Steven's pulse pounded in his ears as the hand gripping his shoulder tightened. His entire body went rigid, adrenaline flooding his system. He turned sharply, ready to defend himself, only to see Doug standing there, his face half-hidden by his helmet visor.
"Doug? What the hell man! Why sca-" Steven exhaled in relief, his shoulders sagging slightly. The fear that had gripped him moments ago slowly loosened, but brought a finger up to his visor and Doug's seriousness kept him on edge, stopping his rant.
"Relax, rookie," Doug muttered, though there was no warmth in his voice. He glanced down the dark corridor behind Steven, his eyes scanning for something unseen. "It's just me."
Steven's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. "Where's Sigurt?"
Doug's jaw clenched. "We got separated."
Steven's stomach dropped. "Separated? How?"
Doug rubbed his temple, his voice tense. "Another damn pipe burst—just like what happened to you. The steam was so loud we couldn't hear each other. I turned around, and he was gone. Tried calling out, but the maze in this place screws with sound and attracts IT."
Steven felt a chill crawl up his spine. Being separated from Sigurt was bad enough, but in this labyrinth of brick walls and rusted pipes, losing your bearings meant trouble. The walls pressed in, narrow and suffocating, with only dim, flickering lights illuminating the path ahead.
"We need to find him," Steven said, his voice rising with urgency. "Sigurt can't be too far."
Doug's eyes hardened, and he grabbed Steven by the arm. "Keep your voice down, rookie. Didn't you hear me?
Steven's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? We need to—"
Before he could finish, Doug smacked the back of Steven's helmet with an open hand, the dull thud reverberating through the corridor. "Shut up."
Steven blinked, taken aback by the sudden violence. He opened his mouth to protest, but Doug raised a finger to his visor and tapped it with aggressive shushing, signaling silence. Then Steven heard it—faint but unmistakable, a sound that cut through the still air like a whisper of death.
Tap... tap... tap...
The sound of thin, metallic blades stabbing int concrete, followed by a soft, insectoid growl that sent a cold wave of terror through his entire body. Every hair on the back of Steven's neck stood up as the sound grew closer, echoing through the maze like something was searching for them.
"What the hell is that?" Steven whispered, his voice barely audible.
Doug didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed Steven by the arm and yanked him forward. "Move. Now."
They ran. The maze seemed to twist and turn endlessly, the brick walls blending together in a disorienting blur as they sprinted down narrow corridors, taking every corner they could to throw off whatever was following them. Steven's heart raced as they navigated the maze, the sharp taps of the creature's limbs growing fainter with each turn, but never fully disappearing.
The maze was a nightmare. Every hallway looked the same, narrow and claustrophobic, with rusty pipes overhead leaking steam at random intervals. The flickering lights cast long shadows, making it impossible to tell if they were truly alone. The maze twisted on itself like a trap designed to confuse and exhaust its prey.
After what felt like an eternity of running, Doug stumbled to a halt, his chest heaving. He leaned against the wall, his helmet tilted up, as he heaved and tried to catch his breath.
"I... I can't," Doug gasped, his legs trembling. "I can't keep going."
Steven, on the other hand, felt a strangely energized and a warmth coursing through him. He hadn't realized it until now, but his stamina—enhanced by the deal he'd made with the god—wasn't draining like Doug's. He was barely winded.
"You good?" Steven asked, surprised at how easy the running had been for him.
Doug nodded weakly, but his face was pale. "Give me a minute. I just... I need to rest."
Steven glanced down the corridor they had just come from. The eerie scraping sounds had faded, but the tension in the air remained thick. They couldn't afford to stay still for too long.
"I'll check ahead," Steven said. "There's gotta be somewhere safer up ahead. Stay here, but keep quiet."
Doug nodded, leaning against the wall as he caught his breath.
Steven moved forward cautiously, his footsteps as quiet as he could manage. He navigated the twisting maze until he found a break in the pattern—an opening to a larger room. The space was at least four times the size of the cramped corridors they'd been stuck in. The ceiling stretched higher, and the walls expanded outward, giving the area an almost cavernous feel.
In the room, Steven spotted a couple of old, metal lockers scattered against the far wall. He stepped forward, his radar humming faintly as it picked up no scrap but at least provided a sense of spatial awareness. For the first time since they entered the maze, Steven felt like he could breathe.
He turned and hurried back to Doug, who had regained some of his strength by the time Steven reached him. "There's a room up ahead," Steven said, helping Doug to his feet. "Looks safer than out here. Let's get moving."
Together, they walked into the larger room, their footsteps echoing in the emptiness. The space felt slightly more secure, but that nagging sense of dread still lingered in the back of Steven's mind. His eyes darted to the lockers—if worse came to worst, they could hide in there.
Doug leaned against one of the lockers, his breathing finally steadying. Steven moved toward the center of the room, scanning the walls for exits. That's when he saw it—a door, almost hidden in the shadows, slowly closing.
A shadowy figure slipped through it just as the door sealed shut with a quiet click.
Steven's heart lurched in his chest. He stared at the door, unsure if what he'd seen was real.
"Did you see that?" Steven whispered, turning to Doug.
Doug was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the door. "Yeah. I heard it."
Steven took a step forward, his instincts screaming at him to investigate. But his gut told him that whatever had just left the room wasn't something they should follow.
"We need to find Sigurt," Doug said finally, his voice quiet but firm. "Whatever that was... we don't want to meet it, much less leave a comrade alone with it."
Steven nodded, his hands shaking slightly as he gripped the strap of his backpack. They had escaped whatever had been stalking them in the maze, but something far worse might have just slipped through that door.
And Sigurt was still out there—alone.