The stifling air of the isolation room throbbed with a suffocating tension, like a war drum beaten slowly, accompanying Axel's increasingly frantic heartbeat. Outside, the sounds of scraping and dripping blood, sssh… tess… sssh… tess…, continued to creep in, growing closer, more real. Logan, his pale face etched with taut veins, gripped Carter's arm tightly, while Carter, his eyes wide with terror, swallowed hard, his throat constricted by unspoken fear.
"What are they doing out there?" Carter whispered, his voice a faint tremor, almost swallowed by the oppressive silence.
Logan shook his head slowly, his gaze fixed on the violently vibrating steel door. "I don't know, Carter. But my gut tells me, whatever it is, it's a bad sign."
Axel, leaning against the cold steel wall, felt a strange chill crawl down his spine, not the coldness of the metal, but the coldness of an unseen presence, a presence lurking in the dense darkness. Something was happening out there, something deeply connected to that cursed island, something that had followed them all the way to the vast ocean, defying the boundaries of sanity.
The emergency light on the ceiling flickered erratically, klip… klap… klip…, before dying with an earsplitting crack, plunging the room into a total, suffocating darkness. Carter's stifled cry shattered the oppressive silence, a hoarse sound filled with terror.
"Oh God…" he whispered, his voice choked, barely audible.
Axel fumbled in the darkness, his hands searching for Logan and Carter. "Logan, where are you?"
"Here, Axel," Logan replied, his voice strained, yet trying to sound steady. "Don't move, stay quiet."
The chilling silence returned to envelop the room, broken only by the increasingly close and distinct sounds of scraping and dripping blood. Ssssh… tess… ssssh… tess… Axel could feel his own breath coming in short, uneven gasps, and his heart pounding relentlessly in his chest, like a war drum echoing in the stillness.
Suddenly, a violent crash shook the steel door, BRAK!, followed by a piercing and horrifying screech of metal, an earsplitting sound. KRIEEEEK… The door shuddered violently, its hinges screaming in agony, as if wailing in unbearable pain.
"They're coming!" Carter whispered, his voice heavy with profound despair.
Adrenaline surged through Axel's body, igniting a spark of courage amidst the despair. They were trapped here, in this cold, dark steel cage, without weapons, without hope. They would die here, like slaughtered animals, without resistance.
In the pitch darkness, Axel remembered Nova's smile, the last smile he had seen on that blood-soaked beach, a smile that now felt like a cold curse, a sign that their bond, no matter how strong, would never truly be severed by distance or change. He couldn't let Nova die there, alone, becoming a feast for those monstrous creatures.
"I'm going back," Axel said suddenly, his voice firm and unwavering, cutting through the suffocating silence.
Logan and Carter stared at him in disbelief, as if Axel had just uttered something utterly nonsensical. "You're insane, Axel! You want to go back there?" Logan exclaimed, his voice rising, tinged with despair.
"I know the risks," Axel replied, his eyes flashing with a burning determination, a resolve stronger than fear. "But I can't leave her. She fought alongside us. She doesn't deserve to end like that, a victim of that horror."
"But she's not Nova anymore, Axel!" Carter snapped, his voice cracking, filled with deep fear. "She's infected! She'll kill you!"
"I'm sure there's still a part of Nova in there," Axel insisted, his voice trembling, yet filled with conviction. "I'll find her, I'll save her, no matter what."
The fierce debate continued, their voices swallowed by the roar of the ship's engine slicing through the vast and dark ocean. Wuussshhh… Axel knew he couldn't convince them with words. He had to prove his conviction with action, with reckless courage.
With resolute determination, Axel began to plan his escape, a crazy and desperate plan. He knew it was a suicide mission, a mission without hope, but he didn't care. He wouldn't let Nova become a victim of that terrible experiment, no matter what the cost.
He managed to find a small gap in the wall of the isolation room, just large enough for his thin frame to squeeze through. He also found a sharp piece of metal hidden under the mattress, a simple yet deadly weapon. With these two things, he had a sliver of a chance to get out of this hell, to return to that cursed island.
That night, as the ship sailed under a cold, star-studded sky, Axel put his plan into action, a plan fraught with risk and uncertainty. He crawled out of the gap in the wall, slithering along the dark and silent corridor, like a shadow creeping in the darkness. The sounds of scraping and dripping blood could still be heard in the distance, but Axel didn't care. He had to find a small boat, a boat that could take him back to that island, to where Nova was.
He managed to find a small boat tied to the stern of the ship, a small boat that would become his vehicle to hell. Quickly, he untied the mooring ropes and jumped into the boat. He rowed away from the ship, into the endless darkness of the ocean, towards the island that held unimaginable horrors.
In the distance, he saw the silhouette of the island, dark and menacing, like a sleeping giant in the gloom. He knew he would face dangers greater than he had ever imagined, dangers lurking in every corner of that island. But he didn't care. He would find Nova, or he would die trying, die in his effort to save the person he cared about.
As the boat approached the shore, Axel felt a strange chill in the air, as if the island itself exuded an aura of death, a chilling and terrifying aura. He saw shadows moving among the dark trees, glowing red eyes lurking in the darkness, watching his every move.
He landed his boat on the same beach where he had last seen Nova, a place where bitter memories and hope mingled. Footprints stained with blood were still clearly visible in the sand, leading into the dark and terrifying jungle, a jungle that held horrifying secrets.
With the sharp piece of metal clutched in his hand, Axel entered the forest, a forest filled with strange and terrifying sounds. Hissing, growling, and incomprehensible whispers, sounds that crawled under his skin, sending shivers down his spine. Sssshhh… grrr… hhhsss… He saw corpses scattered on the ground, bodies torn and mangled, evidence of the horror that lurked on this island.
Axel continued to walk, following the increasingly clear trail of blood, a trail that led him closer and closer to Nova. He knew he was getting closer to Nova. However, he was also aware that the danger lurking in the darkness was drawing nearer, ready to pounce on him at any moment.