"...I'll give you time to run."
The moment those words ended—
they moved.
All five of them ran at full speed.
What once looked like a beautiful city—
was gone.
What remained…
was something else entirely.
The faint lights that once illuminated the streets
now flickered weakly—
barely holding onto existence.
The ground beneath their feet—
was no longer solid.
It felt wrong.
Too soft.
Too uneven.
No one wanted to look down.
But they already knew.
The stores they had seen before—
had changed.
What once displayed goods…
now displayed something else.
Something that should not be seen.
Ray's eyes sharpened.
She noticed it first.
"The space… it's moving."
Not physically—
but something about it was shifting.
Constantly.
Like they were inside something—
not a place.
A territory.
Her expression hardened.
She signaled the others.
They understood immediately.
Even if they couldn't use their full power—
they were still far beyond normal humans.
Then—
it began.
A sound.
Faint at first.
Then louder.
Screams.
From every direction.
Crying.
Begging.
Voices that should not still exist—
echoing through the empty city.
And then—
silence.
Too sudden.
Too absolute.
The thing chasing them…
understood.
It knew exactly what they were.
Kind.
Too kind.
It didn't need to attack their bodies—
it chose their minds instead.
Their chests tightened.
Breathing became harder.
Not from exhaustion—
but from something deeper.
Something they couldn't fight.
And then—
it moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
It was already behind them.
"So… you pity them?"
Its voice twisted slightly—
still playful.
Still calm.
"I think they tasted quite nice."
"Just… a little too small."
The world around them cracked.
Not shattered—
but peeled.
Like a layer being removed.
For a brief moment—
they saw it.
Not clearly.
Never clearly.
But enough.
Enough to understand—
they should never have seen it.
Their bodies reacted instantly.
Nausea.
Pain.
Rejection.
But they couldn't stop.
They couldn't afford to.
Because this thing—
wasn't trying to kill them.
Not yet.
It was playing.
They reached the ship.
Barely.
The door shut.
Engines ignited.
They didn't look back—
until the very last second.
And when they did—
they saw it.
Something else.
Standing there.
Humanoid.
Still.
Silent.
The creature—
stopped.
For the first time—
it reacted.
Not with anger.
Not with hunger.
But something else.
Before anyone could understand—
it disappeared.
No explosion.
No struggle.
No resistance.
Just—
gone.
As if it had never existed.
The ship left the planet.
Silence filled the space inside.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
One by one—
they stood up.
Walked.
Quietly.
Toward the bathroom.
And then—
they broke.
The sounds of retching echoed through the ship.
Again.
And again.
And again.
No one came out for a long time.
Because what they had seen—
was something their minds refused to accept.
[Add:Hello everyone, I'm so sorry I haven't posted a chapter. I don't know if you've all been waiting, but I've just been feeling tired. But don't worry, I'll try to post new chapters whenever I have free time and if I'm feeling okay.]