Derrick shouted, "Hang on!" as the red Honda Civic raced through the highway underpass tunnel. The car's headlights pierced through the darkness, painting eerie shadows that writhed and flickered against the dull walls as the car sped through.
Tanya clung to her seat, knuckles white with fear. The tunnel seemed to stretch endlessly into blackness, every turn revealing another tract of darkness. The steady thrum of their engine echoed loudly off the walls.
Then, a loud crash shook the tunnel. Tanya's breath caught in her throat as the whole structure trembled, knocking her against her seat belt. Her eyes darted up in horror as jagged cracks tore through the concrete like bolts of lightning."Goddammit!" Derrick let out a string of curses, his hands clutching the steering wheel with such force that the microfiber leather began to stretch and rip under the pressure. He fought to keep control of the car, his eyes darting between the road and the crumbling walls around them.
"Is it—" Tanya's voice was barely audible over the deafening roar of another impact. The tunnel shook violently, dust and debris raining down on them as if the entire structure was about to crumble. With each ferocious strike from outside, the walls of the underpass groaned and buckled, threatening to cave in at any moment. Tanya could feel the shockwaves reverberating through her body with bone-shattering force.
"Fuck!" Derrick shouted, his expression determined. He swerved to avoid the falling debris and managed to regain control of the car after a slight skid.
Tanya's voice quivered with fear as she asked, "Do you think we can escape this?" Her grip on the dashboard was so tight that the black plastic began to crack. With panic racing through her heart, she scanned her surroundings, trying to keep track of all the fragments falling around them.
"We have no choice," Derrick replied through clenched teeth. "We have to try."
The tunnel groaned as they pushed forward, the sounds of destruction blending with the roar of the engine. Tanya couldn't help but glance back one last time, catching a fading glimpse of those relentless pincers still reaching for them.
"Come on, come on," Derrick muttered, urging the car forward. Each second felt like an eternity, the end of the tunnel still nowhere in sight. Chunks of stone began to rain down from the tunnel's roof, smashing against the road and bouncing off the car's hood. Derrick gripped the steering wheel, his eyes darting between the falling remnants and the crooked path ahead.
"Hold on!" he shouted, yanking the wheel hard to the right to avoid a massive chunk of cement that crashed down just inches from their front bumper. The tires squealed in protest as the car swerved sharply, narrowly missing the jagged wall.
"Watch out!" Tanya screamed, her voice high-pitched with panic. A shower of smaller stones pelted the windshield, spider-webbing the glass with cracks.
A particularly large slab of concrete broke free from the ceiling and plummeted towards them. Derrick braked abruptly, the car fishtailing wildly before he regained control and swerved around the obstacle. He could feel the car's rear end lift slightly before slamming back down onto the pavement.
"Goddamn it!" he cursed under his breath, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.
Tanya clung to the seat, her knuckles as pale as Derrick's. She couldn't resist the urge any longer; she twisted in her seat to look behind them. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight—those monstrous pincers, enormous and chitinous, still reaching into the tunnel, scraping against the edges, trying to claw their way inside.
"Faster, Derrick! It's still coming!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Derrick barked back, eyes fixed on the collapsing tunnel ahead. "We just need to—"
Before he could finish, another tremor rocked the tunnel, sending more debris crashing down. Derrick swerved left, then right, threading the needle through falling rubble.
"Come on, just a little further," Derrick muttered, his determination fighting to hold back his rising fear.
The car burst out of the tunnel with a screech of tires and a spray of loose gravel. Derrick didn't dare to slow down; the creature whatever it was, could still be behind them. They raced into the dusk air, the tunnel collapsing in their rearview mirror with a thunderous roar that seemed to chase after them.
Tanya's rapid breathing filled the car, her chest rising and falling frantically as she looked back at the fading tunnel. Her eyes met Derrick's tense features, "We made it," she whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming.
Derrick's hands relaxed slightly on the wheel, but he did not respond, unable to shake the feeling that it was too early to celebrate. His gaze remained locked on the road ahead, where the horizon was now swallowing the sun, plunging their world into night.
They drove in silence for several miles, each lost in their thoughts, reflecting on the harrowing escape. The adrenaline that had once coursed through their veins was now replaced with a numb fatigue. Tanya's head throbbed painfully, and she realized she had been clenching her jaw the entire time.
As the sky grew darker, Derrick released the gas pedal and slowed the car to a steady pace.
Tanya finally broke the heavy silence, turning her body to face the back seat where Stephanie sat, unmoving and unresponsive. Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Tanya's tone was filled with worry and agitation, her motherly concern from earlier now replaced with raw emotions.
Her hands reached out to touch the torn shirt still covering Stephanie's body, a mix of tenderness and urgency in her touch as she grazed the frayed edges.
"Stephanie," she repeated, her voice firmer this time as if trying to break through some invisible barrier that had formed around the girl. She shook Stephanie gently, hoping to bring her back from whatever depths she had sunk into. "You should have told us."
For a moment, Tanya thought she saw something flicker in Stephanie's eyes - perhaps recognition or even guilt - but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
"Please, Stephanie," Tanya pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion. "We need to know."
Stephanie's eyes suddenly seemed to come back into focus, as if someone had flipped a switch. She blinked rapidly, her pupils dilating and contracting like a camera lens adjusting to focus.
"Stephanie?" Tanya's anxiety was evident in her tight voice, the hum of the car engine filling the space between their words.
"I warned you it was coming," Stephanie whispered, barely audible over the weight in the air. She met Tanya's gaze for a brief moment - a flash of clarity, of raw vulnerability - before shutting down again, like someone pulling out a plug from an outlet.
"What do you mean by 'coming'?" Tanya's heart raced as she gripped the torn fabric tightly. She could feel its rough edges against her fingertips. Her mind raced, piecing together conversations and warnings that Stephanie had given them.
But Stephanie's gaze had returned to the window, her expression vacant as if she was a fragile doll placed back on a shelf. Tanya gasped in frustration, realizing how many times she must have missed these signs.