The footsteps grew louder, each one sending ripples through the still air of the cavern. Ava rose to her feet, her knife gleaming faintly in the dim light, her posture tense. I followed suit, clutching the crowbar, my palms slick with sweat. Will huddled behind us, her breathing shallow.
"Stay quiet," Ava whispered, her voice razor-sharp.
From the darkness of the tunnel, a shadow began to take shape. My heart thundered as the figure emerged—tall, broad-shouldered, and human. My grip on the crowbar loosened slightly as I blinked, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
The figure stepped into the faint light pooling from the cavern's ceiling, revealing himself. His clothes were torn and smeared with grime, his chest rising and falling like he'd been running. He looked… familiar. Not like Freddie. Not twisted or lost.
"Who are you?" Ava demanded, knife still poised.
The man stopped short, holding up his hands in surrender. "Easy," he said, his voice low and calm. "I'm not here to hurt you."
His gaze flickered to me, then to Will, before settling on Ava. Even through the grime and exhaustion on his face, there was something about him that drew me in—dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes that seemed to pierce through the shadows. He looked like he'd been through hell, but there was strength in him.
"Name's Cole," he said, his tone steady. "I was on the ship. Same as you, I'm guessing."
Ava didn't lower her knife. "How do we know you're not one of them?"
Cole's lips twitched into the faintest smirk. "Trust me, if I was one of them, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Ava narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She glanced at me, and I shrugged helplessly. He looked normal. He sounded normal. And there was something about him—something magnetic—that made me want to trust him.
"Fine," Ava said finally, though she didn't sheath her knife. "But if you try anything—"
"I won't," Cole cut her off, his gaze never wavering. "I just want to get off this island, same as you."
Ava grunted and turned back toward the pool, but I noticed the way she kept one eye on Cole, her posture still defensive. I sank back down onto the cold stone, still gripping the crowbar as I watched him.
"You were on the ship?" I asked, my voice breaking the silence.
Cole turned toward me, his gaze softening slightly. "Yeah. I got separated when the waves hit. Woke up on the beach a day later. Since then, I've been trying to stay alive." He gestured vaguely to the tunnels around us. "There's more of these down here than you realize."
"What do you mean, more?" Will asked, her voice trembling.
Cole's jaw tightened. "Things. Creatures. This island is alive with them. That… thing you're running from? It's just one of them."
The chill in the air seemed to grow colder. I glanced at Ava, who was watching Cole with an unreadable expression. "You've seen the others?" she asked.
Cole nodded grimly. "Enough to know we're not safe here. And that whatever's happening, it's getting worse."
His words hung heavy in the air, and for a long moment, no one spoke. Then Ava let out a long breath and sheathed her knife, though her shoulders were still stiff. "Fine. You can stick with us. But don't slow us down."
Cole's lips quirked into another faint smile, and he looked at me again. "Fair enough."
As we sat in the cavern, resting, I caught Cole watching me once or twice. There was something intense in his gaze, a curiosity that made my skin warm. Maybe it was the adrenaline still pumping through me, or maybe it was the way his calm confidence cut through the terror of everything else, but I couldn't look at him without feeling a strange flutter in my chest.
"You okay?" he asked softly when Ava and Will were distracted.
"Yeah," I mumbled, a little thrown by how close he'd moved without me noticing. "Or… as okay as you can be here."
Cole's mouth curved slightly, his expression softening. "You're holding up better than most would."
The way he said it—low, his voice rough but reassuring—sent a flicker of heat through me. I swallowed hard, looking away.
"Thanks," I muttered, though I wasn't sure what for.
He leaned back, stretching his arms above his head, and I couldn't help but notice how his muscles tensed under his torn shirt. I forced myself to look anywhere but at him. Focus, I told myself. This wasn't the time.
Ava stood suddenly, cutting the moment short. "We're moving. Now."
"Already?" I asked, though I pushed myself up.
"We don't have time to sit around," Ava snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Cole, you said you've been through these tunnels. Which way leads down?"
Cole pointed toward a passage at the far end of the cavern. "That way. It's steep, but it'll take us closer to the cliffs. I think there's a way down to the water from there."
Ava nodded and motioned for Will to follow her. Cole fell in beside me, close enough that his arm brushed against mine as we walked.
"You okay?" he asked again, his voice low enough for only me to hear.
"I'm fine," I replied, though my pulse was racing again, and I wasn't sure if it was the danger or him that was causing it.
Cole glanced at me, his dark eyes catching mine. "You're braver than you think."
His words lingered in the air, and I felt my cheeks flush despite the chill. I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but before I could, Ava hissed a warning from ahead.
"Quiet. Something's moving."
The four of us froze, listening. From somewhere deep in the tunnel ahead, a faint scraping sound echoed, like claws dragging against stone.
Cole moved closer, his voice barely a whisper. "Stay behind me."
I nodded, clutching the crowbar tightly as we inched forward, deeper into the darkness. Whatever was waiting for us ahead, I wasn't sure we were ready. But with Cole at my side and Ava leading the way, I wasn't about to back down.
Not yet.