The sensation of falling was disorienting, their stomachs lurching as they plunged into the abyss. The world above shrank into a pinprick of light before vanishing completely, swallowed by impenetrable darkness. The comms crackled with panicked voices, distorted and faint.
"Alvarez? Rae? Are you there?!" Eli's frantic voice barely broke through the static.
"We're here," Alvarez managed, his voice steady despite the pounding in his chest. "But I don't know where here is."
Their descent slowed, the pitch-black void replaced by a dim, otherworldly glow. The ground materialized beneath them, the landing jarring but not fatal. Alvarez groaned, pulling himself to his feet as his helmet lights flickered on, illuminating their surroundings.
The chamber they found themselves in was massive, its walls jagged and uneven, as though carved by something ancient and alive. The faint glow came from veins of pulsating light that ran through the walls, casting eerie shadows that seemed to shift and writhe when unobserved.
"Where the hell are we?" Rae muttered, clutching her plasma cutter tightly. Her voice was strained, her breathing uneven.
"Underground," Alvarez said, his tone grim. "Or something like it."
A low, resonant hum filled the air, growing louder with each passing second. The sound wasn't mechanical—it was organic, like the rumble of a deep, predatory growl. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, vibrating in their bones.
"Do you feel that?" Rae asked, her voice trembling. "It's like… it's alive."
Alvarez nodded, scanning their surroundings. "Stay close. We don't know what's down here."
They moved cautiously, their footsteps echoing unnaturally in the cavernous space. The air grew colder, each breath visible as a faint mist. The hum morphed into an unsettling chorus of whispers, too quiet to make out but impossible to ignore.
"Alvarez," Rae whispered, stopping abruptly. "Look."
Ahead of them, the veins of light converged into an intricate pattern on the ground, forming a massive, glowing sigil. The symbols were similar to those on the monolith but more elaborate, their meanings alien and unknowable.
In the center of the sigil stood a figure. It wasn't the Primordial they had fought above—it was smaller, humanoid, but its form was obscured by a cloak of shifting shadows. Its head tilted as it regarded them, the faint outline of a face barely visible beneath the dark veil.
"Do you see it?" Rae hissed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I see it," Alvarez said, his grip tightening on his weapon. "Stay back."
The figure didn't move, but the whispers grew louder, words emerging from the chaos.
"You should not have come."
The voice wasn't a single entity—it was a chorus, layered and discordant, speaking directly into their minds. Alvarez felt a cold sweat break out on his skin, his pulse quickening.
"We didn't have a choice," Alvarez said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "What is this place? What are you?"
The figure didn't answer immediately. Instead, it raised an arm, its hand emerging from the shadows. The fingers were long and skeletal, tipped with sharp claws. It pointed toward them, and the ground beneath their feet began to shift.
"Move!" Alvarez shouted, pulling Rae back as the sigil flared to life. The light turned blood-red, and cracks spread outward, releasing a choking, sulfuric smell.
The whispers became screams.
From the cracks emerged grotesque creatures—distorted amalgamations of limbs and faces, their bodies writhing as though in constant agony. They clawed their way out, their eyes glowing with the same amber light as the Primordial's.
"Oh god," Rae whispered, stumbling backward. "What are those things?"
"Focus!" Alvarez barked, raising his weapon. "We can't let them corner us!"
The first creature lunged, its malformed jaws snapping. Alvarez fired, the plasma bolt striking its head and reducing it to ash. But more emerged, their numbers growing with each passing second.
"Alvarez, there's too many!" Rae shouted, her voice rising in panic. She fired wildly, her shots barely slowing the onslaught.
The figure in the center of the sigil began to move, its form gliding toward them without touching the ground. Its presence was suffocating, an overwhelming sense of dread that made Alvarez's knees weak.
"You cannot escape. You cannot win. This is their domain."
The words echoed in Alvarez's mind, accompanied by flashes of grotesque imagery—twisted landscapes, rivers of blood, endless screams. He clenched his jaw, fighting to keep his focus.
"Rae, fall back! We need to regroup!" Alvarez shouted, firing at another creature. But as he turned, he realized Rae wasn't moving.
She stood frozen, her eyes wide and unfocused. Her weapon hung limply at her side as tears streamed down her face.
"Rae!" Alvarez grabbed her shoulder, shaking her. "Snap out of it!"
She didn't respond. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Alvarez followed her gaze and saw what she was staring at—one of the creatures was different. It stood taller than the others, its face eerily human, its mouth twisted into a cruel smile. It held out a hand toward Rae, beckoning.
"No!" Alvarez shouted, stepping between Rae and the creature. He fired, but the plasma bolt dissipated before reaching its target. The creature's smile widened, and it took another step forward.
The figure in the sigil spoke again, its voice a cacophony.
"You will all become part of us."
The light in the chamber dimmed, the shadows closing in like a living thing. Alvarez felt his resolve faltering, the weight of despair pressing down on him.
But then, a flicker of defiance sparked within him. He gritted his teeth, gripping his weapon tightly.
"Not today," he growled.
Summoning every ounce of strength, Alvarez activated the emergency beacon on his suit. A bright flare shot into the air, illuminating the chamber and temporarily pushing back the darkness.
The creatures recoiled, hissing, and Rae blinked, her eyes regaining focus.
"Rae, we're not done yet!" Alvarez said, pulling her to her feet. "We fight. We survive. Got it?"
She nodded shakily, her hands tightening around her plasma cutter. "Got it."
As the light began to fade, the creatures advanced once more. Alvarez and Rae stood side by side, ready to face the nightmare head-on.