Stalked

“Spread out. See what you can find and report back in an hour,” Thorn commands, his tone leaving no room for argument. 
          The team sets off down the muddy road, rain pattering steadily against their shoulders. 
          Dosei glances around, unease etched across his face. “I don’t wanna ‘spread out.’ Aren’t we stronger together?” 
          Yumi points ahead. “What’s up there?” 
          Perched atop a warehouse roof, a structure of glass juts against the gray sky. 
          “Let’s go check it out!” Benji says, already jogging ahead. He grips a slick ladder bolted to the side of the building and climbs quickly, the others following close behind. 
          At the top, they find a greenhouse overtaken by nature. Vines burst through cracked panes, winding in tangles across the frame. Flowers bloom defiantly inside. 
          A piercing shriek rips in the air. 
          The glass rattles as an enormous red Skelloid lunges from the side, claws slashing across the rooftop. 
          “Where did he come from?!” Benji shouts, rolling aside as its talons scrape the roof beneath him. 
          Spears snap open with a metallic clink. The team braces. 
          The creature’s massive weight shifts across the roof. Combined with the swampy foundation below, the warehouse groans. A sinkhole opens beneath its base, the structure tilting dangerously. The team staggers, struggling to keep their footing as the red Skelloid hauls itself higher. 
          With a deafening crack, the roof gives way. 
          The greenhouse shatters, glass exploding outward as the building collapses inward. The team plunges with it, swallowed by the falling beams and twisting steel. 
          The ground below splits wide, the sinkhole devouring everything, the warehouse and the monstrous Skelloid, dragging them all into the dark expanse beneath. 
          The floor creaks beneath them as the team sprawls on their backs, stunned, staring up at the jagged opening where they fell through. Dust drifts in clouds above. 
         “What just happened?” Norio groans, rubbing his back. 
         “Why is it so dark?” Dosei asks, pointing toward the shattered window. Beyond it, there’s nothing but a suffocating black void. 
         Rubble pushes himself up and steps cautiously to the window. Rubble leans out the window and looks around, not being able to see much of anything until he looks up. 
          “Uh, guys…” he says, his voice tight. 
          The others hurry to join him. Together they peer upward through the window. 
         “We’re underground,” Rubble says grimly. 
         “How is that even possible?” Cinder snaps, her voice echoing in the dark. 
         “Sinkhole,” Dosei answers, then he shrugs. “Or we got teleported to an alternate reality. But, you know… probably the sinkhole thing.” 
        “I wonder if we could ever go back to Earth,” Dosei muses. 
        “Yeah, you go take that risk, buddy,” Norio shoots back. “Who knows how long the virus can survive out there.” 
        They move cautiously through the station, passing rooms stacked with spare android parts and rows of pristine pods in every color, still factory sealed. Shelves sag under the weight of neatly labeled coils of cable. 
         A large bulkhead door is locked ahead, a terminal’s light slowly blinks beside it. 
         Dosei’s eyes light up. “Finally, something I can mess with.” He drops to his knees, pulling an assortment of tools and self-made gadgets from his pockets. He works the panel open, muttering under his breath. With a hiss and a groan, the bulkhead door slides open. 
        They walk in slowly, this area looking nothing like the rest of the station, cleaner, newer, untouched. 
         “Unidentified anomaly,” a mechanical voice announces. “Intruder alert. Commencing lockdown.” 
          The bulkhead slams shut behind them. 
         “Ah, great!” Benji throws his arms in the air. “How many times do we have to get trapped in things?!” 
          “Calm down, Benji,” Norio says dryly. “We were already trapped before the door closed.” 
          “I guess we should look around,” Cinder mutters, peering down the corridor ahead. 
          They move forward across a walkway of metal grates. White steam hisses up between the slats, clouding their boots. The floor groans with every step. 
         Without warning, part of the grating gives way with a screech. 
         “Dosei!” 
         He vanishes through the gap, swallowed by the steam below. The sound of his fall echoes into the dark. 
         Rubble drops to his knees, peering into the opening. “Dosei! Are you okay?” 
         For a moment there’s nothing. Then a cough, followed by a strained voice. “…Yeah.” 
         Norio exhales hard. “Can you climb back up?” 
         Below, Dosei feels around in the narrow shaft, walls slick and unyielding. “I can’t see a thing, but it feels like a tight space. Just… get me outta here!” 
         “Don’t worry, we’ll get something to pull you out,” Norio calls out. 
         “Let’s split up and look for a rope or something,” Benji says, gesturing to the maze of corridors branching off the chamber. 
          “I’ll stay with him.” Rubble crouches at the edge, peering into the dark. 
          The others scatter out. 
          “You’ll be out in no time,” Rubble reassures. 
          “I hope so, man,” Dosei answers, his voice echoing faintly from below. 
          A drop of liquid splashes onto Rubble’s shoulder. He wipes it with his fingers. The substance clings, thick, viscous, tinted purple. His stomach knots. Slowly, he tilts his head back. Above him, only a vent. 
         “Hey, Dosei,” Rubble says carefully. “Are there… small Skelloids?” 
         “Not that I know of. The more people they eat, the bigger they get,” Dosei replies. 
         Rubble swallows hard. “What if one’s starving? How small could it get?” 
         A pause. “…Uh, I don’t know. Why?” 
         The vent explodes open. 
         Something dark and fast crashes down on Rubble, slamming him onto his back. Claws like hooked bone rake across his chest, one hand clamping around his throat. 
        “What’s going on up there?!” Dosei shouts, panic sharp in his voice. 
        Rubble chokes for air, sparks crackling along his fingertips. He drives a surge of electricity into the Skelloid’s hand. The creature shrieks, recoil twitching its shriveled, man-sized frame. 
         Rubble scrambles free, boots skidding on metal. He stumbles into a side room, slams the door, and drags a desk across it just as the claws scrape against the other side. His chest heaves, lungs dragging for breath. 
          Halo and Yumi freeze mid-step, glancing back down the hall. 
          “What was that noise?” Yumi whispers. 
          “It sounded like Rubble, didn’t it?” Halo asks, worried. 
          They break into a run toward the sound. “Rubble? Dosei? Are you okay?” Halo calls out. 
          No answer. Only the hiss of steam and the groan of the station settling. 
          A wet thud hits behind them. 
         The purple Skelloid drops from the ceiling, landing on all fours with a sickening splatter. Halo and Yumi scream, clinging to each other’s arms as its shriveled frame jerks forward. Hollow sockets turn their way. 
          It crawls toward them, too fast, joints cracking with every lurch. 
          “Run!” Halo yells. 
          They bolt, boots hammering metal, turning corner after corner in a desperate blur. They finally slow, gasping, pressing against a wall, listening through their ragged breaths. 
          “I don’t hear anything,” Yumi whispers. 
          “Maybe we lost it.” 
          A skittering shriek rips through the corridor. The Skelloid speed-crawls around the corner, twisting its head unnaturally upward, eyeless gaze locking on Yumi. 
          “Go!” Halo shouts. 
          They sprint for the elevator at the end of the hall. Yumi slams the button, again and again, her voice rising in panic. “Come on, close, close!” 
          The Skelloid lunges, claws raking forward. 
          At the last second, the elevator doors slam shut, slicing off the tip of a claw. 
          Inside, Halo and Yumi clutch each other, shaking, as furious screeches echo outside the metal doors, reverberating through the elevator shaft. 
          Rubble scans the office he barricaded himself in. Bare walls, a desk, a cabinet. Minimalistic. Empty. He rifles through the drawers, yanks open the cabinet doors. Nothing useful. 
          His gaze lifts to a security camera mounted in the corner. A cable snakes from it down to the floor. He drags the desk beneath it, climbs up, and wrenches the camera free, cable trailing in his hand. 
        Cracking the door open, he peers into the hall. Everything has gone silent. 
        He slips back to the broken grate where Dosei fell through. “Dosei?” Rubble whispers. 
        “Oh my god, I thought you died!” Dosei exclaims from below. 
        “Shh!” Rubble freezes, listening for any approaching danger. Then he lowers the cable. “Here. Grab on.” 
          “Got it!” 
          Rubble braces, wrapping the cable around his wrist. He pulls, step by step, until Dosei catches the edge of the grate and hauls himself the rest of the way up. 
          “We have to find the others and get out of here,” Rubble mutters. 
          They creep down the halls, peeking around corners. The echo of pounding footsteps slams down the corridor to their right. 
          “That’s one of us,” Rubble says, turning, just as Benji barrels into him. Rubble stumbles, and Benji lets out a scream before leaping straight into Norio’s arms. 
          The four freeze, staring at one another. Norio sighs and dumps Benji on the floor with a thud. 
          “There’s a thing, a S-Skelloid thing!” Benji stammers, eyes wide. 
          “Where?” Rubble demands. 
          “Behind us,” Norio answers, glancing back. 
          A hiss slithers through the dark. They bolt as one, boots pounding metal. 
          “Where are the girls?” Benji gasps between strides. 
          “I was hoping they were with you,” Rubble shoots back. 
          Their clamor echoes down the hall until a sharp voice cuts them off. 
          “Hey!” Halo stands ahead, glaring. “You guys are so loud!” 
          “We found something,” Yumi adds, waving them closer. 
          The group clusters together. Halo points at an EXIT sign glowing above a set of flooded stairs. 
          Rubble groans. “No.” 
          “Yes.” Halo meets his eyes, resolute. 
          “Where’s Cinder?” Norio asks, suddenly realizing. They look around, no trace of her. 
          A shriek rips the question away. 
         The purple Skelloid lurches into view, dragging itself upright. Its body trembles as it takes one sloppy step after another, cornering them. 
         Rubble glances at the flooded stairwell. “Let’s go!” 
        They splash into the water, boots crashing down until the depth swallows their legs. 
        “The whole hallway’s underwater, we’ll have to swim through it,” Halo says. 
         Rubble balks. “How do we even know this leads outside?” 
          “We don’t.” Halo dives first, disappearing beneath the surface. 
          “What?!” Rubble shouts after her, but the water only ripples in answer.