The news anchor’s voice was shaking as she spoke, her eyes wide with fear. “We have reports coming in of a…a creature, wreaking havoc in the city of Davao. Eyewitnesses describe it as a woman, tall and imposing, with long red hair and eyes that glow like embers. She’s moving quickly, tearing through buildings and…and infecting people. The infected are…they’re changing, becoming something else. We urge everyone in the area to stay indoors and avoid any confrontations with this…this thing.”
SeventhSight, Erebus, and Kairos sat in the living room of their Manila base, watching the news in horror. Kairos’ eyes narrowed, his hand reaching for the small device on the table in front of him. “Guys, I think I have something. My tracker is picking up Carrionlord’s signal…and she’s heading straight for Davao.”
Captain Ortega stood in the doorway, his face grim. “We need to move, now. The military is mobilizing to contain the situation in Davao, but we need to get there first. Leni, get the chopper ready. We leave in five.” Leni nodded, already moving towards the door. SeventhSight, Erebus, and Kairos stood, grabbing their gear and following Ortega out of the room. They moved quickly, making their way to the rooftop where the chopper was waiting. The soldiers were already on board, ready to go. As they lifted off, Kairos looked at the others, his eyes serious. “We need to be careful. Carrionlord is powerful, and if she’s infecting people…we don’t know what we’ll be up against.”
SeventhSight nodded, his eyes narrowed. “We’ll need to be strategic. Erebus, can you scout ahead and see what we’re up against?” Erebus nodded, closing his eyes and focusing. After a moment, he opened them again, his expression grim. “It’s bad. The city is in chaos. I see Carrionlord, and she’s surrounded by…things. They’re like her, but smaller. And there are people, normal people, but they’re attacking each other. It’s like they’re under some kind of mind control or something.” Kairos frowned. “Mind control? That’s not Carrionlord’s style. Something else must be going on here.”
Captain Ortega leaned forward, his eyes locked on Erebus. “What about the military? Are they on the ground yet?” Erebus nodded. “Yes, sir. They’re moving in now. But they’re not doing much good. Whatever is controlling those people… it’s turning them on the soldiers too. I saw a few of them attacking their own comrades.” SeventhSight’s eyes widened. “We need to get down there, now. We can’t let this get any worse.” The chopper banked hard to the left, throwing everyone off balance. Leni’s voice came over the intercom, panicked. “We’re taking fire! We need to get out of here, now!”
Captain Ortega cursed, grabbing the radio. “Leni, get us on the ground, now! We’ll make our way to the city center on foot. SeventhSight, Erebus, Kairos…you’re with me. We’ll move in and try to find Carrionlord. The rest of you, provide cover and keep the military from getting in our way. As they jumped out of the chopper, the sound of gunfire and screams filled the air. The four of them moved quickly, dodging between buildings and avoiding the chaos. Kairos pulled out his phone, checking the news. The headlines were grim. “US and China sending troops to the Philippines…Russia condemning the action as imperialism…EU calling for calm and diplomacy…” He looked up at the others. “It’s getting ugly. We need to end this, fast.”
SeventhSight nodded, his eyes scanning the area. “We’re getting close. I can feel it. Erebus, can you sense anything?” Erebus closed his eyes, focusing. After a moment, he opened them again, his expression grim. “Carrionlord is nearby. And something else…something big. I don’t know what it is, but it’s powerful. And it’s not on our side.”
Kairos looked at the others, his eyes serious. “This is bigger than we thought. The US and China are already moving troops in. If we don’t stop this, it could be the spark that sets off a global war. Russia and the EU are already taking sides. The UN is calling for an emergency meeting, but it’s too little, too late. We’re the only ones who can stop this now.”
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the streets, followed by the sound of buildings collapsing. The four of them exchanged a look, then took off in a sprint towards the source of the sound. They turned a corner, and were met with a sight from hell. Carrionborns, at least a dozen of them, were waiting in ambush. They were twisted, humanoid creatures with long arms and sharp claws, their bodies covered in open sores and their eyes glowing red. They were surrounded by a cloud of flies, and the air was thick with the stench of rotting flesh.
SeventhSight reacted first, summoning a blast of energy that tore through the Carrionborns like a hot knife through butter. Erebus was next, his warhammer glowing with dark energy as he swung it in wide arcs, crushing the skulls of the nearest Carrionborns. Kairos followed, his energy blades flashing as he sliced through the creatures with deadly precision. Captain Ortega and the soldiers provided cover fire, their guns blazing as they took out the Carrionborns one by one. But there were too many of them, and soon the four of them were surrounded, fighting for their lives.
One of the Carrionborns lunged at SeventhSight, its claws flashing in the dim light. He raised a hand, summoning a shield of energy that deflected the blow, but the creature was relentless, striking again and again. SeventhSight stumbled back, his shield faltering under the relentless attack. Erebus saw his opening, and took it, slamming his warhammer into the Carrionborn’s skull and crushing it. The creature collapsed, but there were still too many of them.
Kairos fought his way to SeventhSight’s side, his energy blades slicing through the Carrionborns. “We need to fall back!” he yelled. SeventhSight nodded, and the two of them began to retreat, Erebus and the soldiers covering their escape. They fought their way back to the chopper, the Carrionborns hot on their heels. As they lifted off, Kairos looked down at the city, his eyes widening in horror. The infection was spreading, fast. He could see it moving through the streets, a tide of darkness that consumed everything in its path. He turned to the others, his voice grim. “It’s not just Davao. I’m seeing reports of the infection in Manila, Cebu…it’s spreading throughout the Philippines. And it’s not just here. China, Indonesia, Malaysia…all of SE Asia is being consumed. We’re facing a global pandemic, and we’re running out of time.”
The news anchor’s voice came over the radio, her words panicked. “We have reports coming in of the infection spreading throughout SE Asia. The death toll is rising, and the world is in chaos. The UN has issued a statement calling for calm, but it’s too late. The infection is out of control, and we’re facing a global disaster. Suddenly, the chopper banked hard to the left, throwing everyone off balance. Leni’s voice came over the intercom, panicked. “We’ve got a problem! We’re being pursued by a group of infected helicopters! They’re closing in fast!”Kairos looked out the window, his eyes widening in horror. The helicopters were closing in, their rotors whirring as they prepared to attack. And in the distance, he saw a figure standing on the rooftop of a skyscraper. It was Carrionlord, her eyes glowing red as she watched them.
Carrionlord raised a hand, and the helicopters exploded, one by one, their wreckage crashing to the ground. The chopper they were in shook violently, throwing everyone off balance.
SeventhSight stumbled forward, grabbing onto the seat in front of him to keep from falling. He looked out the window, his eyes wide with horror. Carrionlord was walking towards them, her eyes fixed on the chopper. She raised a hand again, and the chopper’s engines sputtered and died. They began to fall, plummeting towards the ground. Kairos grabbed onto the seat, his knuckles white with fear. They were going to crash, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The ground rushed up to meet them, and everything went black.
When Kairos came to, he was lying on the ground, his head pounding. He sat up, looking around. The others were stirring, groaning as they regained consciousness. Carrionlord stood over them, her eyes blazing with power. She raised a hand, and Kairos felt himself lifted off the ground, suspended in mid-air. “You are no match for me,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt. “You are nothing but insects, to be crushed beneath my heel. And soon, I will crush you all.”
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