The moment her boots hit the floor, the air
felt different.
Thicker. Heavier.
Ava inhaled through her nose,
steadying herself.
Then—
a thud.
Lucas had landed behind her,
silent and smooth.
She didn't turn.
Didn't need to.
Because she already
knew he was grinning.
"
See? That wasn't so bad.
"
Ava
exhaled sharply.
Then—
she started walking.
The tunnel stretched ahead,
cold and endless,
the air thick with damp metal and rot.
Behind her,
Lucas followed,
silent but watching.
Always watching.
Ava didn't rely on memory this time.
Didn't trust the paths her mind tried to piece together.
Instead—
she let the system lead.
[
MAPPING ROUTE...
]
[
Analyzing previous path...
]
[
Recalculating safest approach.
]
[
Guidance activated.
]
A
faint overlay flickered in her vision.
Directional markers. Pathing indicators. Subtle
flashes of warning
where the ground was weak, where exposed wires hummed with
hidden danger.
Ava's muscles
relaxed slightly.
The system had gotten her out before.
Now?
It would get her back in.
She adjusted her grip on her bag, stepping carefully over a
fractured metal grate.
Lucas hummed lightly behind her.
"Taking the scenic route?"
Ava didn't
slow.
Didn't
look back.
"
Taking the route that won't kill us.
"
Lucas chuckled.
"Efficient. I approve."
The tunnels
twisted and dipped,
growing narrower, darker.
[
Approaching previous site.
]
[
Estimated distance: 200 meters.
]
Ava
exhaled.
They were close.
The
body was waiting.
And maybe—
so was something else.
The tunnel
stretched ahead, tightening, closing in.
Ava moved
with precision,
each step guided by the faint system markers flickering at the edge of her vision.
Lucas followed,
silent but alert.
They were close.
Too close.
Ava
exhaled.
[
Previous site detected.
]
[
Distance: 50 meters.
]
Her fingers
itched.
She knew what was waiting.
And yet—
her stomach still twisted.
They turned a corner, boots skimming over rusted metal. The
air thickened.
The scent of
stale blood and decay
curled at the edges of her senses.
Lucas exhaled through his nose.
"Charming."
Ava ignored him.
Because
there it was.
The body.
Still slumped against the wall, exactly where she had left it.
Motionless.
Rotting. Wrong.
Lucas crouched beside it, his
golden eyes gleaming in the dim light.
He reached out, gloved fingers skimming the corpse's shredded clothing.
Then—
he lifted something.
Ava's stomach
dropped.
A
tag.
Metal. Stamped with numbers.
Military issue.
Lucas clicked his tongue.
"Well. That's interesting."
Ava's jaw
tightened.
"This wasn't a scavenger."
Lucas twirled the tag between his fingers.
"No, Beauty."
His smirk was sharp.
Knowing.
"
This was a soldier.
"
Ava
stared at the
metal tag
dangled between Lucas's fingers, catching what little light the tunnel offered.
Military issue.
Ava's pulse
kicked up.
Her system flickered.
[
SCANNING IDENTIFICATION...
]
[
Data Corrupted – Partial Retrieval Possible.
]
[
Name: Sgt. Alex Wu
]
[
Status: Deceased
]
[
Last Recorded Deployment: CLASSIFIED
]
Ava's stomach
tightened.
Lucas hummed, tapping the tag against his palm.
"Military doesn't lose people. Not like this."
Ava
exhaled sharply.
"
Unless they want to.
"
Lucas grinned.
Sharp. Amused.
"
Now you're thinking like me.
"
Ava didn't rise to the bait.
Her mind was already turning.
If the military had
sent someone down here...
If they had
buried the records...
Then that meant
they already knew about the things crawling in the dark.
And
they left him anyway.
Ava's
breath steadied.
The body sat
motionless, decaying, forgotten.
A soldier.
Left behind.
Lucas twirled the
metal tag
once more between his fingers before slipping it into his coat. "
Now the real question, Beauty—was he the only one?
"
Ava
exhaled sharply.
"
We both know the answer to that.
"
Lucas
chuckled.
"
We do. But I like hearing you say it.
"
Ava ignored him.
Her system flickered.
[
ANALYZING ENVIRONMENT...
]
[
Residual Blood Traces Detected.
]
[
Matching Partial DNA Samples...
]
[
Warning: Multiple Identifiers Found.
]
Ava's pulse
kicked up.
She stepped past the body, crouching near the
cracked flooring, fingers ghosting over the dried stains.
Not one set of blood.
Many.
Lucas leaned in.
Noticing. Calculating.
"
Multiple?
"
Ava nodded. "
More than five. And that's just what's left.
"
Lucas hummed. "
So our dear Sergeant wasn't alone when he came down here.
"
Ava's jaw
tightened.
"
But he was alone when he died.
"
Lucas's golden eyes
gleamed.
"
Which means the rest of them?
"
Ava
stood.
Brushed dust from her gloves.
Didn't blink. Didn't hesitate.
"
Either they made it out... or they didn't.
"
A long pause.
Then Lucas
moved.
His golden eyes flicked across the
rotting metal, the dried blood, the silent proof that something had happened here.
Something the
military didn't want found.
Ava didn't say anything.
Didn't care.
The moment she saw that look in his eyes—
the calculating one, the one that meant he had decided something—or maybe it was his system working.
Then—
he crouched.
Fingers brushing over a
half-buried object near the corpse.
A small
device, sleek and battered, caked in grime.
Lucas turned it over, thumb wiping the screen.
And for
half a second—Ava saw it.
Military encryption.
Her system
flickered.
[
SCANNING DEVICE...
]
[
Encrypted Data Log – Level 4 Security.
]
[
Partial Power Detected.
]
[
Last Accessed: UNKNOWN.
]
Lucas's smirk
curled.
He stood, slipping the
device into his coat.
"
That's enough.
"
Ava's brow twitched. "
You sure?
"
Lucas turned, already walking.
Decided. Done.
"
We came for proof. We got it. No need to press our luck.
"
Ava
exhaled.
Fine.
She didn't care either way.
Whatever secrets were buried here,
they were staying buried.
She adjusted her bag, falling into step beside him.
Lucas glanced sideways.
Amused. Relaxed.
"
Disappointed?
"
Ava snorted. "
No. Just wondering why you always act like you're in control of things you barely understand.
"
Lucas
grinned.
"
Confidence, Beauty. It's a powerful thing.
"
Ava rolled her eyes and move.
Lucas had what he wanted.
That was all that mattered.
The tunnel stretched ahead, leading back to
the rusted maintenance ladder.
The only way
out.
Lucas reached it first, boots skimming over the loose gravel.
He glanced up.
Exhaled.
Then—
he turned to her.
"
Ladies first?
"
Ava snorted.
"Not a chance."
Lucas smirked,
gripping the ladder and pulling himself up.
She waited—
listened.
The tunnel behind them was still
silent.
The body sat
rotting. Forgotten.
And whatever was down here?
Whatever the military had left behind?
It could stay there.
Lucas reached the top.
Pushed the hatch open.
A fresh rush of
cool air
hit them.
The bunker above. The real world waiting.
Ava followed, gripping the cold metal rungs and climbing.
One step at a time.
Out of the dark.
She pulled herself up.
Rolled her shoulders.
Lucas was waiting, hands tucked into his pockets, golden eyes gleaming.