The footsteps of the armed figures echoed through the narrow corridors of the underground city, their rhythmic cadence a sinister drumbeat that reverberated in the depths of Ava's mind. Each step seemed to grow louder, more menacing, as if the very stones beneath their feet trembled in fear. Ava pressed herself against the cold, crumbling wall, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The dampness clung to her skin, a stark reminder of the suffocating grip this place held over them. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to flee, to abandon this cursed city and the secrets it harbored, yet she was rooted to the spot, her heart torn between survival and the gnawing suspicion that there was more to the shadowy figure than he had revealed.
"Stay close," he whispered urgently, his voice barely audible over the thundering approach of their pursuers.
