Amanda’s breath came in ragged gasps as she lay on the cold, blood-soaked floor of the abandoned building, her body battered and broken from the brutal attack she had endured. She was teetering on the edge of consciousness, her mind a haze of pain and terror. The sounds of the men’s vile conversation still echoed in her ears, and she was barely holding on, her spirit crushed under the weight of her injuries and the knowledge of what was about to happen.
When the grotesque creature appeared out of nowhere, Amanda’s heart nearly stopped in her chest. She had seen many crazy things since the chaos engulfed Empire City, but nothing like this. The creature was monstrous, a thing born of nightmares, moving with a lethal ferocity that fit its terrifying appearance. She watched in horror as it ripped apart the man who had been planning to violate her, along with his two colleagues, their blood painting the walls and floor in a grisly tapestry of death.
Amanda’s initial terror at the men’s intentions was replaced by an even deeper fear as the creature, its work apparently done, slowly turned its attention to her. It had no eyes—at least none that she could see—but she felt its gaze upon her, a cold and alien scrutiny that made her blood run cold. She tried to move, to crawl away, but her body refused to obey. Every limb was weighed down by exhaustion and pain, and her strength drained.
Despair welled up inside her, a black tide that threatened to swallow her whole. She had survived the men only to face something far worse. This creature, this monster, had torn through them like they were nothing, and now it was coming for her. Tears welled up in her eyes, a bitter mix of fear and hopelessness. She didn’t want to die, not like this, not after everything she had been through.
It was in that moment of absolute fear and despair that something within Amanda snapped, a deep, primal instinct awakening inside her. The terror coursing through her veins acted as a catalyst, triggering the dormant conduit gene that had lain hidden within her. She had absorbed Ray Field Energy but she still needed a catalyst and the monster had been it.
There was a sudden, intense pressure building within her, as if the very air around her had thickened. Amanda’s vision blurred, her senses overloaded by the sudden surge of power that erupted from deep within her soul. Her fear, her pain, her desperation—all of it coalesced into a single, blinding flash of light that burst forth from her body, filling the entire room with a brilliance that rivaled the sun as Amanda screamed.
The flash was so intense that, for a brief moment, it seemed as though the darkness of the Warren had been banished, replaced by a pure, radiant light. Amanda’s scream of fear was lost in the brilliance, her body convulsing with the raw energy coursing through her. It was an intense conduit awakening, a desperate, instinctual act of self-preservation, and it should have been enough to save her.
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But the Dark Stalker was not like other creatures. It had no eyes to be blinded, no sight to be overwhelmed by the sudden flash of blinding light. The light that filled the room might as well have been darkness to it, for the creature navigated the world through sound and scent, through vibrations and echoes. The brilliant light that Amanda had unleashed in her final act of defiance did nothing to deter the creature. It continued its slow, deliberate approach, its movements as fluid and predatory as ever.
Amanda’s body could not sustain the immense power that had been unleashed. The strain of her awakening, combined with the fear and trauma she had experienced, was too much for her to bear. Her mind and body, already pushed beyond their limits, simply gave out. The blinding light flickered, then faded, leaving the room in darkness once more as Amanda slipped into unconsciousness, her body crumpling to the floor in a heap.
The room was silent now, save for the soft, labored breathing of the unconscious Amanda. The Dark Stalker paused as if considering the unconscious girl before it, its primitive mind assessing the situation. Amanda was no longer a threat, no longer a source of potential danger. Her body lay still, her life hanging by a thread. Yet, despite the severity of her injuries, something remarkable began to happen.
Amanda’s conduit gene, awakened by the desperation that had consumed her, began to work in her favor. Her newly awakened powers, though dormant now that she was unconscious, had initiated a slow, steady healing process. The deep cuts, gashes, and bruises that covered her body began to knit together, the blood loss slowing as her body fought to repair the damage it had sustained. It was a slow process, hindered by the fact that it was night and her powers were far from fully developed, but it was enough to stabilize her, to keep her from slipping away entirely.
The Dark Stalker, sensing that its target was no longer in immediate danger, resumed its camouflage. Its form shimmered for a moment before it seemed to melt into the background, becoming one with the darkness of the building. It climbed back up the wall, its claws finding grip in the cracked and crumbling surface, until it reached the ceiling once more. There, it hung silently, its body coiled and ready, its senses focused on the room below.
The creature’s orders were clear: protect Amanda, but do so without being seen. It would remain here, a silent guardian lurking in the shadows, ready to strike if any threat presented itself. The Dark Stalker had no thoughts of its own, no desires beyond those it had been given by Damian and Trish. It had no need for rest, no concept of time passing. It would wait as long as necessary, hidden from sight, until its task was complete.
The minutes ticked by, then hours, as the Dark Stalker watched over Amanda. The night outside was deep and dark, the Warren filled with the sounds of distant gunfire and the occasional scream. But within the building, there was only silence. Amanda lay still, her body slowly healing. The wounds where the faintest traces of moonlight filtering through the broken windows hit healed slightly faster.
For now, Amanda was safe, protected by a creature that had no understanding of mercy or kindness, only obedience to the commands it had been given. The Dark Stalker would not leave its post, not until it was certain that Amanda was no longer in danger. It would wait, unseen and unheard, until any form of danger appeared.