The tunnels stretched on, a seemingly endless maze of darkness and decay. Silvanus led the group, but his mind was reeling. Anna's display of power in the last chamber had shaken everyone. They had known something was off about her, but this? This was something else entirely.
Nadia stayed close to him, her eyes scanning the darkened tunnels ahead, but Silvanus knew she was just as preoccupied. Everyone was. Even Marcus, limping along with a grim determination, would steal glances at Anna as though she had become something other than the quiet girl he'd been walking beside all this time.
Silvanus slowed his pace, letting the group catch up. "We need to talk," he muttered, his voice low. He glanced at Anna, who walked beside Luke. The two siblings had fallen silent after the encounter, but there was something different about Anna—something that couldn't be ignored any longer.
Nadia gave him a knowing look. "What she did back there… we can't just pretend that didn't happen, Silvanus."
"I know," he replied. "But this isn't the time. We need to get out of these tunnels first."
They pressed on, deeper into the subway system. The air grew colder, more oppressive. It felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on them, and the echoes of their footsteps only heightened the sense of isolation. The faint glow of their flashlights cut through the darkness, but it did little to dispel the eerie feeling of being watched.
The distant sound of water flowing somewhere far below them echoed through the tunnels. It was a haunting, rhythmic noise, like a heartbeat that pulsed through the labyrinth. Silvanus stopped for a moment, listening.
"What is it?" Claire asked, her voice tense. She had kept quiet since Anna's display, but her eyes had not left the girl for long.
"Listen," Silvanus said. "Can you hear that?"
The group fell silent. The sound of water rushing through the ancient pipes filled the air, but there was something else—faint, almost imperceptible. A low, guttural sound. It sent a chill down Silvanus' spine.
Nadia narrowed her eyes. "That's not just water."
Suddenly, Luke stopped, his face pale. He grabbed Anna's arm, his eyes wide with fear. "It's them again," he whispered. "They're coming."
Silvanus looked at him sharply. "Who's coming, Luke? What do you hear?"
Anna stood still, her gaze fixed on the darkness ahead. "The ones that hunt in the dark," she said quietly. "We have to move."
Without another word, Silvanus pushed forward, motioning for the others to follow. The sense of danger was thick in the air, an unseen threat that stalked them from the shadows. They had already faced marauders, but this felt different—more primal, more terrifying.
The tunnel sloped downward, the ground becoming uneven, littered with debris. The old subway tracks were submerged in murky water, and the walls dripped with condensation. It was as if they were descending into the heart of the earth, into a place where the natural order of things had long since ceased to exist.
"We're going deeper," Marcus said, his voice strained. "This can't be the right way."
"There is no right way," Silvanus replied grimly. "Only forward."
As they reached another junction, the sound behind them grew louder—a low, rumbling growl that reverberated through the walls. Silvanus held up a hand, signaling for the group to stop.
"Something's coming," Nadia whispered, her grip tightening on her rifle.
From the shadows ahead, a figure emerged—large, hulking, its silhouette barely visible in the dim light of their flashlights. It moved with a slow, deliberate gait, its body hunched over. Silvanus could see the glint of something metallic in the creature's hands.
"Get ready," he muttered, his heart pounding.
The creature stepped into the light, revealing its grotesque form. It was massive, easily twice the size of a human, with pale, sagging skin stretched over thick, corded muscles. Its face was a twisted mockery of a human's, with sunken eyes that glowed faintly in the dark and a mouth full of jagged, yellowed teeth.
But it wasn't alone.
Behind it, more figures began to emerge—half a dozen at least, all similarly grotesque, all moving with the same slow, predatory pace.
"God, there's more of them," Marcus breathed, his voice tight with fear.
Silvanus raised his rifle. "Everyone, spread out! Don't let them surround us!"
Nadia fired first, the shot echoing in the tunnel. It hit one of the creatures square in the chest, but it barely reacted, only staggering back a step before continuing its advance. Silvanus cursed under his breath. These things were tougher than anything they had faced before.
The group opened fire, bullets tearing through the air, but the creatures kept coming. Silvanus watched as one of them lunged toward Marcus, its claws slashing through the air. Marcus rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, but his injured leg slowed him down, and the creature was on him again in seconds.
Silvanus fired, hitting the creature in the side. This time, it stumbled, letting out a guttural roar of pain before turning its attention to him. Its eyes locked on Silvanus, and it charged.
"Move!" Silvanus shouted, diving out of the way just as the creature barreled past him, crashing into the wall with a deafening thud. Nadia fired another shot, this time hitting it in the head. The creature let out one final, agonized roar before collapsing to the ground.
The others weren't so easily taken down. One of the creatures leapt toward Claire, but she was quick, dodging its attack and firing a round into its back. It screeched, writhing in pain, but didn't stop. It charged again, only to be met with a shotgun blast from Marcus that finally put it down.
Luke and Anna stood back, watching the chaos unfold. Luke's hands were shaking, but Anna remained calm, her eyes focused on the creatures with an eerie intensity.
"They're not stopping!" Nadia shouted as another creature advanced, swiping at her with long, clawed hands.
"We can't take them all down!" Silvanus replied, realizing the grim reality. "We need to get out of here!"
But the creatures were closing in, and the tunnel offered little room to maneuver. Silvanus fired again, hitting one of them in the leg, but it barely slowed. Nadia was locked in a brutal fight with another creature, her rifle nearly useless in such close quarters.
Just as it seemed like they were about to be overwhelmed, Anna stepped forward, her eyes glowing faintly in the dark. She raised her hand, and once again, the strange, shimmering light appeared around her fingers.
The creatures froze, their movements halting as if they had been turned to stone. Silvanus watched in awe as Anna held them in place, her face calm, her breathing steady. The glow around her hand intensified, and the creatures let out a collective scream, their bodies twitching violently.
Then, one by one, they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The tunnel fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the sound of the group's ragged breathing. Silvanus lowered his rifle, his heart still pounding in his chest.
Anna turned to face them, her expression unreadable. "We need to keep moving," she said quietly, as though nothing had happened.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then, Nadia stepped forward, her voice laced with both awe and fear. "What… what are you?"
Anna didn't answer. Instead, she turned and began walking down the tunnel, her brother following closely behind.
Silvanus watched her go, his mind racing. Whatever she was, whatever power she had, it was something they couldn't afford to ignore any longer.
"We'll figure this out later," Silvanus muttered, motioning for the others to follow. "For now, we survive."
The group, battered but alive, followed Anna into the darkness, the echoes of their footsteps fading into the deep, unknown tunnels ahead.