Jhon had always believed that the universe spoke in whispers — gentle nudges of discovery, soft voices of reason in a chaotic world. He was a scientist, after all. A seeker of truth, not a dreamer of horrors. But on the night the universe screamed into his backyard, everything changed.
He and Melissa were already asleep, wrapped in each other's arms under the soft comfort of their worn-out blanket. Their little house in the suburbs of Portland wasn't grand, but it was theirs — full of memories, laughter, and the quiet warmth of love. For a moment, the world outside had ceased to matter.
Then came the explosion.
A deafening boom shook the windows, causing books to tumble from the shelves and a framed photo to crash to the floor. The earth itself trembled beneath them.
Melissa shot up, gasping. "What was that?!"
Jhon was already out of bed, grabbing a flashlight from the nightstand. "Stay here. I'll check it out."
"No way," she said firmly, already slipping into her robe. "If you're going, I'm coming too."
Together, they stumbled into the dark hallway and out through the back door, the air thick with the smell of ozone and scorched earth. In the center of their backyard, a massive crater had split open the lawn. Steam rose in eerie tendrils from the edges. At its heart was a stone — black, jagged, and glowing faintly with an unnatural red hue.
Jhon's scientific instincts kicked in. That's not a meteorite. That's something else.
The closer he got, the more a foul, chemical-like odor burned his nose. He crouched down, narrowing his eyes. The surface of the object seemed to ripple under the light — as if breathing.
Melissa stood back, arms crossed tightly. "Jhon… what is that?"
"I don't know," he muttered. "But I don't think it's just a rock."
They hadn't even noticed the neighbors peering out from behind curtains, lights flicking on up and down the street. Within minutes, someone had called the police. Sirens wailed in the distance.
Jhon's mind raced. If I don't act now, they'll take it away. And we may never know what it is.
He ran inside, grabbed his portable lab kit from the garage — gloves, containers, tools. With practiced hands, he chipped off a small fragment and sealed it inside a reinforced vial.
By the time the police arrived, the crater was already cordoned off. Yellow tape fluttered in the wind, and uniformed officers ushered them aside with cautious authority. Within an hour, men in hazmat suits appeared and took control of the site.
Jhon and Melissa were separated, questioned, and taken to the nearest station for a full report. They told the truth — everything from the explosion to the strange glowing object. The officers listened, but it was clear they didn't believe half of what they heard.
After hours of interrogation, they were released without charges. The backyard was now government property. The event had been labeled "a possible atmospheric anomaly." Public information was suppressed.
To keep things quiet, the couple was escorted to a nearby hotel and told to "rest for the night."
But Jhon couldn't rest.
As soon as they were left alone, he sat on the edge of the hotel bed, the vial clutched in his hand. Melissa rubbed her temples. "You're thinking of taking it to the lab, aren't you?"
"I have to," he said. "This might be the discovery of the century. Or a threat. Either way… we have to know."
"There's no way you'll get that past security," she warned. "The scanners will pick it up instantly."
He paced the room, eyes wild with thought. "Then I need to find another way—"
"I'll carry it," Melissa said quietly.
He stopped. "What?"
"I'll… hide it. Inside me. They can scan your bags, your hands — but not... you know. Not a woman's body. They wouldn't dare."
Jhon's face went pale. "Melissa, that's insane. That thing could be radioactive. Or worse. You don't even know what it might do—"
"We don't have another choice," she said. Her voice was steady, resolved. "I trust you. And I trust myself."
Before he could stop her, she took the vial and went into the bathroom. Jhon stood frozen, his heart hammering with guilt and fear. A few minutes later, she returned, pale but composed. "Let's go."
At the research lab, the night shift guard barely glanced at them. Jhon swiped his keycard. Melissa kept her expression neutral as they passed through the scanner. His bag was checked. Hers was not.
"All clear," the guard said with a yawn.
They were in.
Jhon exhaled deeply as the doors sealed behind them. But before he could speak, Melissa staggered.
"Jhon…" she whispered. "It's… it's moving."
"What? What do you mean—"
Her body hunched over. A low cry escaped her lips. Her hands clutched at her stomach.
"It's burning… inside me…"
Panic shot through him. He guided her to the lab's couch, holding her as she writhed in pain. Her skin turned clammy, her breathing shallow.
Suddenly, a dark liquid began to drip onto the lab floor.
Thick. Black. Almost like tar.
Then — clink — the vial dropped from between her legs, the cloth scorched and smoking. Jhon scrambled to catch it.
Melissa slumped against him, shaking.
"What the hell just happened?" he whispered.
The black fluid continued to pool. He took a sample immediately, placing a droplet on a slide. Melissa groaned softly but began to relax, the pain ebbing away.
He placed the sample under the microscope, heart pounding.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Tiny organisms swam across the slide — not quite bacterial, not quite human. Their bodies were segmented like insects, but their heads… disturbingly humanoid.
And they weren't just alive. They were moving in patterns. Organized. Almost intelligent.
Jhon leaned back. "This isn't a rock. It's a carrier. Maybe even a vessel."
Melissa stirred. "What did you find?"
He shook his head. "I don't know yet. But it's not natural. And it's not safe."
Midnight came and went. The lab lights dimmed. Melissa curled up on the couch, exhausted, her breath finally calm.
Jhon sealed the fragment inside a reinforced containment cube made of shatterproof glass. He stared at it for a long while.
The glow had dimmed. But something inside still pulsed. Like a heartbeat.
Finally, Jhon lay down beside Melissa, unable to sleep. His mind was haunted by those creatures — by the black liquid — by the sensation that this was just the beginning.
In the silence of the lab, as the world outside dreamed peacefully, the stone inside the cube pulsed once more.