Darkness. Only her own ragged breathing filled the silence.
Ava's hands trembled as she pressed her back against the damp wall. Her pulse thundered in her ears, louder than the dripping water, louder than the distant hum of broken machinery.
Then—footsteps. Not hers. Heavy. Uneven. The creature.
"Move, Ava, move!" she hissed to herself, forcing her body to obey.
She staggered forward blindly, one hand trailing along the rough wall to guide her. The floor was slick; she nearly slipped more than once. Behind her, the growl deepened, closer now, vibrating through her bones.
Her chest burned. Her vision blurred. I'm going to die here.
A hand grabbed her wrist.
She screamed, thrashing wildly—until a whisper cut through the dark.
"Quiet!"
It was the boy. Arlo. His eyes glinted faintly in the dim light of his cracked flashlight. He yanked her into a side passage just as the silhouette lurched past the corridor they had been in. Ava clamped a hand over her mouth, her lungs straining to keep her gasps silent.
The creature paused. Sniffed the air. Its distorted shadow stretched across the wall. For a terrifying moment, Ava thought it would turn its head and find them crouched there.
But it didn't. It moved on, its guttural growls echoing into the distance until only silence remained.
Ava collapsed against the wall, tears pricking her eyes.
"What the hell was that?" she whispered, her voice breaking.
Arlo didn't answer right away. His gaze was sharp but unreadable, like he knew something he wasn't ready to say. Finally, he muttered, "Not human."
Ava shook her head. "No, no, that's impossible. Things like that don't exist."
Arlo's jaw clenched. "Then explain why we're here."
He stood, brushing the dust off his jeans, and walked further into the passage. Ava, still trembling, followed because the alternative—being alone in this nightmare—was worse.
The passage twisted until they reached a half-open steel door. Faint light seeped from inside, flickering red and white. They slipped in and froze.
The room was lined with broken monitors, shattered glass, and rusted lab equipment. Red markings covered the walls—X's, arrows, and strange symbols scrawled in what looked like dried blood.
"This isn't just an abandoned place…" Ava whispered.
Arlo crouched beside one of the consoles, brushing dust from a cracked screen. For a moment, lines of static glowed, then flickered into fragments of text: EXPERIMENT FAILED. CONTAINMENT BREACHED.
Ava's stomach dropped.
A loud shriek echoed from the hall they'd just left. Louder this time. Closer.
"Run," Arlo said sharply, grabbing her hand.
They bolted out of the room, down a corridor lit by flickering emergency strobes. Ahead stood another steel door with a broken keypad, faintly glowing.
Arlo punched at the buttons—error beeps blared. Ava, panicked, blurted, "Try 1423!"
Arlo hesitated but pressed the sequence. The keypad screeched, then clicked. The heavy door slid open with a metallic groan.
They stumbled through just as the creature's clawed hand swiped the doorway behind them. The door slammed shut.
Ava barely had time to breathe before the floor beneath them tilted violently.
"Arlo!" she screamed, as the ground gave way.
They were sliding—down a dark chute, metal scraping, their screams echoing into the unknown.
Then—impact.
Everything went black again.