people like to joke about how everyone's got a price and Ashen blade Industries knows exactly what yours is when the recruiter slid that contract across the table promising paychecks that would make my debt vanish and leave enough to start over I didn't hesitate I didn't ask questions I just signed I told myself I didn't have a choice the bills were piling up collection agencies were circling and I couldn't take another late night phone call from my sister her voice strained as she asked when I'd be able to send money for Mom's medical bills I'd burned
every bridge that could have helped me made too many mistakes to count this job was a Lifeline even if the rumors about the facility the disappearances the accidents some sort of Rift made my stomach churn Ashen blade wasn't the kind of company you applied to they found you and when they did you knew you were desperate enough to say yes that desperation was written all over me the day I walked into their glass panel office wearing a thrift store suit and clutching a resume I hadn't updated in years the recruiter didn't even glance at it
we don't care where you've been Mr Vega he' said his smile just shy of human we care about where you're going and if you sign here I promise it'll be somewhere better somewhere better funny looking back now it wasn't until my first day at the facility that I understood why they paid so well the building itself is a monument to function over Comfort a vast sprawling machine designed to contain something most of the workers here don't know much about the building Beyond what's written in our training manuals unstable anomaly do not approach follow containment protocols
simple right I'd managed to follow the rules so far keeping my head down and my eyes on the paycheck but nights like this make it hard to ignore the guilt gnawing at the edges of my thoughts the things i' done to end up here the shortcuts the lies the people I hurt they didn't stay buried they clung to me like Shadows whispering in The Quiet Moments reminding me that I had taken the easy way out that I'd sold a piece of myself to get this job tonight wasn't supposed to be one of those nights though
tonight was just Logistics clean out some old storage units make an inventory and get the hell out before the rift gave me more reason to regret my choices the job wasn't glamorous but it was straightforward or it should have have been as I made my way toward the storage sector flashlight in hand I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off the air felt denser here like the facility itself was holding its breath the usual hum of Machinery sounded deeper almost like it was vibrating in my chest and the lights well the lights in this
place always flickered but tonight they seemed worse sputtering in and out like they were struggling to stay alive I glanced down the corridor ahead of me the walls were the same dull gray steel as the rest of the facility but something about them felt different tonight closer somehow like they were pressing in on me just another shift I muttered under my breath gripping the flashlight tighter I'd been telling myself that for six months now but tonight the words felt Hollow I took a step forward my boots clanging against the grated floor the sound echoed down
the corridor sharp and Hollow swallowed by the silence that seemed to stretch forever I don't know why I stopped but something in the back of my mind told me to listen and that's when I realized the air wasn't just heavy it was wrong there was no other way to describe it it pressed against my skin cold and electric like the moments before a storm and in that silence I could have sworn I heard something faint just at the edge of hearing a low rhythmic sound almost like a hum or a heartbeat I told myself I
was imagining it that the guilt and exhaustion were finally getting to me but as I took another step forward I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't alone that something was watching me waiting I pressed forward forcing One Foot In Front of the other the silence gnawed at me every step echoing louder than it should the sound bouncing down the corridor like a signal my flashlight beam swept ahead cutting through the dim light but the Shadows seemed to shift just Out Of Reach curling and unfurling like they were alive it was the kind of Darkness
that made you feel watched like a predator was circling just out of sight waiting for you to stumble I shook my head trying to push the thought aside it's just a storage run I whispered the sound of my own voice a small Comfort get in get out and the hum beneath my boots deepened suddenly a low guttural vibration that made the floor shutter I froze my breath hitching the flashlight wavered in my hand the beam casting Jagged erratic Shadows across the walls the vibration stopped the silence that followed was even worse I swept the light
ahead again the beam catching on the faint outline of the first storage unit door relief washed over me it wasn't far if I could just get this over with I could be back in the breakroom sipping bad coffee and pretending I didn't feel like a rabbit caught in a trap but as I took another step forward my foot caught on something the flashlight flickered as I stumbled the beam dipping down to the grated floor I expected to see a loose panel or a stray tool but instead there was something I couldn't quite process at first
a smear of dark wet streaks glistening faintly under the light it wasn't oil I realized the color was wrong too deep too red my stomach ched nope I muttered shaking my head not my problem not part of the job but even as I said it I knew I couldn't leave it alone I crouched down shining the light along the streak it led back down the corridor around the corner I'd just come from and there at the edge of the beam was a single boot lying on its side like it had been discarded or dropped I
stood up fast my pulse hammering in my ears I wanted to turn around to pretend I hadn't seen anything but something about the boots stuck in my mind it wasn't just random equipment it looked new clean like someone had been here recently get it together Vega I hissed through clenched teeth just do the damn job I turned back to the door forcing myself to focus the handle was cold and Slick under my glove as I twisted it the mechanism clicking softly I pushed it open shining my light into the storage unit Beyond at first it
looked normal metal shelves lined the walls stacked with crates and supplies covered in a thin layer of dust but the air inside was different stifling heavy with a faint burnt sweet smell that made my throat tighten my flashlight beam picked up faint scuffs on the floor like something heavy had been dragged through recently I stepped inside swallowing hard the door creaked shut behind me the sound echoing like a warning I told myself it was fine just inventory just a job I started moving down the aisles scanning the labels on the crates trying to keep my
mind from wandering but it didn't last the first sound was faint a soft rhythmic tapping I froze the hair on the back of my neck Rising it wasn't coming from the walls or the floor it was behind me I turned slowly the flashlight shaking in my hand the beam swept over the storage unit catching nothing but shelves and crates the tapping stopped hello my voice cracked echoing back at me like a strangers no response I laughed nervously the sound hollow and weak it's nothing just your imagination but even as I said it my hands tightened
around the flashlight I turned back to the crates my eyes scanning the labels faster now my breath coming short and shallow the tapping started again this time it wasn't faint it was sharp deliberate and closer right behind me I spun around the flashlight beam whipping through the air and that's when I saw it just for a moment a shadow impossibly long slipping around the corner of the Shelf and out of sight my heart thundered in my chest hey I shouted the sound shaking the silence who's there no answer I backed up toward the door my
eyes darting between the shelves the air felt heavier now pressing against my skin like the weight of the ocean the sweet burnt smell was Stronger too filling my lungs and making my stomach churn my flashlight beam flickered the light struggling to Hold Steady the tapping started again louder faster it was moving now circling the room coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once and then it stopped I stood there Frozen the silence pressing in on me like a physical thing my breath hitched my fingers numb around the flashlight and then I heard it a voice
faint whispering and achingly familiar Daniel the sound of my name stopped me cold it wasn't just a voice it was her voice soft lilting the way it used to sound when she called me in for dinner or told me to wake up for school Daniel it came again closer this time threading through the silence like it belonged there my chest tightened my breath catching in my throat the flashlight quivered in my grip the beam jerking across the rows of crates and empty shelves my mind screamed at me to leave to get out of that room
but my legs wouldn't move mom I whispered before I could stop myself the word felt strange in my mouth like it didn't belong to me she was gone she'd been gone for over a year now this couldn't be real The Voice didn't answer but it didn't need to the way it lingered in the air curling around me like a the thread I couldn't see was answer enough it was her I was sure of it I swallowed hard and took a step forward the tapping of my boots on the grated floor sounding unnaturally loud my flashlights
beam flickered the light dimming before snapping back to life the storage room seemed to stretch in front of me the walls pulling farther away as if I'd stepped into a space bigger than it had any right to be mom I said again louder this time my voice cracked and I hated how small it sounded this time the voice didn't speak it hummed a low gentle tune that sent a shiver down my spine it was the same lullabi she used to sing when I was a kid back when I couldn't sleep back when I thought she
could chase away the monsters under my bed just by being there I followed the sound moving deeper into the room the burnt sweet smell grew stronger cloying sticking to the back of my throat like syrup the air around me felt thicker harder to breathe and the faint vibration beneath my boots returned matching the rhythm of her humming where are you I called out my voice breaking are you are you here no answer just the hum drifting from somewhere ahead pulling me forward the logical part of my brain screamed at me to stop to turn around
to get out of there but the rest of me some desperate fractured part I hadn't let myself acknowledge since the funeral kept moving what if it really was her what if I had a chance to see her again to say all the things I didn't get to say before she was gone my flashlight beam caught on something at the far end of the room a doorway I hadn't noticed before it wasn't like the other doors in the facility with their polished steel and glowing control panels this one was dark its surface rough and uneven like
it had been carved out of the wall itself the humming was louder here so close now that it felt like it was coming from inside me vibrating in my chest I reached out my hand trembling and pushed the door open the room Beyond was nothing like the storage unit the walls were no longer metal but something darker organic pulsing faintly under the dim green light that seeped in from somewhere above veinlike structures crisscrossed the walls twisting and branching like the roots of some enormous tree the air was Heavy with that sickly sweet smell and the
floor beneath my boots was soft almost spongy Daniel The Voice came again but this time it wasn't ahead of me it was behind me I spun around the flashlight beam cutting through the darkness the storage room was gone the doorway was gone there was nothing behind me now but more of those pulsing walls stretching endlessly in every direction Panic clawed at my chest what the hell is this I muttered stumbling backward my breath came in Shallow gasps the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears I tried to retrace my steps but the more
I moved the more the room seemed to shift around me the walls pulsed faster the green light flickering like a heartbeat and then I saw it a figure stood in the distance barely visible through the faint glow it was small and shadowed but there was something familiar about the way it stood the tilt of its head mom my voice came out shaky almost a whisper I took a hesitant step forward the spongy floor squishing beneath my boots the figure didn't move but the humming grew louder wrapping around me like a blanket the closer I got
the clearer the figure became it was her or at least it looked like her she stood with her back to me her hair the same dark curls I remembered her shoulders hunched in the in that familiar way like she was carrying the weight of the world mom I said again my voice breaking it's me it's Daniel she turned slowly her movements unnaturally smooth like she was being pulled by invisible strings when her face came into view my breath caught in my throat it was her her eyes her smile the way she looked at me like
I was still her little boy and not the mess I'd grown up to be but there was something wrong something I couldn't put into words her eyes were too wide her smile too still like someone had taken a memory of her and twisted it just enough to make it wrong Daniel she said her voice warm and familiar you came back I wanted to believe it was her I wanted it so badly I could feel the ache in my chest but the way she looked at me the way her head tilted just a little too far
the way her voice lingered like an echo made my stomach churn I I hesitated the words catching in my throat I missed you I before I could finish the walls around us shifted the veins pulsed violently the green light flaring like fire her smile widened stretching too far splitting the edges of her face until until it wasn't a smile anymore you shouldn't have come here she said her voice warping splitting into layers that didn't belong to her you shouldn't have looked I stumbled back my flashlight flickering wildly as the figure that wasn't my mother began
to dissolve its shape twisting into something darker something formless and then the voice came again not hers this time but mine Daniel it whispered soft and mocking you're already home I woke with a start gasping for air the cold metal of the storage unit floor biting into my back my flashlight lay beside me its beam weak and sputtering casting Long Shadows that seemed to dance across the walls for a moment I didn't move my chest heaving my body trembling the last thing I remembered was her that voice that smile but it couldn't have been real
none of it could have been real my hands shot to my chest my fingers curling around the fabric of my uniform as if to Anchor myself the heavy scent of burnt sweetness still lingered clawing at the back of my throat I pushed myself upright the grated floor creaking beneath me the room was silent now oppressively so broken only by The Faint hum of the facility systems in the distance I glanced around the dim flashlight beam tracing over the storage unit the shelves were still there the crates stacked neatly the metal walls cold and unyielding everything
was exactly as it had been when I'd first entered but something was wrong the door I'd entered through was open but it felt different it was too still too perfect as if it had been waiting for me to notice it my eyes darted to the floor searching for the strange marks I'd seen the dark streaks the boot nothing just smooth unmarked metal I swallowed hard my throat dry no I whispered to myself shaking my head it was real I saw it I heard her but the more I spoke the less certain I felt the m
of what had just happened the green light the pulsing walls her face were slipping away unraveling like threads pulled from a frayed rope the harder I tried to hold on to them the more they dissolved leaving only fragments a shadow here A Whisper there her eyes wide and unnatural staring into mine I grabbed the flashlight and staggered to my feet my legs weak beneath me my heart pounded in my chest as I looked around the room again searching for something anything that could prove I wasn't losing my mind Focus Vega I muttered my voice shaking
you're still here you're still here but where was here was I still in the storage unit or had I the thought sent a jolt of panic through me I stumbled toward the open door gripping the flashlight like it was a Lifeline the hallway Beyond was dim the lights overhead flickering sporadically I took a hesitant step forward my boots clanging against the grated floor and froze the sound echoed back at me distorted like it had traveled much farther than it should have too far my stomach Twisted the corridor looked the same as it always had cold
sterile endless but something about it felt wrong like it was stretched just slightly ly beyond the edges of my understanding hello my voice cracked the word trembling in the air no response not even the faint hum of Machinery I'd grown used to I took another step then another each one feeling heavier than the last the corridor stretched ahead impossibly long the walls curving subtly inward as if guiding me somewhere I didn't want to go my flashlight flickered again the beam growing dimmer and I smacked it against my palm cursing under my breath as I moved
The Whispers started again faint at first barely audible over the sound of my own breathing but they grew louder more distinct the words slipping through the cracks of my thoughts like smoke Daniel I froze my breath hitching the voice was hers again soft and familiar wrapping around me like a memory I couldn't escape mom my voice was barely a whisper but it echoed down the corridor like a shout this time she didn't call my name she laughed it was a warm gentle laugh the kind I remembered from long ago when she would catch me sneaking
cookies from the kitchen or trying to stay up past bedtime but here in the Silence of the corridor it sounded wrong h like someone trying to mimic her and failing I took a step back my hands trembling you're not real I said my voice cracking you're not why did you leave us Daniel the voice was closer now cutting me off it wasn't just hers anymore it was layered fractured echoing with tones that didn't belong why didn't you save me my flashlight sputtered and died plunging the corridor Into Darkness I swore under my breath fumbling with
the switch but it wouldn't turn back on my pulse thundered in my ears as I stood there Frozen in the pitch black The Whispers grew louder closing in from all sides they weren't just hers anymore they were mine my own voice distorted and mocking overlapping with hers in a chaotic Symphony Why didn't you save us Daniel you left her you left them you always leave no I choked out clutching the dead flashlight like it could protect me I didn't I didn't have a choice the laughter came again sharp and piercing cutting through the darkness and
then The Whispers stopped the silence was deafening I took a shaky step forward my hands outstretched searching for the walls my fingers brushed against cold metal but the texture shifted Beneath My Touch softening pulsing I jerked my hand back my stomach lurching the corridor wasn't metal anymore it was alive The Whispers returned louder now filling my mind like a flood I stumbled backward tripping over my own feet and falling hard onto the floor the impact rattled through me but I barely felt it over the Roar of the voices Daniel they hissed all at once come
home and then just as suddenly as it had started it stopped the voices the laughter The Whispers all gone the flashlight flickered back to life in my hand the beam cutting through the darkness I was back in the storage unit the same cold sterile walls the same neatly stacked crates but my heart wouldn't stop racing and the faint scent of burnt sweetness still lingered in the air I staggered to my feet gripping the flashlight like it was the only thing tethering me to reality my knees wobbled and I leaned against one of the shelves for
support my breath coming in ragged gasps I didn't know what was real anymore but I knew one thing I wasn't alone in here and whatever was watching me whatever was waiting wasn't done with me yet I leaned against the cold metal shelf gripping it so tightly my Knuckles went white my flashlights beam wavered over the walls shaking with the Tremor in my hands I tried to tell myself it was over that I was just exhausted that The Whispers and the shadowy things were some trick of stress and adrenaline but I didn't believe it not for
a second the room felt alive watching breathing waiting the air was heavy heavy suffocating and that burnt sweet smell was Stronger now clawing its way into my lungs every fiber of my being screamed at me to get out but I couldn't move not yet not when my thoughts were boiling over flooding my mind with guilt I didn't ask for it's not my fault I whispered hely the words tasting bitter on my tongue I didn't have a choice I didn't I couldn't save her the sound of my own voice was small and fragile swallowed by the
room's oppressive silence my chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath the memories clawing their way to the surface the hospital room the sterile White Walls the machines hooked up to her frail unrecognizable body the way she'd looked at me in those final days not with anger not with blame but with sadness like she knew I'd failed her I tried I said louder now as if the walls themselves needed to hear me I tried but there was nothing I could do what was I supposed to do huh magic money out of thin air cure
her myself the words echoed back at me Hollow and cruel I clenched my fists my nails digging into my Palms as the anger surged hot and bitter it wasn't my fault I said again spitting the words like Venom I had to take the job I had to she's gone and it's not my a sound cut through the silence sharp and gring I froze the anger draining from me in an instant it started as a soft scraping like nails dragging across metal but it grew louder closer more deliberate it was coming from the far corner of
the storage unit the beam of my flashlight trembled as I swung it toward the sound the crates at the far end seemed to shift under the light their edges blurring distorting the scraping stopped replaced by a low wet slithering noise that made my stomach turn my breath caught as something moved a shadow impossibly large sliding across the floor it stretched and twisted like smoke its edges flickering in and out of existence but it had weight I could hear it dragging it self toward me the floor creaking under its presence no I whispered taking a step
back my legs felt like jelly my heart hammering against my ribs no this isn't real this isn't the shadow stopped for a moment everything was still the air so thick it felt like I was breathing through a straw and then it Rose the shadow began to stretch upward unraveling into a towering a morphous shape that scraped the ceiling tendrils of Darkness Spilled Out from its edges writhing and twitching like they were alive the flashlight flickered violently as the thing took shape its form coalescing into something Almost Human a long Twisted torso with too many arms
its face an empty void that seemed to drink in the light I stumbled backward my back hitting the shelves my flashlight slipped from my grasp clattering to the the floor and spinning wildly casting distorted Shadows that only made the thing look worse the void where its face should have been tilted toward me and then it spoke Daniel the voice was hers again my mother's but it wasn't her it was layered warped a grotesque mockery of the voice i' loved you left me you always leave no I choked out shaking my head violently no I didn't
I didn't leave you there was nothing I could do the thing moved closer its many arms reaching out the tendrils dragging along the floor with a sick wet sound you could have tried harder it hissed its voice shifting breaking apart into a dozen others some of them were familiar hers mine others I couldn't place but they all spoke with the same venomous certainty you didn't care enough I did I shouted my voice cracking I cared I did everything I could don't you think I wanted to save her don't you think I would have given anything
everything to make it stop the thing stopped just short of me its many arms trembling twisting into shapes I couldn't understand its void-like face leaned closer so close I could feel the cold radiating off of it then why it whispered its voice soft and deadly are you here and she's not I couldn't answer the words lodged in my throat choking me as the guilt I'd buried for so long rose like bile my knees buckled and I sank to the floor trembling I didn't mean to I whispered tears burning in my eyes I didn't mean to
leave her the thing leaned closer still its void face inches from mine its many arms reached out rushing against my shoulders my face my chest the touch was cold invasive like it was peeling away layers of me searching for something I didn't want to give you belong to me now it said the voices blending into a single inhuman tone you'll never leave the tendrils wrapped around me pulling me closer tighter suffocating me in their icy grip my my vision blurred as the green light I thought I'd Left Behind seeped into the edges of my sight
pulsing twisting dragging me down into the dark and then I screamed the tendrils tightened around me dragging me deeper into the cold suffocating dark my scream echoed and then vanished swallowed by the void as the things many voices murmured and hissed in my ears I felt myself unraveling piece by piece my thoughts scattering my memories slipping through my fingers like sand the walls of the world fell away and for a moment there was nothing but the pulsing green light rhythmic and Alive beating like a heart I thought it was over I wanted it to be
over but then I woke up the first thing I felt was the floor cold smooth vibrating faintly under my hands not the grad metal of the storage unit but something else entirely my breath came in Shallow gasps as I opened my eyes squinting against the harsh green light that filled the space around me I was lying on my back in a vast cavernous chamber the ceiling so high it disappeared into the glow the walls were alive with movement writhing tendrils and veinlike structures pulsing with that same sickly green light they twisted and coiled merging and
splitting shifting like they were breathing breathing the air was thick and heavy charged with an electric hum that thrummed through my chest like a second heartbeat I sat up slowly my body aching my mind reeling the chamber stretched endlessly in all directions its floor a seamless expanse of dark glassy material that reflected the faint glow above in the center of it all was a tear a rift it wasn't just a crack in the fabric of reality like I'd imagined from the containment protocols it was massive a towering pulsating mass of light and Shadow twisting and
churning in impossible patterns tendrils of green energy snaked outward from its core coiling into the walls the floor the very air itself looking at it made my stomach churn my vision blur as if my mind couldn't fully grasp what I was seeing I scrambled backward my Palms slipping on the smooth floor but no matter how far I moved the rift loomed over me pulling at me with an invisible force its presence was overwhelming suffocating like it was pressing into every corner of my mind whispering things I couldn't understand this this can't be real I muttered
my voice shaking but even as I said it I knew it was the burnt sweet smell was back back stronger than ever clinging to my skin and filling my lungs my body trembled as the rift pulsed again the green light flaring brighter casting long twisting Shadows across the chamber a sound echoed through the space a low resonant groan that seemed to come from the rift itself it wasn't just a noise it was a presence a weight that pressed down on me threatening to crush me where I sat the air vibrated with its power and I
felt it in my bones in my teeth in my thoughts Daniel The Voice came again but this time it wasn't a whisper it was a roar layered and fragmented shaking the chamber and rattling my skull it came from everywhere and nowhere filling the space like it had always been there waiting for me I clamped my hands over my ears but it didn't help The Voice voice wasn't just in the air it was inside me burrowing into my mind pulling at the fragile pieces of my sanity you've always belonged here it said the words vibrating through
me you've always been mine no I shouted my voice breaking I don't belong to you I I didn't ask for this the rift pulsed again and the light dimmed for a moment casting the chamber into an eerie half Darkness Shadows moved along the walls twisting into shapes I couldn't understand faces hands fragments of things that shouldn't exist they reached toward me their forms flickering and dissolving like smoke but I could feel their presence their hunger you left her the voice said shifting warping you left everyone and now you're here I didn't leave her I screamed
my voice Raw I didn't I didn't mean to the rift flared violently the green light washing over me burning into my eyes my memories surged forward unbidden my mother in the hospital bed her hand weak and trembling in mine the last conversation I'd had with her the way I'd promised to do better to fix things to come back and then I'd left I pressed my hands to my temples shaking my head trying to block out the memories the light the voice it wasn't my fault I whispered the words crumbling in my throat it wasn't my
fault the rift seemed to laugh its energy Rippling through the chamber like a wave the tendrils around me began to shift moving closer curling inward one of them stretched toward me stopping just short of my chest it hovered there pulsing faintly as if waiting for me to acknowledge it and then it spoke not in words but in images memories I saw myself younger sitting at my mother's bedside my head bowed her voice faint but kind as she told me it wasn't my fault that I'd done all I could but the memory shifted twisting her face
blurred her voice warping into something darker you let me go she said her voice cold and sharp you left me alone no I whispered tears burning in my eyes no that's not the tendril lashed out wrapping around my wrist its touch was cold and invasive like it was sinking into me pulling at the edges of my thoughts I screamed trying to wrench my arm free but the tendril held firm its grip tightening you are mine the rift roared its voice shaking the chamber you've always been mine the green light flared again blinding me and I
felt myself falling falling into the rift into the endless hungry void and then everything went still when I opened my eyes I was standing the chamber was gone replaced by the sterile flickering lights of the facility Corridor my flashlight was in my hand again its beam steady cutting through the dimness the air was cold and metallic the burnt sweet smell a faint memory I looked around my heart hammering in my chest the corridor was empty silent as if nothing had happened but as I turned my eyes caught on the reflective surface of a control panel
and my breath froze in my throat the face staring back at me wasn't mine not entirely Daniel thank you breaking news Ashen blade Industries unveils evolutionary product amid tragedy January 7th 2025 by Katherine Hayes Associated Press Ashen blade Industries the global leader in Advanced Energy Solutions and defense Technologies announced today the launch of their latest product the pulse core reactor touted as a groundbreaking leap in sustainable energy the reactor promises to revolutionize the industry with its unparalleled efficiency and near Limitless output the unveiling comes amid heightened public interest in Ashen blad's activities though the company
has remained characteristically tight lipped about the specifics of the reactor's development CEO Marcus Feldman called the project a Triumph of innovation and dedication during a press conference earlier this morning this is the culmination of years of tireless work by the Brilliant Minds at Ashen blade Feldman stated the pulse core reactor will redefine the future of energy ushering in an era of unprecedented progress however the celebratory mood surrounding the announcement has been tempered by a dark and disturbing development involving one of the company's employees employee linked to shocking Killing Spree authorities have issued an urgent Manhunt
for Daniel Vega a junior Logistics officer at Ashen blade Industries who was suspected of committing a series of brutal murders over the past week Vega 29 was last seen at the company's remote containment facility in the northern sector where he had been assigned routine inventory work since then Vega has been implicated in the deaths of at least nine individuals including co-workers and security Personnel investigators described the killings as unimaginably violent with evidence suggesting a deliberate and methodical approach many of the victims were reportedly found with severe injuries though details remain scarce as the investigation continues
Chief investigator Sarah Morton addressed the media late last night describing Vega as highly dangerous and warning the public to remain Vigilant Daniel Vega is still at large Morton stated he should not be approached under any circumstances if you see him contact law enforcement immediately questions surround Ashen Blade's role Ashen blade Industries has yet to issue an official statement regarding Vega's actions or how he was able to evade detection for so long some reports suggest Vega may have been suffering from acute psychological distress in the days leading up to the murders though the company has refused
to confirm these claims when asked about the incidents during this morning's press conference CEO Marcus Feldman offered a brief response this is a tragedy for everyone involved Feldman said we are cooperating fully with law enforcement and will continue to provide our utmost support during this investigation a frightening unknown despite the company's assurances questions remain about Vega's motives and the exact circumstances leading up to the killings those who knew him describe Vega as quiet and unassuming with no prior History of Violence he wasn't the kind of guy you'd expect this from one co- worker speaking anonymously
told reporters I don't understand it none of us do as The Manhunt continues speculation about Vega's whereabouts grows some believe he's still hiding within the sprawling containment facility While others suggest he may have fled into the nearby Wilderness for now one thing is certain Daniel Vega once an ordinary Logistics officer is now one of the most wanted men in the country and the chilling mystery of what happened inside that facility and why remains unanswered
