The hospital lights buzzed faintly above him. Aiden stared at the ceiling for a long moment, unsure if he was dreaming… or if he had finally woken up from one.
Bandages wrapped his torso, but beneath them he felt nothing—no pain, no heat, no soreness. Only a slow, unnatural calm spreading through him like frost.
He flexed his fingers.
Crack—crack.
Bones realigned perfectly, without discomfort.
That wasn't normal.
"Aiden?"
He turned. His coworker, Maya, stood near the bed with worry in her eyes.
"You were out for ten hours," she whispered. "You're lucky to be alive."
He didn't answer.
Lucky?
He had seen his chest torn open. He had felt the fire.
He shouldn't be alive.
"A witness said the explosion threw you twenty feet," Maya continued. "They found you under a burning frame. Yet—"
She swallowed.
"There wasn't a single burn on your body."
Aiden's heartbeat slowed.
He forced his voice steady. "Adrenaline. Shock. People survive strange things."
Maya nodded, but her eyes said she didn't believe him.
Neither did he.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway—heavy, deliberate. The door slid open and a man in a gray suit entered. Sharp eyes. Blank expression.
"Mr. Crowe," he said calmly. "I'm Detective Rourke. I need to ask a few questions about the accident."
Aiden sat up. "I already told the nurses—"
"This won't take long."
Maya squeezed Aiden's arm, then stepped out. The detective waited until she was gone before speaking again.
"There was a third person at the scene," Rourke said. "A man dressed in black. He spoke to you. Do you remember?"
Aiden tensed.
The shadow man.
The one who called him Subject Zero.
"I didn't see anyone," Aiden lied.
Rourke stared at him, unblinking. His fingers tapped lightly against the bed railing—rhythmic, precise. Almost a code.
"Strange," the detective murmured. "Very strange."
Aiden's senses sharpened suddenly—ears picking up even the faintest heartbeat.
The detective's pulse…
was not normal.
Too steady.
Too slow.
Too controlled.
Just like the man from the highway.
Aiden's muscles coiled.
Rourke smiled faintly. "Your vitals are unusual, Mr. Crowe. No signs of trauma. No internal injuries. Not even smoke inhalation."
Aiden said nothing.
"Surviving that explosion is… impressive." Rourke leaned closer. "Almost impossible."
Aiden's fingers tightened around the blanket. "If you're accusing me of something—"
"Oh no," Rourke said softly. "Not accusing."
He lowered his voice.
"Just confirming."
Aiden's eyes narrowed.
Confirming what?
Before he could ask, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the entire floor went dark.
The monitor beside Aiden's bed crackled with static. Something metallic groaned inside the walls. And from the hallway—
Screams.
Dozens of them.
Aiden pushed himself off the bed, ignoring Rourke's outstretched hand. He rushed into the hall—
—and froze.
Nurses ran past him in panic.
Alarms blared.
A patient at the far end convulsed violently on the floor, black veins spreading across his skin like growing cracks. His eyes turned blood-red. His mouth opened unnaturally wide—teeth sharpening.
He wasn't human anymore.
The same cold pulse from the accident surged in Aiden's chest.
The creature turned its head toward him.
Snarling.
Hunting.
Aiden felt it again—
The hunger.
The instinct.
The urge to strike.
Something inside him responded to the creature like a predator recognizing prey.
Rourke appeared behind him. "Stay back, Mr. Crowe. That subject is unstable."
Subject?
Aiden's breath sharpened. "What did you say?"
But the creature lunged.
A nurse screamed.
Aiden didn't think—
his body moved on its own.
His foot slammed into the floor with enough force to crack the tiles.
He dashed forward—faster than he had ever moved in his life—
and collided with the creature mid-air.
BAM!
Both crashed into the wall.
Aiden grabbed its throat.
Its claws tore his skin—
but healed instantly.
Fear didn't exist.
Pain didn't exist.
Only instinct.
Predator instinct.
Aiden's voice dropped, colder than he'd ever heard it.
"Stay down."
The creature hissed—then collapsed.
Rourke watched him silently, eyes gleaming.
"…Just as expected," he whispered. "The Aberrant program truly succeeded."
Aiden turned sharply. "What do you know about me?"
Rourke stepped forward.
"You're not the only one who changed tonight."
Before Aiden could question him—
More screams erupted downstairs.
Many more.
The city…
was changing.
And whatever Aiden had become…
…he was only the beginning.