Characters:

Scientists: Gary, Manfred, Emma.
Soldiers: Blake, Reed.
Hollows: ShadowZibonzi




23:58, day 103, DRC (Deep Dark Research Center)


Gary: Whew, what a day ! Glad it's almost over !
Manfred: What are you complaining about ? This job is fascinating... I feel like the sculk has so much secrets to tell !
Gary: But it's so long to uncover them... I'd rather do something else.
Manfred: For a scientist, you've got no curiosity... Come on ! Let's finish this and get to something else.

A strange, menacing alarm goes off blaring.

Gary: Huh ? What's the meaning of this ?
Manfred: I dunno.

The two of them ran out of the lab and quickly reached a guard. The latter looked preoccupied and was moving quite fast, his weapon in hand. Obviously, something was wrong.

Gary & Manfred: Hey, Reed, what's wrong ? Why did the alarm go off ?
Reed: Go figure ! Something has been spotted on the radars. It's approaching at an incredible speed and closing to the central gate ! All units are to report there immediately.

He then kept running, soonly disappearing out of the men's sight. They stood, surprised and anxious, right where he left them. Suddenly, one of their colleagues came and joined them, with that look on her face that said "what on earth ?" They quickly explained her what Reed told them.

Emma: I wonder what that could be. Where we are hidden, it's nearly impossible to find us. Even more to reach to central gate... Whatever could get here is really something...
Gary: Yeah... After all, this is a secret lab.
Emma: Do you think we should look into the matter ?
Manfred: No way. Let the guards do their job and then check out, if there's something worth it.

Weird noises start being heard, like loud impacts, quickly followed by the sound of metal breaking violently.

Gary: Whoa ! What was th...

Before he finished his sentence, the sounds of guns firing was heard and started to fade, as if weapons were deactivated one by one. As the three scientists were listening, they heard footsteps coming closer. They got ready to flee, as a guard came out of a hallway.

Blake: Run ! Hurry up and get out of here befo...

A long, sculk spike pierced his forehead by behind him and got out as promptly, letting the soldier fall dead on the floor. Emma and Manfred immediately started running, but Gary was just too stunned to move. A man came out of the shadows: he had spiky brown hair, red eyes that generated a menacing glow, long and sharp cuspids and wore a strange clothing, made of a greyish brown cloth. Sculk was growing on his left arm.

Shadow Zibonzi: Well, what do you know ? There are scientists as well ?
Gary: ...
Shadow Zibonzi: Doesn't matter... Die !

His two arms turned into sculk drills that started rotating fast like real drills, and Gary was crushed between the two. The man then walked a slow and self-assured pace in the main hallway, throwing sculk spikes and blades at everything that moved. Rapidly, he caught up with Manfred, who was a few meters behind Emma, and immobilized him by piercing his leg with a sculk spine.

Manfred: W... What are you ?
Shadow Zibonzi, grinning: Me ? I am The One, the Sculk Apostle. I am he who shall proceed to the rise of Sculk over this world.

A sculk blade beheaded the scientist in a split second. The Hollow entered every room, killing every soldier remaining and every scientist he could find. Forty-two in total. Then, Shadow Zibonzi looked at Emma, who was still running. In an instant, he was before her, waving his fingers that were covered in sculk and blood, as sharp as claws. Emma took a step back but wasn't fast enough to evade the strike. The claws slashed her flesh as if it was air and she fell to the ground, bleeding, with her shoulder in an horrible state. Shadow Zibonzi grabbed her by the collar and started to drag her in the base.

Emma: Argh... No ! Let me go ! Stop it !
Shadow Zibonzi: Won't be long... We're almost there.

With Emma still struggling to escape his grasp, Shadow Zibonzi entered the central room of the DRC. He observed all around him and spotted the well that led to the Deep Dark. He had a sinister grin and tightened his grasp on the scientist's collar.

Shadow Zibonzi: You wanted me to let you go ? Here !

He gave her a swing and watched as she slided to the edge of the well.

Emma: NO ! NO !! NO !!! PLEASE, NO !

With a maniacal laughter, Shadow Zibonzi approached and gave her the final push she needed to start a fall that led her to die, with a loud scream, 40 meters deeper.



01:08, day 104, Sculk Stronghold