2. Horror on a plane

"What… what is this? Some kind of prank?!"

A middle-aged man shot up in anger, storming toward the dark figure. The woman who had been approaching Neo froze in horror as the man grabbed the shadowy form.

Oblivious to its true nature, the man reached out, his hand driven by a mix of fear and fury. As his fingers made contact with the figure's surface, he felt nothing—no warmth, no texture, just a void of consuming darkness. Confusion flickered in his eyes as he tried to pull back, but his hand wouldn't budge. Panic set in, but it was too late.

A dark purple hue began to seep from his skin, like smoke drawn from a fire, twisting and swirling as it was absorbed into the figure. The more it fed, the stronger its aura became, growing more intense and oppressive. The air around them thickened, almost suffocating, as the figure's presence swelled with newfound power.

The man, who was fine just a few minutes ago had now turned to dust, his clothes and belongings dropping to the cold floor.

The other passengers, who had been quietly observing, erupted into chaos. Murmurs of confusion and fear spread through the cabin as people struggled to comprehend what was happening. Some shouted, others backed away in terror, unable to tear their eyes from the horrifying scene.

Neo, just a few rows away, felt his heart hammer in his chest, his breath catching in his throat. The sight of the man's life essence being drained, coupled with the growing malevolence of the dark figure, filled him with a bone-deep horror. He wanted to look away, to unsee what was unfolding before him, but he was frozen in place, paralyzed by fear and dread.

Suddenly, a slash reverberated through the air, creating a large gash across the rows. Pained screams filled the cabin as bloodied body parts flew through the air. Then the darkness seeped through the closed windows.

A young girl tried to run, just a few meters from the dark creature, but before Neo could see what happened to her, he found himself sprinting toward the first-class cabin. The girl's screams echoed in his ears as he dashed with determination. *Am I going to die?* That was a question he wasn't ready to answer.

"Who's this boy?"

"What is he doing?"

"Does he need help?"

"Is he traveling with someone?"

The first-class passengers whispered as they saw Neo running toward the cockpit.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you cannot go in there," a flight attendant said, stepping in front of him. Neo's eyes were wide with terror. "There's a freaking monster on the plane, and it's killing everyone!!"

The first-class passengers looked at him, some with irritation.

"Boy, you sure spout a lot of nonsense."

"A monster? Don't make me laugh."

"Does he need help?"

Neo tried to push past the flight attendant, but she blocked his way. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step away and return to your seat."

"You… you didn't hear the screams… of the others?" Neo's voice trembled as the flight attendant's face contorted in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked, bewildered.

Then the darkness caught up to them. The shadows seemed to move on their own as the malevolent being stepped into the first-class cabin. The air became so thick that it was impossible to breathe, and Neo's limbs felt numb. The aura of this being far surpassed what it had been just moments ago. It only took ten minutes, but the residents of the former cabin were all dead.

*What did I do to deserve this? What is this being? Is it a demon? Are those fictional stories about demons true?* Neo's thoughts raced as the darkness enveloped the cabin. *I can't believe this is how I'm going to die.*

The flight attendant's breath caught as she glimpsed the monstrous dark entity looming near the front of the plane. Is this some elaborate prank?—some twisted joke?, The absurdity of the situation made her almost laugh, a nervous chuckle threatening to escape her lips.

But before she could speak, Neo's urgent voice cut through the tension. "Listen to me!" Neo's voice trembled, but it was loud enough to capture everyone's attention. "That thing… it's not a joke. It's 100 percent real. Everyone else on this plane is already dead. We're the only ones left!"

A stunned silence fell over the cabin as the reality of his words sank in. The passengers who had doubted him fell silent, their skepticism giving way to fear. The air grew thick with dread, and the eerie quiet was punctuated only by the hum of the plane's engines and the occasional gasp of realization.

Slowly, at first, then with increasing urgency, the passengers began to move. A collective, desperate instinct drove them toward Neo, who stood at the extreme end of the first-class cabin. They clutched at the seats, each other, anything to steady themselves as they hurried forward, eyes wide with terror, seeking the safety they hoped Neo could somehow provide.

The dark figure, its presence oppressive and malevolent, seemed to watch them, feeding off their fear as they huddled together, desperate and terrified.

The dark entity stretched forth its menacing claws.

*…BOOM…*

The entire plane rumbled and shook, causing the passengers to fall, including Neo. They all watched as the demonic monster made its way toward them.

---

Outside the plane, which still buzzed with the last remnants of life within, a nightmare stood. Towering at a menacing nine feet tall, the creature's body resembled a grotesque parody of a human. Its head was a mass of eyes, hundreds of them, shifting and blinking in all directions, creating a disorienting pattern of endless gazes. The creature's body was no less horrifying, covered in faces—some twisted in eternal fear, others frozen in expressions of rage, sorrow, and despair.

These faces seemed alive, silently screaming their torment, as if each one was a trapped soul unable to escape its monstrous prison.

The creature muttered to itself in a voice that sounded like gravel scraping against metal. "Clever, clever me," it hissed, its many eyes gleaming with perverse satisfaction. "They never see me coming. Only in the sky, where they can't reach me… where I can snatch them up one by one… my prey… And my minions… my beautiful minions… they'll finish the rest… Tear them apart, piece by piece… they'll die, screaming in agony. It's quite funny, really," it laughed.

Just as it finished its twisted monologue, a voice cut through the thin air, deep and resonant, carrying a weight that seemed to press into the very bones of the creature.

"What's so funny about taking innocent human lives?" The voice reverberated with cold authority, each word sinking into the demon's flesh like barbs.

The creature's many faces contorted in a rictus of terror. Its confidence shattered as the source of the voice revealed itself.

Behind the nightmare, atop the very plane that now seemed like a fragile shell against this horror, stood a man shrouded in black clothing. He appeared almost spectral, unbothered by the thin air at this altitude, his presence both ominous and commanding.

The dark fabric of his attire flapped in the high-altitude winds, yet he stood still, like a shadow given form, his gaze fixed on the creature with an intensity that made the demon's twisted souls writhe in agony.

The creature, once reveling in its dominance, now found itself paralyzed by fear. Every face on its grotesque body reflected the dread it felt. The tables had turned, and it knew, deep within its myriad eyes, that it was trembling uncontrollably.

"An Executioner… how did you find me?" it stammered.