4;JOIN ME OR PERISH

The air was heavy with tension as Leo and Kai stared up at the sky. The rocket's fiery ascent had already filled the crowd with confusion, but as it pierced the lithosphere, its premature explosion sent shockwaves through the atmosphere. A deafening boom rattled the ground beneath them, causing many to stumble and fall. The clear night sky was instantly filled with ash and debris, glowing faintly as it fell to Earth like macabre fireworks.

Kai nudged Leo. "This… this can't be part of the ceremony, right?"

Leo didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the massive plume of smoke that now veiled the stars, a pit growing in his stomach. The once-celebratory crowd of dignitaries and scientists had turned frantic. People shouted into radios, scrambled to control the situation, or simply stared upward in stunned silence.

And then it began to rain.

At first, it was barely noticeable—a few light drops falling from the ash-filled sky. But as the seconds passed, the rain became heavier, the droplets thicker.

"Wait…" Kai squinted, holding out his hand. Instead of water, a dark, wriggling form landed in his palm. His face twisted in horror as he realized what it was. "Worms!" he shouted, flinging it to the ground.

Around them, others were coming to the same realization. The sky wasn't raining water—it was raining insects.

Dark clouds of flies swarmed overhead, their collective buzzing creating a haunting drone that grew louder by the second. Spiders the size of fists began to drop from above, their long legs twitching as they landed on horrified spectators. Cockroaches, beetles, centipedes, and countless other creatures poured down in a nightmarish deluge.

Screams erupted across the crowd.

One woman shrieked, batting at her hair where several cockroaches had nestled. Another man stumbled backward, frantically trying to crush the spiders crawling up his pant legs. People pushed and shoved, desperate to find shelter, but there was no escape.

The grand stage, once illuminated by dazzling lights, was now a shadowy battlefield of chaos. The crowd's movements created a cacophony of stomping feet, squelching insects, and desperate cries.

Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the entire area into darkness. Gasps filled the air as the already chaotic scene became even more terrifying.

"Leo!" Kai yelled, his voice barely audible over the commotion. "Where are you?"

"I'm here!" Leo shouted back, grabbing Kai's arm. The two huddled close, their eyes darting around in the darkness.

Seconds later, the lights flickered back on, but the scene had changed.

Standing on the stage, where Dr. Halsey had once proudly received his Nobel Prize, was a figure clad in black. His face was obscured by an intricate mask that shimmered with a metallic sheen, its design grotesque yet strangely elegant. The man stood motionless, surveying the crowd like a predator sizing up its prey.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Security personnel rushed toward the stage, their weapons drawn.

"Stop right there!" one of the guards barked.

The masked man didn't flinch. Instead, he raised a gloved hand and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the swarm of insects surged toward the guards, enveloping them in a writhing, buzzing mass. The men screamed as the creatures attacked, their bodies convulsing before falling lifeless to the ground.

The masked man turned to the crowd, his voice amplified by unseen means. "Move at your own risk," he warned, his tone calm but laced with menace.

Leo and Kai watched in shock as the man began to speak.

"Now that I have your attention…" He paused, his eyes—hidden behind the mask—seeming to bore into the souls of everyone present. "I should introduce myself. My name is Mastermind. And I am your savior."

Kai leaned toward Leo. "Savior? What is he even talking about?"

Leo shook his head, his lips pressed into a grim line.

Mastermind continued, pacing slowly across the stage. "Humans. Filthy, fragile, insignificant creatures. We get injured at every turn, break under the slightest pressure, and yet we cling to our pathetic existence as if it holds any meaning. Sometimes, I'm disgusted to even call myself human."

Gasps rippled through the crowd, but no one dared to move.

"We are a species of slaves," Mastermind said, his voice growing colder. "Slaves to our desires. We waste our lives chasing food, clothing, and shelter—things we could easily live without if we were stronger, better, more evolved. Tell me, what have we achieved as a society?"

His words were broadcasted to every corner of the globe, the livestream hijacked by unseen forces. Technicians in the control room scrambled to regain control of the broadcast, but their efforts were in vain. The world was forced to watch as Mastermind delivered his speech.

"And yet…" Mastermind's tone softened, almost wistful. "Life as a human is fleeting. Fragile. Unsatisfying. So I ask you, what is life if we can't enjoy its good parts? Why not transcend our limitations and become something greater? Why not evolve?"

Leo felt his stomach churn as Mastermind raised his arms, his voice echoing with a chilling finality.

"I give you a chance—a chance to join me. A chance to shed your weaknesses and embrace true power. I can make you immortal. Invincible. Perfect."

The crowd murmured uneasily, their fear mingling with a twisted curiosity.

Suddenly, the distant thrum of helicopters filled the air. Military personnel descended from ropes, their weapons trained on the masked figure.

"Hands up!" one of the soldiers barked. "We will open fire!"

Mastermind didn't move. Instead, he chuckled softly.

"Join me,...and survive," he said, his voice calm and measured. "Reject me… and go extinct."

As he spoke, a thick black smoke began to engulf the stage. Soldiers shouted in confusion, their weapons at the ready.

"What the hell is this?" one of them yelled, coughing as the smoke grew thicker.

Gunfire erupted, but the bullets hit nothing but empty air.

When the smoke cleared, the figure on the stage was gone. In his place stood a creature out of nightmares—a monstrous praying mantis, its chitinous body gleaming under the lights. Its bladed forearms twitched as it surveyed the soldiers, its multifaceted eyes glinting with malice.

The soldiers opened fire, but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the creature's armored exoskeleton.

Nearby, a man screamed, clutching his chest. His body convulsed violently before transforming into a grotesque spider-like hybrid. His limbs elongated, sprouting hair and sharp pincers, and his face twisted into a horrifying visage.

A woman's scream followed as her body began to writhe and shift. She collapsed to the ground, her legs merging into a long, wriggling tail. When she rose again, she had become a worm-like creature, her segmented body undulating as she moved.

All around, the insects that had rained down from the sky began to grow and mutate. What were once ordinary flies and beetles now transformed into monstrous, unrecognizable forms, their guttural roars shaking the very ground.

The world descended into horror as the audience fled in every direction, their screams blending with the haunting cries of the mutated creatures.

Leo stood frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"What the hell…" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

Kai grabbed his arm, pulling him back toward the edge of the crowd. "Leo, we need to get out of here. Now!"

But Leo couldn't tear his eyes away from the carnage unfolding before him, a single, chilling thought echoing in his mind.

This was only the beginning.