The shuttle lifted off from the silent town, leaving the world of empty eyes and gray skies behind. As they ascended, the oppressive quiet was replaced by the familiar hum of the shuttle's engines, a sound that was now deeply comforting.
The mood inside the small craft was heavy, each member of the team lost in their own troubled thoughts. The Static Creep wasn't an enemy they could shoot.
It was a poison for the soul, and they had just walked through its epicenter.
"That was the most disturbing thing I have ever seen," Chris said, his voice low. He was sitting by the window, but he wasn't looking out. He was staring at his own reflection, as if to make sure he was still there. "Those people… it's like their inner light just got turned off."
"The contagion is psychological," Emma stated, her voice a bit shaky as she reviewed the sensor readings. "It spreads through proximity and sustained exposure.
