Chapter 14: Shadows in the Pines
The trees whispered.
Not through wind or birdsong—but through static. A low hum in the leaves, like a corrupted audio file slowly unraveling. Zayn Arif held the Signal Knife tightly in his grip, its interface glowing dimly with pulses of blue. Beside him, Iris crouched low behind a rusted jeep half-swallowed by grass and vines.
[Infected Zone Overlap Detected – Sector\_6 Stability: 82%]
[Marauder Activity Level: Moderate to High]
[Suggested Action: Disengage or Isolate Targets Individually]
Max's voice came in broken over the comms. "I'm pinned near the ridge—something just mimicked my voice and tried to pull me out of cover. Zayn, these things—they're smarter than the last ones."
Zayn peeked past the jeep.
Nothing.
Then—movement.
A figure stepped out between the trees.
Same size as Max. Same armor. Same rifle.
"Zayn," the figure called, voice eerily familiar. "Iris is lying. The infection—she brought it here."
Zayn stiffened.
Iris didn't move. Her breath was calm. "Don't respond. Don't look it in the eyes."
[System Alert: Marauder-Type ZMP-Theta Variant Confirmed]
[Ability: Mimic Known Player Patterns / Limited Speech Integration]
[Weakness: Vulnerable During Speech Playback – Use Signal Knife to Disrupt]
The fake Max stepped forward.
It smiled.
And that smile was wrong—forced, too wide, without context.
Zayn rose slightly and activated the Signal Knife.
The blade shimmered, humming softly.
Then he hurled it forward.
A direct hit.
The fake Max convulsed, glitching violently—its limbs stretching unnaturally, mouth gaping with digital distortion before it exploded into shards of red code and smoke.
[Target Disrupted – Marauder Node 01 Eliminated]
[Signal Knife Durability: 4 Uses Remaining]
Zayn retrieved the knife as silence returned. Iris remained still, her eyes scanning the tree line.
"Others are near," she whispered.
Sure enough, more voices began to drift through the forest. Laughing. Crying. Familiar names. Disconnected phrases. One of them even said "Game over, Zayn" in a warped, feminine voice.
"They don't just mimic," Iris continued, "they *learn.* Every encounter, every word—they remember. That's why the Signal Knife works. It scrambles their memory banks."
Zayn clenched his jaw. "How many?"
She pointed toward a broken wooden sign half-covered in moss.
There, carved with glitching letters:
WARNING: 14 Marauders Active – Do Not Engage Without Support
Max's voice returned, rough but steady. "I'm circling west. I see firelight up ahead—there's a camp. Might be player-made. Sending location."
[Waypoint Added: Abandoned Fire Camp – Distance: 300 meters]
Iris glanced at Zayn. "We'll need that safe spot. But we go quiet. One misstep and they'll all descend."
They moved.
Through grass and pine needles that crunched louder than expected. Every sound made Zayn flinch—every snapped twig, every bird that didn't chirp, every rustle of the leaves.
He noticed the forest didn't feel like a game anymore.
No clear textures. No skybox grid.
Just fog. Trees. And memory.
They arrived at the camp ten minutes later.
Two tents. An empty cooler. A low fire that burned blue instead of orange—clearly glitched. No players in sight, but gear was scattered.
Iris examined a canister by the fire.
[You have obtained: Neural Dampener – Prevents Audio Mimicry for 60 Seconds]
[One-Time Use Only]
She handed it to Zayn.
"You'll need it when they find us."
He didn't ask why she said *when*, not *if*.
Max appeared from the ridge, scraped and muddy. His usual smirk was gone. "I saw one of them up close. It had your face, Zayn. It tried to whisper coordinates to me. I nearly believed it."
Zayn handed him a flare pistol.
"We burn them. One by one."
But before Max could load it—
The forest went silent.
Dead silent.
And then...
[Laughter Detected – Source: Unknown]
[Warning: Marauder Swarm Protocol Initiated – Wave Begins in 00:30]
Zayn turned toward the fire.
In its glow, ten glowing red dots began to appear between the trees.
Eyes.
So many eyes.
"Light the flare," Zayn said quietly.
Max aimed and fired into the sky.
A bright white flash illuminated the trees.
And for one horrible second, Zayn saw all of them.
Dozens.
Their faces copied from players—some smiling, some crying. Weapons fused to their arms. A few dragged themselves on all fours, mouths gaping with unfinished code.
Then they charged.
[Wave Event Active – Survive the Marauder Assault for 05:00]
[Signal Knife Cooldown: 90 Seconds Remaining]
[Safe Zone Integrity: 70%]
Iris pulled out two throwing blades laced with data tags.
Max took the left side.
Zayn stood firm in the center.
They fought.
Every second felt stretched. Screams. Data sparks. Trees cracking.
Zayn crushed the Neural Dampener over his neck just as one Marauder began whispering his sister's voice.
It vanished into static.
[Safe Zone Integrity: 50%]
[Wave Progress: 72% Complete]
The ground trembled.
And then the biggest of them stepped into the firelight.
Twice as tall.
A face with no mouth.
A symbol carved into its chest: **Ω**
[Boss Marauder Identified – Code Name: Omega]
[Behavior: Absorbs Dead Variants – Gains Abilities from Defeated Units]
[Recommendation: Burn, Do Not Melee]
Zayn tossed a flare at its feet.
Flames rose—but it didn't scream.
It laughed.
And charged.