The ruin's chamber grew colder as night bled into the forest outside. The shadows clung to the walls, restless but unmoving, like smoke waiting for wind. The crew set up camp in the cracked hall above the pedestal, their lanterns flickering weakly against the dark.
None of them spoke much. Every sound seemed too loud. Even the crackle of Hayes' portable burner echoed strangely in the vast stone chamber.
Daniel sat apart from the others, back pressed to the wall, the crystal still glowing faintly in his chest. He could feel the forest beyond—an endless watch, an unblinking gaze.
Marquez finally broke the silence. "They're waiting. The shadows. They're not random. They're… circling us."
Okafor's hands tightened around his rifle. "Let them circle. First thing tomorrow, we march back to the ship."
Hayes nodded, though his expression was grim. "We'll take shifts tonight. No one sleeps unguarded."
---
Whispers in the Dark
The night stretched. The forest beyond the ruin whispered with life—branches creaking, roots groaning, faint clicks and hums like bones being ground to dust.
Then came the noises. Low at first, almost too faint to notice. A rasp, like breath against glass. Then another. Soon, the chamber filled with them—dozens of breaths in unison.
Okafor cursed under his breath. "They're here."
The crew formed a circle, weapons ready, lanterns angled outward.
At midnight, the shadows arrived.
They did not rush. They slid. Shapes detached from the walls, stretching taller, sharper. Eyes opened—hundreds of them, yellow and lidless, glowing faintly in the dark.
One stepped forward, its body shaped like a man, but wrong—limbs too long, joints bending both ways, its head cocked unnaturally to the side.
It hissed, a sound like tearing fabric, and the others echoed it in a chorus that rattled the stone.
---
The First Encounter
Hayes fired first. The rifle's crack split the night, the bullet tearing through the creature's chest. But instead of falling, the shadow convulsed—and split into two.
Daniel's pulse hammered as the crystal in his chest ignited, light bursting outward. The shadows recoiled, their hisses rising in pitch. For the first time, they hesitated.
"Daniel—hold that light steady!" Hayes barked.
"I—I'm trying!"
The glow surged, washing over the chamber, forcing the shadows back toward the forest's edge. They writhed and screeched, but did not leave. They only circled, testing the edges of the light, waiting for it to falter.
The crew held their ground until exhaustion crept in. The shadows did not attack again, but neither did they vanish. They lingered until dawn.
---
Morning After
The first rays of day seeped weakly through the broken crown of the ruin. The shadows dissolved into mist, fading back into the forest.
The crew staggered out into the clearing, relief mixing with dread.
But the relief didn't last.
Beyond the treeline, where their ship had been docked hours before, lay wreckage. The sleek hull was torn open, its frame bent like a toy crushed in an unseen hand. Smoke still curled from the shattered engines.
Okafor dropped to his knees. "No… no, no, no. That's our way out!"
Marquez covered her mouth, eyes wide. "We're trapped."
Hayes stared at the wreck, his jaw clenched tight. "Not trapped." His gaze drifted back to the ruin, to the pedestal, to the glowing crystal pulsing in Daniel's chest.
"We were brought here."
And in the silence that followed, the forest whispered again.