chapter 1: Hide and seek

“I have to go,” John said.

“Okay, be home before dinner,” his mom replied.

John closed the door behind him and headed to his car. The drive to N.L. Industries—as he was told to call it—was about thirty minutes, so he made a few stops along the way. At one point, he pulled into a small roadside restaurant to grab a quick snack.

As he turned around with food in hand, he froze. Just outside the window stood a shadowy figure. Tall. Still. Watching.

A deep, indescribable dread filled his chest.

He blinked—

And it was gone.

“Are you okay?” the employee asked, noticing his pale face.

“Y-Yeah… I’m fine,” John replied, clearly shaken.

The employee gave a strange smile. “Good luck.”

That simple phrase sent a chill down his spine.

John walked back to his car, uneasily munching on his snack. Eventually, he arrived at the monolithic building labeled N.L. Industries. He stepped through the two massive metal doors—only to find nobody inside.

No chatter. No footsteps. No greetings.

Just silence.

He wandered the halls, confused. The facility felt… off. Like the air itself was heavier. Wrong. He eventually stumbled across the door labeled:

M.A.R. - CELL

His stomach dropped. That same feeling from the restaurant returned: cold dread.

Gathering what little courage he had left, he opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was massive. In the center stood a towering glass tube, surrounded by aging computer equipment embedded into the walls. Everything hummed with a strange, low frequency. John muttered under his breath:

“This looks like something from a sci-fi movie… but creepy.”

SLAM!

The doors shut behind him. He spun around.

Suddenly, a handprint formed on the glass tube.

A voice, low and hissing, whispered into his ear:

“Run.”

He sprinted to the door, yanking at the handle with all his strength.

Locked.

Turning back, he saw it.

The shadowy figure.

But this time, it had glowing red eyes locked on him.

It began walking toward him.

Click. The doors behind him hissed open. Without hesitation, John bolted, running faster than he ever had, the echoing groans and screams of something unnatural chasing after him.

He darted around a corner and dove into a nearby room, scrambling under a dusty table. His breathing was erratic. He curled up into a ball, whispering to himself:

“This is just a nightmare. This is just a nightmare. This is just a—"

Whsshhh.

Like a gust of wind, the creature passed the room.

Silence.

Beep boop?

John jolted, slamming his head on the underside of the table. Dazed, he scrambled out and grabbed an old keyboard for defense.

In the shadows, glowing white eyes stared at him. From the darkness emerged a small, legless, armless creature. Its skin looked like glowing green circuit boards.

Confused and panicked, John whacked the creature with the keyboard.

BEEP!!

It squealed, tumbling back. Then suddenly—

RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

A roar erupted from an old computer on the desk.

John turned in shock. “THE COMPUTER HAS AN EYEBALL!?”

The computer, with a single blinking eye in the center of its screen, spoke:

“Keep it down before that wild beast comes back here!”

John’s mind raced. Am I going insane? I need to get out of here.

The computer continued, in a calmer voice, “My name is Vermont. What’s yours?”

“J-John. My name is John…” he replied nervously.

“Alright, John. Calm down. We’re not here to hurt you.”

John tried the door again—still locked. But it felt like more than a simple lock… something was holding it shut. His eyes drifted to a nearby air vent.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Vermont warned.

“Why not?” John asked.

“Because I believe… there’s something—or somethings—inside the vents of this facility.”

John was torn.

If I go into the vents, I might run into something worse. But if I stay, that thing—M.A.R., or whatever it is—might get me.

The room was small but enough to walk around. A single flickering light buzzed overhead. Dust filled the air. Vermont’s old computer shell clicked quietly beside a rickety table, and next to him sat the same small green creature—still recovering from being smacked.

John approached. “How do I get out of here?”

Vermont replied, “That little green thing is called a Codey. They come in all different colors. Most are friendly and helpful—many personnel had one. But never trust the black and white Codeys.”

John squinted. “That explains why it looked familiar…”

CRASH!

A violent bang hit the door. Then another.

Each slam shook the room as the door slowly splintered.

“RUN!!!” Vermont yelled.

John hesitated—but only for a second.

He ripped open the vent cover, the little green Codey darting in after him. The vent door slammed shut just as the creature burst through the room, its distorted voice screaming:

“I’LL FIND YOU!!”

Then laughter.

Horrible, warped laughter.

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