Into the Heart of Darkness

The city's nightscape was a chaotic mosaic of flickering neon signs, shattered glass, and distant sirens—a fractured heartbeat struggling against the creeping darkness.

Ava led the team through narrow alleyways, each step echoing against rain-slicked walls. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning rubber and something fouler—an undercurrent of decay that seemed to cling to their skins.

Luca's handheld scanner pulsed faintly, a lifeline in the digital chaos. "Signal's getting stronger. The source is close."

Kaela tightened her grip on her blade, eyes sharp and scanning. "Stay alert. Whatever made this is dangerous."

Noah covered their rear, weapon raised, muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike. "We're not walking into a trap, are we?"

Sable shook her head, voice steady but grim. "If it is, we'll face it head-on."

Ahead, an abandoned biotech lab loomed—a skeletal relic of a forgotten age, its cracked windows like dead eyes staring into the void.

The team stepped inside, the sterile scent replaced by a thick, choking haze. Broken equipment lay scattered, wires sparking faintly in the darkness.

Ava's golden flames flickered weakly as she whispered, "This is it."

Suddenly, the walls pulsed—alive, organic, as if the building itself breathed with the Viral Shadow.

From the shadows, a low, guttural hiss echoed, sending chills down their spines.

The hunt had turned deadly.

To be continued...