The Vanishing Line Between Human and Monster

The descent into the underground facility is silent, save for the occasional drip of water from cracked pipes. Jason kept his flashlight aimed ahead, the beam cutting through the dust and revealing rusted metal walls lined with faded warning signs.

Ryan followed closely behind, his breathing shallow. “This place gives me the creeps,” he muttered, glancing at the cracked floor where skeletal remains lay half-buried in dust. “Whatever happened here… it isn’t quick.”

Jason said nothing. His grip on his rifle tightened as they stepped past a partially collapsed doorway, forcing them to crouch.

They aren’t alone.

The deeper they went, the more signs of movement they found.. drag marks, blood smears that hadn’t dried completely, and clawed handprints too human to be comforting.

Then they found it.

A security terminal, still faintly blinking despite the decay around it. Jason wiped dust off the screen and tapped at the keyboard, his fingers trembling as old video files began to load.

The first file played.

A scientist in a biohazard suit is talking into the camera. His voice is ragged, panicked.

“This is Dr. Elias Grant, recording what I fear will be my final log. The experiment… It has evolved. We believed the mutations would stabilize. We are wrong.”

Jason and Ryan exchanged glances as the screen glitched, showing security footage from the facility’s lower levels.

And that’s when they saw it.

The first hybrid.

A creature that is part human, part reptilian, but far more terrifying than the lizard monsters they had fought on the surface.

It moved with intelligence, using its claws to write symbols on the walls in its own blood.

“We thought we are creating weapons,” Dr. Grant’s voice cracked. “But we created something worse. They’re… changing. They’re learning.”

Then the screen went black.

And behind them, something scraped against the floor.

The sound behind them is subtle.. just a faint scrape against the floor. But in the silence of the underground ruins, it is as loud as a gunshot.

Jason and Ryan froze.

Jason’s grip on his rifle tightened as he slowly turned his head. The flashlight beam trembled slightly as he aimed it toward the noise.

At first, there is nothing. Just broken tiles, scattered debris, and the eerie flicker of an old, malfunctioning overhead light.

Then a shadow shifted.

Something is there. Not fully human. Not fully beast.

Jason’s heart pounded as he stepped forward, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. The thing is watching them.

A figure emerged from the darkness, hunched over, its limbs too long for its body, its skin a sickly mix of human flesh and reptilian scales. Its eyes.. once human.. glowed faintly, catching the dim light.

Ryan let out a shaky breath. “What the hell is that…?”

The creature took a slow, deliberate step forward. It didn’t lunge. It didn’t growl.

It spoke.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Jason felt his blood turn to ice.

The voice is distorted, barely recognizable as human, like it hadn’t spoken in years.

Ryan took a step back. “Jason, we need to go. Now.”

Jason didn’t respond. He is staring at the creature’s arms. **There are scars.. **not from battle, but from medical procedures. Scalpel marks. Stitch lines.

Experiments.

The realization hit him all at once.

This isn’t just a lizard monster.

This is a failed experiment.. a human who had been transformed.

The creature’s jaw trembled, as if struggling with itself. Then it took another step forward.

“I remember…” It sounded broken, like it is trying to hold on to something slipping away. “I was… someone.”

Jason raised his gun.

The creature flinched. But it didn’t run.

Instead, it slowly raised one of its deformed hands and pointed toward the dark hallway behind it.

Jason hesitated. “What’s down there?”

The creature’s lips curled back, revealing jagged, inhuman teeth.

“The ones who are… worse than me.”

Then it lunged.

Jason barely had time to react.. his instincts took over, and he fired. The first shot hit the creature’s shoulder, knocking it back, but it didn’t fall.

Instead, it screamed.. a raw, guttural sound filled with something between pain and rage.

Then others answered.

From deeper in the tunnels, multiple voices.. some human, some not.. screamed back.

Jason grabbed Ryan’s arm. “RUN!”

They sprinted down the hallway as the sound of pursuit grew behind them.

And ahead, the tunnel led deeper.. to whatever the creature had tried to warn them about.

Jason and Ryan ran.

The tunnel walls blurred as they sprinted forward, their boots echoing in the tight space. Behind them, the sound of claws scraping against concrete grew louder. The creatures are fast.. too fast.. and getting closer.

Jason’s mind raced. They are being hunted. They couldn’t outrun them forever.

Then he saw it.

A rusted metal doorway, half-open, leading into another corridor. Jason veered toward it, grabbing Ryan’s arm and shoving him inside. He followed, slamming the heavy door shut just as something slammed against it from the other side.

BANG.

The force rattled the door on its hinges. Dust rained from the ceiling.

Ryan stumbled back, panting. “That thing… it talked, Jason. It.. ”

“I know.” Jason pressed his back against the door, gripping his rifle. “But we don’t have time to think about that right now.”**

Another impact.**

The creatures outside are relentless. Clawed fingers scraped along the metal.

Jason’s flashlight flickered, casting eerie shadows across the room. They are in what looked like a storage facility.. metal crates stacked against the walls, some overturned, spilling medical equipment onto the floor.

And then, in the dim light, Jason saw movement.

Not a monster.

A man.

He is standing in the far corner of the room, his face obscured by shadows. His clothes are torn and stained, but his stance is calm. Too calm.

Jason lifted his rifle. “Who are you?”

The man stepped forward, hands raised in a mock gesture of surrender. “Relax. If I wanted you dead, you’d already be dead.”

Jason’s grip tightened.

Ryan swallowed hard. “You live down here?”

A small smirk crossed the man’s face. “Survive. Not live.” His voice is hoarse, like he hadn’t spoken in a long time. “But it seems you two have stirred the hive. That is… unwise.”

Jason didn’t lower his weapon. “You know what those things are, don’t you?”

The man exhaled slowly. “I know what they used to be.”

Jason’s stomach clenched.

Used to be.

The man turned, stepping toward one of the metal crates. He pried it open with practiced ease, revealing supplies.. ammo, ration packs, medical kits. Too many for one person.

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “You’re with a group.”

The man chuckled, his fingers brushing over a box of syringes labeled with a biohazard symbol. “is. Not anymore.”

Ryan took a step forward. “What happened?”

The man’s smirk disappeared. “Same thing that always happens. People break when the world does.” He turned to Jason, his expression unreadable. “Now, the real question is… can I trust you?”

Jason stared at him, pulse still racing.

Ryan hesitated, then glanced at Jason. “We don’t have a choice, do we?”

The man nodded slowly. “That’s the right answer.”

Then, before Jason could react, he reached for something behind the crate.

Jason moved instantly, raising his rifle..

Too late.

The world blurred as a sharp pain exploded in the side of his head. His vision tilted, and then..

Darkness.