The shelter held its breath.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The radio on the table continued to hiss with static.
Then the voice came again.
“Please…”
A woman’s voice.
Weak.
Terrified.
“Someone…
please help me.”
A few survivors exchanged nervous glances.
Mara stepped toward the radio.
Marcus immediately grabbed her arm.
“Don’t.”
She looked at him.
“That could be someone trapped outside.”
“No.”
His voice was firm.
“We don’t have anyone outside.”
Another voice came through.
This time, it was a man’s.
“Please open the door.”
Noah’s expression changed.
“That’s impossible.”
Elias stared at the radio.
The voice sounded real.
Too real.
There was breathing between the words.
A slight tremble.
Even the faint echo of footsteps could be heard behind it.
Then the voice changed again.
“Elias?”
His blood went cold.
Noah looked at him.
“What?”
Elias didn’t answer.
The voice continued.
“Please…”
It was Noah’s voice.
Perfectly.
Every tone.
Every hesitation.
Every little imperfection.
Noah slowly stepped backward.
“What the hell…”
Marcus raised his weapon.
“Nobody touches that door.”
The survivors moved away from the tunnel entrance.
The children were taken into a back room.
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
Then the voice changed again.
“Elias.”
This time…
It was his own voice.
He stared at the radio.
The recording repeated his voice exactly as he had spoken earlier.
Keep moving.
I’m fine.
We need to know what happened.
It wasn’t simply copying voices.
It had heard them.
It had remembered them.
And now it was using them.
A loud metallic impact shook the shelter.
Everyone flinched.
Marcus raised his weapon.
“Positions!”
The survivors moved quickly.
Some took cover behind concrete barriers.
Others positioned themselves near the secondary exits.
Elias noticed something immediately.
Marcus had trained them.
This wasn’t the first time they had been attacked.
“How often does this happen?” Elias asked.
Marcus didn’t look at him.
“Often enough.”
Another impact.
The door bent inward.
Someone began crying.
Mara moved toward the children.
“Stay down.”
A third impact.
The hinges screamed.
Then silence.
Marcus waited.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Nothing.
No scratching.
No growling.
No footsteps.
Then—
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Three gentle knocks came from the other side.
A little girl near the back of the room whispered:
“Someone’s there.”
Her mother immediately covered her mouth.
The knocking continued.
Three slow knocks.
Then a familiar voice.
“Marcus.”
Marcus froze.
Elias noticed.
The voice continued.
“You left me.”
Marcus’s face lost all color.
Noah looked at him.
“Who is that?”
Marcus didn’t answer.
The voice came again.
“Marcus…”
A pause.
“You promised you’d come back.”
Marcus slowly lowered his weapon.
Elias grabbed his shoulder.
“Don’t.”
Marcus looked at him.
His eyes were filled with something Elias hadn’t seen before.
Fear.
Not fear of death.
Fear of memory.
“That’s my brother’s voice.”
The room went silent.
Marcus swallowed.
“My brother died three months ago.”
The knocking stopped.
Marcus stared at the door.
Elias stepped in front of him.
“Whatever is outside isn’t your brother.”
“I know.”
“Then stay back.”
Marcus nodded.
But his hands were shaking.
A few seconds passed.
Then something scraped against the metal.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
As if whatever was outside was dragging a claw across the door.
A sound came from the other side.
A whisper.
“Marcus…”
Then silence.
Suddenly—
The emergency lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the shelter.
Someone screamed.
A gunshot erupted somewhere in the darkness.
Then another.
“Who fired?”
“I don’t know!”
“Stop shooting!”
The shelter descended into chaos.
People shouted.
Children cried.
Weapons discharged blindly.
Elias dropped to one knee.
He could barely see.
Then he heard footsteps.
Not outside.
Inside.
Someone was walking behind him.
Slowly.
Elias turned.
Nothing.
The footsteps stopped.
He heard breathing.
Close.
Very close.
Then a voice whispered directly beside his ear.
“Brother.”
Elias spun around.
Nothing.
His heart hammered.
Unit Zero.
But that wasn’t possible.
It was still inside the facility.
Wasn’t it?
The lights suddenly returned.
The shelter went silent.
Everyone looked around.
Nobody was missing.
Nobody was injured.
Except for one thing.
A man stood beside the tunnel entrance.
Elias didn’t recognize him.
Neither did Noah.
Marcus raised his weapon.
“Who are you?”
The stranger slowly turned.
He looked confused.
“I…”
His voice shook.
“I don’t know.”
Marcus immediately aimed at him.
“Don’t move.”
The man raised his hands.
“I was outside.”
“No.”
Marcus’s voice became colder.
“Nobody was outside.”
The stranger looked around.
“I don’t understand.”
Then he saw the survivors.
His expression changed.
“Please.”
“I need help.”
Mara stepped forward.
Elias grabbed her wrist.
“Wait.”
The man looked at Elias.
His eyes widened.
“You…”
He whispered.
“I know you.”
Elias froze.
“From where?”
The man stared at the black marks beneath Elias’s shirt.
“I saw you…”
He struggled to remember.
“On the table.”
Elias’s heart stopped.
“What table?”
The man’s expression became confused.
“The laboratory.”
Subject Nine suddenly stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The man looked at her.
His face changed.
Recognition.
Then fear.
“Nine…”
Subject Nine stepped backward.
“No.”
The man whispered:
“They’re coming.”
The shelter lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the radio activated.
The same woman’s voice returned.
“Thank you.”
Everyone froze.
The voice continued.
“We found you.”
The tunnel door unlocked.
Marcus stared at the control panel.
“I didn’t open it.”
The lock clicked.
Once.
Twice.
Then the heavy door began to open.
Darkness waited beyond it.
And somewhere inside that darkness…
Something laughed.
Marcus raised his weapon.
“Everyone back.”
Nobody argued.
The tunnel door opened another few inches.
Then stopped.
A strange sound came from the darkness.
Breathing.
Slow.
Wet.
Almost human.
Noah moved beside Elias.
“What is that?”
Elias shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
The stranger suddenly collapsed.
Mara rushed toward him.
“He’s unconscious.”
Subject Nine stared at the tunnel.
“Don’t touch him.”
Mara looked back.
“Why?”
“He wasn’t outside.”
“What?”
Subject Nine’s voice trembled.
“He came from inside.”
Everyone looked at the man.
Marcus slowly approached.
The stranger’s clothes were covered in dust and blood.
But there was something else.
A small metal identification tag hung around his neck.
Marcus crouched beside him and turned it over.
His expression changed.
“That’s impossible.”
Elias stepped closer.
“What?”
Marcus showed him the tag.
CHIMERA RESEARCH DIVISION
Below it was a number.
SUBJECT 04
Elias looked toward Subject Nine.
Her face had gone completely white.
“Four…”
She whispered.
“He’s one of us.”
Marcus stared at her.
“You know him?”
“I knew the number.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Subject Nine didn’t answer.
The unconscious man suddenly convulsed.
His fingers curled.
His back arched.
Black veins appeared along his neck.
Mara stepped away.
“Everyone back!”
Elias raised his weapon.
Subject Four’s eyes opened.
They were completely black.
He looked directly at Elias.
Then smiled.
“Found…”
His voice cracked.
“…you.”
The room erupted.
Noah pulled Mara away.
Marcus shouted:
“Get everyone to the rear exit!”
Several survivors grabbed weapons and began moving people away.
Subject Four crawled across the floor.
His movements were wrong.
His joints twisted too far.
His body shook violently as black growths pushed beneath his skin.
Elias fired.
The bullet struck his shoulder.
Subject Four screamed.
But the sound wasn’t human.
It was layered.
Several voices crying out at once.
The radio suddenly activated.
“Stop.”
Everyone froze.
The voice was calm.
Familiar.
Unit Zero.
Elias stared at the radio.
“Why?”
Static answered.
Then:
“Not him.”
Subject Four suddenly stopped moving.
His black eyes looked toward the tunnel.
Something moved in the darkness.
A silhouette.
Tall.
Thin.
Almost human.
Subject Four began trembling.
Not attacking.
Afraid.
Elias realized something.
Whatever was coming…
Even Subject Four feared it.
Marcus shouted:
“Close the door!”
Two survivors rushed toward the control panel.
The door began closing.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
The silhouette stepped forward.
One foot entered the light.
Then another.
Elias saw pale skin.
Long fingers.
A face that looked almost human.
But the mouth was wrong.
Far too wide.
The creature smiled.
Then it spoke.
Using Marcus’s brother’s voice.
“Marcus.”
Marcus froze.
The creature took another step.
“You left me.”
Marcus’s hands tightened around his weapon.
“No…”
Elias grabbed him.
“Don’t listen.”
The creature’s smile widened.
Then it changed voices.
Mara’s voice.
“Help me.”
Noah’s voice.
“Elias!”
Then Subject Nine’s.
“Please don’t leave me.”
Every survivor stepped backward.
The creature wasn’t simply copying voices.
It was choosing voices.
Studying reactions.
Learning what frightened them.
The door finally slammed shut.
The creature disappeared behind the metal.
For several seconds, there was silence.
Then—
Bang.
The door shook.
Everyone jumped.
Bang.
A second impact.
Marcus looked at Elias.
“How strong is that door?”
Elias stared at the reinforced metal.
“Strong enough.”
A third impact.
The door bent inward.
Marcus shook his head.
“Apparently not.”
“There’s another exit,” Marcus said.
Elias looked at him.
“Where?”
“Old service tunnel.”
“Does it lead outside?”
“No.”
Marcus grabbed a map from the wall.
“It leads to an abandoned rail station.”
Noah looked at the map.
“How far?”
“About three kilometers.”
Mara frowned.
“And the tunnel?”
Marcus looked at her.
“Long enough.”
Another impact shook the shelter.
The survivors began moving.
Food.
Water.
Weapons.
Medical supplies.
Everything they could carry.
Elias noticed Marcus checking the people.
Counting.
Making sure nobody was left behind.
This wasn’t just a shelter.
It was a family.
And Marcus was responsible for every person inside it.
That made what happened next even worse.
A young man approached Marcus.
“There’s a problem.”
“What?”
“The eastern passage.”
“What about it?”
“It’s blocked.”
Marcus’s face hardened.
“How?”
The young man swallowed.
“Something is inside.”
Everyone went silent.
Elias slowly looked toward the map.
The shelter had only two exits.
The tunnel they came through…
And the eastern passage.
If both were compromised—
They were trapped.
The radio crackled.
Everyone stopped.
Unit Zero’s voice returned.
“Elias.”
Elias stared at it.
“What do you want?”
Silence.
Then:
“Remember.”
The transmission ended.
Elias felt the black marks beneath his skin pulse.
A sudden image flashed through his mind.
A white room.
A metal table.
Bright lights.
A younger version of himself lying unconscious.
A scientist standing beside him.
And a woman speaking behind a glass wall.
“Subject compatibility is unusually high.”
Another voice answered:
“Then we finally found one.”
The vision disappeared.
Elias staggered.
Noah caught him.
“Elias!”
He looked at Noah.
His breathing was heavy.
“What happened?”
Elias stared at his hands.
“I saw something.”
“What?”
He looked toward Subject Nine.
“I think…”
His voice lowered.
“…I’ve been here before.”
Subject Nine didn’t look surprised.
That terrified him more than anything.
She whispered:
“I was afraid you’d remember.”
Before Elias could ask what she meant—
The eastern passage exploded.
Concrete and dust filled the shelter.
Survivors screamed.
Something moved through the smoke.
Marcus raised his weapon.
“Elias…”
A shadow emerged.
Not Subject Four.
Not the creature from the tunnel.
Something smaller.
Something fast.
Its head tilted toward Elias.
Then it smiled.
And from its mouth came a perfect imitation of his own voice.
“Run.”
The creature disappeared into the smoke.
Elias tightened his grip.
For the first time, he understood the real danger of Project Chimera.
The monsters weren’t simply becoming stronger.
They were becoming better at understanding humans.
And somewhere in the darkness…
Something was learning how to understand him.
I hope you’re enjoying “False Rescue: Project Chimera” so far!
Thank you so much for reading and sticking with the story.
Since this is my first webnovel, every reader means a lot to me—and yes, I’m still figuring out what I’m doing too.
I’d also like to announce the update schedule!
I’ll be aiming to release updates three times a week.
Depending on how much I manage to type—and how much my fingers survive —each update will contain around 2–3 chapters.
I’ll do my best to keep the story moving while making sure each chapter has enough detail, suspense, and mystery.
I may occasionally disappear into the writing cave for a while, but don’t worry… I’m probably just fighting with the next chapter.
Thank you again for reading, supporting, and joining me on this journey.
I hope you’ll continue following Elias as the mystery behind Project Chimera slowly unfolds.
And remember… If something in this story seems suspicious, it probably is.
See you in the next update!