The hospital’s hallway stretched out before them, cold and imposing. Ethan, Ava, and Jake—the newest member of their makeshift team—moved cautiously through the darkened corridor. The air was thick with the musty scent of decay, the only sound their footsteps echoing off the cracked walls, accompanied by the soft, dying hum of the hospital’s flickering lights.

  They’d been on the move for hours, constantly searching for safety, but their energy was running low. The memory of the Soldier’s Wrath still lingered in their minds, a constant reminder of the horrors they had narrowly escaped.

  “Is this the place?” Ethan asked, his voice low as he glanced at Jake, his trust in the hacker still growing, but hesitant.

  Jake’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. The tech genius turned survivalist, once brimming with confidence, now carried the weight of his fractured past. The quiet stillness of the hospital felt more oppressive than safe.

  “Yeah… but I’m not sure what to expect anymore,” Jake said, his voice flat but edged with something darker. “This place was supposed to be a sanctuary, but that was before it got... altered. There’s something wrong with it now.”

  Ava raised an eyebrow, always alert. “Altered? What do you mean?”

  Jake’s fingers twitched, and his jaw tightened. “The machines… they’re different. And whatever’s inside, it’s more than just a hospital now. It’s been... guarded.”

  Before they could ask more, the sharp crackle of electricity filled the air, followed by the distant, mechanical whirring of gears coming to life. The lights overhead flickered erratically, casting long, menacing shadows along the walls.

  Ethan’s instincts flared. “Something’s coming.”

  They pressed forward, their pace quickening as the sounds of machinery grew louder. The closer they got to the entrance, the more palpable the tension became. At the end of the hall, they finally came face to face with a massive steel door, reinforced with electric panels and heavy security locks.

  “That’s not just a door,” Ethan muttered under his breath, already sensing trouble.

  Jake stepped up, studying the lock with a mixture of focus and frustration. He raised a gloved hand, the faint glow of his electronic appendage illuminating his face. The fingers of his organic hand began to shift, transforming into a metallic, sleek replacement, one that allowed him to interface with the hospital’s systems.

  “Let me handle it,” Jake said, his voice tight, betraying the strain he was feeling.

  Ava and Ethan took a step back to give him space. As Jake worked, his hand moved over the lock in swift, calculated motions, sending jolts of electricity through the system. But something wasn’t right.

  “I can’t bypass it. The system’s been upgraded,” Jake muttered, frustration evident in his voice. “This door’s got more security than I expected. It’s not just a lock. There’s something else guarding it.”

  Ethan felt a cold shiver run down his spine. “What exactly are you saying?”

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  Before Jake could respond, the ground beneath them trembled. A dark shape emerged from the shadows at the far end of the hall, moving with unnatural speed.

  “Shit,” Jake hissed, his eyes narrowing. “I knew it. We’ve got company.”

  From the darkness, the Monster appeared. It wasn’t just a creature; it was a nightmare made flesh—an abomination born from fear, anger, and regret. Its form was a grotesque patchwork of flesh and metal, steam hissing from its joints as it approached with chilling purpose. The hollow eyes, glowing red with an unnatural light, were filled with the anguished souls of soldiers—lost, betrayed, their anger manifesting in the form of this creature.

  The Monster lunged forward, its movements swift and brutal. Ava reacted first, reaching for her weapons with practiced precision. But even she wasn’t fast enough. The Monster’s massive fist slammed into the ground where she had just been standing, sending a shockwave through the air.

  Ethan’s heart pounded. He barely managed to dodge the creature’s next strike, his own powers kicking in just in time. His body moved instinctively—wild, erratic. He wasn’t graceful. He wasn’t trained. But his unpredictability was his strength.

  Ava’s speed allowed her to dart in and out, landing rapid blows on the Monster’s body. But the creature seemed to grow stronger with each attack, its mechanical parts reinforced by the tortured spirits of fallen soldiers. Every strike she landed only fueled it.

  “Jake, hurry up!” Ethan shouted, narrowly avoiding another blow. His heart raced, but his mind was already working, adapting to the chaos of the fight.

  Jake was still trying to hack the door, but his frustration was mounting. In a sudden, impulsive move, he sliced open his own wrist with a flick of his electronic hand.

  “Jake!” Ava cried out, but there was no time to stop him.

  His electronic hand crackled with a surge of energy, brighter than before. As his organic hand began to regenerate at an alarming rate, the electronic appendage shimmered with newfound power.

  With a furious swipe, Jake sent a pulse of electricity coursing through the Monster’s joints, destabilizing its movements. Sparks flew as the creature’s mechanical limbs jerked and twitched, struggling to stay functional.

  The Monster howled in pain, but it wasn’t done yet. The spirits within it screamed, their rage feeding its strength.

  Ava and Ethan pressed forward, now working together in sync. With each blow, the Monster weakened, its mechanical body sparking and creaking as Jake’s attack had its intended effect. Ava’s strikes were sharp and calculated, her body moving with speed and precision, while Ethan’s erratic motions kept the creature off balance.

  Finally, with one last, unified strike from both Ethan and Jake, the Monster’s body crumpled to the floor, disintegrating into a heap of broken metal and dissipating spirits.

  For a moment, the world went still. The sound of their breathing filled the silence.

  Ava collapsed, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. Pain shot through her leg, and she gritted her teeth against the agony. She had pushed herself too hard, and in the chaos of the fight, her leg had snapped.

  Without hesitation, she grabbed a metal pipe and grimaced, breaking her leg further to realign it. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she fought through the pain, forcing her body to heal. But it wasn’t enough. Her powers surged, but the wound was too severe, and blood soaked through her clothes.

  Ethan’s heart skipped a beat as he saw her fall. His instincts screamed at him to act, and before he could even think, his power flared. His hand shot out, and without thinking twice, he snapped his own finger. The pain was sharp, but it fueled him. In one wild, uncontrolled movement, he conjured a wall of imperfection—a warped reflection of his inner chaos—shielding them from the Monster’s remains.

  The room around them bent and twisted, its edges blurring into a grotesque semblance of Ethan’s fractured sense of self.

  “Let’s move,” Jake said, his voice quieter now, but with an urgency that didn’t escape them. “Before anything else shows up.”

  Jake stepped forward, tapping his glowing hand on the steel door. A soft beep sounded as the lock disengaged, and with a hiss, the door opened.

  As they stepped through, the hum of machinery greeted them, a stark contrast to the stillness outside. Automated security systems hummed, their red lights flickering ominously, scanning for threats.

  Jake’s face grew hard again. “This is just the beginning. We’ve made it inside, but don’t think we’re safe yet.”