Chapter 60
The Ascent into Uncertainty
The stairwell was narrow, the air thick with the scent of rust and decay. The dim emergency light flickered above, casting eerie shadows on the cracked concrete walls. Elena kept her gun raised as she ascended, her pulse pounding in her ears.
Whatever was down in that tunnel wasn’t normal.
Mateo climbed just behind her, his breathing steady but alert. Naomi, Amira, and Richard followed, their footsteps echoing in the confined space. They needed to get out—fast.
Richard glanced over his shoulder. “Are we not gonna talk about what the hell that thing was?”
“Not right now,” Amira muttered. “Just keep moving.”
The stairwell stretched higher than expected. Each step creaked under their weight, threatening to collapse from years of neglect. They had no idea where it led—but anything was better than staying in that tunnel.
Jordan’s voice crackled through their earpieces. “You guys need to move faster. Vincent’s men are sweeping the area above the quarry. If you pop out in the wrong place, you’re dead.”
Naomi sighed. “That’s reassuring.”
Mateo pressed forward, his voice low. “We don’t have time to be cautious. Pick up the pace.”
Elena pushed forward, leading the way as the staircase twisted sharply to the right. Then she stopped.
A door stood in front of them. Old. Rusted. Heavy bolts ran across its frame, but it was slightly ajar—like someone had left it open on purpose.
Amira frowned. “That’s… not a good sign.”
Richard swallowed hard. “We’re really gonna go through that?”
Elena nodded. “We don’t have a choice.”
Mateo stepped forward, gripping the edge of the door and pulling it open with a slow groan. Beyond it was darkness.
Naomi switched on her flashlight. They weren’t alone.
A long-abandoned control room stretched before them. The walls were lined with old monitors, cracked keyboards, and rusted metal chairs. Papers were scattered across the floor, their edges curled from moisture.
Something about the room felt… off. Like someone had just been here.
Richard shivered. “I hate this place.”
Elena scanned the room. “Look for another exit.”
Mateo moved toward the back, checking a row of lockers. Naomi rifled through a stack of papers on the desk.
Then—
BANG.
The metal door behind them slammed shut.
The team spun around, weapons raised.
Richard rushed to the door, yanking at the handle. “It’s locked!”
A slow, rhythmic sound filled the room.
Click. Click. Click.
It was coming from the hallway beyond the glass window. Footsteps.
Elena’s grip tightened on her gun. “Someone’s here.”
Naomi cursed. “Or something.”
The footsteps stopped. Silence pressed in from all sides.
Then—a whisper.
Low. Hissing.
Mateo’s eyes darted to the hallway. “Tell me you heard that.”
Before anyone could respond, the emergency lights flickered off.
Total darkness.
A mechanical hum vibrated through the floor. The monitors on the walls flickered to life, displaying grainy surveillance footage of the tunnel they had just escaped from.
And standing in the middle of the tunnel was a tall, shadowed figure.
Elena’s breath caught. It wasn’t human.
The monitors crackled. A distorted voice—deep and fractured—spoke through the speakers.
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
The screen glitched, showing flashes of symbols and static. Then—
The door at the back of the room burst open.
Naomi was the first to react, pulling Elena with her as they sprinted toward the opening. Amira fired a shot into the darkness behind them, her rifle’s muzzle flash momentarily lighting up the room.
Something moved in the shadows.
They didn’t stop to look.
Elena led the charge into the new corridor, sprinting down the metal walkway. The sound of clanging footsteps followed them. Something was chasing them.
Mateo grabbed Richard’s arm, forcing him to keep running. “Move!”
The hallway led to another staircase, this one leading upward. Jordan’s voice broke through the earpiece, urgent. “You’re close! There should be a hatch at the top—go!”
They scrambled up the steps, two at a time. The sound behind them grew louder. Closer.
Amira reached the hatch first, gripping the rusted handle and twisting with all her strength. It wouldn’t budge.
“Help me!” she shouted.
Mateo and Richard jumped in, yanking at the hatch. It was stuck.
The whispering sound grew deafening.
Elena turned, her heart hammering. Something was in the corridor.
For the first time in her life, she felt genuine fear.
Then—
BANG.
The hatch gave way.
Bright light flooded the stairwell as fresh air poured in. Mateo shoved Richard through first, followed by Naomi and Amira.
Elena was last.
Just as she pulled herself through, a cold hand brushed her ankle.
She kicked hard, scrambling onto solid ground as Mateo slammed the hatch shut.
For a moment, they all lay there, panting.
Then Elena sat up.
They were on a gravel lot, the abandoned quarry stretching before them. In the distance, Vincent’s men were patrolling with flashlights.
Naomi cursed. “Great. Out of the fire and into the inferno.”
Elena inhaled sharply, steadying herself. Whatever was in that tunnel wasn’t done with them.
And neither was Vincent.
