Moonshadow Abyss

The morning air carried a sharp chill, and the streets outside the apartment were eerily quiet.

Aisha, carrying a black backpack, stood by the window, observing the surroundings.

"No one," she murmured. "It's clear for now."

Jack sat on the edge of the bed, tightening his shoelaces. The dream from last night still lingered in his mind.

E-7. Awakening test…

The words echoed in his head, like a buried clue trying to tear open a crack in his memory.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the unease within him and stood up.

Aisha glanced at him. "Are you sure you're good?"

"I'm fine." Jack's voice was hoarse but firm.

She didn't press further. She knew Jack wasn't in the best state, but they had no time to waste.

"Let's go." She grabbed her backpack and led the way out of the room.

They moved quickly, slipping through narrow alleys and avoiding main roads.

The werewolf hunters had influence throughout the city. They needed to find a safe place to hide—and more importantly, uncover the truth behind the E-Series experiments.

"E-7. Awakening test is about to begin."

That voice still echoed in Jack's mind, filling him with an inexplicable sense of dread.

A feeling crept over him—his past might be far more terrifying than he had imagined.

10:42 AM

Jack and Aisha arrived at an abandoned secondhand bookstore. Dust covered the bookshelves, and the air smelled of old paper.

"What do you think?" Jack asked in a low voice.

Aisha checked the windows and scanned the room for surveillance devices before nodding. "It'll do for now."

They found an old wooden table, spread out a map, and began planning their next move.

"The werewolf hunters have strongholds in these locations." Aisha marked several points on the map with a red pen. "But if they're really conducting werewolf creation experiments, they'd need a hidden facility."

"It won't be one of these obvious locations," Jack muttered. "The lab must be buried deeper."

Aisha tapped the map. "That leaves only one possibility."

Jack followed her gaze, his eyes landing on a particular section—

Underground facilities.

"Sewers, abandoned military bases, old research labs…" Aisha murmured. "Those are the perfect places to hide secrets."

Jack's heartbeat quickened slightly.

In his dream, he had seen a sterile white chamber…

Maybe that place was somewhere beneath this very city.

"We have to find it," he said quietly.

Aisha nodded, though hesitation flickered in her eyes.

"Jack." She looked at him. "If we do find it… what's your plan?"

Jack remained silent for a moment before his gaze hardened.

"I want the truth."

Aisha studied him for a few seconds, then let out a quiet sigh.

"Then let's move."

3:20 PM

They arrived at an abandoned industrial zone. This area had once been a major power supply center for the city, but it had been decommissioned over a decade ago, now left to decay.

The air smelled of rust and damp concrete. Old factory buildings loomed under the gray sky like the corpses of dead giants.

Jack and Aisha stopped in front of a derelict substation.

"Here?" Jack frowned.

Aisha nodded. "If I were them, I'd hide the lab beneath a place like this."

Jack eyed the half-open iron door, inhaled deeply, then stepped inside.

Underground Passage

They moved through the substation's main hall, eventually finding a metal door hidden behind rusted machinery.

The door was fitted with fingerprint scanners and keypad locks, but all of them had long since been damaged.

After ensuring there were no alarm systems, Aisha worked on the locks with her tools and pried them open.

The door creaked as it swung wide, releasing a gust of cold, damp air.

Jack frowned, peering into the darkness beyond.

"Welcome to hell," Aisha murmured before stepping inside.

Jack followed close behind. The passage sloped downward, leading them into the unknown depths below.

They didn't yet realize—

They had stepped into forbidden territory.

The truth awaited them in the darkness, lurking, waiting to be unveiled.

Underground Passage

The tunnel was pitch dark, with only the faint beam of Jack's flashlight cutting through the gloom. The damp air carried a mixture of decay and metal, and the walls were stained with watermarks, a silent testament to years of abandonment.

Aisha moved ahead cautiously, her pistol already loaded, ready for any potential threats. Jack followed closely behind, sweeping the flashlight across the walls, illuminating faded signs.

"Sector S17"

"Experiment Control Room"

"Biological Research Division"

Jack's heartbeat quickened.

These words felt strangely familiar—like he had seen them before.

A dream? Or a memory?

"This place doesn't seem like an ordinary underground facility," Aisha murmured, her voice echoing in the confined space.

Jack nodded, his gaze pausing on a particular spot on the wall.

A nearly faded bloody handprint was smeared beside one of the signs, as if someone had desperately struggled before their end.

The air seemed to grow even colder.

They pressed forward, their footsteps reverberating through the empty corridor. Soon, they arrived at a massive metal door.

A thick layer of dust covered the surface, but the engraved letters and numbers in the center remained visible—

"E-7 Awakening Test Chamber"

Jack's pupils contracted slightly.

The scene in his dreams—

It perfectly matched what was in front of him.

"…E-7." Aisha stared at the number on the door, then looked at Jack thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want to go in?"

Jack took a deep breath, reached out his hand—

And pushed the door open.

Inside the Testing Chamber

The room beyond was far larger than they had expected, resembling an abandoned experimental hall. Rusted monitoring equipment was embedded in the metal walls, long since deactivated. Broken instruments and scattered documents littered the floor.

The faint scent of disinfectant lingered in the air—

But a stronger, indescribable stench of rot overpowered it.

"What the hell did they do here?" Aisha muttered, frowning.

Jack didn't answer. His gaze was locked onto the surgical table in the center of the room.

It was a reinforced metal restraint bed, stained with dried blood. Around it were several bio-monitoring devices, all broken beyond repair.

But the thing that unsettled him the most—

Was the inscription on the side of the bed.

"E-7 Test Subject: Jack Watson."

His breath caught in his throat.

Aisha saw it too. Her expression darkened immediately.

She spun around, staring at Jack. "You—"

Before she could finish, the emergency lights flickered, and a series of red warning beacons suddenly activated, casting an eerie crimson glow over the entire chamber.

Then—

A voice came over the broadcast system.

"Test subject detected."

"E-7 data match confirmed. Awakening test will now commence."

"Shit!" Aisha snapped up her gun.

Jack's head felt as if it had been slammed by an invisible force, and fragmented memories exploded through his mind—

He had been strapped to this very table, his body writhing in agony. Bio-monitoring screens flashed erratically. Researchers in white lab coats surrounded him.

Someone shouted: "Restrain him! His genes are mutating!"

Another voice barked an order: "Increase the dosage!"

Then came the pain—

Unimaginable, excruciating pain.

His bones felt like they were being torn apart, his blood set ablaze.

And in the midst of it all, a shadowy figure stood at the center of the lab, watching coldly. His voice was low, commanding, filled with authority—

"Let him fully awaken."

Jack's eyes snapped open.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

Aisha was already pulling him toward the exit. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

But it was too late.

At the end of the corridor, a heavy metal gate was already descending, sealing off their escape.

At the same time—

A low mechanical hum filled the chamber.

In the corners of the room, deactivated containment pods began to power up. Inside, eerie blue light flickered to life.

Jack and Aisha both turned to look—

The things inside were waking up.

Thick, viscous liquid clung to the glass walls of the pods, obscuring the grotesque figures within.

Pale-skinned, elongated claws, skeletal distortions—

Their eyeless, corpse-like faces pressed against the glass, their sockets empty, filled only with a sickly white void.

Aisha's face hardened. "These maniacs were creating werewolves."

"And…" Jack's breathing became heavier. "They might be even more unstable than I am."

The indicator lights flashed, and then—

"Test subjects—release sequence initiated."

Cracks spread across the glass walls of the pods.

The thick, blue fluid began leaking out.

The stench of raw flesh and rotting chemicals grew stronger.

The creatures inside—were about to be set free.

Aisha swiftly reloaded her gun, casting a sideways glance at Jack. "You still good to fight?"

Jack clenched his fists.

His knuckles cracked.

His nails had grown longer.

And under the eerie red warning lights, his pupils flickered with a golden glow.

"Anytime."

Aisha smirked. "Then don't hold back."

Then—

The containment pods shattered.

Thick, gelatinous blue liquid spilled onto the floor.

The imprisoned creatures lurched forward, their hollow white eyes snapping open.

A low, guttural growl echoed through the chamber.

The hunt had begun.