Nova still eyed Logan with suspicion. She wanted to ask more, to understand what had really happened to him. But before she could open her mouth—
TAP… TAP… TAP…
Footsteps echoed from inside the bunker.
Everyone froze.
It wasn't the creature that had chased them earlier. This was… softer, more regular.
Like someone walking slowly.
Axel tightened his grip on the knife. "There's someone else in there…"
Carter swallowed hard. "No… no way. No one could survive in that place."
TAP… TAP…
Nova turned, shining her flashlight into the still-open bunker door.
Only darkness inside.
No shadows. No human figures.
But the footsteps continued.
Axel stepped closer, trying to peer inside. His breathing was heavy. "Whoever it is… they don't want us to leave."
Logan shivered. "We have to close this door now."
Nova hesitated. If someone was inside, closing the door meant locking them in forever. But… was it really someone?
Or something?
TAP… TAP…
The footsteps grew closer.
Carter backed away in fear. "Just close it! I don't care who it is!"
Nova looked at Axel. "What if it's someone still alive?"
Axel didn't answer immediately. He was also unsure. But then something happened.
The sound stopped.
Silence.
Then—
THUMP!
The bunker door shook.
THUMP! THUMP!
As if someone was standing right inside, trying to get out.
Carter screamed. "Close the door! Now!"
Without thinking, Logan and Axel pushed the iron door with all their might. The hinges creaked, rusty and heavy. Nova joined in, feeling a strong pressure from behind the door, as if something was trying to hold them back.
With all their strength—CRACK!—the door finally slammed shut.
Axel quickly locked the lever.
Silence again.
Nova held her breath. They all stood frozen, listening.
No sound.
Only the sound of their own breathing.
Carter leaned against the door, his body limp. "Oh my god… what was that?"
Axel shook his head. "I don't know."
THUMP!
THUMP! THUMP!
The bunker door shook again, harder than before. Nova, Axel, Carter, and Logan froze. Their hearts pounded, fear paralyzing them.
"What the hell is that?" Carter whispered, trembling. "Who's in there?"
Or… what's in there?
Axel pressed his body against the door, his ear to the cold surface. No sound. No footsteps. No whispers.
Only a suffocating silence.
SREEET…
A faint dragging sound echoed from behind the door.
Like something slowly moving away.
Nova held her breath. Her fingers gripped the pocket knife tightly. Something was in there, that was clear. But was it human? Or something else?
Axel finally stepped back, looking at Nova and Logan. "Looks like it's gone."
"For now," Logan murmured, his voice hoarse. "But we can't stay here too long."
Nova agreed. Something was wrong with this place. This bunker wasn't just a shelter from storms or disasters. It was… something darker.
She looked at Axel. "We need to find a way off this island. Whatever happened here, I'm sure the answers are inside that bunker."
Axel nodded. "I think so too. But how? We just locked something in there."
Nova bit her lip. If they opened the door again, they might face whatever they had just locked away. But if they didn't… they would never know the truth about this island.
"Listen," Logan said softly. "I don't know if this is a good idea, but… we have to go in."
Carter's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? We almost died because of that! Do you want to kill yourself?"
"But it's the only way!" Logan retorted. "If we don't find out, we'll never get out of here!"
Nova swallowed hard. She looked at Axel, seeking his approval. The man paused, then finally nodded. "Alright. But we have to be careful."
Carter sighed in frustration, but he knew he couldn't argue with the decision.
Carefully, Axel unlocked the bunker door lever.
KREAK!
Metal screeched, a deafening sound in the silence.
The door slowly opened, revealing the pitch black inside.
Nova raised her flashlight, illuminating the bunker's interior. Damp air greeted them, along with the smell of metal and something more rotten—like long-decayed carrion.
She swallowed hard. "Be careful."
One by one, they stepped inside.
A long, spiral staircase led down into the ground. The walls were made of old concrete, cracked in places.
Their footsteps echoed through the narrow, suffocating corridor.
Nova could feel the air growing colder as they went deeper. Every breath felt heavy, every second felt like forever.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found a long corridor with several iron doors on either side.
All the doors… were locked.
Nova approached one of the doors and peered through a small crack.
Darkness.
But when she shone the flashlight, her eyes widened.
There was an old iron bed… with chains still attached to its sides.
And on the floor, there were scratch marks—like someone had tried to get out… forcefully.
Nova stepped back, breathless. "This isn't just a bunker. It's… an experimental site."
Axel scanned the surroundings, then his eyes fell on something at the end of the corridor. "Look at that."
They followed his gaze and found a large room with thick glass walls.
Nova walked closer and looked inside.
Inside the room, there was an iron chair with restraints on its arms. Several medical tools lay scattered on a table.
And on the wall, there were yellowed photos—images of humans with emaciated bodies, empty eyes, some with wounds all over their bodies.
Nova shuddered.
Carter covered his mouth. "Oh my god… what were they doing here?"
No one could answer.
Axel opened a drawer in the room and found a stack of old documents. He picked one up and read the writing on it.
"Experiment Subject #015: Reaction to genetic mutation successful. However, side effects remain unstable. Subject shows increased aggression and loss of human reasoning."
Nova felt her body grow colder. "They… they were experimenting on humans?"
Axel nodded. "It seems so."
Logan suddenly pointed to something on the table. An old video cassette. "Look at this."
Nova picked it up and read the label on the cassette.
"Subject #007 – Final Transformation"
Without thinking, they looked for a cassette player in the room. Luckily, they found one.
Axel inserted the cassette and pressed PLAY.
The old monitor in the corner of the room flickered to life, showing a black and white recording.
A blurry image appeared—showing a man strapped to an iron chair, his body covered in wounds.
A scientist, wearing a lab coat, stood beside him.
"The final stage of the experiment begins," the scientist's voice echoed from the speaker. "We will see if the mutation can be controlled."
The strapped man began to writhe. His breathing was heavy. He looked terrified.
Suddenly, his body began to convulse. He screamed in pain.
And then…
CRACK!
His bones snapped with a horrifying sound. His body twisted, his face elongated, his skin turned pale gray.
Then, he raised his face to the camera.
His eyes… were completely black.
His mouth opened, revealing sharp teeth.
Then, with one motion, he tore through the restraints on his arms and lunged at the scientist beside him.
The recording shook.
Screams filled the room.
Blood splattered on the camera lens.
Then… the screen suddenly went dark.
Silence.
Carter sat down weakly. "What… what did we just see?"
Nova swallowed hard. "They… they created monsters."
Axel stared at the blank screen with a tense expression. "And maybe… they're still here."
TAP… TAP… TAP…
Footsteps echoed again from the corridor behind them.
Nova turned around, shining her flashlight.
Only darkness.
No one.
But the sound grew closer.
TAP… TAP…
They held their breath.
Then, a faint voice came from the darkness.
"I see you…"
Nova's heart stopped.