The Watchers

Aarav's pulse thundered in his ears as he took a step back. The girl's golden eyes stayed locked onto him, glowing faintly in the dim light. Her expression was unreadable, but there was something about the way she stood—rigid, alert—that sent a shiver down his spine.

He swallowed hard. "What do you mean I'll be the last?" His voice came out hoarse, unsteady.

The girl glanced past him toward the mirror, the city still flickering within its glass surface. "It's already started," she murmured. "They know you're here."

Before Aarav could ask who they were, the mechanical growl intensified. The walls pulsed with energy, and the blue veins of light dimmed, flickering like a dying signal.

The girl tensed. "We have to move. Now."

Aarav hesitated. "Move where? I don't even know what's happening!"

She exhaled sharply, frustration flashing across her face. "No time to explain. If they catch you, you won't get another chance to ask."

Aarav didn't like the sound of that.

A shadow flickered at the far end of the corridor beyond the door. It wasn't human. The silhouette was elongated, its limbs too thin, its head tilting unnaturally as it moved. The moment it noticed them, a sharp, metallic screech cut through the air.

The girl grabbed Aarav's wrist. "Run!"

They bolted down the corridor as the screech morphed into rapid clicking sounds, like metal scraping against metal. Aarav's lungs burned, his heart hammering against his ribs. The walls around them shifted—literally moved—like a living maze adjusting its path.

"What is this place?!" he gasped.

The girl didn't slow down. "A prison."

Aarav nearly tripped. "A—what?!"

A sudden burst of energy crackled behind them. Aarav risked a glance over his shoulder—and regretted it instantly.

The thing chasing them wasn't just a shadow.

It had no face, only an obsidian-black mask where features should have been. Its body was humanoid, but its limbs were jointed like a machine's, bending in unnatural angles. Glowing lines of red circuitry pulsed beneath its dark, metallic skin. It moved fast—too fast.

The girl yanked Aarav around a sharp corner, nearly sending them both tumbling. "This way!"

The corridor opened into a vast chamber filled with cylindrical pods lining the walls, their surfaces covered in frost. Aarav skidded to a stop, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

The girl ran straight to one of the pods, pressing a sequence of glowing symbols on a panel. "If we're lucky, this one still works."

Aarav turned to her, panting. "You still haven't told me who you are!"

She hesitated. Then, she placed her hand on the pod's surface, and a faint holographic projection flickered to life. Rows of unfamiliar symbols scrolled across it before shifting into a single line of text—one that Aarav could read.

SUBJECT: AARAV SHARMA

STATUS: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS

His breath hitched. "What—?"

The girl looked at him, eyes sharp. "This isn't the first time you've been here, Aarav."

His mind reeled. His body felt ice-cold.

Before he could say another word, the mechanical creature let out a guttural, distorted screech.

It had found them.

The girl grabbed his arm and shoved him toward the pod. "You want answers? Survive first."

The last thing Aarav saw before the pod's glass door sealed shut was the creature lunging at them—its clawed hand reaching out—

And then everything went dark.