Escaping from an overturned car wouldn't be easy. That's what Damian thought as he opened his eyes, realizing what had happened and that he was still alive.

He managed to extricate his older brother, struggling to remove the taxi driver from the front seat. Elio was outside, visibly injured, with a trail of blood running down his neck.

"Damn, me too?" Damian thought, feeling a throbbing pain in his head.

"Dante! Are you okay? Dante!" Elio's head appeared at the window.

"No need to shout, I'm already awake," Damian tried to turn in the back seat. His long body wasn't made for such situations. Not wearing a seatbelt, he discovered what it felt like to be inside a blender.

"Can you get out?" his visibly distressed brother asked.

"It's not like I want to stay here any longer. It's quite uncomfortable."

"Come on! Give me your hand, and I'll pull you out." Damian obeyed his brother, being brought out of the vehicle. He had to be thankful that the windows were open.

With his brother's help, Damian managed to stand up. Seeing the unconscious driver on the ground and the chaos around, he became overwhelmed. His ears were ringing; it was torture inside his head.

"What happened here?" he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. "I'm almost certain something hit the car's hood before we overturned."

Suddenly, people around them started to disperse. Damian had noticed how silent his brother was, but he quickly forgot about that, focusing on the unfolding chaos. Trying to comprehend in vain, he saw not only those involved in the accident but also others abandoning their cars as if fleeing from something. Most were running scared. Some attempted to use their phones to record but gave up quickly.

What was coming from afar? Ignoring the pain in his head, Damian took a step forward.

"Damon!" Elio's voice calling his name pierced through his ears like a horn. The older brother stood in front and held his shoulders. "You need to pay attention to what I'm about to say now!"

"Elio, I think something is happening there. Can't you feel the vibration coming from the ground?"

"Dante, listen!" The older brother shouted again, shaking the boy's body with exaggerated force. Damian stared at him.

The ground beneath them trembled, and an impact filled the air. The younger one felt as if a small earthquake passed through his body. Elio now held his shoulders with more force, but he had fallen silent. Damian soon discovered the reason.

First, he thought that afternoon was supposed to be like any other. Second, he wanted to be sure he was awake or that perhaps, just perhaps, the accident a few minutes ago hadn't completely damaged his head.

His eyes betrayed him because what he saw was not possible.

"What is this? What...?"

It was a repulsive being. And it was so close to them. It could easily have come out of one of the Midnight Inside episodes.

A creature that couldn't be part of the human species, even though it resembled it. It was tall; the skin resembled that of a snake, with large muscles and a frightening face. It was barefoot, with large and dirty nails on both feet and hands. The eyes were yellow, much of its green hair was missing, as if suffering from baldness. Its appearance was worn from head to toe. If Damian could say something, he would compliment the characterization of that cosplay.

After all, it was just a cosplay, right? The monstrous weapon in its hand was fake, right? The disconcerting atmosphere he felt at the moment was a lie, right?

"Elio, do you see what I'm seeing? ARE YOU?!" Surprised to hear his own voice, he shouted at his older brother.

"Enjoy the surprise?" A voice he had never heard before, clownish and cynical.

The being had spoken to them and was getting closer. The boy wanted to say more, but his throat wouldn't allow it. He couldn't.

Elio didn't utter a word to the boy. Damian couldn't imagine that the brother was so strong, as he was pushed meters away. In the madness of the moment, he could swear that his brother had put something in the pocket of his coat. The boy was thrown with force, and he only stopped rolling when he went from the asphalt straight into the grass.

He opened his eyes, which had involuntarily closed. The world was still spinning, but the scene in the distance was more critical. The older brother was still facing that thing. The heart beat fast in his chest; Damian felt scared like a little puppy.

The boy widened his eyes at what followed. The enigmatic being manipulated its own belt, causing a long silver chain to fall to the ground. As if with a life of its own, the chain flew directly around Elio's neck, entwining him multiple times. A bright light emanated, and the older brother shone along with it. Before evaporating and disappearing completely, he extended his arm towards Dante.

Run, Elio said.

In response, the boy screamed.