through the stronghold's outer walls. At first, it was just a blur—a shifting mass of black smoke. But then it began to take shape.

A figure. A thing.

It moved too fast for the human eye to follow, a streak of darkness weaving through the guards like death itself.

Bodies dropped one after another.

"What the hell is that?" Jared whispered.

Zale didn't answer. He was watching. Studying.

The figure finally slowed, stepping into view.

It was humanoid—barely. Its body was wrapped in writhing tendrils of darkness, its face obscured by an eerie, featureless void. The only thing visible were its eyes—glowing slits of crimson light, watching.

Zale felt something stir inside him. A strange recognition.

This thing… was not normal. It was not human.

And it was powerful.

The remaining guards opened fire, but the bullets passed through the shadowy figure like mist. Then, with a single movement, it vanished—only to reappear behind them.

Throats were slit before screams could be uttered.

The last guard tried to run, but the shadow caught him, dragging him into the darkness. A wet crunch echoed through the night.

Then silence.

Jared took a slow step back. "Zale. We need to leave. Now."

But Zale wasn't moving. His gaze was locked onto the creature.

And it was looking back.

For the first time in a long while, Zale felt something stir beyond his usual apathy. Not fear. Not excitement. But acknowledgment.

Like he and the creature understood something about each other.

Then, without warning, the shadow turned and disappeared—melting back into the night as if it had never been there.

The stronghold was silent.

Zale exhaled, then turned to Jared. "Let's go."

Jared didn't argue.

They moved quickly, disappearing into the darkness, leaving behind a graveyard of bodies and unanswered questions.

But as they escaped, one thing was certain—they weren't the only monsters in this city.

And whoever—or whatever—that shadow was… it wasn't finished yet.