Story 1208: The Girl Who Escaped
INT. SECTOR 9 — MAINTENANCE TUNNELS — NIGHT
The shaft descended into silence. Lena’s boots echoed softly as she led Dr. Rho and the containment pod down a rusted catwalk. Overhead, distant bangs and metallic screams reminded them what they’d left behind.
LENA (quietly):
“If Jason’s still alive… he bought us time.”
DR. RHO:
“And we waste none of it.”
Suddenly, a ventilation panel popped loose nearby, and a girl—no older than thirteen—dropped from the shadows, filthy, barefoot, and gripping a sharpened piece of rebar.
GIRL (feral):
“Who sent you?! You’re not Harbingers!”
Lena raised her hands calmly.
LENA:
“We’re not with them. We’re running from them.”
The girl hesitated. Her eyes flicked to the pod.
GIRL:
“Is she… still in there?”
DR. RHO (cautious):
“You know about her?”
GIRL:
“She sings when it’s quiet. Not with words… with pain.”
She turned and beckoned them into a side tunnel.
INT. ABANDONED MAINTENANCE ROOM — LATER