We walked in silence.
Wallace's weight dragged against me.
He was heavier than he looked. Not just because of his body, but because of what it meant.
One of us was gone.
And we couldn't even stop to grieve.
The cavern stretched endlessly, damp air thick with the stench of decay. Water dripped from the ceiling, the sound unnervingly loud in the quiet.
No one spoke.
No jokes. No bickering.
Just the sound of our footsteps.
And Wallace's limp body, still cold in my arms.
I didn't know how long we walked before Julien whispered, "I hear something."
We all stopped.
A low rumble echoed ahead.
Not the ground shifting. Not water dripping.
Breathing.
Something was waiting for us.
And then—
A growl.
Deep. Hungry.
Predator.
Julien tensed. "That's—"
Something moved in the shadows.
Massive.
Crouched low.
Eyes gleaming in the dark.
I barely had time to react before it lunged.
A beast of shifting shadows, limbs contorted unnaturally, hungry.
