How to NOT get in home after a long night in a manhole (2)

The tunnel felt like it was breathing.

Not in an organic way — but with that muffled air oscillation that slowly shifts between one living wall and another.

Moisture dripped like sweat from the pores of the stone, and the stench had moved past nausea into something more like presence — as if the very stink was an entity watching us crawl through its guts.

The sparks between my fingers cast crooked shadows dancing on the tunnel walls, stretching imaginary rats around every bend. But they weren't imaginary anymore.

The sound was getting sharper.

Paws.

Claws.

Sniffing noses.

And then, up ahead, standing right in the middle of the path — the creature. A deformed mass of dark fur, front legs thick like human hands, teeth shaped like ancient chisels.

The rat stared at us with that look only the too-smart animals know how to wear: the one that says it's already decided what to do with you.

The light flickered.