The air changed the moment they stepped into the Lower Depths.
Cold. Stagnant. Wrong.
Kain adjusted his grip on his pistol, his wound still burning. He'd been in bad spots before, but this?
This was different.
The Wraith walked ahead, their movements slower now—cautious. Even they didn't know what waited down here.
The tunnel stretched forward into pitch-black nothingness. Pipes lined the walls, some leaking steam, others covered in thick, dark grime. The deeper they moved, the more the silence pressed against them.
Then—
Click. Click. Click.
A sound.
Not footsteps. Something else.
Something skittering.
Kain halted. "Did you hear that?"
The Wraith didn't answer. They were already raising their weapon.
---
The Darkness Moves
A dim red light flickered ahead—a malfunctioning maintenance lamp. For a brief second, it illuminated the walls.
Scratch marks. Deep ones.
Something had been clawing at the metal.
Then, the light flickered out.
And in that split second of darkness—
Something rushed them.
Kain barely had time to react. A shadow burst from the ceiling, limbs stretching unnaturally as it lunged straight for his throat.
He fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The creature twisted mid-air. The bullets ripped through its body, but it kept moving.
The Wraith slammed their boot into its side, sending it crashing into a rusted pipe.
For a moment, they got a glimpse of it.
Pale skin stretched too tight over jagged bones. Hollowed-out eyes that burned with unnatural light.
Then it screamed.
And the tunnels answered.
---
Run or Die
Kain didn't wait.
"Move!"
The Wraith threw a flash grenade, and the tunnel exploded with blinding light. The creature recoiled, screeching, but more sounds erupted from the darkness.
They weren't alone.
Kain grabbed The Wraith's wrist and ran. Their only chance was to find an exit before they were overwhelmed.
They sprinted through the tunnel, the walls narrowing, the air growing colder.
Then—a metal door ahead.
Hope surged through Kain as he slammed his palm against the panel—
Error. Access Denied.
His heart sank. "It's locked!"
The Wraith cursed, already trying to override it. But behind them, the clicking sounds multiplied.
They were coming.
---
The Final Gambit
Kain turned back, raising his pistol. He could hear them crawling along the ceiling, the walls, the floor.
They had seconds before they were torn apart.
Then, The Wraith muttered something.
Kain barely caught it. "I have a plan. But you're not going to like it."
Kain's grip tightened on his weapon. "Do it."
The Wraith didn't hesitate.
They slammed a detonator onto the door.
A loud beep. A rapid countdown.
3… 2… 1…
The explosion tore through the metal. The door buckled inward, flames spilling into the next chamber.
Kain didn't think—he just ran.
The creatures shrieked. The tunnel collapsed.
And then—
Everything went dark.