The hollow city never truly slept. Even when the lights flickered off and the streets emptied, there was always movement—something shifting in the fog, footsteps in alleys where no one should walk, faint murmurs that seemed to bleed from the walls themselves. Ethan had begun to recognize those murmurs. Not with comprehension, not yet, but with instinct. They were calls, perhaps warnings, perhaps invitations, echoing across every shadowed corner.
He adjusted the strap of his backpack as he and Selene descended the rusted stairwell into the subway. The city's underground had been shut down for years, but the old stations still existed—gutted, abandoned, and crawling with rumors.
"Why here?" Ethan asked, his voice breaking the silence.
Selene's blue eyes glimmered under the dim beam of her flashlight. "Because this is where the map leads. The crimson mark." She reached into her coat pocket and unfolded the ancient scrap of paper they'd found the night before—charred at the edges, the ink smeared with age. A thin crimson line stretched across it, pointing to a spot labeled Station D4.
Ethan shivered as a gust of cold air rushed up the stairwell. "This doesn't feel like a place people should be going. I mean, you hear the stories. People vanish down here."
Selene tilted her head, a soft smile touching her lips despite the tension. "People vanish everywhere in this city."
He tried to laugh, but the sound died quickly in the stale air. He followed her, step by step, as the walls grew damp and the faint smell of rot spread through the corridor.
The station opened before them, a cavern of broken concrete and collapsed ceilings. Graffiti smeared every surface, some of it nonsense, some of it symbols Ethan had seen carved into alley walls—the same crooked mouths, jagged eyes, and swirling spirals.
Selene crouched, running her fingers across one of the painted spirals. Her expression darkened. "These aren't random. They're not just graffiti. They're messages. And whoever—or whatever—wrote them knew we'd be here."
Ethan's stomach tightened. "So you're saying…"
She stood slowly, brushing dust off her knees. "I'm saying we're being watched."
The silence that followed was heavy. Ethan scanned the shadows, every flicker of movement making his pulse spike. Then came the whisper.
It wasn't from Selene. It wasn't from him.
It came from the tunnel beyond.
"…come… closer…"
Ethan froze, his breath catching. The whisper carried like a draft, threading through the station, brushing against his ears.
"Did you hear that?" he whispered.
Selene nodded. She didn't look surprised.
They moved toward the tunnel. Their flashlights cut through the dark, beams bouncing off tiled walls that had long since cracked and peeled. The whisper came again, louder, more insistent.
"…you… shouldn't… be here…"
The sound didn't come from a single place. It slithered around them, as if the tunnels themselves were speaking. Ethan gripped his flashlight tighter, heart hammering in his chest.
"Maybe we should turn back," he said.
Selene's expression hardened. "No. We've come too far."
Her determination steadied him—just enough to take another step. And another.
That was when they found the chair.
It sat in the center of the tunnel, perfectly upright, untouched by dust or rot. A wooden chair, painted red, its surface gleaming as though it had been placed there only moments ago.
"What the hell…" Ethan whispered.
Selene approached, her flashlight grazing across the surface. "It's not just a chair. Look."
On the seat lay a ribbon. Crimson. Identical to the one Ethan had discovered days ago.
The same ribbon that had changed everything.
He reached out, hesitating before touching it. "Why would someone leave this here?"
Selene's voice softened. "Because they want you to find it."
The air shifted—colder now, oppressive. Ethan's fingers brushed the ribbon. The instant he touched it, the whispers roared.
"…he's found it… he's found it… he's found it…"
The sound blasted through his skull, voices upon voices overlapping, screaming and laughing and crying all at once. He staggered back, clutching his head, the flashlight clattering to the floor.
Selene grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "Ethan! Stay with me!"
He gasped, the cacophony still burning inside his mind. When he opened his eyes, he saw them.
Figures.
Dozens of them, standing at the edges of the tunnel. Pale, faceless shapes, their mouths wide open, glowing faintly with sickly light. They stood still, watching, their heads tilting in unison.
Ethan's voice broke. "Selene… they're real."
She turned, her breath catching at the sight. For a moment, even she seemed shaken. Then she pulled him up, gripping his hand tightly. "Run."
They ran. The tunnel stretched endlessly, the faceless figures gliding silently behind them. Ethan's lungs burned, his grip on Selene the only thing keeping him from collapsing.
"Where are we going?" he shouted.
"Anywhere but here!" she yelled back.
They turned a corner, stumbling into a wider chamber. It looked like an old maintenance hub, rusted pipes jutting from the walls, pools of stagnant water covering the floor. Selene shoved the heavy door shut behind them, the slam echoing like thunder.
The whispers dimmed. The figures did not follow. Not yet.
Ethan collapsed against the wall, gasping for air. His hands trembled as he held the crimson ribbon.
Selene crouched in front of him, brushing damp strands of hair from his forehead. "You did well. You're still here."
His laugh was bitter, broken. "Barely. What the hell are those things?"
Her eyes darkened. "They're the Hollow. The city's ghosts… the ones it swallowed. And they want you because you can hear them."
Ethan's stomach dropped. "Me? Why me?"
"Because you're not just seeing this city," she said softly. "You're part of it now."
The words chilled him more than the whispers ever could.
Suddenly, a sound echoed through the chamber—a low creak. Ethan snapped his head toward it.
The pipes along the wall were shifting. Slowly, impossibly, bending toward them like metal serpents. Rust cracked and water gushed as the pipes writhed, forming jagged shapes.
One of them split open, revealing not water, but teeth. Rows of teeth, gnashing in the dim light.
Ethan scrambled back, his heart slamming against his ribs. "What the—"
Selene grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet again. "We can't stay here. Move!"
The pipes screamed, metal screeching against concrete as the chamber twisted alive. The floor trembled, water rippling as shadows thickened.
They ran again, plunging deeper into the underground, the chamber collapsing behind them.
As they stumbled through another tunnel, Ethan turned to Selene, his voice ragged. "This city… it's alive."
Her answer was little more than a whisper. "It always has been."
And ahead, in the suffocating dark, a faint red glow began to appear—flickering like firelight, calling them forward.
✨ What do you think will happen next? Leave your thoughts below!