Chapter 8 - THE ULTIMATE SURPRISEDesperate, I grabbed the emergency override lever on the lab wall, slammed it down, and sealed the blast doors to the underground bunker, locking myself inside with the entity to stop the signal from broadcasting any further.
"It's over," I wheezed, falling to my knees as my vision began to blur into shades of violet. "The blast doors are soundproofed... the frequency dies here."
The entity walked slowly toward me, stepping over the shattered glass. It looked down at me with a soft, almost sympathetic expression.
"You still don't understand, Chief Vance," it whispered, kneeling beside me.
It reached up and unbuttoned the top of my uniform collar, pointing my chin toward a reflective steel panel on the wall.
I looked at my reflection.
My face wasn't changing now. It had already changed. Deep purple vein networks covered my entire neck and face—fully healed, integrated, and settled.
"The little girl didn't call 911 tonight," the entity revealed, placing her small hand on my shoulder. "That call happened five years ago."
My mind fractured. Memories flashed through my head—hundreds of shifts, thousands of emergency calls, a life I thought I had been living step-by-step.
"You were the first successful unit, Chief Vance," the entity said gently. "You were designed to manage the containment zone. Every time a new team comes to investigate this house, you lead them down here. You help us replicate them. You've been doing it for years."
The blast doors behind me suddenly hissed and opened.
Standing in the doorway was Jenkins, holding a radio. He looked at me, his eyes entirely blank, his neck covered in purple veins.
"Chief," Jenkins said in a calm, monotonous voice. "We just received another 911 call from a frightened little girl. She says her parents won't wake up."
I stood up slowly, wiping the sweat from my forehead. The pain in my head vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, terrifying clarity.
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I checked my sidearm, holstered it, and looked at Jenkins.
"Roll out," I said quietly into my mic. "Let's go answer the call."
