Beneath the Earth
Leon Graves stood in total darkness.
The air in the underground tunnel was thick, pressing against his skin like wet fabric. Dust still hung in the air from the cave-in, making each breath feel like swallowing ash.
The only sound was his own heartbeat—pounding like a war drum in his chest.
Somewhere behind him, Riley coughed violently, her voice shaking. "I c-can't breathe."
"Stay calm," Leon muttered, blinking through the dust. "Panicking won't help."
Eve Voss coughed beside him, waving a hand in front of her face. "Well, that was fun. What's next? A pit of snakes? A cursed well? Maybe we should just dig straight to hell and get it over with."
Leon didn't answer.
Because this place already felt like hell.
The walls were unnatural—smooth, polished black stone, stretching endlessly in both directions. No cracks, no visible signs of natural formation.
This wasn't a normal cave.
Leon turned back to the others.
Riley still had a tight grip on Tyler and Sam, their small forms huddled together, eyes wide with fear. The kids hadn't spoken since the collapse.
Probably because they already knew what Leon was starting to realize.
They weren't in the same world anymore.
Eve muttered, "This doesn't make sense. That room collapsed—but we're still here. The tunnel should've caved in too."
Leon scanned the corridor ahead. "We're somewhere else."
Riley's voice wavered. "What does that mean?"
Leon's jaw tightened.
"It means we keep moving."
They walked in silence.
The air grew colder the deeper they went, until their breath started misting in front of them.
The tunnel never changed. No turns, no forks. Just an endless stretch of black stone leading nowhere.
Leon kept his pistol raised, but deep down, he knew bullets weren't going to help.
Eve checked the ammo in her M4. "Not gonna lie, I'm running out of bullets and patience."
Riley exhaled. "How do we even know this is the right way?"
Leon didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
The first markings appeared after what felt like an hour of walking.
Strange symbols were carved into the walls, deep grooves that pulsed faintly in the dim light. The shapes twisted unnaturally, like they had been etched by something that didn't understand human language.
Riley shuddered. "This is the same writing from the bodies."
Leon ran his fingers along the carvings. Cold to the touch. Almost like metal.
Then—the symbols moved.
Just for a second.
Like they had shifted beneath his fingertips.
Leon yanked his hand back.
Eve stepped closer. "Did that just—?"
A whisper filled the air.
Soft. Breathy.
Not from behind them.
Not from ahead.
From the walls themselves.
"Turn back."
Sam clutched at Riley's jacket. "We have to go. We have to go back!"
Riley pulled him close. "Back where, baby? There is no back."
Leon clenched his teeth. This place wasn't just old. It was alive.
And it was watching them.
A sound echoed down the corridor.
Low. Scraping.
Not footsteps.
Something dragging itself forward.
Leon raised his gun, eyes narrowing into the darkness.
Riley whispered, "What was that?"
Eve flicked her rifle's safety off. "I don't think we wanna find out."
The scraping grew louder.
Closer.
Then—a shape appeared at the far end of the corridor.
Tall. Thin. Moving wrong.
Leon's stomach twisted.
It was one of the stitched-mouth things from the forest.
But this one was different.
It didn't move like the others.
It floated.
Its feet never touched the ground, its arms stretched unnaturally long, clawed fingers trailing against the walls as it drifted toward them.
Its mouth was stitched shut, but it was whispering.
"You should not be here."
Eve fired first.
The gunshot roared through the tunnel, the bullet slamming into the figure's chest.
It didn't stop.
Didn't even flinch.
Leon grabbed Riley's arm. "Run."
They ran.
The tunnel stretched forever, the walls closing in around them, the symbols twisting, shifting.
Behind them, the thing floated closer.
Not rushing. Not chasing.
Just waiting.
Eve gasped for breath. "Where the hell is the exit?!"
Leon didn't answer.
Because the tunnel was changing.
Branches began to appear, stretching outward like they hadn't been there before.
Doorways formed in the walls, leading to nothing but blackness.
It was a maze.
A trap.
Leon skidded to a stop, his heart hammering. They had to choose.
Behind them, the floating thing whispered.
"Turn back."
Leon pointed toward a doorway on the left. "Inside!"
They dove through.
The space inside was small. Enclosed.
And wrong.
Because it wasn't a room at all.
It was a reflection of the hallway they had just left.
An exact copy.
Except there was no door behind them anymore.
Tyler sobbed. "We're trapped!"
Leon's mind raced. "No. This is something else."
Then—footsteps.
Coming toward them.
Not from the hallway.
From inside the room.
Leon turned sharply, gun raised.
A figure stood at the far end of the reflection.
A man. Tall, broad, wearing a tattered black jacket.
Leon's stomach twisted.
Because the man looked exactly like him.
The copy tilted its head, eyes dark, empty.
Then it whispered, "We have been waiting for you."
Leon fired.
The bullet hit the copy's head—
And the world shattered like glass.
For a split second, Leon wasn't anywhere.
Just floating in a void of black and white shards.
Then—he hit the ground hard.
Leon gasped, rolling onto his back.
Eve was beside him, coughing.
Riley, Tyler, and Sam were still there, all of them breathing hard.
They were back in the original tunnel.
No doorways. No floating thing.
Just the endless black corridor ahead.
Eve sat up, shaking. "Leon… what the hell just happened?"
Leon stared at the ceiling.
His mind replayed the last few seconds—the reflection, the copy of himself, the shattering of reality.
Finally, he exhaled.
"I don't know."
They walked in silence.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours.
Then—finally—a light appeared in the distance.
The first sign of an exit.
Eve saw it too. "Tell me that's not a trick."
Leon didn't have an answer.
But he knew one thing.
They had no other choice.
They walked toward it.
And the whispering followed them.