The Price of Silence

The urgency in Jonas' voice left no room for argument. The others exchanged uneasy glances but quickly fell in line as he led them back toward the narrow stairwell. The air in the room had shifted—it was heavier now, oppressive in a way that made it hard to breathe. Even Riley, who was usually the first to challenge any decision, didn't speak a word of protest. She could sense that something was wrong.

Jonas' hand still tingled from where it had touched the device. He didn't know what had happened in those brief moments of darkness, but he felt different. The void had reached out, wrapped itself around him, and for the first time, he hadn't fought back. He'd let it in. And now, it was part of him.

They moved quickly through the decaying halls, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the silence. Jonas' heart was still racing, the whispers growing fainter but still present, like a constant undercurrent of sound just below the surface. He could feel Doc's eyes on him, but he didn't turn to meet the medic's gaze. He couldn't explain what had just happened. Hell, he barely understood it himself.

"What the hell was that?" Riley finally asked, her voice a sharp whisper as they reached the stairwell. Her tone was a mix of anger and fear, but Jonas didn't have an answer for her.

"I don't know," Jonas said, his voice tight. "But we shouldn't be here. This place... it's wrong."

Riley gave him a sidelong glance but didn't push further. She could feel it too—something about the facility was off, and the longer they stayed, the worse the tension became. Jonas could see it in the way her hands flexed, her fingers twitching as though ready to reach for her weapon at any moment.

Doc's expression, however, was unreadable. He hadn't said anything since they left the room, but Jonas knew the medic was watching him closely. He always had an uncanny ability to sense when something was wrong, and Jonas was sure Doc had noticed the change in him. There was no hiding it now.

They ascended the stairs in silence, each step taking them farther from the ruin, but the unease didn't lift. The cold seemed to follow them, clinging to their skin even as they moved closer to the surface.

Carmen's voice crackled over the comms, breaking the silence. "You're running out of time. Axis chatter is picking up. Patrols are converging near your position."

Jonas cursed under his breath. "We're moving. Get ready for extraction."

Doc cleared his throat as they reached the upper level. "Jonas, we need to talk."

Jonas didn't look at him, his mind already focused on getting the team out of there. "Later."

"No," Doc insisted, his voice firm but quiet. "Now."

Jonas stopped, his jaw clenched tight as he turned to face Doc. The medic's expression was calm, but his eyes were hard. "You're not telling us everything. What happened down there?"

Riley shifted uncomfortably, clearly sensing the tension between the two men. She glanced at Jonas, waiting for his response.

Jonas took a deep breath, the weight of the whispers pressing down on him again. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Something... happened when I touched that machine. The void... I could feel it."

Doc frowned. "The void?"

Jonas ran a hand through his hair, his heart pounding as he struggled to find the right words. "It's been getting worse. The whispers. I've been hearing them for a while now, but today... it was different. When I touched that machine, everything went black. And I saw... something. Something I can't explain."

Doc's frown deepened, his gaze narrowing. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know what to tell you," Jonas admitted, his voice strained. "I'm still trying to figure it out myself."

Riley crossed her arms, her expression a mix of concern and frustration. "So, what now? You just ignore it and hope it goes away?"

Jonas' eyes flicked to her, then back to Doc. "I'm not ignoring it. But right now, we need to get out of here. Whatever this place is, whatever that machine was—it's not safe. We need to regroup, figure this out later."

Doc didn't look satisfied, but he nodded slowly, his eyes still filled with questions. "Fine. But we're not dropping this. You're going to tell us everything when we get back."

Jonas nodded, though he wasn't sure he had any answers to give. The void had taken hold of him in ways he didn't fully understand yet, and the thought of sharing that with the team felt too dangerous, too uncertain. He couldn't let them see how deeply the whispers had affected him—not yet.

They moved quickly through the upper levels of the facility, retracing their steps toward the tunnel that would take them to the extraction point. Jonas kept his head on a swivel, his rifle at the ready, though the whispers had quieted again. The air felt lighter now that they were leaving, but the cold knot of dread in Jonas' chest hadn't faded.

As they neared the exit, Carmen's voice came through the comms again, this time more urgent. "Jonas, we've got a problem. Axis patrols are closing in fast. They've figured out you're not just a glitch."

"How far out?" Jonas asked, his pace quickening.

"Five minutes, maybe less," Carmen replied. "You need to move. Now."

Jonas cursed under his breath. "We're on our way."

The team broke into a jog, the tension mounting as they raced toward the exit. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the tunnel, their breaths coming in quick, controlled bursts. The Axis would be on them soon, and they couldn't afford to get pinned down here.

They reached the tunnel entrance, the faint light from outside barely cutting through the thick darkness. Jonas led the way, his rifle tight in his hands, his senses sharp. The whispers were quiet now, but he knew they weren't gone. They were just waiting.

As they emerged from the tunnel and into the night, Jonas scanned the horizon. The extraction point was just ahead, a small clearing hidden among the ruins where their transport was waiting. But there was no time to relax.

"Move," Jonas ordered, his voice firm as they sprinted toward the extraction point.

The sound of Axis drones hummed faintly in the distance, growing louder with each passing second. Jonas' heart pounded as they reached the clearing, his eyes scanning the sky for any sign of movement. The transport—a heavily modified resistance vehicle—was waiting for them, its engine already running.

Riley hopped into the back, her eyes scanning the sky as she readied her rifle. "I don't like the sound of those drones. We need to get out of here, fast."

Doc and Jonas followed, taking their places inside the vehicle. The driver—a resistance fighter Jonas had worked with before—gave him a sharp nod. "They're coming in hot. Buckle up."

As they pulled away from the extraction point, Jonas felt a brief surge of relief. They had made it out, but the void was still with him, lingering at the edges of his mind. He could feel it watching, waiting for the next moment to strike.

And as they sped away into the night, Jonas knew this was only the beginning.