The group stepped back from the ominous pit, unease etched on their faces. The guttural noise from the depths had grown faint, but its sinister echo lingered in their ears. Zane's jaw tightened as he scanned the expressions of his friends.
"We're leaving," Zane said firmly, turning to address the group.
"No, we're not," Ash countered immediately, crossing his arms. "We came all this way. We can't just leave without figuring out what this is."
"It's a pit," Zane said, his tone sharper now. "A deep, dark hole in the ground with God knows what waiting at the bottom. Do you really want to find out?"
Ash didn't back down. "Yes, I do. And I think we should vote on it."
Hall chuckled, his voice breaking the tension. "Ooo, democracy in the face of death. I like it."
Mira rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine. Let's vote."
Lila hesitated, looking at Zane, then at the pit. "Alright, I guess we're voting."
Zane sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "Fine. Let's vote."
One by one, the group raised their hands.
"Stay," Ash said.
"Stay," Hall added with a smirk.
"Stay," Lila said softly, though she didn't look convinced.
"Stay," Mira said, crossing her arms as she glanced at Zane.
Zane's hand stayed firmly at his side. "Leave."
The votes were clear: 5-1.
"Well, it seems we're not going anywhere," Hall said, throwing a mock salute at Zane. He turned his gaze back to the pit, the flicker of curiosity in his eyes growing stronger.
Zane stared at them, his frustration simmering beneath the surface. "This is madness," he muttered.
Mira noticed Zane stepping back. Her heart sank as she watched him turn away, his posture tense but resolute. "Zane?" she called after him, her voice uncertain.
He paused but didn't turn around. "I don't want to partake in your madness," he said, his voice low and strained. "If you all want to throw yourselves into danger, fine. But I'm done."
The others were silent, their focus still on the pit. Mira lingered for a moment, torn between the group and Zane.
"I can't believe this," Zane muttered as he started walking back toward the entrance.
Mira took a deep breath, her mind racing. Finally, she turned to Lila. "I think he's right," Mira said. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"Mira," Lila protested, her expression filled with worry, "you can't just—"
"Something about this feels wrong," Mira interrupted. "I don't know what it is, but I don't think we should be here."
Without another word, Mira turned and hurried after Zane.
Lila stared after her, conflicted, but ultimately stayed rooted to the spot.
Outside the cave, Mira caught up to Zane, who was already several paces ahead.
"You didn't have to follow me," Zane said without turning around.
"I know," Mira replied, her voice soft. "But I think you're right. This whole thing... it doesn't feel right."
Zane glanced back at her, his expression unreadable, then nodded. Together, they sat by the cave's entrance, waiting for the others.
---
Inside, the remaining three stood in silence, their eyes locked on the pit.
"Well," Hall said, breaking the tension as he scanned the lab. "Shall we?"
Lila gave him a wary glance. "Shall we what?"
Hall grinned mischievously as he strode to a corner of the lab, his eyes lighting up when he spotted something big—a steel filing cabinet, old and covered in rust. "This," he said, gripping the edges and dragging it toward the pit.
"Hall," Ash said with a groan, "what are you doing?"
"Science," Hall replied, his grin widening.
With a loud grunt, he tipped the cabinet over the edge. It tumbled down the pit, the metal screeching against the rocky walls before disappearing into the darkness below.
The group listened, holding their breath as the sound grew fainter and fainter. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a distant crash echoed from the depths, followed by an eerie silence.
"Well, that's unsettling," Lila said, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
"No kidding," Ash muttered, his eyes fixed on the darkness below.
Hall leaned over the edge, peering into the abyss. "It's official," he said with a smirk. "I love this pit."
Ash stared into the darkness of the pit, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "This thing's too deep," he said, his voice uneasy.
Hall, leaning casually against a lab table, raised an eyebrow. "Chill out, Ash. How deep can it be?"
Ash frowned but didn't respond. Instead, he strode toward the other side of the lab, his eyes scanning the scattered remnants of equipment. After a moment, he found another steel cabinet—smaller than the first but still heavy enough. Without hesitation, he began dragging it toward the pit.
"What are you doing now?" Hall asked, intrigued.
"Figuring out how deep this thing really is," Ash said, his tone clipped.
With a grunt, Ash pushed the cabinet to the edge of the pit and tipped it over. It vanished into the blackness, the echo of its fall growing fainter with each second.
Ash quickly pulled out his phone, activating the stopwatch app. His eyes remained locked on the screen as he began counting.
"Five... six... seven…"
The seconds dragged on, each one feeling longer than the last. Finally, a distant crash echoed from the depths, faint and unsettling. Ash stopped the timer and stared at the result.
"Holy—" He cut himself off, his mind racing as he did the math.
"What is it?" Hall asked, stepping closer.
Ash turned to him, his face pale. "That thing is at least a thousand meters deep."
Hall immediately shifted back, his previous nonchalance gone. "What the hell?"
Lila's eyes widened. "A thousand meters? That's impossible!"
Ash shook his head. "It's not impossible. It's physics. I timed the cabinet's free fall. This pit is deeper than anything natural I've ever heard of."
They all stared into the void, their imaginations running wild.
"What could make something like this?" Lila whispered.
"Judging by the marks around the edge," Ash said, pointing to the jagged, scorched rock near the lip, "it looks like an accident. Almost like… something imploded here."
"Imploded?" Hall repeated, taking another step back. "Great. Now I'm regretting every choice I've made today."
Before anyone could respond, a low, resonant humming sound filled the air.
"What's that?" Lila asked, her voice trembling.
The group turned toward the pit just in time to see a faint light emerging from the depths. It started as a small glimmer, but as the humming grew louder, the light intensified, casting eerie shadows across the lab walls.
"Uh, I think we triggered something," Hall muttered, his voice unusually serious.
The light continued to rise, its color shifting between pale blue and vibrant white. It wasn't just light—it was something alive, something ancient.
Ash took a cautious step back. "We need to get out of here."
"Yeah," Lila agreed, her voice barely above a whisper.
But none of them moved. They stood frozen, entranced and terrified, as the glowing presence crept closer to the surface, the humming growing to a deafening roar.
The pit was no longer just a hole in the ground. It was something far more dangerous—and it was waking up.