A/N: Here's the next part. Sorry for making you guys wait! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and know that I'm already writing up the next! Don't forget to subscribe if you like it, so you'll know when the next part is published! Reviews are appreciated!
Central Park had an eerily dark glow about it. As I ran down the path towards the amphitheater, I passed by many burned bodies, the white snow littering the ground
tinted with a dark crimson hue in blotchy spots all around me. I felt sick to my stomach, but there was nothing I could do for them. What I need to focus on right now
is saving the people who are still alive, including Ben and Lorraine.
Puffs of white smoke escaped from my mouth with every breath I took as I ran as quickly as I could, the amphitheater's shape in the distance growing steadily larger
with each step. I noticed the lack of monsters in the area, not that I was disappointed, but I couldn't help but wonder why that was. Several theories popped in my
head, like maybe Eve is really limited to what she can do at once, or maybe she lacks the energy or has to concentrate on luring everyone into the theater. But what
really bothers me is how she conducts herself. Eve makes no effort to hide her location. She kills all those people in the middle of a busy street, and then hides out in
the open in the Park, calling hundreds of people into one location. She must realize that I can sense her aura, and even if I couldn't, surely she must be aware that the
police will always find her. No, I don't think Eve is concerned with hiding herself. I think she wants to be found, specifically by me. But even that is hard to understand.
At first I thought maybe she was just a killer, but if that's all she was after, surely all of Manhattan would be a wasteland by now. I know that she has the power to do
that if she chooses, but she doesn't… And then there are her words. She keeps saying how I need to improve and evolve, but what does she mean? Is she expecting
me to actually help her?
After a few minutes of running, I finally stood before the amphitheater where Eve should be, but something didn't seem right with it at all. Even though there should be
hundreds of people here, it's just way too quiet. It's an open dome theater, so I should hear the voices of hundreds of people… I scanned my eyes over the area and
didn't see a single person, so they must be inside. I panted deeply and slowly, my face hot and my forehead dotted with sweat from running, but I ignored it as I
checked the ammunition in my gun, slowly making my way through the set of open double doors. My gun held tightly in my hands, I made my way down the deserted
corridor, walking out into the moonlight again to see rows upon rows of seats all around me; and they were all occupied. My arms lowered along with my jaw as I
looked all around to see hundreds of people… just sitting silently. No one was saying a word, or even looked over at me. I quickly walked over to the nearest person,
an older man with a green shirt, and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Excuse me. Sir? Are you okay?" I asked, but the man did and said nothing at all. He just
remained seated, his hands on his lap, looking straight ahead at the empty stage. I gave him a little shake, but he didn't so much as look at me, his eyes unfocused
and unblinking.
I tried speaking to some more people, shaking them, and I even slapped one man, but no response from anyone. It's almost like as if they were brain dead. "What
the hell is going on…?" I muttered to myself, my fist clenching in anger. What did Eve do to these people? Anger welling up inside me, I slowly made my way down the
nearest set of stairs, turning my head from side to side as I searched for Ben and Lorraine, but I couldn't find them. Instead, all I saw were quiet, unmoving people. It
was very unsettling; I've never seen anything like this before. It's almost like they're dolls…
I then quickly stopped in my tracks when a cold, cackling laugh erupted in front of me. I quickly lifted up my gun towards the stage to see Eve floating at its center,
looking at me with a sneer. "EVE!" I shouted out angrily, glaring at her. "What did you do to these people? Let them go!" I demanded, but she merely continued to
sneer at me, like she was enjoying my anger. "The holiday season brings joy to us all… and this Christmas will be the most special of all." She spoke out, her hand
raised up into the air, as if reading a line from a poem. I took a few steps closer to her, my gun aiming for her chest, a deep growl in my throat. "What are you talking
about? Stop what you're doing now!" I shouted, but she ignored what I said again, her smile widening just a little bit. "It's special because I will no longer be under the
control of a host as I have since the dawn of time. Humans are weak; mitochondria can self evolve. Mitochondria must now take over the nucleus." she recited, this
time throwing both hands into the air as she started to sing. For a monster, her voice was beautiful, but I had no intention of praising her for anything. "What are you
talking about? Take over the nucleus… I won't let you have your way, EVE!" I shouted out at her. However, before I could do anything else, I noticed the people
around me starting to stir. I looked from side to side to see that they were convulsing! Are they having seizures? My gun lowered as I looked at them all in shock,
unsure of what to do, when what I saw next really made my head spin. The person nearest me… he… melted…! I screamed out in surprise, taking a step back away
from him as I watched his skin melt down his frame, his muscles gleaming in the moonlight before they melted too. I quickly covered my mouth with my hands in an
attempt to stop myself from retching from the sight of his now exposed innards. But it didn't stop there. I watched in horror as everything; his liver, his lungs, his still
beating heart… everything melted until all that was left was his bones. His clothed skeleton went limp as the slime slid down, forming a puddle of goop on the floor.
Unable to stop myself, I fell on my knees and emptied the digested contents of my stomach onto the floor beneath me, heaving and gasping, my throat burning from
the coating of stomach acid.
It didn't stop with that man. I noticed that everyone was turning into slime as well all around me. I stared in complete shock as all these people started to melt,
clothed skeletons sitting all around me before I finally came to my senses and stood up, turning to Eve again, my gun raised. "STOP IT!" I shouted out shrilly as I fired
my gun at her, but the bullets simply stopped in mid air before her. Not only that, but she continued to sing as if nothing was going on, just like in Carnegie Hall.
"STOP IT! STOP IT!" I shouted out again as I continued to fire my gun again, but she wasn't stopping. These people… she's killing them! I have to stop her!
Biting my lower lip so hard that I bled, I sprinted down the steps as fast as I can, the melting people all around me an orange blur as I climbed up onto the stage,
grabbing hold of my club at my side. "I SAID STOP IT!" I yelled as I dashed right over to Eve, the club raised beside me. When I was right in front of her, I swung the
club as hard as I could, aiming for her face, but a flash of light suddenly sparked in front of me as I hit something hard and invisible… a barrier? The barrier around
Eve stopped my attack, but I didn't let up. I kept on swinging my club fervently, anguished grunts escaping my throat with every swing, a flash of bright light sparking
with every contact. I kept on screaming out "STOP IT!" with every attack, but she didn't stop. She kept singing. Tears started to run down my face now as
helplessness started to creep into my mind. I have to stop her! I can't let her kill more people! I'm the only one who can stop her! I have to! With one more yell, I
dropped my gun on the floor and grabbed my club with both hands, swinging it with everything I could muster, but it didn't have any effect. Another bright light
sparked when I hit the invisible barrier around her, the force from it knocking me down onto the floor.
The tears wouldn't stop. I lay on the floor beneath Eve on my side, my eyes turned toward the audience. There was no one left. All those people that were sitting
there… they're all gone. They were all replaced with skeletons, all sitting silently and unmoving, their hollowed eye sockets looking at the stage; looking at me. And
right at the center of this audience was a large blob of orange slime. But, it was alive… The slime was actually moving, almost like ripples in a body of water, the
moonlight piercing through the large mass, lighting up the orange tint like a Christmas light. Eve continued to sing as the slime got steadily larger, the remnants of the
people by the edge of the group joining its ranks.
No… not again… not again… not again… not again… not again… flashes of burning bodies… crying… screaming… not again… fire… smoke… not again… dark road… bright
lights… not again… screeching tires… broken windows… rain… fire… not again… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… no… no… no… no… no… stop it…
please… stop it… stop it… the mass is getting larger… singing… there's no one left… they're all dead… Ben… dead… not again… please… please… stop it… please…
I bit my lip again, breaking the skin once more, my warm blood sliding down into my mouth, mixed with my tears and the bile that lined my stomach to make an
undesirable taste. I grabbed my gun next to me and sat up, pointing it up to Eve, my hands shaking uncontrollably, the tears running down freely as my lip burned.
"STOP IT!" I pleaded with her, firing my gun again, but it was empty, the usual gunshot sound replaced with a click. But, I kept firing. "Stop it! Please, stop it!" I
begged her, sobbing, my lip quivering as I continued to pull the trigger, but the damn gun wouldn't do its job.
Eve stopped singing, looking down at me, her smirk now gone, replaced with a look of… disgust…? "WHY? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" I cried out, my whole body
shaking. Eve's eyes bore into mine for a few moments, before she closed them, hovering away. I simply sat there, my breathing frequent and deep, my arms
lowering after a few seconds, sweat running down my cheek. Then, my lip quivering, I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them as I cried into them, my
heart filled with guilt. Once again, I couldn't do anything.
