The chamber shook as the creature pulled itself into the open. Its body scraped against steel beams, sparks raining down from the impact. Chains clinked and rattled, still bolted into its armored hide, but they weren't restraints—they were trophies. Every link dragged across the floor like a warning bell.
Zara crouched low on the catwalk, venom threads flexing between her fingers. Her veins hummed with that electric hunger she couldn't turn off.
The monster raised its head. A face stretched too wide, with mandibles lined in jagged bone. Its eyes glowed like molten iron, fixing on her.
"Fuck…" she muttered, heart hammering.
Halberd stood above, calm as stone. "Prototype Omega. Designed for war, perfected in silence. The first true soldier of Project Z."
The creature roared. The sound ripped through Zara's bones, echoing like a collapsing building.
"Bring it, then," she hissed. She blinked across the chamber, silk lashing out. Her threads slashed the creature's arm, serrated venom biting deep. The Omega barely flinched. It swung, a backhand faster than something that size should manage.
Zara blinked again, reappearing on the rafters overhead. Her lungs burned with every teleport. The hunger inside purred louder, begging her to give in.
The Omega leapt. The entire platform bent under its weight. Zara rolled aside, silk shooting into its chest. Acid hissed where venom melted through the plating, but still it kept coming.
Halberd's voice cut through the chaos. "Do you feel it, Zara? Every strike, every kill, it feeds you. You're evolving even now."
"Shut up!" Zara snapped. She wrapped her threads tight around the monster's neck, leaping off the platform. Her momentum yanked the beast down, smashing it into the steel floor. Dust and sparks exploded outward.
The Omega rose again, slow but unstoppable. Its chest heaved, ribs splitting open to reveal a pulsing organ that glowed red. The sight made her stomach twist.
"What the hell are you?" she whispered.
The answer came in claws. They raked across her arm, cutting deep. Pain seared white-hot. She screamed, teleporting out of reflex, landing hard on her knees by the wall. Blood dripped fast, too fast.
The hunger surged. Her vision blurred, and for a second she saw nothing but red. Every instinct screamed one word: feed.
Her threads writhed like living snakes, sharper, hungrier than before. She stood, trembling, as the monster advanced.
Halberd's voice softened, almost like a teacher coaxing a child. "Don't fight it. Embrace what you are."
"Fuck you," Zara spat, blood on her teeth. She blinked forward, slashing the Omega's chest with serrated venom threads. Flesh peeled, bone cracked. The creature howled, stumbling back.
[Level Up: 5]
[Skill Unlock: Predator's Blink – Chain teleport without cooldown at cost of stamina]
Zara's veins glowed brighter, silk snapping faster than thought. She teleported in bursts, striking again and again, carving pieces off the monster as if she were shredding it alive.
The Omega fell to its knees, ichor gushing black across the floor. Zara staggered, body barely holding together, but she pressed the threads tighter around its throat.
Her hunger screamed. Kill it. Drain it. Become stronger.
The monster's eyes dimmed, and for a moment, Zara tightened her grip. She could end it, right here, and she wanted to.
A memory stabbed through—Tammy's voice, laughing in the cafeteria. Josh's silence when he looked at the mark on her neck. Her mother's face, vague and distant, but still human.
She ripped her threads free. The Omega crashed to the ground, twitching but alive.
Halberd's clap echoed from above. Slow. Measured.
"Restraint," he said, his tone almost admiring. "Unexpected."
Zara's chest heaved. "I'm not your weapon."
Halberd tilted his head. "You already are. And soon enough, the world will see it."
From the far corridor, alarms blared. Red lights spun. Halberd glanced toward the sound, then back at her.
"It seems you'll have company," he said smoothly. "Until next time, Black Web."
And just like that, he was gone—doors sealing behind him with a hiss of steel.
Zara wiped blood from her mouth, staring at the fallen Omega. It twitched, chains clattering faintly. Her whole body trembled, every nerve on fire, her hunger unsatisfied.
She whispered, "What the fuck am I turning into?"
The alarms grew louder. Boots pounded on metal walkways above. Armed men were pouring in. Zara clenched her fists, threads snapping sharp around her hands. She blinked once, twice, ready to carve her way out.
The hunger inside whispered, louder than ever: feed.
She smiled bitterly. "Guess dinner's here."