The creature crept

The metal doors groaned as Takumi pushed them open, the hinges rusted from disuse. A gust of stale evening air rushed in, carrying the scent of decay and damp earth. The sky above was a deep navy, the last remnants of daylight fading into the horizon. The world outside was as lifeless as before—silent, unmoving, dead.
Takumi stepped forward, the weight of his oxygen tank pressing against his back. Every breath through his mask felt mechanical, a reminder of the thin line between survival and suffocation. Haruto and Todo followed behind, their footsteps crunching against debris-coated pavement.
Beyond them, the city was unrecognizable.
Once towering skyscrapers now stood as eerie silhouettes, their glass shattered, their walls overtaken by the creeping blue glow of the mushrooms. Abandoned cars cluttered the roads, some crashed into poles, others with doors left open—evidence of people who had tried to escape but never made it.
And then, there were the bodies.
Littered across the streets, twisted in unnatural positions, their skin overtaken by fungal blooms. Some still had their faces visible—frozen in terror.
Takumi clenched his fists and looked away. Even after everything, it still made his stomach churn.
Haruto, limping slightly, broke the silence. “Man, I swear, this tank weighs a ton.” He adjusted the straps digging into his shoulders. “And my ankle’s killing me. Walking’s getting harder.”
Todo sighed. “Then we need a car.”
Takumi turned to his father, nodding. “Good idea. But most of these cars are trashed or out of gas.”
Haruto perked up. “Actually… there’s a parking lot nearby. Underground. If we find something intact, I can hotwire it.”
Takumi raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you know how to hotwire a car?”
Haruto smirked. “Had a phase back in high school. You were too busy being a golden boy to notice.”
Takumi scoffed, shaking his head. “Alright, let’s go.”
They moved cautiously through the streets, avoiding the densest clusters of mushrooms. The blue glow pulsed gently in the dim evening light, almost hypnotic, almost beautiful—if not for the horror they left behind.
A few blocks later, they reached the entrance. A rusted sign above the ramp read:
"Visitor Parking – Clearance 9’0”
The descent into the underground was steep, the entrance yawning open like a hungry mouth. The deeper they went, the darker it became.
The last flickers of daylight vanished behind them.
The underground parking lot was silent.
Dim emergency lights flickered weakly from the ceiling, casting long shadows across rows of abandoned cars. Some had shattered windshields. Others had doors hanging open, their interiors ransacked. The air was thick, stale, damp.
Haruto exhaled, his breath loud through the mask. “Alright… we just need to find a working car.”
They spread out, stepping carefully between the vehicles. The dim lighting made every shape feel distorted, every shadow threatening.
Then—
A sound.
A slow, deep hiss.
Takumi froze.
It came again. A dragging noise. A sharp click of claws against concrete.
Something was here.
His fingers tightened around his crowbar. He turned his head slowly—and then he saw it.
Emerging from beneath a rusted SUV, a hulking, muscular body slithered forward.
Dark scales. Heavy limbs. A forked tongue flicking the air.
Takumi’s stomach dropped.
A Komodo dragon.
Before he could react, another moved on the opposite side of the lot.
There were two of them.
Haruto stepped back instinctively. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Todo’s voice was low, steady. “Don’t let them bite you.”
The dragons moved in tandem, their massive claws scraping against the ground. Their tails dragged behind them, leaving streaks in the dust.
One of them lifted its head, its golden eyes locking onto Takumi.
Then—
It lunged.
Takumi barely had time to react before its massive body barreled into him, knocking him backward. He hit the ground hard, the oxygen tank on his back slamming into the concrete. The beast’s hot breath blasted against his mask, its razor-sharp teeth snapping inches from his face.
“Takumi!” Haruto shouted.
Takumi gritted his teeth, shoving his forearm against the Komodo’s thick neck, keeping its jaws away from his throat. Its weight was crushing. Even with all his military training, the oxygen tank made him sluggish—too slow.
Todo rushed in from the side, swinging a metal pipe down onto the Komodo’s back. The metal cracked against its scales, but the beast barely flinched. Instead, it whipped its tail violently, slamming Todo into a nearby car.
“Dad!”
Takumi took the moment of distraction and drove his crowbar into the Komodo’s side. The beast hissed in pain and recoiled. Takumi rolled away, scrambling to his feet just as the second Komodo lunged at Haruto.
Haruto tried to dodge, but his injured ankle buckled. He crashed down, the Komodo biting into his shoulder.
A scream tore through his mask.
“Haruto!”
Takumi didn’t hesitate. He rushed forward, raising his crowbar, and slammed it down onto the Komodo’s head. The metal cracked against its skull, forcing it to let go. Haruto gasped in pain, rolling away as blood seeped through his sleeve.
Todo, panting, pushed himself up. His mask was cracked, but still functional. “They’re too strong—we need to end this fast!”
Takumi turned to Haruto. “Why are they even alive?! The oxygen’s too low for most animals.”
Haruto, gripping his bleeding shoulder, hissed, “They can slow their metabolism when oxygen is scarce. Reptiles are built for extreme conditions. But they shouldn’t be this aggressive unless—”
He froze.
His gaze darted toward the glowing mushrooms sprouting from the walls and floor.
“Shit,” he whispered. “The fungi… they’re affecting them.”
Takumi’s stomach sank. The Komodos weren’t just surviving—they were adapting.
The first Komodo charged again.
Takumi barely dodged as its jaws snapped shut where his arm had been a second ago. Todo rushed in from the side, grabbing a loose rebar from the ground and stabbing it straight through the beast’s neck.
The Komodo jerked violently, a horrible gurgling sound escaping its throat before it collapsed, tail twitching.
The second one, enraged, turned toward Haruto.
Takumi acted on instinct. He grabbed a loose car door from the ground, lifted it, and slammed it onto the Komodo’s head. The beast thrashed, trying to shake off the impact, but Todo joined in, driving another rebar straight through its chest.
The Komodo gave one last, horrible hiss before it went still.
For a long moment, all they could hear was their own ragged breathing through their masks.
Takumi exhaled, shaking off the tremors in his hands. “That was… way too close.”
Haruto groaned, pressing a hand to his shoulder. “Yeah. No kidding.”
Todo inspected the Komodos, his brows furrowing. “If this fungus is mutating wildlife, we’re in more trouble than we thought.”
Takumi wiped sweat from his brow. “Let’s worry about that later. We need to get out of here.”
Haruto gritted his teeth, pushing himself up. “Right. Let’s find a damn car.”
They searched the parking lot quickly, finding a dark gray SUV with reinforced windows and a full tank of gas. Haruto winced as he hotwired it, his injured arm making it harder. The engine stuttered at first but then roared to life.
“Hell yeah.” Haruto grinned weakly. “Let’s go.”
They piled inside, throwing their gear in the back. Takumi took the driver’s seat while Haruto slumped in the passenger’s, pressing his hand to his wound. Todo, sitting behind them, muttered, “I’ll check the medkit later. Let’s move before something else finds us.”
Takumi hit the gas.
The SUV rumbled out of the underground lot, back onto the ruined roads. The mushrooms glowed brighter as full darkness settled, the blue light casting eerie shadows over the abandoned city.
For the first time in hours, they were moving without trudging through death.
Haruto sighed, leaning against the window. “Man… can’t believe we’re still alive.”
Takumi kept his eyes on the road. “We might actually make it.”
A silence settled between them, heavy but… hopeful.
Todo broke it softly. “We’ll see them again.”
Takumi’s grip tightened on the wheel. “Yeah.”
Haruto smiled faintly. “My parents. Your wife. They’re waiting.”
Takumi swallowed hard, but a small smile tugged at his lips. For the first time since this nightmare started… it felt possible.
Then—
A massive sign loomed ahead, illuminated by rusted floodlights.
"OXYGEN SHELTER 007 →"
Takumi’s chest tightened with relief. “There it is.”
Haruto chuckled weakly. “Damn. We actually made it.”
They followed the road, their SUV bouncing over debris. The gate to the shelter was already open.
Takumi slowed down, frowning.
“Why is it open?” Todo muttered.
They drove in cautiously. The shelter’s entrance was dark and quiet—too quiet.
Then—
Blinding spotlights exploded to life.
SIRENS BLARED.
"HANDS UP! NOW!" Armed figures emerged from the shadows, rifles aimed directly at them.
Takumi’s blood ran cold.
Haruto’s voice was barely a whisper. “Oh… shit.”
The three of them slowly raised their hands.