The Doorway of the Damned

The tunnel stretched endlessly, the faint glow of the exit shimmering ahead like a mirage.

Leon Graves kept his pace steady, gun raised, his body aching from exhaustion. How long had they been walking? Hours? Days? Time didn't feel real in this place.

The air was thick with damp rot. The black stone walls pulsed faintly, like living veins buried beneath the earth. The whispering had faded, but he could still feel it—pressing against his mind, curling around his thoughts.

Behind him, Eve Voss walked silently, her rifle lowered but ready. Riley trailed behind, keeping a firm grip on the two kids, Tyler and Sam.

They were all on the edge of collapse.

Leon's instincts screamed at him.

That light ahead?

It wasn't salvation.

It was another trap.

Eve exhaled. "I swear, if this 'exit' turns into another nightmare, I'm going to start shooting first and asking questions never."

Leon didn't respond.

Because deep down, he already knew the answer.

They kept moving.

The tunnel narrowed as they approached the light, forcing them into single file. The closer they got, the brighter the glow became—not daylight, but something else.

Something wrong.

Leon stepped forward, gun raised.

The second he crossed the threshold—

Everything shifted.

They weren't in a tunnel anymore.

They stood in a vast, circular chamber, the walls stretching high into the darkness above. The glow came from the ceiling, swirling patterns of red and white light, shifting like an open wound in reality.

And across the floor—

Corpses.

Hundreds.

Some fresh, others decayed beyond recognition, their bodies twisted in agony, their eyes wide and empty.

Tyler gasped in horror. Sam buried his face in Riley's side.

Eve whispered, "Jesus Christ."

Leon forced himself to stay calm. His mind processed every detail, every escape point.

There was only one door.

And standing beside it—

Was a figure in black robes.

Waiting.

Leon raised his pistol. "Who the hell are you?"

The figure tilted its head.

Then it spoke.

"You have come far," it rasped. "But you cannot leave."

Eve scoffed. "Yeah? Watch us."

The figure remained still. "The door does not open for the unworthy."

Leon clenched his jaw. "Then we'll break it down."

The figure chuckled softly. "You misunderstand. It is not locked."

Leon frowned. "Then why can't we leave?"

The figure slowly raised a hand, pointing to the corpses on the floor.

Leon's stomach twisted.

"The door requires a price," the figure whispered. "One must be left behind."

Silence.

Riley's voice broke first. "No."

Eve clenched her teeth. "That's not happening."

Leon ignored them. "And if we refuse?"

The figure lowered its hand.

"Then you will remain here. Forever."

Leon's grip on his gun tightened.

The room felt colder now.

The air pressed against Leon's skin like ice, the glow above shifting violently.

Eve whispered, "Leon… we are not seriously considering this, right?"

Leon ignored her. Thinking. Calculating.

They couldn't fight their way out of this.

Not with the whispering things in the walls, not with whatever controlled this place.

But he wasn't about to sacrifice one of them.

There had to be another way.

His eyes flicked toward the corpses.

And then it hit him.

They just needed a body.

Leon spoke, slow and deliberate. "You said the door requires a price. A body left behind."

The figure nodded. "Yes."

Leon exhaled. "You never said it had to be one of us."

Eve's eyes widened. "Wait—"

But Leon was already moving.

He grabbed one of the less decayed bodies, dragging it toward the door.

The figure watched.

Silent.

Leon heaved the corpse forward, letting it slump near the threshold.

"That's our price," he said.

For a moment, the air went still.

Then—

The figure laughed.

Slow. Hollow.

"You are clever," it whispered. "But the door knows the living from the dead."

Leon's stomach dropped.

Eve cursed. "Shit."

The room began to change.

The light above darkened. The air grew thick with whispers.

Something shifted in the shadows.

The corpses on the floor began to twitch.

Tyler screamed.

Leon turned back to the figure. "You need a body, right?"

The figure didn't respond.

Leon's pulse slowed.

Then he holstered his pistol.

And stepped toward the altar.

Eve grabbed his arm. "Leon, what the fuck are you doing?"

Leon didn't flinch. "Getting us out of here."

Riley's voice cracked. "No. No, we're not doing this!"

Leon pulled away from Eve's grip, his jaw set. "You have to go. Now."

Eve's eyes burned. "Fuck that. We're not leaving you behind!"

Leon turned back to the figure. "If I stay, they go?"

The figure inclined its head. "Yes."

The door behind it creaked open.

A way out.

Eve's hands clenched into fists. "Don't do this."

Leon forced a smirk. "Come on, Voss. We both knew I was too stubborn to make it in the long run."

Eve's eyes glistened.

"Fuck you," she whispered.

Leon nodded. "I know."

Riley was sobbing. Tyler and Sam clung to her, their small faces twisted in panic.

Eve clenched her jaw. "There has to be another way—"

Leon shook his head. "There's not."

The whispering grew louder.

The figure raised a hand.

"It is time."

Eve hesitated.

Then—

She turned.

She grabbed Riley and the kids and pushed them toward the door.

The last thing Leon saw—

Was Eve looking back.

Her eyes full of anger. Of sorrow. Of regret.

Then the door slammed shut.

And Leon was alone.

The whispering ceased.

The corpses went still.

Leon exhaled. "So now what?"

The figure finally removed its mask.

Beneath it—was his own face.

Leon's heart stopped.

"You were never meant to leave," the figure whispered.

Leon reached for his gun—

But the shadows swallowed him.