The island looked the same when they returned. But it didn't feel the same.
Theron was the first to notice the way no one greeted them at the shoreline. Normally someone—Aaron, liam, one of the kids—would be there, waving them in, asking about food or medicine, searching their faces for signs of good or bad news.
But this time?
The beach was empty.
Colin jumped out first, dragging the supply pack across the sand. He moved stiffly, like his limbs didn't belong to him. Egwene stepped out after him, then Theron, all three of them scanning the treeline.
Then a figure burst through it—Jonah, with his gun pointing at them, eyes wide.
"Don't move!" he shouted.
Theron froze. Ava stepped forward instinctively, hands raised.
"Aaron—it's us."
He didn't lower the blade. "Prove it."
Ava blinked. "Prove—? What are you talking about?"
ALL three of them now staring back at him in surprise,
Hahaha Aaron laughed, got u all there
Theron stepped forward. "What the hell is going on?" seriously Aaron this is not time for jokes, Colin just sighed
" but You need to come with me though," Aaron said. "something interesting happened while you were gone
They followed him up the path. Aurora was waiting, pale, eyes rimmed with exhaustion. And beyond her—blood. A trail. Leading nowhere.
"While you were gone," Aaron said, "one of the monsters showed up."
Egwene stiffened. did it get in the base?
no it didn't Aurora said but it almost did .
Theron's eyes widened. so what then happened?
Aaron said, it sounded like a child been trapped in the woods
Aurora spoke next. ".its dead now we killed it But it said things—personal things. Things it shouldn't have known. Things it couldn't have known."
Egwene and Theron exchanged a glance.
"We saw one on the mainland," Theron said. "It mimicked a child. It looked… close. Like flesh stretched over something wrong."
"It spoke," Egwene added. "Not just gibberish—names. It said Colin's sister's name. She's been dead since before the outbreak."
Aaron turned slowly toward Colin, who stood a few paces behind, strangely silent, arms slack at his sides.
"How would it know her name?" Aurora asked.
Egwene's voice was barely audible. "That's the question, isn't it?"
Colin looked up.
And smiled.
Not the kind of smile that reached your eyes.
The kind that made the hairs on your arms rise.
"They're not just mimicking voices," Egwene whispered. "They're getting into our head."
Aaron's hand drifted to his gun again.
Colin tilted his head, watching them like a child watches ants before stepping on them.
Theron stepped in front of Egwene. "Colin—what did it say to you exactly?"
Colin's voice came low, deliberate. "it said she missed me. Said she remembered the lake we used to visit as kids. The red flowers."
Egwene felt her knees weaken.
"What flowers?" Aaron asked.
"They were made up," Colin said. "We used to pretend they grew in the water."
He smiled again.
And then he said it:
"But you didn't know that."
---
---
The tension was palpable as the group reconvened inside the base. Everyone gathered in the main room, a makeshift communal space they'd used for meals, meetings, and anything resembling normalcy. But today, normalcy felt like a distant memory. The recent encounter had shaken them to their core.
Egwene stood by the door, eyes scanning the group. Aaron, Theron, Colin, and Aurora were already at the center, facing the others. Lily sat beside Aurora, her small hands clenched in the older woman's grip, her wide eyes still too afraid to blink. The children—two others, younger than Lily—fidgeted on the benches, unsure of what to make of the strange atmosphere.
Egwene took a deep breath before speaking. "What happened today... it's only the beginning."
Her voice cut through the murmurs in the room. The others quieted instantly.
"We encountered something on the mainland. Something that has The shape of a human. Talks like us. Thinks like us," she continued. "We don't know how far their abilities go, but we're sure of one thing—they can mimic everything."
The room fell into complete silence.
Theron stepped forward, wincing slightly from the strain in his wrist. "It wasn't just a simple impersonation. The creatures have the ability to get inside our head. They know us. They know what we fear, what we love, what we've lost. They become us—inside and out."
He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes dark with frustration. "It's not just our voices they mimic... It's the things we never told anyone."
"They know personal things," Colin added, his tone distant, detached. "I'm not the only one they've reached into. They spoke to me in ways they couldn't have unless they had everything—every scrap of my life, every secret."
Egwene nodded, her eyes now locked on the group. "And when we killed one of them, it didn't even revert. It stayed Colin—not in form, but in memory. It knew what we'd all said, what we'd all done."
"What does that mean for us?" one among the survival's said
No one answered immediately.
Aaron let out a breath. "We can't keep going like this. We need a plan. If they can get inside our heads, if they can copy our memories—what's to stop them from taking over all of us?"
Egwene's voice hardened, her gaze steady. "That's why we need to tighten our security. The gates will only be opened occasionally—for supplies and essentials. Nothing more. We can't risk anyone coming in or out without checking every inch of their story."
The group nodded in agreement, some with hesitation, others with grim resolve.
"We'll double down on surveillance," Theron said. "The perimeter will be locked at all times. Any movement beyond the walls will be monitored. We'll also increase patrols— around the camp, everywhere."
Aaron's jaw tightened. "And no one goes alone. Ever."
Aurora was the first to speak, a flicker of fear in her eyes. "But what about food? Medicine?"
"We'll keep track of what we have and what we need. We're not taking any more risks. We've seen what's out there. If we let our guard down, we'll lose everything."
Egwene turned to Colin. His eyes were still distant, but the mimicry had done something to him—something that made her skin crawl. She couldn't shake the feeling that the Colin they'd known was still somewhere deep inside, locked away behind the thing that had replaced him.
"We already have a team to handle the supply runs," she said. "but—if anyone else is willing to go we won't stop you. Aurora, you'll stay behind. Keep an eye on things here. If we're going to make it, we need to know what we're up against. We need to learn everything we can about these things."
Aaron looked toward Egwene, his face unreadable. how the hell and where did these newly evolve beast's come from?
"We don't know," she said quietly, a shiver running down her spine. "But we can't afford to wait and find out. We're sealing the base for good, starting tonight."
Colin, who had been eerily quiet, shifted in his seat. "And if one of us goes missing?" he asked, his voice laced with a strange calmness. "What happens then?"
The group stared at him for a moment before Aaron answered.
"Then we make sure no one goes missing. We won't leave anyone behind.
"You don't hesitate," Egwene finished for him. "No second thoughts. Not with this."
The room held its breath, each person processing the weight of their new reality.
Aurora i stood, moving toward the large map on the wall. She gestured toward the location of the nearby city, then traced the route they had taken to the mainland. "We'll have to be strategic. Get in and out quickly. No more daylight runs."
Theron, visibly exhausted, added, "And we need a safe house on the mainland. Somewhere we can retreat to, in case we're compromised."
"I'll handle the supplies," Aaron said, clapping his hands together. "I'm staying behind."
"Good," Egwene said. "We'll take shifts. Rest isn't an option anymore."
As the meeting continued, the mood grew darker. The group planned their next steps, each of them knowing the stakes were higher than ever before. The walls of their base, once symbols of safety, now felt more like a cage.
"Remember," Egwene said before the group dispersed, her voice firm and resolute. "We can't trust anyone—not until we know how deep this goes. We'll stick together. And we won't let fear tear us apart."
But as the others made their way to their stations, Egwene stayed behind, looking out the small window that faced the ocean. The wind had picked up again, and the waves crashed violently against the rocks. In the distance, something moved—a shape, barely visible in the fog. For a moment, Egwene thought it might be another boat. Or a survivor.
Then the shape disappeared.
A chill crawled up her spine.
She wasn't sure how much longer they could keep up the act of normalcy. But one thing was certain—they had to survive.
For how long, though, was a question no one could answer.
---