Door

Jason ran.

His breath burned in his chest, but he didn’t stop. None of them did.

Ryan stumbled beside him, his injured leg slowing him down, but Jason grabbed his arm and kept him moving. Mia stayed behind them, gun still raised, her flashlight flickering with every step.

The thing is fast.

Its limbs skittered against the concrete as it chased them. The wet, slapping sounds of its bare feet on the tunnel floor sent chills down Jason’s spine.

And then.. it screeched.

Not like the lizards.

This is different.

A high, shrill, ear-piercing sound that made Jason’s skull feel like it is splitting apart. He gritted his teeth, pushing forward. They had to keep moving.

The tunnel twisted ahead, leading into a larger, open space.

Jason saw it just in time.

He grabbed Ryan and yanked him left.. hard.

Mia followed, barely avoiding the drop.

⸻

Jason’s chest heaved as they stopped at the edge of a massive pit.

It stretched far below. Too deep to see the bottom. Rusted metal beams stuck out at odd angles, remnants of an old maintenance area, now long abandoned.

Ryan gasped, gripping Jason’s arm. “What the hell.. ”

Mia spun around, raising her gun. “It’s still coming.”

Jason’s heart pounded.

They are trapped.

Nowhere to go but down.

Or..

Jason’s eyes darted to the right.

A rusted ladder, bolted to the tunnel wall, leading into the pit below. It didn’t look stable, but..

Better than waiting for that thing.

He grabbed Ryan, pushing him toward it. “Climb!”

Ryan hesitated for half a second, then moved.

Mia fired another shot at the creature. This time.. it flinched.

Not from the impact.

From the sound.

Jason’s mind raced. It reacts to noise.

But there is no time to test that theory.

The creature twitched, then lunged.

Jason shoved Mia toward the ladder. “Go!”

She didn’t argue.

Jason followed last, gripping the rusted metal bars, feeling them shake under his weight.

Above them, the creature screeched again.

The sound is like nails in Jason’s skull. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself downward.

Faster. Faster.

Ryan slipped below, gasping as his grip nearly failed. Jason reached out, catching his shirt. “Hold on!”

Ryan nodded, his face pale, but he kept climbing.

Mia dropped first, landing hard on a pile of old debris below. “We’re down!”

Jason jumped.

The metal groaned as his weight left it.

And then..

The ladder snapped.

Jason hit the ground hard, pain jolting up his legs. He rolled, gasping, but.. he is alive.

Ryan landed beside him, gritting his teeth as he clutched his ankle. “Shit.. ”

Above them..

The creature crawled to the edge.

Jason froze.

It didn’t jump.

It didn’t move.

Instead, it stared.

Its hollow sockets locked onto them, but it didn’t follow.

Ryan whispered, “Why isn’t it.. ”

Jason held up a hand. Silence.

The thing twitched.

But it didn’t move.

It is still… listening.

Jason’s pulse pounded.

Then.. it turned.

And crawled back into the tunnel.

Jason exhaled, tension draining from his body. It only hunts in the tunnels.

Mia knelt beside him, gun still in hand. “What the hell is that thing?”

Jason didn’t have an answer.

But one thing is clear..

There is more than just lizards in this world now.

And whatever lived down here..

They are better off never meeting it again.

Silence filled the pit.

Jason sat on the damp ground, heart pounding, ears still ringing from the creature’s screech. His muscles are tight, every nerve in his body screaming at him to keep moving, but he forced himself to breathe. To think.

Mia and Ryan crouched beside him, watching the tunnel’s edge above. The creature is gone, but that didn’t mean they are safe.

Jason scanned their surroundings.

The pit is huge.. a forgotten piece of the underground infrastructure. Rusted beams crisscrossed above, some half-collapsed. Old maintenance scaffolding lined the walls, leading deeper into the depths. Pools of stagnant water reflected their dim light.

This place is abandoned long before the world started ending.

Ryan winced as he adjusted his injured ankle. Jason turned to him. “Can you walk?”

Ryan gritted his teeth. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

Jason nodded. He didn’t sugarcoat things. “We have to keep going. That thing’s not following us, but we don’t know what else is down here.”

Mia reloaded her gun, the sound echoing through the pit. “Then we move now.”

Jason helped Ryan up. His brother leaned on him slightly but didn’t complain. That is good. They didn’t have time for pain.

They moved carefully, stepping over broken pipes and rusted debris. The air smelled of old metal and rot.

Then.. Jason saw it.

A sign, barely legible through years of rust:

SECTOR 7-B.. RESTRICTED ACCESS

Jason frowned. This isn’t just part of the city’s underground infrastructure.

It is something else.

Mia ran her fingers over the sign. “This place is off-limits. Even before all this started.”

Jason’s mind raced. Why?

But there is no turning back.

They moved forward, following a set of rusted tracks embedded in the concrete. The further they went, the colder it became. Jason shivered. The air felt… wrong.

Ryan coughed. “Feels like we’re walking into a grave.”

Jason didn’t disagree.

Then.. they saw the door.

Large. Reinforced. The metal frame is covered in old markings, most of them worn away.

Mia tried the handle. Locked.

Jason stepped forward, pressing his hand against it. The cold bit at his skin. This door is meant to keep something in.

Not to keep people out.

Mia glanced at him. “Do we open it?”

Jason hesitated.

Then, from behind them..

A noise.

A slow, dragging sound.

Jason’s blood ran cold. They weren’t alone down here.

And whatever is coming..

They had just run out of time.

The dragging noise grew louder.

Jason turned his head slowly, heart hammering in his chest. The darkness behind them seemed thicker now, shifting like something inside it is breathing. Watching.

Ryan swallowed hard, pressing his back against the cold metal door. Mia raised her gun, her knuckles white. The flashlight in her other hand flickered slightly, casting long, twisted shadows on the damp walls.

Jason clenched his jaw. They couldn’t stay here.

“Get the door open,” he ordered.

Mia didn’t hesitate. She dropped to her knees, rummaging through her pack. “Give me a second.”

Jason tightened his grip on his knife and stepped forward, placing himself between Ryan and the darkness. His instincts screamed at him to run.. but where?

Something moved.

Jason’s breath caught.

It is subtle at first.. a ripple in the shadows. Then, from the farthest part of the tunnel, a figure emerged.

Not like the thing they’d seen before.

This one is taller.

It had a human shape.. but wrong.

The skin is dark, almost like charcoal, stretched over too-thin limbs. The head is slightly tilted, its neck bending unnaturally. It stood completely still, except for its chest, which rose and fell in slow, deliberate breaths.

And then.. its eyes opened.

Jason’s stomach dropped.

The eyes aren’t eyes at all. Just deep, hollow sockets. Empty. Black.

But somehow, Jason knew.. it saw them.

Ryan sucked in a sharp breath. “Jas.. ”

The thing twitched.

Then..

It moved.

Not ran. Not walked.

It glided.

Like it isn’t even touching the ground.

Jason barely had time to react before..

CLANK.

Mia cursed. “Damn it.. almost there.”

Jason took a slow step back, knife raised. “Mia.. ”

“Working on it!”

The thing stopped.

Right at the edge of their light.

Jason felt the pressure in his chest tighten. It isn’t attacking.

It is waiting.

For what?

Ryan gripped Jason’s sleeve. “Jas… something’s wrong.”

Jason knew. He could feel it.

Then.. the flashlight flickered.

For a split second.. darkness.

And in that moment..

It is closer.

Too close.

Jason didn’t think.. he swung.

His knife sliced through the air.. but hit nothing.

The thing is gone.

Jason’s breath came in ragged gasps. “Where.. ”

BANG.

The door lock snapped.

Mia shoved it open. “Inside! NOW!”

Jason didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Ryan and pushed him through.

Mia went next.

Jason turned one last time.. the thing is still there.

Standing. Watching.

Then.. the door slammed shut.

Mia locked it.

Silence.

Jason exhaled, pressing a hand against his forehead.

They had escaped.

But something told him.. whatever that thing is… it let them go.

And that terrified him more than anything.

⸻

Mia panted, leaning against the cold metal. “What the hell is that?”

Jason didn’t answer. He turned, taking in their surroundings.

The room is massive.

It isn’t just another part of the tunnel.

It is an underground facility.

Dim emergency lights flickered on the walls. Rows of old terminals, long dead, sat covered in dust. The air smelled of metal and rot.

And on the far wall..

A symbol.

Jason stepped closer.

It is faded, but he could still make it out. A circle with a clawed hand inside it.

Ryan spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

“…This place isn’t just off-limits.”

Jason nodded, his pulse still racing.

This place is never meant to be found.

And now, they are inside.