Two days after the incident, rumors still buzzed through the halls of Orca High. At lunchtime, Diego and Mark sat in their usual corner of the cafeteria, trays untouched, voices low.
"Hey Mark," Diego whispered, leaning forward. "Did you hear they found a crash site in the forest?"
Mark nodded. "Yeah, but what's weird is that there wasn't a crash. No metal, no fire… just footprints that disappeared."
Diego's eyes widened. "Maybe it's aliens. Or, like… some military experiment."
"Maybe."
"What if we did our own research?" Diego said with a grin.
Mark looked up. "Interesting. Let's do it tonight."
"Bro, I was joking." Diego blinked, then sighed. "But… if you're serious, fine. After school?"
"After school."
Diego pulled out his phone. "Should we ask Evo to come?"
"Sure. He's probably studying, but go ahead."
The phone rang twice before Evo picked up. "Yo."
"Yo, Evo. We're gonna check out that crash site in the woods."
"That sounds interesting," Evo said. "But I'm doing something with a group of friends tonight."
"Bruh… alright then." Diego hung up. "Mark, he's not coming."
"Figures. Guess it's just us."
Later That Night
The forest came alive with laughter and the glow of a campfire. A group of kids sat around it—Eugene, Zalora, Evo, Peri, and Kazien—talking over each other with the energy of people desperate for a break.
"Nice to see everyone made it," Eugene said, adjusting his glasses.
"We need a break from school," Zalora groaned, stretching her arms.
"Facts," Evo said. "Our teacher thinks we're machines."
"My teacher's worse," Peri muttered. "Kazien, lucky you work for the principal."
Kazien shrugged. "Not that lucky. Gets annoying."
"Couldn't be me," Eugene laughed.
Zalora clapped her hands. "We're here to have fun. Who brought food and drinks?"
Everyone pointed at someone else.
"This is why we should pretend to be drunk," Eugene declared.
Zalora smirked. "And impersonate each other."
The group burst into laughter—until Peri noticed two shadows moving deeper in the woods.
Diego and Mark
Mark pushed through the underbrush with a flashlight. "We're close."
"Near near?" Diego asked nervously.
"Yeah."
"This forest is creepy. Hopefully no bears."
"No bears here for years," Mark said. "An owl, maybe. And… here." He stopped. "We're close."
Before they could move, a voice echoed behind them.
"Hey. What are you two doing out here?"
Diego shrieked as he'd just seen a ghost. "What the—"
"It's just Zalora," Mark said.
Diego rubbed his chest. "Girl, you scared the life outta me. Uh… hey, Student Council Zalora."
Zalora folded her arms. "What are you two doing this far out?"
"What are you doing this far out?" Diego shot back.
Mark stepped in. "We're checking out the crash site from two days ago."
"But the police said nothing was there," Zalora said.
"Exactly. That's why we're doing our own research."
Evo appeared from behind her. "Yo, Mark, Diego. Why are you guys here?"
Diego frowned. "Investigating the crash site. Didn't know you were here."
"We're having a campfire party," Zalora explained.
Eugene's voice shouted distantly, "Zalora! They're asking where you went!"
"I'll explain later!" she yelled back.
When she turned around, her face tightened. "Um… guys?"
The campfire was gone. Or rather—hidden. Dense trees now surrounded them, closing off the way they came.
"Did they leave us?" Diego whispered.
"No," Mark said slowly. "It looks like… something blocked us off."
"Bro, we're cooked," Diego muttered.
"This is why we don't go deep in the woods…" Evo shook his head.
A low, guttural roar echoed through the trees.
Everyone froze.
"What the hell—" Evo's eyes widened. "Did that sound like a dinosaur?"
A hulking shape moved between the trees.
Eugene stepped forward. "You guys run. I got this."
"Eugene—!" Zalora yelled, but the rest were already sprinting.
Eugene charged straight at the creature. His hands shifted—into claws. He slashed across its torso, sending sparks of strange light scattering. The creature staggered but then rose, unbothered. Faster than lightning, it swatted Eugene, hurling him into the dirt.
"That's… not normal," Eugene coughed.
Evo ran but another creature appeared behind him—mimicking Eugene's shape, claws and all. It brought its arm down in a perfect imitation of Eugene's slash.
Evo didn't get a chance to scream.
The same slash ripped through Mark and Diego as the creature blurred past them.
Zalora turned just as the monstrous figure lunged at her. Her eyes shifted—glowing bright green. She planted her feet, threw a punch, and sent the creature flying through a tree.
But it got up.
It roared again and charged. Zalora swung, blocked, tanked each hit—until one blow cracked through her guard and slammed her into the ground.
Her vision blurred.
The last thing she saw was the creature's shadow looming over her…
and then—
darkness.