THE MIST IS NOT WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS.
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Broadcast after broadcast repeated it like a prayer people were desperate to understand.
CNN — LIVE
"—and once again, for viewers just joining us, the creeping atmospheric anomaly unofficially known as 'The Mist' has now engulfed several major regions across the North American continent."
Behind the anchor, satellite images showed a swirling, pale-white mass that looked alive, coiling and stretching over half the continent.
"This development contradicts earlier statements that the phenomenon would thin out or dissipate. Scientists now warn the mist is actively spreading and not just drifting."
Another screen cut in with a live footage.
The anchor continued with forced calm tone:
"And now, we take you to Boston, where tensions continue to escalate following several hours of rioting."
The scene showed a street engulfed in blue haze, sirens wailing in the background. A reporter stood, clutching his mic.
"I'm reporting to you live from Boston where riots have been taking place for the past few hours. In order to get the situation under control, the New York Police Department has deployed all available personnel to assist."
Behind him, police were shoving aggressive, thrashing civilians into armored vans. The men and women in the van looked to be having bursts of spasms, shrieking and their veins lit with faint electric-blue pulses.
"We have confirmed reports that individuals exhibiting… strange behaviors and violent outbursts were detained. Six were killed during confrontations with law enforcement."
A distorted scream echoed off-screen making the reporter to flinch and look before before he continued.
"And… and similar incidents have been reported across other districts. Some appear delirious. Others violently territorial. Authorities have not released any medical explanation."
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"At the moment, we're monitoring the situation. Joining us now live from Australia is our correspondent Felix and Miss Anderson."
SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA — LIVE
Two faces appeared on screen, Felix in front of Sydney Harbour and Miss Anderson in an office, adjusting her earpiece.
"Hello!" Felix greeted, voice slightly trembling.
"Thank you for joining us, Miss Anderson," the anchor said. "Can you give us an update on the situation in Australia?"
Miss Anderson nodded.
"Well… the pattern here is disturbingly similar. In Melbourne and Brisbane, tremors have been reported shaking entire city blocks. Seismologists claim there's no tectonic activity that matches the readings."
Felix cut in, pointing behind him.
"And that's not all. Forestry experts are… well, they're panicking. Sections of the outback and even suburban parks show signs of accelerated plant growth, twisted branches, thick roots breaking asphalt, new species of vines appearing out of nowhere."
"The government has not made a formal statement explaining the cause," Miss Anderson added. "Only a request for calm."
JAPAN — NHK TOKYO
The screen showed Shibuya Crossing which was usually alive and busy was now half deserted.
The reporter spoke with a stiffness that barely hid his fear.
"Here in Tokyo, emergency services are responding to what authorities are calling… 'unpredictable atmospheric interference.' The mist has not fully reached the major wards, but pockets of fog have been spotted rolling through smaller coastal towns."
He glanced upward nervously to the sky that was flickered blue.
"Multiple fishing crews off the coast of Hokkaido and Aomori have reported unusual behavior among sea life. Schools of fish swimming in perfect spirals, whales breaching repeatedly in agitation and even reports of… glowing organisms floating toward the surface."
The reporter swallowed.
"Some fishermen claim something is moving beneath the waves, something large and immense but the coast guard has not verified these claims." And before the reporter could continue, a woman screamed off-screen. The camera jerked to the right.
A flock of birds crashed into the street simultaneously, their wings and bodies twitching and convulsing.
AL JAZEERA — MIDDLE EAST
"—governments throughout the region are advising citizens to remain indoors as strange temperature fluctuations sweep across urban zones. The mist has not crossed desert borders yet, but wildlife along coastal cities has begun migrating inland at an alarming rate."
The reporter squinted toward the horizon.
"And atmospheric drones show irregular electrical patterns in the clouds that do not match any known meteorological activity."
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All channels began displaying interruptions at once.
Static distortions with overlapping Voices.
"The mist—"
"—seismic readings spiking—"
"—animals fleeing—"
"—unknown biological signatures detected—"
"—government refuses to comment—"
A single sentence echoed across multiple broadcasts, repeated in different voices, different accents, different languages:
"We do not know what is happening."
And for the first time in decades, the world realized something:
Nobody, no scientist, no government, no military had control anymore.
That's all it took for the world to start eating itself alive.
The news wasn't coming from living-room TVs anymore.
Power had flickered for the fourth time in an hour.
Now the broadcast blared from a cracked street-side display panel mounted above a shattered convenience store, its glass door hanging by a hinge like a broken jaw.
Smoke curled from twisted car wrecks lined along the road.
Some cars burned outright, flames licking the metal like hungry serpents.
Alarms went off as people screamed. Someone sobbed over a dead body in the middle of the street.
The camera shook violently as it zoomed into a Paris street. The air looked hazy, choked with drifting mist that curled through the alleyways.
The reporter was a young woman with a pale face, hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. She clutched her mic like a lifeline.
"H-hello—this is Marie Laroche reporting l-live from downtown Paris," she stuttered, still trying to sound professional even though her voice cracked with fear. "It has now been six hours since the mist rolled into the city."
Behind her, thousands of people surged like a panicked tide pushing, trampling and clawing for escape from the cramped up streets.
Police barricades had already failed.
Shattered store windows spilled merchandise into the street as desperate hands grabbed anything they could use as a weapon or food or even hope.
Marie wiped sweat from her brow, eyes darting out of frame.
"W-we've seen violent outbursts increasing across every district. People are attacking each other, some showing signs of extreme agitation, hallucinations and others are collapsing mid-stride."
A siren blared as military trucks rumbled through the streets, soldiers shouting orders as the crowd surged around them.
"The French Armed Forces have been deployed to secure the perimeter," she continued shakily. "Authorities warn citizens to stay indoors—"
GUNFIRE.
Marie flinched so hard she almost dropped the mic, instincts making her duck.
The camera jerked toward the noise.
She looked back and saw the soldiers forming a defensive line.
Civilians stumbled toward them screaming, gasping, some dripping with sweat and blood.
But some, some moved wrong. They were twitching and having bouts of spams.
Bodies jerking like puppets controlled by invisible strings.
One of the soldier shouted, "RABIDS, RABIDS INCOMING!"
Marie's voice trembled.
"The military has officially designated the infected as 'Rabids' due to their extreme aggression and oh God, RUN!"
A man lunged at a soldier, jaw unhinging wider than humanly possible. His veins glowed faintly blue under his skin.
Soldiers fired immediately without hesitation and the man dropped to the ground but didn't stay down.
He began to craw and fast forcing the soldiers to fire rapidly at it. The reporter tried to continue, breath coming in shaky gasps:
"We—w—we are seeing individuals showing inhuman strength, biting, attacking civilians and soldiers alike—"
THUNK.
Something hit a nearby car so hard it dented.
Marie froze.
The cameraman's voice trembled behind the lens:
"…wait. What's that?"
Through the drifting mist… a shape emerged.
Low to the ground.
Moving with a twitchy, unnatural rhythm.
It looked like a dog at first.
But then the details sharpened till they saw how big it was in comparison. It was twice the muscle mass with skin peeled in patches, exposing pulsing tissue underneath, eyes glowing an unnatural blue and drool dropping on the floor.
Marie whispered, "Oh… mon Dieu…"
The dog-thing's head snapped toward them.
Then… IT CHARGED.
The cameraman screamed.
The visual blurred wildly as the camera swung.
Soldiers immediately fired but most of the shots somehow missed. Some hit but they didn't stop it.
Marie shrieked, stumbling backward as the beast slammed into someone. It could've been a soldier, could've been a civilian but at that moment Marie couldn't process which it was because what followed made her pee herself. It was a horrible sound of a wet, crushing and chewing nature as she witnessed a man be eaten alive while begging, screaming for help and that was when she saw his face… 'Oh, wasn't that the camera man?'
The camera tumbled to the ground tilted to face-up.
Dust and mist coated the lens.
All that could be heard from that point if anyone was watching was the screaming, snarling and tearing.
And then Marie's voice sounded in a hitched, high, broken and terrified tone.
"GET IT OFF—GET IT—GET IT OFF ME—!"
SPLAT.
A spray of blood splattered the camera, blurring half the frame.
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