Inside The Underground Camp

The dim lights of the underground camp cast long, flickering shadows as a figure with reddish dark hair and yellow eyes like that of a miniature sun, moved through the desolate rows of abandoned tents. Her steps echoed, the only sound in the hollow silence, leading her toward a small, isolated corner where an unexpected setup awaited her. A neat, worn table stood under a single flickering bulb, with two chairs facing each other. In the center of the table, a kettle quietly released wisps of steam, filling the air with the faint, bittersweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

Sitting at one side of the table was a lady with blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes and a star face like that of an actress,

It was Viola. She looked up as Jian approached, offering a small nod that was cautious, almost timid, as if expecting resistance. "Jian," she greeted softly, motioning to the empty chair across from her. "Sit, please. I… thought a cup of coffee might help."

Jian’s gaze swept over the setup, calm but cautious. She could feel the weight of Viola’s gaze as she took her seat, her posture a little tense but firmly composed. Viola poured a measure of coffee from the kettle into a cup, extending it across the table. "Here," she offered, her voice steady but laced with something unspoken, perhaps something she hadn’t yet voiced.

Reluctantly, Jian accepted the mug, her fingers curling around its warmth. She took a tentative sip, letting the heat spread through her, the silence between them growing thick and uncomfortable. Viola poured a cup for herself, then, as if trying to push past the heavy silence, she said lightly, "You know… I think I might have finally figured out the perfect brew. It's the least I could do in the situation we are."

Jian raised an eyebrow, her tone dry. "Perfect brew, huh? If that’s your new talent, I’d suggest focusing on it. Couldn’t hurt."

Viola gave a small smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "I suppose I deserve that."

They sat there, an air of forced civility between them as each took sips of coffee, the bitterness lingering on their tongues like the unresolved bitterness that hung between them. Viola made an awkward attempt to lighten the mood. "Have you noticed the strangeness in the city lately? This… red moon, the way the streets tremble? It’s like the city’s coming alive—or maybe dying."

Jian’s expression softened briefly, finding a strange relief in the ordinary topic. "You think it’s just the city? I’d say the whole world seems off-kilter. Like it’s… changing, reshaping itself."

"Maybe it’s karma," Viola said with a humorless chuckle. "People finally paying for their sins. Or maybe the world’s just decided it’s tired of us."

Jian allowed herself a slight, sardonic smile. "I can’t say I’d blame it."

They exchanged looks, brief but heavy, as if silently acknowledging that whatever darkness loomed, they both had played a part in its summoning. Viola took another sip, staring down into her cup as if it could offer answers. "Do you think… this strangeness, all of it… will affect production in the city? Factories, distribution, supplies?" she asked, attempting a casual tone but betraying a deeper worry.

Jian considered this for a moment with a brief pause. "If it does, people might finally have to do something useful with their lives. Imagine that."

Viola’s lips curled into a small smile, but her eyes remained haunted. "A world without its usual comforts… Can you imagine it? People would be forced to face themselves. Their true selves."

Jian scoffed. "Maybe that’s what people need. Less noise, more reality."

They both sipped their coffee, the silence returning but softer this time, as if they had temporarily bridged the gulf between them through shared disdain for the world’s complacency.

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Yet unknowingly, the air around them was changing.

..........

Outside, beyond the insulated shelter of the camp, the blood-red moon light loomed, casting a strange glow across the forsaken land.

Du! Du! Du!

The Misty red fog thickened as the ground beneath trembled, faint but growing, as if some great force was waking from a deep slumber.

A Dangerously Deep Slumber......

....…......

The quiet broke when Viola’s gaze dropped to her cup. Her voice was a whisper. "Jian… how is Diana?"

Jian’s grip on her mug tightened slowly. A slight tremor ran through her fingers, though her voice remained calm, carefully controlled as if she was cool with the question. "She’s… still in a coma ". Jian paused briefly, sipping a little from her cup. "Thanks to you". Her words were as sharp as a blade, yet controlled, her fury held in a vise.

Viola’s face fell, and she nodded slowly, her eyes filling with regret. "I… I know. I’m sorry, Jian. I… I can’t undo it. If I could…" Her voice cracked, but she swallowed and forced herself to continue. "If I could go back, I would. I would change everything."

Jian’s voice calm but like a razor-edged whisper. "You can’t."

Each word sank deep into Viola, and her head lowered as if bearing the weight of her own guilt. "I don’t expect forgiveness," she murmured, voice thick with sorrow. "I don’t even deserve it."

"Good," Jian replied calmly, her tone cold and merciless. "Because you won’t get it."

Silence fell between them again, but this time it was suffocating, thick with pain and anger and remorse. Viola kept her gaze lowered, her hands trembling slightly as she held her cup. Jian watched her, feeling the bitter satisfaction of watching her crumble, but beneath it, an old, unhealed wound ached.

For a moment, Viola’s voice was barely a whisper, almost lost in the hums and echoes of the underground lights. "I didn’t mean for it to end like that, Jian. I was… I was lost. Angry. But what I did… there’s no excuse."

" Don’t make one then " Jian’s voice was filled with a quiet rage that simmered just beneath the surface. " Diana was innocent. She didn’t deserve what you put her through."

Viola’s face twisted with pain, and she bit her lip, as if fighting back tears. " I know. Every day, I think about it. About her. About what I did to you both. And every day, I wish I could undo it "

"It's already late for that," . Jian replied calm and slowly, as each word pierced with great efforts. "Now you get to live with it."

Their conversation reached an impasse, each staring into their respective pasts as the present seemed to fade away. Then, as if compelled by some unseen force, Viola looked up, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. " I thought I could be noticed by my family. I thought if I cause a ruckus at school, if I made everyone hate me… My family will notice me. But I was wrong. I was… so wrong ".

...........

Du! Du! Du! Du!

The ground rumbled once more, stronger this time, and in the distance, something shifted.

Outside the camp, figures began to rise from the earth, shadows of the past, pale and empty, their movements slow and disjointed. The dead, once forgotten, now stirred as if awakened by the moon’s sinister pull.

.........

Back in the camp, Viola’s hand tightened around her mug, her gaze fixed on the table. "I know I’ve made too many mistakes… too many to count. But Jian…" Her voice was barely audible, trembling with a despair she could no longer contain. "I don’t think I can ever forgive myself."

Jian leaned forward, her deep yellow eyes glowed as her lips curled up slightly. " I don’t think you should "..

Time seemed to stretch, the air heavy and suffocating. Viola’s shoulders shook as silent tears slipped down her cheeks, and her face contorted with grief. Then, suddenly, her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a cough that grew harsh and ragged. Jian watched, a slight unease creeping into her as Viola began to cough violently, her body wracked with spasms. The light above flickered, casting strange, shifting shadows across her face.

Viola’s blue eyes widened, her expression one of horror as crimson tears streaked down her cheeks. Her voice was a broken whisper, choked and filled with despair. "I… I Am Sorry."

She looked up at Jian, her gaze pleading, haunted. "I have made too many mistakes, Jian. No matter what I do… I can’t change it."

The room was plunged into darkness for a split second, the light above them flickering wildly, casting the room into chaotic, stuttering shadows. And in that moment, Viola’s tear-streaked face was illuminated, her haunted gaze fixed on Jian, as if asking for something she couldn’t possibly grant.

"I’m… a monster," Viola choked out, her voice breaking as the light finally steadied, casting the room in a pale, unsettling glow.

Jian stared back, a chill running through her.

Outside, the ground trembled, and the dead continued to rise, their hollow eyes reflecting the crimson light of the moon, drawn by a force beyond comprehension.

A Force That Has Just Awakened

A Force Of Doooom!.....