Only Natural

The tunnel is too quiet.

It's the kind of silence that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A silence that isn't really silence at all—because something is watching.

Jae walks ahead, his movements smooth, calculated. He doesn't need to check if I'm following. He already knows I am.

I grip my spear tighter, scanning the shadows, my heart hammering. The deeper we go, the colder it gets. The smell of damp stone thickens, but underneath it, there's something else. Something… rotting.

Then—the whispering starts.

It's soft, barely more than a breath against my ear.

"Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones? It's only natural…"

I freeze mid-step. My pulse spikes.

"Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin? It's only natural…"

The voice is right behind me.

I spin around—nothing. Just the tunnel stretching into darkness.

I force a shaky exhale, trying to shake the creeping dread clawing at my spine. Maybe it's just my imagination. Maybe I—

A cold, bony hand closes around my wrist.

I barely get out a gasp before I'm yanked backwards.

The thing emerges from the dark, its movements jerky, unnatural. A skeleton, but not just any skeleton—this one still has rotting flesh clinging to its bones, its skin stretched and torn in places, its hollow eyes burning with eerie hunger.

And worst of all? It's grinning.

Its grip tightens, and its teeth part in a grotesque whisper, breath rancid and damp against my skin.

"Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones? It's only natural…"

I snap.

"No, thanks," I snarl, twisting in its grasp. "I like my men with more… meat."

I drive my knee up into its ribs. Bones crack under the force, but it doesn't let go. Its fingers dig deeper into my skin, clawing, as it yanks me forward with terrifying strength.

"Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin? It's only natural…"

Its mouth stretches too wide, rows of yellowed, broken teeth parting as it lunges for my throat.

I react on instinct.

I slam my forehead into its face.

Bone shatters.

It reels back, screeching, its grip loosening just enough for me to rip free.

I barely get my bearings before it lunges again—

And then—a flash of silver.

The whispering cuts off.

The thing stiffens, its body going rigid before its head topples from its shoulders.

Jae is there.

Standing between me and the corpse, his knife gleaming with fresh, blackened blood.

The body collapses in a heap at my feet.

Jae flicks his blade clean and smirks.

"When I was a kid, I'd run through the kitchen pretending to be blind Superman," he says casually, sheathing his knife. "Because I had no supervision."

I stare at him, chest still heaving, brain trying to catch up. "Are you—are you seriously cracking jokes right now?"

He tilts his head, lips twitching like he's fighting back a grin. "Gotta keep the morale up, princess."

Before I can snap back, something changes.

The air shifts.

A low, rumbling noise rises from the darkness beyond us.

Jae's expression shifts instantly—his smirk vanishing, eyes flicking to the shadows.

I hear it before I see it.

Something is coming.

And it's not alone.

I whip around—just in time to see figures emerging from the dark.

Dozens of them.

More skeletons. More rotting flesh, clicking bones, glowing eyes.

And they're all moving toward us.

My stomach drops.

"There's more," I whisper.

Jae curses under his breath. "We need to move. Now."

I don't argue.

We run.

The Chase

The tunnel erupts into chaos.

I sprint after Jae, dodging jagged stones and collapsed beams, my pulse a wild drumbeat in my ears. The whispers grow louder, the air thick with death.

I don't look back.

I don't need to.

I can feel them chasing us.

"Where the hell are we going?" I shout over the pounding of my feet.

Jae doesn't answer. He suddenly grabs my wrist and veers left—dragging me into a narrow side passage.

The moment we're inside, he spins, yanks a rusted metal door shut, and slams the lock in place.

A second later, the creatures slam against the other side.

The door rattles violently.

Fists pound. Clawed fingers scrape.

The whispers turn to screeches.

I press my back against the stone, breathing hard. My skin is damp with sweat, my legs trembling from the chase.

Jae stands a few feet away, shoulders tense, eyes locked on the shaking door.

I swallow hard. "That was—"

"Too close," he finishes.

I nod, still trying to steady my breathing.

And that's when I notice it.

Jae's eyes.

They're still glowing.

A deep, burning red.

For a split second, the pupils narrow—not human. Not natural.

Then—a flash.

Twin beams of red light spark at his pupils, there for just a moment before fading.

I freeze.

Jae catches my stare and smirks.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?"

I don't know what's more terrifying. The horde outside…

Or the fact that Jae isn't normal.

I swallow hard.

Because the worst part?

I'm not sure I want to run from him. Or to him?