Raufarhöfn was quiet.
The small fishing village sat along the northeastern coast of Iceland, on the Melrakkaslétta peninsula. A few houses stood near the harbor, boats rested on the water, and the roads were quiet enough that the sound of a passing car could easily catch someone's attention.
People knew each other.
They knew which boats belonged to whom. They knew who worked at the harbor, who owned which house, and who could usually be found at the same places.
Nothing much happened in Raufarhöfn.
At least, nothing that anyone would remember for long.
A man walked along the road with his dog.
Two people spoke near the harbor.
A vehicle passed between the houses and disappeared around the bend.
The wind moved gently across the village.
Farther away, beyond the houses and roads, stood a place most people had no reason to think about.
The Black Skull facility.
It was one of the organization's smallest branches, surrounded by enough empty land that nobody passing nearby had much reason to stop.
It had existed quietly.
Until now.
Something moved across the sky.
It crossed above the village so quickly that it was almost impossible to make out.
Then it slowed.
Virus descended.
He landed far from the facility.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
He straightened himself and looked toward the distant building.
It was still some distance away.
He began walking.
Inside the facility, nobody knew.
Computers hummed.
Doors opened and closed.
Staff carried documents between rooms.
Someone was arguing with a printer.
Someone else was searching for a cup of coffee they had left somewhere.
The ordinary noise of work continued.
Hekla had worked for Black Skull for six months and thirteen days.
She remembered the exact number.
In that time, she had earned enough money to pay her daughter's tuition and had managed to save a little for herself.
She stood with a load of documents in her arms.
"My daughter is doing really well. Better than I was at her age."
Sam stood beside her, touching his bushy beard.
"My son is the complete opposite. Smoking weed, fornicating like an animal in heat, like I didn't teach him any better."
He shook his head.
"I wonder what those friends of his tell him."
Hekla laughed.
"You're acting like you weren't like that at his age."
Sam placed a hand against his chest.
"Me? Never."
"You're a liar."
A younger staff member passing behind them laughed.
"She's got you there."
Sam turned.
"You stay out of this, Einar."
Einar raised both hands.
"I said nothing."
"You were thinking it."
"I was."
Hekla laughed.
"You two are impossible."
Sam adjusted his tie.
"See what I deal with every day?"
Einar reached out and caught one of the documents slipping from Hekla's arm.
"You've been carrying those since morning."
"I know."
"Then put them down."
"I'll put them down when I'm finished."
"You said that two hours ago, besides we are done for the day."
Hekla gave him a look.
"You sound like my daughter."
Einar smiled.
"Then listen to me."
Hekla shook her head.
"Being a single mother hasn't really been easy for me, but... there's nothing I can't handle."
Sam looked at her.
"You say that like you've got something to prove."
"I don't."
She smiled.
"I just know what I can handle."
Sam nodded.
Then—
"TOTAL SHUTDOWN!"
A staff member yelled.
The lights went out.
The entire facility disappeared into darkness.
The laughter died immediately.
Hekla froze.
"Sam?"
She heard movement beside her.
A chair scraped across the floor.
"Victor?"
Nobody answered.
Someone cursed from across the room.
"What happened?"
"Did someone trigger the shutdown?"
"I don't know!"
"Check the panel!"
Footsteps moved through the darkness.
Hekla reached out.
Her fingers found someone's sleeve.
Sam.
His hand closed around her wrist.
"I'm here."
His voice was low.
Hekla stayed still for a moment.
Something about his breathing caught her attention.
His fingers curled slightly while his hand twitched toward his pocket, then stopped
There was no panic in it.
No hurried breaths.
Just slow, steady breathing.
"Sam?"
"I'm fine."
A second passed.
Then another.
The lights came back on.
"SURPRISE!"
The room exploded with noise.
Hekla blinked.
A large cake stood in front of her.
Balloons hung from the ceiling.
Sweets, snacks, drinks, and wine covered the tables.
Sam appeared beside her with a wide grin.
He placed a birthday cap on her head.
Hekla stared at everyone.
Her lips parted.
Then she laughed.
"Oh my God."
The room filled with applause.
Someone whistled.
Someone shouted her name.
Hekla covered her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes.
"Won't the boss be mad we threw a birthday party?"
She was smiling, but there was still caution in her voice.
"Nahhh!" Terry shouted.
"He hardly ever comes to this branch. Besides, it's just a harmless birthday party. We're done with our jobs for the day."
He lifted his cup.
"Relax. Everything is going to be fine."
A few people laughed.
Sam raised his drink.
"Exactly."
The music started again.
People moved around the room.
Someone handed Hekla a glass.
Someone else began cutting the cake.
Sam had already taken a piece.
"Sam!"
"What?"
"You haven't even taken a picture yet."
"I was hungry."
"You're always hungry."
"It's a gift."
Hekla laughed.
For once, nobody seemed interested in work.
She pulled out her phone.
On the lock screen was a photograph of her daughter.
The girl was holding a sheet of paper with both hands, smiling proudly at the camera. Most of the drawing was hidden behind her arms, but enough could be seen around the edges to make out a few bright lines.
Einar noticed.
"That's the picture she sent you?"
Hekla looked down.
"Yeah."
"She drew that?"
"She says it's a birthday present."
Einar smiled.
"She looks proud of herself."
"She was."
Hekla smiled at the picture.
"She said she's going to make me a better one next year."
She locked the phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
Sam pointed toward the cake.
"Don't forget to leave some for your daughter."
Hekla looked at him.
"Einar won't let me forget."
Sam smiled.
"I believe it."
Hekla cut herself a small piece.
"I promised her I'd bring some home."
"Then don't let Terry eat it."
Terry immediately looked offended.
"I heard that."
Everyone laughed.
The music stopped.
Someone tapped a glass.
Then the chanting began.
"Speech!"
"Speech! Speech!"
"Speech! Speech! Speech!"
Hekla covered her face.
"Oh, no."
She laughed.
"You people are terrible."
The chanting only became louder.
Eventually, shaking her head with a helpless smile, she climbed onto the table.
The room slowly quieted.
Hekla looked around.
At Sam.
At Terry.
At Einar.
At everyone else.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
These were the people she had spent most of her days with.
People she had argued with.
People she had laughed with.
People who had listened to her complain about her children.
People who had asked whether she was alright when she clearly wasn't.
She smiled.
"Well..."
A few people laughed.
"I wasn't exactly prepared for this. Usually, when people say they have a surprise for you, they mean a card and maybe a cake. Not an entire ambush followed by public speaking."
The room laughed again.
Hekla looked down at the cake.
"But... thank you. Honestly."
Her voice softened.
"I don't always know what to say when people make a fuss over me. I've never really been someone who liked being the center of attention."
She looked around.
"I suppose I've spent most of my life worrying about everyone else before worrying about myself."
Her eyes rested briefly on Sam.
Then Einar.
Then Terry.
"So having all of you here, doing this for me... it means more than I know how to put into words."
She paused.
"Life has a strange way of teaching you what matters."
Nobody interrupted.
"There were years when I thought I had everything figured out, and there were years when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing."
She smiled faintly.
"I've made mistakes. I've had days where I was exhausted before the day even began. I've had moments where I wondered whether I was really doing enough."
She gave a small shrug.
"But I kept going."
Her eyes moved around the room again.
"I think that's all any of us can really do sometimes. You get knocked down, you get back up, and you try not to become bitter in the process."
Someone nodded.
"And somewhere along the way, you realize that the ordinary things you used to overlook..."
She looked at the people around her.
"The people who check on you. The conversations that make a bad day easier. Having somewhere to come every morning and people to laugh with."
She smiled.
"Those are the things you end up being most grateful for."
The room remained quiet.
"So, I don't really have some grand birthday wisdom to give you."
A few people smiled.
"I'm just grateful. Grateful that another year has been given to me. Grateful for the people I've met, the people who stayed, and even the people who taught me something by leaving."
She raised her glass.
"And especially grateful for all of you, because I don't think we say it enough, but the people you spend your days with become part of your life whether you realize it or not."
She smiled.
"So cheers to another year. To mistakes, second chances, terrible Mondays, good surprises, and hopefully fewer reasons to climb onto tables and give speeches."
The room broke into laughter.
Hekla laughed with them.
"Thank you, everyone. Truly."
She looked around one final time.
"You've made this birthday one I'll remember."
The applause came immediately.
Sam whistled.
Terry shouted.
Einar laughed.
Someone started singing the birthday song again.
Hekla covered her face, laughing.
Then the doors opened.
The singing stopped.
The laughter died with it.
Nobody understood what had happened at first.
They simply stared.
Virus stood in the doorway.
He said nothing.
His red eye lenses moved across the room.
One face.
Then another.
Then another.
Hekla's smile disappeared.
Terry stopped smiling.
Einar's eyes moved from Virus to Hekla.
Sam slowly lowered his drink.
Virus took a step forward.
His boots struck the floor.
Another step.
Nobody moved.
He stopped in front of Sam.
Sam stared at him.
Virus studied his face.
"Insects."
His voice was calm.
"You should be kneeling."
Nobody spoke.
"Begging for your lives."
Virus's eyes moved around the room.
"But... you're here."
He reached out.
His hand settled on Sam's head.
Sam's jaw tightened.
Virus's fingers pressed against his skull.
"Your head."
He paused.
"It feels so... fragile."
His grip tightened slightly.
"I wonder what would happen if I used just a little of my strength to..."
He stopped.
A faint smile touched his face.
Then he released Sam.
Virus looked around the room.
"Who is in charge of Room Seven?"
Nobody answered.
His voice rose.
"WHO IS IN CHARGE OF ROOM SEVEN?"
Hekla slowly climbed down from the table.
"Uhhh... sir."
She swallowed.
"I am."
Virus looked at her.
His red lenses remained fixed on her face.
"I need the T4-FILE now."
He took a slow breath.
Then sighed.
"Take me to it."
Hekla nodded.
She started walking.
Nobody stopped her.
As she passed Einar, their eyes met.
He looked like he wanted to say something.
He didn't.
Hekla disappeared down the staircase with Virus.
The room remained silent long after they were gone.
The music from upstairs disappeared as they descended.
The facility grew quieter with every step.
Soft blue lights stretched along the walls.
With every footstep, another strip of white light glimmered beneath their feet before fading again.
Virus walked behind her.
His footsteps were steady.
"If I collected animals," he said, "you would be first in my cage."
Hekla's hands tightened.
She kept walking.
Virus said nothing for a few seconds.
Then:
"Not because you are special."
Hekla glanced back.
Virus looked ahead.
"You simply seem to understand when to obey."
She turned forward again.
They reached Room Seven.
Hekla stopped.
"That's..."
Her voice was quiet.
"That's rude of you. Calling a woman your animal and your slave."
Virus stared at her.
He didn't answer.
He stepped closer.
Then placed both hands against the wall beside her.
His red lenses remained fixed on her face.
"Animals don't speak unless spoken to."
Heat began spreading from his hands.
Hekla felt it against her cheek.
She blinked.
It grew hotter.
Then she smelled something burning.
Her eyes widened.
A few strands of her hair curled from the heat.
She lifted a trembling hand.
One of the strands came away between her fingers.
Virus didn't move.
"Open it."
Hekla hurried to the door.
She entered the access code.
The door opened.
Inside was an empty room filled with bright lights, glass, cables, and coolers.
A small drive sat alone in the middle.
Virus walked toward it.
He picked it up.
Turned it over.
Looked at it again.
"This is fake."
Hekla stared at him.
"Sir... sir, this was the drive I was ordered to keep. I can assure you, it's not—"
"Are you calling me a liar?"
Virus turned toward her.
"I am all-knowing."
His voice hardened.
"I am the god of machines."
He raised the drive slightly.
"You animals can't comprehend."
Hekla opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Her hands began shaking.
Her knees gave way.
She fell backward onto the floor.
Virus looked down at her.
Then his red lenses brightened.
"This is Virus. The T4-FILE is fake."
He paused.
"We have an intruder."
His head tilted slightly.
"Or rather... a rat."
The message was transmitted to Black Skull headquarters.
A few seconds later, Barron's voice echoed through Virus's ear.
"Find the culprit. Wipe every piece of evidence of Black Skull in Iceland and draw no attention."
The instruction was simple.
Virus hated being bossed around.
But something about the order thrilled him.
Upstairs, Sam stood with his eyes closed.
His hands were clasped together.
He was praying.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody knew what to do.
Then they heard it.
A scream.
Hekla.
Every head turned toward the staircase.
"Hekla?"
Nothing.
The lights flickered.
White.
Red.
Darkness.
They returned.
White.
Red.
Darkness.
Again.
Someone stepped backward.
"Who initiated total lockdown?"
"I don't know!"
"Why aren't the doors opening?"
"Check them!"
Several people rushed toward the exits.
The nearest door wouldn't move.
"It's locked."
"Try the other one."
Someone ran across the room.
Pulled the handle.
Nothing.
"It's locked too."
"Use the control panel!"
"I am!"
The panel wouldn't respond.
Terry stared at it.
"Relax."
Nobody looked at him.
"Everything is going to be fine."
His voice wasn't as confident this time.
"It has to be."
A faint metallic click came from somewhere inside the walls.
Everyone went quiet.
Another click.
Nobody moved.
"Did you hear that?"
The lights flickered again.
White.
Red.
Darkness.
A scream echoed from somewhere below.
Louder than before.
Someone covered their mouth.
"Oh God."
Another scream.
Closer.
Sam's head lowered.
His lips moved silently.
Einar stood near Hekla's empty chair.
His eyes remained fixed on the staircase.
"We need to do something."
"What?"
"I don't know."
Nobody answered.
Then came the footsteps.
Slow.
One step.
Then another.
Nobody could see who was coming.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence.
Someone began crying.
"Is anybody there?"
No answer.
Another step.
Closer.
Einar backed away.
Terry grabbed his arm.
"Don't."
A heavy impact sounded somewhere beyond the corridor.
Everyone jumped.
Then silence again.
Sam's prayer became faster.
The lights flickered.
White.
Red.
Darkness.
Then the red emergency lights returned.
Virus stood at the end of the room.
He was holding Hekla by the hair.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Her feet dragged across the floor.
Her face was wet with tears.
A few strands of hair were missing where Virus's hand gripped them.
Einar stepped forward.
"Hekla!"
Virus looked at him.
Einar stopped.
Virus pulled Hekla forward.
Then threw her toward the others.
She hit the floor and slid across it.
Einar rushed to her.
He dropped beside her.
"Hekla."
She looked at him.
Her lips moved.
No sound came out.
Virus took another step into the room.
The birthday decorations were still hanging from the ceiling.
The cake was still on the table.
The balloons still floated above them.
Everything looked almost exactly the same.
Except nobody was smiling anymore.
Virus looked around at the people who had been celebrating minutes earlier.
"You all stole something from Black Skull."
Nobody answered.
His eyes settled on them one by one.
"If none of you provide the stolen item..."
He took another step.
"I can assure you..."
The red lenses glowed through the darkness.
"None of you will smell the breath of day ever again."
A woman began crying.
Someone whispered a prayer.
A man near the back swallowed.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Virus turned his head.
The man immediately lowered his eyes.
Virus smiled.
"What is your name?"
The man hesitated.
"Jon."
"Jon."
Virus said the name quietly.
Jon nodded.
"Yes."
"You don't know where the file is?"
"No."
"You've never seen it?"
"No."
Virus came closer.
Jon's back touched the wall.
"I swear."
Virus stared at him.
Jon could feel the heat coming from his body.
"Please."
Virus raised one hand.
Jon flinched.
Virus did nothing.
He simply watched.
Jon's eyes squeezed shut.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
He opened them again.
Virus was still standing in front of him.
"You're afraid."
Jon nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Jon stared at him.
"Because you're going to kill me."
Virus tilted his head.
"You're learning."
He placed one finger beneath Jon's chin.
Jon trembled.
"Tell me where the file is."
"I don't know."
Virus sighed.
Jon's chin began shaking.
"I really don't."
Virus's thumb pressed slightly harder beneath his jaw.
"Then you have nothing to fear."
Jon stared at him.
"What?"
Virus smiled.
"You already gave me your answer."
He released him.
Jon exhaled.
The relief lasted less than a second.
Virus caught him by the throat.
Jon's eyes widened.
His feet left the floor.
The room filled with his choking.
His hands clawed desperately at Virus's arm.
"Please!"
Virus watched his face.
"Who else?"
Jon couldn't speak.
His face turned red.
"Who?"
Jon's lips moved.
No words.
Virus tightened his grip.
A horrible wheezing sound escaped Jon.
Someone screamed.
Hekla covered her mouth.
Einar took a step forward.
Virus looked at him.
Einar stopped.
Virus looked back at Jon.
Then released him.
Jon crashed onto the floor.
He coughed violently.
He rolled onto his side, clutching his throat.
Virus stood over him.
"Next."
No one moved.
Virus's voice remained almost conversational.
"Perhaps I asked the wrong question."
He looked around.
"Which one of you is willing to die for another?"
Silence.
A man's sob escaped from the crowd.
Virus smiled.
"Interesting."
The first gunshot came from the security desk.
Everyone turned.
A security officer stood behind it, both hands wrapped around a pistol.
His arms were shaking.
"Stay back!"
Virus looked at him.
The officer fired.
The shot cracked through the room.
People ducked.
A bullet struck Virus in the shoulder.
He looked at the hole in his clothing.
Then at the blood.
It was barely more than a thin line, healing in an instant.
He looked back at the officer.
The officer's face drained.
He fired again.
The gun clicked.
Nothing.
Virus began walking toward him.
The officer tried to reload.
His fingers couldn't work properly.
The magazine slipped from his hand and struck the floor.
"Wait."
Virus kept walking.
"I said wait!"
Virus reached the desk.
The officer grabbed a metal flashlight and swung it.
Virus caught his wrist.
The officer screamed.
Virus slowly twisted his arm behind his back.
The flashlight dropped.
"Your gun made you brave."
The officer struggled.
"Now look at you."
Virus pressed harder.
A sharp crack came from the officer's shoulder.
His scream ripped through the room.
Several people turned away.
Virus leaned close to him.
"That wasn't the gun."
The officer was sobbing now.
"Please."
Virus pushed him forward.
His face struck the edge of the desk.
Once.
The room went silent.
The officer fell against the chair.
His nose was bleeding.
He tried to breathe through his mouth.
Virus grabbed the back of his head.
He looked at the others.
"This is what happens when you confuse possession with power."
He drove the man's head into the desk again.
And again.
And again.
The sound was dull.
Wet.
The officer's body went slack.
Virus let go.
He slid to the floor.
Nobody moved toward him.
Virus turned away.
"Next."
A woman ran.
She didn't think.
She simply ran.
She pushed past two people and sprinted toward the corridor.
The sound of her shoes slapped against the floor.
She reached the corner.
Almost made it.
Then Virus's hand appeared around her waist.
He lifted her.
Her feet kicked in the air.
"No!"
She screamed.
"PLEASE!"
Virus carried her back into the room.
She clawed at his arm.
Her fingernails broke.
Blood appeared beneath them.
Virus looked down at her hands.
"You're hurting yourself."
He dropped her.
She landed hard.
Before she could crawl away, Virus stepped on her wrist.
She screamed.
He looked at her.
"You should have stayed."
She sobbed.
"I have children."
Virus paused.
Her face twisted with hope.
"My children are waiting for me."
Virus stared at her.
"Then they will learn disappointment."
His foot pressed down.
Her scream became raw and high.
Hekla turned her face away.
The sound continued.
Then stopped.
Virus lifted his foot.
He walked on.
The woman's fingers remained curled against the floor.
The next hours didn't feel like hours.
They became pieces of time measured in screams.
Virus found people wherever they hid.
Under desks.
Behind machines.
Inside storage rooms.
In bathrooms.
In corridors.
Some begged.
Some lied.
Some offered money.
Some offered names.
Some attacked him.
Most ran.
Everyone eventually learned the same thing.
Running only changed where they died.
Hekla stood with her back against a wall.
Her breathing was shallow.
She could smell smoke.
She could smell blood.
She could smell something sweet from the birthday cake beneath it all.
The smell made her stomach twist.
She looked at the cake again.
Nobody had touched it.
Her eyes settled on the little knife beside it.
She remembered cutting her daughter a piece in her head.
She remembered the way the girl in the photograph had been holding her drawing.
Next year.
Hekla swallowed.
She had never realized how fragile the word sounded.
An old woman stepped forward.
Her name was Ingrid. She had been with Black Skull long enough that most people in the building had seen her face at least once. Now sweat ran down her temples and disappeared beneath her collar. Her jaw was clenched so tightly that cords stood out along her neck. She walked carefully, placing each foot as though the floor might give way beneath her. When she opened her mouth, the first sound caught in her throat and came out as a dry, broken rasp.
"Please."
Virus turned.
His neck rotated slowly, vertebrae clicking one after another.
"Please what?"
Ingrid's eyes moved across the room.
The huddled people.
The bodies sprawled in their own cooling fluids.
Blood gathered in dark, sticky pools across the floor. Faces were streaked with sweat, tears, and grime. Some trembled openly. Others stared without blinking.
Her gaze returned to Virus.
"Let them go."
Something shifted at the corners of Virus's mouth. His lips tightened. His pupils narrowed for the briefest instant.
"Who are you?"
"Ingrid."
"Ingrid."
He rolled the name across his tongue as though tasting something rotten.
"You want me to release all of them?"
She swallowed.
"Yes."
Virus looked past her toward the crowd.
"Four hundred people."
Ingrid nodded.
Her throat bobbed again.
"Yes."
Virus stepped closer.
The soles of his leather boots pressed into the blood-slick floor with soft, wet sounds.
"And what are you willing to give me?"
Ingrid's mouth opened.
Nothing came.
Virus turned away.
He crossed to a medical cabinet and pulled the rusted door open. Metal groaned against metal.
Inside, among the scattered instruments, his fingers closed around a small surgical blade.
He withdrew it.
He turned and offered it to Ingrid, handle first.
"Your tongue."
The room was filled with total silence.
Ingrid stared at the blade.
A faint smear of dried residue marked the steel near the spine.
"What?"
Virus held it toward her.
"Cut it out."
Her face changed all at once.
Her mouth fell open. Her cheeks trembled. The muscles around her eyes tightened until tears spilled free.
Virus extended the blade another inch.
"I'll release them."
Behind her, a woman made a sound somewhere between a sob and a gasp.
"Ingrid, don't."
Ingrid turned.
She looked at them.
Ingrid's fingers tightened around the blade.
They shook so violently that the metal rattled against her palm.
"Promise me."
Virus smiled.
"I don't lie."
Ingrid raised the blade.
Her hand trembled as she brought it toward her mouth. The tip touched her lower lip.
She stopped.
Her breathing came in ragged, wet pulls.
Slowly, she opened her mouth and slipped the blade past her teeth.
Her wrist locked.
The muscles in her forearm tightened. Her fingers spasmed around the handle.
She tried to push.
Nothing.
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I can't."
The words came out broken.
Virus took the blade from her fingers.
Ingrid's hand dropped.
"I tried."
"I know."
Virus stepped closer.
His shadow fell over her.
Hekla watched.
Ingrid's eyes suddenly opened.
There was no need for words.
Virus's hand shot into Ingrid's mouth.
His fingers hooked behind her tongue.
Her eyes widened.
Her body jerked.
Virus pulled.
A thick, wet tear sounded from somewhere deep in her throat.
Blood erupted across his hand and sleeve as her tongue came free.
Ingrid gagged, choking on what little breath remained in her throat.
Virus seized her chin with his other hand.
He wrenched upward.
A sharp crack.
Then another.
The skin around her jaw stretched tight before tearing open. Cartilage gave way beneath his grip, followed by the wet shredding of muscle.
Her lower jaw hung loose.
Her teeth showed through the torn, blood-soaked flesh.
Hekla recoiled.
A scream burst from her throat before she could stop it. She clamped both hands over her mouth, but the sound still forced its way through her fingers.
Her stomach lurched.
She tasted bile.
When she looked again, Ingrid was on her knees.
Blood poured from the ruined cavity of her mouth, flooding over her chin and chest before dripping heavily onto the floor.
Her body trembled.
Her eyes remained open.
Virus released her.
Ingrid collapsed forward.
Hekla stared at her, hands still pressed over her mouth, tears running freely down her face.
The only sound she could make was a weak, broken sob.
A man came running into the room.
"Please!"
Everyone turned.
He was barefoot.
One sock was missing.
There was blood running down one side of his face.
"I know where it is!"
Virus appeared behind him.
The man stumbled.
"I know who took it!"
Virus stopped.
The entire room seemed to hold its breath.
"Who?"
The man pointed.
His finger shook.
"Sam."
Sam lifted his head.
"What?"
The man kept pointing.
"He knows."
Sam stared at him.
"I don't."
Virus looked at Sam.
Sam's face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Virus noticed.
He smiled.
"Interesting."
Sam stepped backward.
"No."
Virus approached.
Sam's breathing became faster.
"You've been quiet."
"I've been scared."
"No."
Virus stopped.
"You've been thinking."
Sam swallowed.
"I don't know anything."
Virus extended his hand.
"Show me."
Sam didn't move.
Virus's eyes narrowed.
"Sam."
Sam's hand slowly went into his pocket.
He pulled out a small drive.
The room became completely silent.
Hekla stared.
Her face fell.
Sam looked at her.
"Hekla..."
She shook her head.
"No."
"I can explain."
"You?"
Her voice broke.
"You did this?"
Sam's eyes filled with tears.
"I didn't know he'd come."
Virus took the drive from his hand.
"You stole it."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Sam looked at the people around him.
His wife flashed through his mind.
His son.
The house he had imagined.
The life he thought a billion dollars could buy.
"A rival organization contacted me."
Nobody moved.
"They offered me a billion dollars."
Terry stared at him.
"A billion?"
Sam nodded.
"They gave me a replica. When the real file came in, I switched them before Hekla noticed."
Hekla's eyes widened.
"I trusted you."
Sam couldn't look at her.
"I know."
"You were standing beside me."
"I know."
"You were joking with me."
Sam's face collapsed.
"I know."
Virus turned the drive between his fingers.
"You sold your people."
Sam looked up.
"I wanted my family to live better."
Virus's expression remained strangely calm.
"Your family."
He glanced around.
"Do you know what every employee here is paid?"
Sam said nothing.
"Eleven million dollars a month."
Sam's lips parted.
Virus stepped closer.
"Eleven."
He held up one finger.
"Million."
He held up another.
"Every month."
His smile returned.
"And you still wanted a billion."
Sam shook his head.
"I was greedy."
"Yes."
Virus looked at him.
"That is the first intelligent thing you've said."
For a moment, Virus simply stood there.
Sam looked at him.
Hope slowly entered his face.
Virus turned away.
"Go."
Sam stared.
"What?"
"I said go."
Sam's mouth opened.
"Thank you."
He took a step.
Then another.
People watched.
Hekla watched.
Sam reached the doorway.
He looked back at Virus.
"Thank you."
Virus looked at him.
"Sam."
Sam stopped.
Virus smiled.
"Come here."
Sam's smile disappeared.
"No."
Virus didn't move.
"I said come here."
Sam shook his head.
"You said I could go."
Virus tilted his head.
"And you believed me?"
Sam took another step toward the door.
Virus crossed the room in an instant.
His hand closed around Sam's throat.
Sam's feet left the ground.
"No!"
He kicked.
His hands clawed at Virus's wrist.
Virus stared directly into his eyes.
"You sold everyone here for money."
Sam choked.
"I thought you were going to let me go."
"I was."
Virus's smile widened.
"For a second."
Sam screamed.
Virus slammed him against the wall.
Once.
Again.
Blood ran down behind Sam's head.
He tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
Virus pulled him away from the wall.
"You wanted your family to live the best life."
Sam's eyes were full of tears.
"Yes."
"Then die knowing you bought it with theirs."
Virus tightened his grip.
Sam's face turned dark.
His fingers slowly stopped moving.
He took one final breath.
And Virus dropped him.
Sam hit the floor.
The room remained silent.
Hekla stared at him.
She couldn't cry.
Not yet.
She just stared.
Virus turned toward the crowd.
"Three hundred people."
Everyone looked at him.
"You want them to survive?"
Nobody answered.
"I can make that happen."
A few people raised their heads.
Virus smiled.
"One condition."
He pointed toward himself.
"You must prove you're willing to live."
A woman whispered:
"How?"
Virus looked at her.
"Kill yourselves."
The room went silent.
"What?"
"Those who remain alive will be released."
People stared at one another.
Nobody moved.
Virus shrugged.
"I don't care which of you do it."
He pointed toward a table.
"Knives."
Then toward the security station.
"Guns."
Then the maintenance rooms.
"Tools."
He smiled.
"Choose."
Someone laughed nervously.
"This is a joke."
Virus looked at him.
"No".
There was hesitation at first
The first gunshot came from somewhere behind the crowd.
Everyone screamed.
Another.
A man dropped.
Chaos exploded.
People ran in every direction.
Someone grabbed a knife.
Another woman tried to take it from him.
A man shoved his friend away.
Someone screamed:
"He said the survivors".
Hekla grabbed Einar.
"We have to move."
Einar nodded.
"Terry!"
Terry appeared through the crowd.
"Here!"
"Where's the emergency exit?"
"Underground."
Einar pointed toward the service corridor.
"We have forty-five minutes before the backup power dies."
Hekla looked at the timer.
43:17
Her heart sank.
"Move."
They ran.
The underground passage was narrow and cold.
The noise from the main facility followed them through the walls.
Screams.
Gunshots.
Metal striking metal.
Then silence.
Then more screaming.
They moved deeper.
Hekla nearly slipped.
Einar caught her.
She looked down.
Blood ran along the floor.
Not all of it belonged to one person.
"Keep going."
They passed a maintenance station.
Einar stopped.
He looked inside.
Tools hung against the wall.
His hand closed around a small hatchet.
He pulled it free.
Terry stared at it.
"Planning to chop down the apocalypse?"
Einar looked at him.
"Something like that."
Terry almost smiled.
Almost.
Then they heard footsteps.
They ran.
Behind them, Virus found another hiding place.
A maintenance room.
Three people.
A mother.
Her husband.
Their twenty year old son.
The father had pushed a cabinet against the door.
The son whispered.
"Will it hold?"
The father didn't answer.
The mother was crying silently.
"We shouldn't have taken the job".
Footsteps approached.
Stopped.
the three of them froze.
The handle moved.
The cabinet shook.
The father pressed both hands against it.
"Don't make a sound."
The handle moved again.
Then stopped.
Silence.
The father slowly exhaled.
The mother looked at him.
He smiled weakly.
Then the door exploded inward.
The cabinet flew across the room.
Virus stepped inside.
The father charged him.
Virus caught him.
The mother screamed.
The son ran.
Virus threw the father aside.
He struck the wall and collapsed.
The mother dropped to her knees.
"Please!"
Virus looked at the son disappearing down the corridor.
Then at her.
"Which one of you matters more?"
She stared.
"What?"
Virus grabbed the father.
The woman screamed.
"Stop!"
Virus looked at the boy.
He had stopped running.
He was watching.
"Come back."
The boy froze.
"Don't!"
His mother screamed.
The boy started crying.
Virus smiled.
"Good."
The mother crawled toward her husband.
Virus caught her by the hair and pulled her backward.
The father tried to rise.
Virus held him down.
"Look at her."
The man shook his head.
"No."
Virus forced his face upward.
"Look."
The father screamed.
The mother begged.
The son sobbed from the doorway.
Virus pressed his palm flat against her cheek, holding it there until the skin puckered, reddened, and began to smoke. Her husband stared, screaming, crying. He squeezed his eyes shut. Virus caught the motion, scowled, then hooked his fingers under the man's lids and tore them off—so the man's bare, wet eyeballs had nowhere to look but at her, still sizzling under that hand.
The man's scream became animalistic.
Virus tore his fingers before releasing him.
He collapsed beside her, bleeding to death.
Then Virus looked at the son.
The boy disappeared down the corridor.
Virus didn't chase him.
He smiled.
"Let him run."
Hekla, Einar and Terry reached a junction.
Einar checked the timer.
31:04
"Faster."
They heard people behind them.
A group of employees came running.
"Wait!"
Hekla turned.
"Come with us!"
They did.
For the first time, there was hope.
Then the lights flickered.
Someone screamed.
The group stopped.
A shadow moved across the corridor.
Virus.
The people scattered.
Hekla grabbed Einar.
Terry pulled her the other way.
They ran.
Virus watched them disappear.
He didn't follow immediately.
He walked.
Slowly.
He knew where they were going.
Someone else thought he had found a clever hiding place.
A man crawled inside a ventilation shaft.
He pulled the grate closed behind him.
Darkness swallowed him.
He breathed quietly.
He heard Virus walking below.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Then nothing.
The man smiled.
He was safe.
A faint red light appeared behind him.
He turned.
Virus was looking through the narrow shaft.
The man's smile vanished.
"No."
Virus reached inside.
The man screamed.
His fingers scraped against the metal.
Virus pulled him toward the opening.
The man's body struck the side of the shaft.
His nails tore.
Blood streaked the metal.
He screamed until there was nothing left in his voice.
Virus dragged him out.
Then moved on.
The timer dropped again.
22:46
Hekla was breathing harder.
Terry had blood on his face that wasn't his.
Einar's shirt was torn.
They reached the vault.
Einar looked at the door.
"This is it."
Hekla understood.
"No."
"The vault will hold him."
"For how long?"
"Long enough to open the exit."
Terry looked toward the corridor.
"No."
Einar shook his head.
"The door locks from the inside."
Terry stared at him.
"And you're staying?"
"Yes."
"No."
"Terry."
"No."
Hekla looked between them.
Neither of them was smiling now.
Footsteps.
Virus.
Closer.
Terry looked at Hekla.
Then Einar.
He sighed.
"You two are terrible at saying goodbye."
Hekla's eyes filled.
"Terry..."
He gave her a tired smile.
"It's okay."
He entered the vault.
Hekla grabbed his arm.
"Don't."
Terry looked down at her hand.
Then at her face.
"You told me your daughter was going to make you a better drawing next year."
Hekla froze.
Terry smiled.
"Go home."
Her tears fell.
"Don't say that."
The footsteps grew louder.
Einar pulled Hekla toward the emergency corridor.
Terry stepped backward into the vault.
He raised the metal bar.
The door began to close.
Virus appeared at the end of the corridor.
Terry looked at him.
Virus smiled.
The door slammed shut.
The lock engaged.
Virus reached it.
His fist hit the steel.
BOOM.
Terry stumbled.
Another impact.
BOOM.
The vault shook.
Terry gripped the metal bar tighter.
"Come on."
Another impact.
The metal door bent inward slightly.
Terry's breathing became uneven.
He knew what was coming.
He raised the bar anyway.
Hekla and Einar ran.
The emergency system screamed.
14:08
They reached the final chamber.
The emergency exit was there.
A heavy door.
Behind it, the outside world.
Einar grabbed the controls.
"Come on."
Nothing.
He hit the panel.
"Come on!"
The system flickered.
13:41
Hekla looked behind them.
Nothing.
For one beautiful second, there was silence.
Then—
A gunshot.
Einar's body jerked.
He looked down.
Blood spread across his leg.
"Hekla..."
She caught him.
Another gunshot.
His stomach.
He collapsed.
Hekla screamed.
A staff member stood behind them.
His eyes were wild.
"You're not leaving."
Hekla stared.
"Please."
The gunman raised the weapon.
Click.
Nothing.
He looked down.
Empty.
Einar's hand searched the floor.
His fingers found the hatchet.
He was shaking.
"Hekla."
She looked at him.
"Move."
"I won't leave you."
"Move!"
He pushed himself upright.
His face was pale.
He raised the hatchet.
The gunman stepped toward him.
Einar threw it.
He had almost nothing left.
But he used every bit of strength his body had.
The hatchet struck his hand.
The gun fell.
Another gunshot.
It was Hekla.
The gunman stopped.
His body folded.
The room became silent.
Einar collapsed.
Hekla caught him.
Blood ran through her fingers.
"No."
Einar breathed through clenched teeth.
"Hekla."
"Don't talk."
"I need to tell you something."
"Later."
His eyes searched hers.
"Please."
"Tell me outside."
He smiled.
It was small.
Tired.
"I've wanted to tell you for a long time."
Hekla squeezed his hand.
"You will."
Einar's lips moved.
"I...i lo—"
His breathing stopped.
Hekla stared.
"Einar?"
Nothing.
"Einar."
She shook him.
His head rolled sideways.
"No."
Her voice broke.
"No, no, no."
She pulled him against her.
She screamed.
There was no one left to answer.
Sam.
Gone.
Terry.
Still behind the vault.
Einar.
Dead in her arms.
She looked at the emergency door.
Then back at Einar.
"I'll remember you."
She kissed his forehead.
Then stood.
The door unlocked.
The air outside touched her face.
Hekla stopped.
She breathed.
Cold air entered her lungs.
She almost cried from the feeling of it.
She looked at her hands.
Blood.
Her sleeves.
Blood.
Her entire body seemed to belong to a different person.
She looked up.
She couldn't tell whether the sky was beginning to brighten or beginning to darken.
It didn't matter.
She had made it out.
Her hand went to her pocket.
Her phone.
She turned it on.
Thirteen missed calls.
Her daughter's name appeared again and again.
Hekla stared.
Her breath caught.
She pressed the number.
The phone began calling.
Hekla smiled through her tears.
"Pick up, sweetheart."
Wind moved around her.
Then something passed overhead.
She stopped smiling.
She looked up.
Virus descended.
He landed several meters away.
Hekla's phone remained against her ear.
Virus stood.
Blood covered him.
His clothes were soaked with it.
His arms.
His chest.
His face.
Pieces of flesh clung to him.
A strip of torn fabric hung from his shoulder.
Hekla recognized it.
Terry.
Her phone slowly slipped from her fingers.
Virus smiled.
"You really thought that was freedom?"
Hekla stepped backward.
"You were supposed to be inside."
"I was."
His smile widened.
"Then I came out."
She stared at him.
"How?"
Virus looked upward.
Then back at her.
"The vault isn't strong enough to hold me, nothing is."
He laughed.
Hekla's breathing quickened.
Virus began walking.
"You left everyone."
"I had to."
"You left Terry."
"I had no choice."
"You left Einar."
Hekla shook her head.
"He died."
"You left Sam."
Her face crumpled.
"You killed him."
Virus stopped.
"And now you're alone."
Hekla backed away.
"Stay away from me."
Virus smiled.
"Run."
She turned.
Ran.
Virus didn't immediately follow.
He watched her stumble across the ground.
Then he began walking.
"You should run faster."
Hekla kept going.
"You had such a good birthday."
Her breathing became ragged.
"You made a speech."
She stumbled.
"You talked about family."
She fell.
Her hands struck the ground.
Virus kept coming.
"You talked about how grateful you were."
Hekla pushed herself up.
Virus stopped several meters away.
He looked at her.
"Look at you."
His laugh was quiet.
"All of that gratitude."
He shook his head.
"Gone."
Hekla cried.
"Why?"
Virus tilted his head.
"Because I wanted to."
He walked toward her.
She tried to crawl away.
His shadow covered her.
Hekla looked up.
"Please."
Virus crouched.
"No."
His hand touched her cheek.
She flinched.
"You should have been happy."
Tears slipped down her face.
"I was."
Virus smiled.
"I know."
He stood.
Then grabbed her.
She screamed.
The world seemed to blur around her.
Her phone lay a few meters away.
The screen remained lit.
Her daughter's name was still there.
Hekla reached toward it.
Her fingers touched the ground.
She couldn't reach.
Virus dragged her backward.
"Look at me."
She did.
The red lenses were all she could see.
Then everything became warm.
The pain began fading.
The air disappeared.
The ground disappeared.
She was somewhere else.
A kitchen.
A table.
A cake.
Her daughter stood waiting.
She held a cake carefully with both hands.
The frosting was uneven.
One side had collapsed slightly.
Several candles leaned in different directions.
Hekla stared.
Her face crumpled.
"Oh, sweetheart."
The girl smiled.
"Mom."
Hekla dropped to her knees.
She reached for her.
Her daughter ran into her arms.
"I waited."
Hekla held her tighter.
"I know."
"You were late."
"I know."
"You said you'd come home."
Hekla closed her eyes.
"I wanted to."
The girl pulled away.
"Where were you?"
Hekla couldn't answer.
The girl looked at the cake.
"I made it for you."
Hekla wiped her tears.
"It's beautiful."
"You like it?"
"I love it."
The little girl smiled.
"I made the frosting myself."
"I can tell."
The girl laughed.
Hekla laughed with her.
For a moment, she was simply her daughter's mother again.
No Black Skull.
No Virus.
No blood.
No screaming.
The girl held out a small drawing.
"This one's for you."
Hekla looked at it.
A house.
Two people.
A crooked sun.
The little girl had drawn them holding hands.
Hekla's tears returned.
"You made this?"
"Yes."
"You said you were going to make a better one next year."
"I did."
Hekla laughed softly.
"It's better."
The girl hugged her.
"Are you staying?"
Hekla froze.
Her arms tightened around her.
"I want to."
"Then stay."
"I can't."
The girl began crying.
"Why?"
Hekla held her face.
"Listen to me."
The girl looked at her.
"You have to keep growing."
"Mom."
"You have to keep smiling."
"Mom."
"You have to be kind."
The girl cried harder.
"I don't want you to go."
Hekla kissed her forehead.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"You were the best thing that ever happened to me."
The kitchen began fading.
Her daughter reached for her.
"Mom!"
Hekla grabbed her hands.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't go!"
"I love you."
The cake disappeared.
The table disappeared.
Her daughter's face became distant.
"Mom!"
Hekla opened her eyes.
The cold returned.
Virus stood over her.
She tried to breathe.
Her chest barely moved.
Her eyes wandered toward the phone.
The screen had gone dark.
Virus looked down at her.
Hekla's lips moved.
Her daughter's name.
Only a whisper.
Then nothing.
Virus watched.
The last movement left her body.
He stood.
He looked toward the facility.
Then toward the empty road.
The wind moved through the blood on his clothes.
He smiled.
The authorities found the wreckage afterward.
The bus had overturned across the road.
A truck lay several meters away.
The vehicles had been positioned perfectly.
Too perfectly.
The tire marks led exactly where they needed to lead.
The debris had been scattered to suggest impact.
Broken glass covered the asphalt.
Burn marks covered portions of the wreckage.
Four hundred bodies were recovered.
The official story became a catastrophic traffic accident.
But the detectives kept finding things that made no sense.
Some injuries didn't match the crash.
Some bodies had wounds that couldn't have come from either vehicle.
There were marks on the ground that looked like something enormous had struck it.
The remains of the Black Skull facility were almost impossible to identify.
A detective stood among the wreckage.
He stared at the road.
At the vehicles.
At the bodies.
"Whoever did this wanted us to believe something."
His partner looked at him.
"What?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
He looked again.
"But this isn't an accident."
Raufarhöfn changed.
The harbor remained.
The roads remained.
The houses remained.
But something had entered the story of the village.
People stopped walking alone near the road.
Parents called their children home earlier.
Conversations became quieter whenever the facility was mentioned.
Then a witness came forward.
An older man sat across from a detective.
"What did you see?"
The man stared at the floor.
"I saw someone."
"A survivor?"
"No."
"What then?"
The man's hands tightened around his cup.
"A devil."
The detective leaned forward.
"What did he look like?"
The man lifted his eyes.
"A man."
He swallowed.
"But red."
"The clothes?"
"Not just that."
"The eyes."
He pointed toward his own face.
"His eyes were red."
The detective wrote something down.
"And what was he doing?"
The old man stared at the window.
"He was flying."
The detective stopped writing.
"Flying?"
"Yes."
"You're certain?"
The old man nodded.
"He came down from the sky."
"What happened after?"
The old man looked frightened.
"He looked at me."
The detective waited.
"What did he do?"
The man's voice became barely audible.
"He smiled."
Sam's family received the news days later.
His wife sat with the television playing quietly in the background.
His son stood near the window.
He didn't speak.
The man who had spent his days treating life like something disposable suddenly had nothing to say.
His mother's crying continued from the next room.
The news report showed the wreckage.
His father's name appeared among the dead.
He stared at it.
The cigarettes in his pocket remained untouched.
He took them out.
Looked at them.
Then crushed the packet in his hand.
He didn't light another one.
Not that night.
Not the next, never.
Hekla's daughter sat beside the birthday cake.
The candles had burned almost to the end.
She had waited until the frosting began to harden.
She looked toward the door again.
Then at the phone.
She called.
No answer.
She called again.
Still nothing.
She held the drawing she had made for her mother against her chest.
Her small fingers traced the crooked little house she had drawn.
"She'll come."
She whispered it to herself.
"She always comes."
The cake remained untouched.
The chair beside her remained empty.
Outside, the wind moved through the streets of Raufarhöfn.
And somewhere in the silence that followed, a name began to spread.
Not through newspapers.
Not through official reports.
Through frightened conversations.
Through whispers.
Through the stories of people who had seen something they couldn't explain.
A man with red eyes.
A man who could fly.
A man who walked into a quiet place and left nothing behind but blood.
The Red Man.