Whisper in the Dark
Simon woke up again with the feeling that someone was watching him. The station was silent, except for the steady breathing of the people sleeping around him. Yet, within the silence lurked something alien, unseen.
"You hear us…"
The voice echoed in his mind, as if it were his own thought. He jumped up, looking around, but there was no one but the sleeping figures.
"Enough!" Simon mentally shouted.
The response was quiet laughter, like a creaking branch in the wind.
Victor, sensing something amiss, soon appeared in the passage.
"You're not sleeping again?" he asked.
"These whispers… They don't stop," Simon replied, running a hand over his face. "It's not just in my head, is it?"
Victor hesitated before sitting down next to him.
"It's the Abyss. It speaks to everyone it touches."
"How do you deal with it?"
"I try not to listen," Victor said, staring at the dark ceiling. "But not everyone manages to resist, as you've probably noticed."
Simon nodded, recalling those who had disappeared or gone mad.
---
Exploring the Tunnels
The next day, it was decided to send a scouting group into the nearby tunnels. The whispers and recent events demanded action.
"We can't just sit and wait," Victor said, giving orders. "If something's coming, we need to know about it first."
Simon volunteered to go with the group.
"Are you sure?" Victor asked.
"I need to understand these whispers. If it's the Abyss, I want to know what it wants."
Victor studied him for a long moment before nodding.
"Alright. But be careful."
---
A group of four — Simon, Victor, Artyom, and a young girl named Anya — ventured into the tunnels. Their flashlights cut through the thick darkness, and their footsteps echoed ominously against the walls.
"Was this place always so gloomy?" Anya asked, clutching a knife in her hands.
"No," Victor replied. "People used to rush through here, laughing and busy. Now it's just… a grave."
Simon listened intently. He felt as if someone was following them, but when he turned around, there was nothing there.
"We are watching…"
The whisper penetrated his mind again. Simon clenched his teeth, refusing to panic.
---
The Unexplainable
At one section of the tunnel, they discovered a strange symbol carved into the wall: a circle with intersecting lines resembling a web.
"Have you seen anything like this?" Simon asked Victor.
"No," Victor replied, frowning. "But it's definitely not random."
Artyom approached the wall and touched it.
"It's warm," he noted.
"Warm?" Anya repeated.
"Yeah. Like something's alive inside."
Simon ran his finger over the symbol. Instantly, his mind was filled with noise, as if thousands of voices spoke at once. He pulled his hand back, breathing heavily.
"What happened?" Victor asked.
"They… They spoke to me," Simon murmured. "This is connected to the Abyss."
---
A Discovery
On their way back, they heard strange sounds — rhythmic and unnerving thuds.
"That's not an echo," Artyom said, gripping his rifle.
"Move faster," Victor ordered.
The thuds grew louder, closer. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness. It was a human,