Chapter 2: Blood, Sweat
Part I – The Days That Followed
> "The monsters didn't retreat. They lingered—silent judges in the sky, deciding what else deserved to burn."
---
Three Days Later
The village didn't sleep anymore.
Smoke curled from every rooftop. Fires were now lit not for warmth, but for warning. Buzzing still haunted the skies, less frequent but ever-present—like laughter from something that already knew it had won.
Children didn't cry anymore. They just stared.
Some whispered about neighbors disappearing at night. Others swore the trees moved, bending toward the hum like worshipers to a hymn.
Shrey hadn't changed clothes. He hadn't spoken more than five words to his mother. Every time he tried, he saw that man's last breath—Rohan's brother, dissolving into ash and light.
And outside… the bees circled.
> They weren't creatures. They were waiting.
---
Scene – The Classroom of Ash
Their old school was a ruin. Half the roof was gone. The blackboard had a blood smear across it like someone had tried to write a final answer.
Maya walked through the halls alone, clutching a box of candles she didn't remember picking up. Her foot nudged something metal.
A lunchbox. Bent. Half-melted.
She knelt down, touched it, and for one horrible second imagined the friend who once carried it. Sneha. Always cheerful. Always late.
Maya didn't cry. She just stood, and left a candle behind. One of many.
A graveyard needed light.
---
Scene – The Buzz at Night
That night, it came again.
Not the full swarm—just a shadow overhead. One winged silhouette. Perched on the village tower, its eyes glowing amber in the dark.
Shrey sat on the rooftop, holding a cricket bat like it was a sword.
He didn't blink.
It didn't either.
They watched each other for hours.
At dawn, it flew away.
Maya climbed up to the rooftop as the light broke. She wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. Neither said a word.
They just sat there. Two kids, too tired to cry.
---
---[CHIBI INTERLUDE: Mental Breakdown, Part II]---
(A grayscale chibi moment, eyes hollow)
Chibi Maya: (scribbling in a notebook) "Step 1: Don't die. Step 2: …don't die harder."
Chibi Shrey: (holding a melted chibi cricket bat) "What if it was watching me sleep?"
Chibi Rohan: (still curled up, but now humming "Twinkle Twinkle" very slowly)
Silence again.
Only this time… a chuckle from Maya.
---
Scene – A Visit from the Foundation
Before the helicopters arrived, the buzzing stopped. Silence spread like a virus.
The village held its breath.
When the rotors finally thundered over the treetops, no one cheered. They ducked. Because the last time something flew overhead, people died.
Helicopters descended in threes. Dark. Unmarked.
On the fourth day, the Foundation came.
---
Part II – Reunion and Rivalries
Back at the training ground, the world felt distant.
Three days had passed since the attack. Shrey had barely processed it all—the flames, the screams, the sickening buzz. And now, he stood at the edge of the courtyard, lost in thought… until—
"SHREEEEEEY!"
A meteor in human form crashed into him—Mayra.
"Three days! You vanished for three whole days!" she yelled, clutching his jacket.
"I… I was recovering."
---[CHIBI MOMENT]--- Chibi-Mayra popped up waving a cartoon frying pan. "Disappearing boys must be bonked!" BONK!
Real Mayra flicked Shrey's forehead. "Idiot."
Shrey laughed nervously, rubbing his head. "Okay, okay, I deserved that."
Then Maya appeared, arms crossed, expression cool. But the little twitch at the edge of her mouth gave her away.
"Welcome back, drama king," she said, casually punching his arm.
"Ow! What was that for?"
---[CHIBI MOMENT]--- Chibi-Maya puffed up her cheeks. "Because reasons!" She crossed her arms and did a smug anime-wink.
Shrey blinked. "Am I being bullied right now?"
Yash stormed in, tank top two sizes too small. "Broooo! You missed LEG DAY."
"I was fighting bees the size of dogs!"
Yash grinned. "So? You let your legs down, bro. Unforgivable."
---[CHIBI MOMENT]--- Chibi-Yash stood on top of a dumbbell, lightning flashing behind him. "Leg day is sacred."
Arjun arrived, calm as ever. "Glad you're alive. Try not to miss arm day next."
Shrey fake-cried. "I came back from the dead and all I get is gym shame."
---
Part III – The Captain Speaks
In the town square, Captain Jacks stood tense, speaking to a man wearing the SCP Foundation emblem. His face was grim, tone sharp.
The squad gathered.
"We owe you the truth," Jacks said.
He explained it all. How the SCP Foundation had lied. They weren't founded three years ago—that was just the story told to the world. In reality, they'd existed for decades, quietly containing threats like SCP-59.
"The mineral—SCP-59—was alien," he said. "Its radiation doesn't just harm. It mutates. It awakens. What attacked your town wasn't random. It was the beginning."
Shrey's stomach turned. Maya looked pale. Mayra grabbed Shrey's sleeve.
Then—
BZZZZZZZZZ.
The buzzing returned. Louder. Closer.
From the forest's edge, they emerged—winged horrors, glistening in sunlight. Dozens.
"Get down!" Captain Jacks roared.
Kim rushed forward, hands glowing blue. A dome of energy shimmered into place around the squad.
Shrey, curious and reckless, touched the edge.
ZAP!
"OW—!"
Kim didn't look. "Don't touch the magic, dumbass."
---[CHIBI MOMENT]--- Chibi-Kim appeared with a "Do Not Touch" sign and smacked chibi-Shrey with a glowing glove.
Yash dragged Shrey back. "You're gonna die of curiosity one day."
Arjun raised his bow. "If that barrier fails, I have three shots prepped. Let's hope I don't need a fourth."
Kim's face strained. "Hurry…"
Then, flames erupted.
Adi stepped through the barrier, surrounded by blazing fire. His irises flickered red.
With a swift motion, he sent a wave of flame across the sky—burning the first wave of bee creatures to ash.
---[CHIBI MOMENT]--- Chibi-Adi smirked, snapping his fingers. "Who needs bug spray when you've got fire?"
Captain Jacks gave a rare nod. "Nice control."
The threat had passed—for now. But something had changed.
The bees were evolving. The lies were unraveling. And the fight had only just begun. Who knows what happens next the time only will tell