The sound was growing louder.
A low, dragging scrape, like something heavy being pulled across stone, echoed off the walls and slithered along the narrow corridor like smoke.
Subject 24238 held his breath, every muscle in his body tightening. His mind, however, was racing, fast, sharp, and increasingly frantic.
Run.
That was the first thought. The most natural one. His heart screamed it, thudding wildly in his chest. Run, now, before it arrives. But as his eyes darted around the room, searching for any semblance of a path, he saw nothing but unbroken wall and jagged stone. No doors, no passageways, not even a crack in the concrete big enough to squeeze through.
Running was impossible.
He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way his throat stuck.
Hide, then. That was the next best thing. Riskier, yes, but not impossible.
If he could find a decent shadow to slip into, some gap behind a fallen beam or a recess in the wall, maybe he could disappear. But it would have to be the perfect spot. And even if he managed to stay unseen, there were too many ifs. If the creature didn't smell him.
If it didn't hear his panicked breathing. If it didn't decide to curl up for a nap right where he was crouching, shivering in silence.
Too many ifs.
The third option slithered into his thoughts like a snake.
Fight.
Subject 24238's hands curled slowly into fists at the idea. Could he? Could he actually fight whatever was making that noise? He didn't even know what it looked like, only that the sound of its approach made his bones feel cold and his skin crawl. What if it was stronger, faster, something with claws or fangs or worse?
Still, better to face it than die cowering.
The scraping grew louder, closer now. Every inch of the walls seemed to tremble with the sound.
No. He couldn't risk it. Not yet. Hiding was still the better option, even with its risks.
But if hiding failed, if he was found, then he'd have to be ready. He'd have to fight, and for that, he needed a weapon.
He turned, eyes scanning the floor, the walls, anywhere something useful might be discarded. A splintered pipe. A length of chain. Even a sharp rock would do. Anything was better than bare fists against whatever monstrosity was coming.
His gaze landed on a jagged boulder wedged at the base of the wall. It jutted out at an odd angle, slightly darker than the stones around it. With quick, careful steps, he moved toward it, lowering his body, reaching to see if anything was hidden behind it
And then a hand shot out and grabbed him.
Subject 24238 nearly let out a shout. Every instinct screamed at him to jerk away, to hurl himself backward and cry out, but he didn't. His voice caught in his throat, and he froze, eyes wide, heart hammering against his ribs.
The grip tightened slightly, urgent but not painful, and he turned his head slowly, carefully.
A face stared back at him from the shadows beneath the stone. Pale, grimy, hollow-eyed, but unmistakably human.
Subject 20201.
One of the others. One of the three who'd been called, like him.
He blinked, momentarily stunned, the chaos in his mind quieting just for a breath.
"You trying to get us both killed?" Subject 20201 hissed, his voice sharp and frantic, barely more than a whisper. His grip on Subject 24238's arm tightened. "Get in here now! And for the love of whatever gods are listening, don't make a sound!"
Subject 24238 didn't argue. He nodded quickly, heart pounding in his throat, and ducked into the narrow gap behind the boulder. The space was tighter than it looked, forcing them shoulder to shoulder, every breath shared, every twitch of muscle painfully noticeable.
"Listen to me," 20201 murmured, his mouth barely moving. "It's nearly blind. Can't smell either, thank the stars. But it can feel. Seismic sense. Vibrations. The tiniest movement, the faintest shift in weight, it knows."
Subject 24238 swallowed hard, trying not to even nod this time. He held himself still, as still as stone, pressing into the cold rock as if to merge with it.
Then the sound came.
Heavy, grating breathing. It scraped against the air like a rusted saw, rough and unnatural. The creature had entered the cave.
The noise of it was worse than any image his mind could conjure. Its breaths were uneven but rhythmic, low and guttural, as though dragging themselves through gravel. It exhaled with a growl and inhaled with a choking snarl, each breath a threat.
Subject 24238 tried to picture it, tried to imagine what sort of thing could make that sound, but his imagination failed him. He didn't want to know. Some part of him, some ancient, animal part, knew instinctively that seeing it might break him.
The creature moved deeper into the cave.
They could hear it stepping, slow, ponderous, but deliberate. A shuffling sound, like something dragging limbs too large for its body. Once, something scraped against the wall with a metallic clang, and both men tensed, hardly daring to blink.
It was close. Far too close.
Subject 20201's eyes met his. Wide. Shining with fear. They didn't speak. They didn't breathe. Only stared at one another, united in silent, desperate prayer.
Minutes passed, or perhaps only seconds, but they stretched like hours.
Then the breathing began to fade.
It was turning. The shuffling steps moved toward the entrance again. Each breath grew fainter, each step softer. It was leaving. It was really leaving.
Subject 24238 almost sagged in relief. His lungs screamed for a full breath, his muscles ached from the strain of stillness. But he didn't move. Not yet. Just a little longer and…
A speck darted past his cheek. He felt it before he saw it, a tiny breeze of movement, a tickle on the skin.
Then, without warning, the fly shot up his nostril.
It was as if lightning struck his sinuses. The wings fluttered madly inside, scraping against the delicate lining, sending jolts of panic through his skull. His nose twitched uncontrollably, eyes watering instantly, and a terrible, itchy pressure built behind his face.
He clenched his teeth. He tried, truly tried, to hold it back.
But it was no use.
The cough erupted, loud, sharp, and utterly unforgivable in the cavern's silence.
Everything froze.