The clash of metal echoed through the blood-splattered lab like a grim symphony of death. Nova, eyes wild and claws stretched into gleaming blades, launched herself at the creature with blinding speed. Whoosh! Her blades sliced through the air, aiming straight for the monster's body.
Axel, panting and wounded, watched in horror. Nova, who moments ago seemed completely unhinged, now moved with terrifying precision and ferocity. She was like a trained beast, her killing instinct fully awakened.
But beneath that savagery, Axel saw something else—flickers of light in her eyes, a tremble in her voice. There was a battle raging inside her. Her human side, buried under the virus's influence, was fighting to resurface.
As the battle raged on, memories began flooding back to Nova—sharp, painful shards of a past she had long buried. She saw herself as a little girl, hiding in a closet, trembling as screams and the sound of fists echoed just beyond her door.
She saw her father's face—cold, stern eyes that looked at her with disgust. She heard her mother's voice—weak, trembling, always crying, always begging for mercy.
Then, she saw herself in this very lab, strapped to a metal table, screaming in agony as green liquid was injected into her veins. She remembered the pain—unbearable, burning through every cell in her body. Pain that shattered her control, that turned her into something else.
She heard the scientist's voice, flat and emotionless, reading from a clipboard: "Subject #47, Nova. Final stage trial. Virus X-7, designed to enhance bodily endurance, has shown unexpected results. Subject demonstrates increased strength and speed, but also severe loss of control over primal instincts."
She saw footage from another room—dozens of people strapped to chairs, their eyes blank with terror. Then the transformation. Screams. Flesh tearing. Blood everywhere. Monsters, once human, tearing each other apart.
She felt her own body mutate—limbs stretching, hardening. Her eyes turned crimson, her teeth grew into fangs. She felt the beast inside her awaken, a savage urge to destroy.
But amid all that darkness… she saw Axel's face. A face filled with care and resolve. A face that told her she was still human. She heard his voice, calling her name, telling her she could fight this.
Something inside her stirred. A war between the beast and the girl she once was. Between cherished memories and nightmare visions. Between hope… and despair.
She screamed—a sound laced with both fury and sorrow—then unleashed her blades, hacking at the creature with a savagery she never knew she had.
The monster roared in pain, then crumpled to the floor. Dead.
Nova stood there, gasping for air, her body trembling. Her eyes still wild, but there was confusion now, like she didn't know where—or who—she was. She looked at Axel, like he was a stranger.
"Who… are you?" she whispered, her voice cracked and hollow.
Axel said nothing. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know if Nova still remembered him—or if she was already gone.
Then suddenly, Nova screamed again—this time in pure anguish. She clutched her head as if something inside was tearing her apart.
"Go!" she cried, her voice raw and broken. "Get out of here! I can't control it! I'll kill you!"
She jumped back, disappearing into the dark corridor beyond.
Axel stood frozen, watching her vanish into the shadows—knowing he had lost Nova. Not to the monster... but to the storm inside her.
The dark hallway yawned like the mouth of a cave, swallowing both light and hope. Axel stood frozen, staring into the blackness where Nova had disappeared. The sound of her hurried, heavy footsteps broke the silence—crack… crack… crack…—echoing through the darkness like the heartbeat of death itself.
He knew he had to follow her. He couldn't let her go, not after everything they'd been through. But a heavy doubt gripped his chest. Could Nova still be saved? Was she still human—or had she become something else entirely?
The image of Nova, eyes wild and glowing, claws extended into razor-sharp blades, haunted his mind. He remembered her scream, raw with agony and desperation:
"Get out! Run while you still can! I can't control this! I'll kill you!"
Those words rang like a curse, a warning that Nova had lost control. She had become a threat—not just to the creatures they were fighting, but to Axel too.
And yet, even in that darkness, Axel clung to a sliver of hope. He remembered the flash of light in her eyes, a flicker of humanity that had refused to die. He remembered her trembling voice, filled with defiance:
"You're not touching him."
She was still fighting. Fighting the virus. Fighting to hold on to her humanity. He couldn't abandon her—not now. Not when she needed him most.
Resolute, Axel stepped into the shadows. He followed the fading echo of Nova's footsteps, winding through the twisting corridors lined with broken medical equipment and rusted tools.
Blood stains trailed across the floor, leading deeper into the facility. He followed them, heart pounding, ready for whatever lay ahead.
The room he entered reeked of blood and damp rot. It was dark, cold. Axel flicked on the light attached to his gun, casting a beam across the room. Nova stood in the center, her back to him.
She didn't move. Her body was rigid, her shoulders tense as if she was holding something monstrous inside. Axel saw her claws—still shaped like swords—trembling violently.
"Nova?" he called out, voice unsteady.
She didn't respond. She just stood there, unmoving.
Suddenly, she let out a scream—painful, furious. Her body convulsed, and her claws whipped through the air like blades slicing the void. She spun around to face him. Her eyes blazed red, and her mouth opened, revealing razor-sharp fangs.
"Get out!" she roared, her voice hoarse and terrifying. "Get out now! I'll kill you!"
And then Nova charged—her blade-arms slashing through the air at inhuman speed—straight at Axel.
*I welcome any feedback and suggestions from all readers. Thanks. I love you all