The sound of scraping metal echoed through the vents.
Something was moving. Fast. Erratic.
Ethan's muscles tensed. The vents were too tight—they had nowhere to run.
Blaze growled low in his throat, ears pinned back. Shadow's tail flicked, her golden eyes locked on the darkness ahead.
Noah swore under his breath. "Tell me that's just the vent settling."
Valerie shot him a glare. "Does that sound like settling to you?"
The answer came in the form of a guttural hiss.
Ethan's breath caught.
It was in front of them.
The Crawling Horror
The metal beneath their hands vibrated as the thing slithered closer.
The air grew colder. The whispering turned into a low, clicking sound, like something with too many joints shifting into place.
Then they saw it.
A shape unfurled in the darkness ahead.
It wasn't like the monster from before—it was smaller, but that didn't make it any less terrifying.
Thin. Twisted. Elongated limbs that bent in ways they shouldn't.
Its head tilted unnaturally, sensing them. Smelling them.
Then it charged.
A Desperate Plan
"BACK!" Ethan shouted.
They scrambled in reverse, their bodies slamming against the metal walls.
The creature lunged—a skeletal hand shooting out, claws scraping inches from Valerie's leg.
Noah kicked at the thing's face, but its head snapped to the side unnaturally, twisting like a broken doll.
"THAT IS NOT OKAY," Noah wheezed.
Valerie grabbed her gun and fired.
BANG.
The shot ripped through the creature's chest.
For a moment, it froze.
Then, it shrieked.
Not in pain.
In anger.
It clawed at the vent walls, its body convulsing as it kept pushing forward.
Ethan's mind raced. They couldn't keep going back—the larger monster was still in the lab.
They were trapped.
Unless—
His eyes darted to the left. A grated opening.
It was small. Too small.
But it was their only chance.
"This way!" he barked.
No time to hesitate.
Ethan rammed his shoulder into the grate.
It buckled.
A second slam, and it snapped open.
"Go, go, go!"
Olivia dove through first, then Valerie, then Noah. Blaze leapt, Shadow slithered past.
Ethan was halfway through when—
The creature grabbed his ankle.
The Grip of Death
A spike of pain shot up his leg as clawed fingers dug into his skin.
The thing's grip was cold. Wrong. Like it was pulling more than just flesh—like it was draining him.
Ethan kicked wildly, panic surging.
Then—Blaze bit down.
A sharp yelp—the creature recoiled, loosening its grip just enough.
Ethan wrenched free, tumbling through the opening as Valerie and Noah grabbed him, yanking him into the next shaft.
The moment he was clear, Shadow pounced, slashing at the creature's reaching hand.
Ethan gasped for breath. His leg burned, the skin around his ankle turning gray for a split second before fading back.
He didn't want to know what would've happened if Blaze hadn't acted.
They didn't wait.
They ran.
Another Dead End?
The vent sloped downward, the metal beneath them giving way to something else—stone.
They hit the ground hard, tumbling out into what looked like an abandoned underground tunnel.
Moss-covered walls. Flickering old lights. A faint, damp breeze.
Valerie groaned, pushing herself up. "Where… the hell are we?"
Ethan glanced back. The vent opening was dark. Silent.
The creature hadn't followed.
Not yet.
Noah exhaled sharply. "Okay. New rule. No more tight spaces. Ever."
Blaze wagged his tail tiredly, as if agreeing. Shadow flicked her tail, unamused.
Olivia scanned their surroundings. "This place looks ancient."
Ethan frowned. "Maybe it's connected to the lab. Some kind of old escape route?"
Valerie was already moving, checking the walls. "If it leads to the surface, we take it."
Noah hesitated. "And if it leads to something worse?"
Silence.
They all knew the answer.
They had no other choice.
Ethan took a deep breath. "Then we survive."
And they pressed on.