Invaders from the Singularity

It was a typical Friday night when my friends and I decided to explore the abandoned ruins of the old Wright mansion at the edge of town. We had heard the stories—ghosts, curses, and a family that mysteriously vanished decades ago—but the thrill of adventure pulled us in like a moth to a flame. Armed with flashlights, snacks, and a handful of bravado, we crept through the broken gate.

The moon hung low in the sky, casting eerie shadows across the overgrown lawn. “It looks like something out of a horror movie,” Sam whispered, eyes wide with excitement and fear. I rolled my eyes, trying to maintain an air of confidence. “It’s just an old house. We’re not scared of ghosts.” But deep down, I felt a shiver of unease creep up my spine.

Inside, the air was thick with dust and the musty scent of decay. The floorboards creaked under our weight as we ventured further into the heart of the mansion. “Look at this place!” Jenna exclaimed, her voice echoing through the empty halls. “It’s like a time capsule!” We wandered from room to room, discovering shattered furniture, tattered curtains, and strange, warped paintings that seemed to watch us with empty eyes.

Then we found it—the artifact. It sat in the center of what once must have been a grand parlor, draped in cobwebs. A strange, metallic sphere, pulsating with a soft blue glow. As we approached it, I felt a strange pull, like an invisible thread wrapping around my mind. “Should we touch it?” I asked hesitantly, glancing at my friends. 

“Of course! What’s the worst that could happen?” Sam laughed, rolling his eyes. The rest of us exchanged nervous glances, but curiosity won out. One by one, we reached out to the sphere. The moment our fingers brushed against its surface, a surge of energy shot through me. The world around us flickered, as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling.

The atmosphere changed instantly. The air became charged with a strange energy, and shadows danced along the walls, twisting into grotesque shapes. I looked around, panic rising in my throat. “What did we just do?”

“Maybe we should go,” Jenna suggested, her voice trembling. But it was too late. The room began to warp and distort, walls bending in on themselves, stretching out like taffy. I grabbed Jenna's hand, pulling her back as the floor trembled beneath us.

Then, everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes, we were no longer in the mansion. Instead, we stood in a vast, featureless void, surrounded by flickering lights and swirling colors. The sensation of weightlessness disoriented me, and I felt as if we were being pulled in multiple directions at once. “What is happening?” I shouted, my voice lost in the cacophony of strange sounds echoing around us.

Suddenly, figures began to emerge from the shadows. They weren’t quite human, yet they bore familiar features. Their skin glowed with the same blue light as the sphere, and their eyes were hollow voids. “Welcome, travelers,” one of them spoke, its voice a dissonant chorus that echoed in my mind.

“What do you want?” I managed to ask, fear tightening my throat.

“You have awakened us,” the figure replied. “We exist beyond the fabric of your reality. We have been waiting for centuries.”

Panic surged through me. “This is all a mistake! We didn’t mean to disturb you!” But my pleas fell on deaf ears as the beings surrounded us, their presence overwhelming and suffocating. “You are now part of us,” they chanted, and I felt a coldness seep into my bones.

As they reached out to touch us, I suddenly realized with horror that they were not here to harm us. They were here to absorb us, to pull us into their existence. I could feel my essence slipping away, merging with the strange energy around us. I screamed, but it was like screaming into a void—no one would hear.

Just when I thought it was over, a blinding flash enveloped me. And then, silence.

I opened my eyes again, back in the mansion, my friends standing around me, dazed but unharmed. “What just happened?” Sam whispered, looking as confused as I felt. The sphere was gone, leaving only a faint glow behind. 

Jenna shook her head. “Did we dream that?”

But as I looked at my reflection in a cracked mirror, a chill settled in my heart. My eyes glowed faintly blue. I touched my face, realizing that I could feel every moment of that otherworldly encounter creeping back into my mind. The knowledge of what we had become gnawed at me, twisting my thoughts.

“Guys,” I said slowly, my voice trembling, “I think we might not be ourselves anymore.” 

And as they turned to me, their own eyes beginning to glimmer with that eerie light, I understood. We had become more than human; we were now the very invaders we had once feared.