Page 5 of Devil's Night

Nicole worried at her full lower lip, considering. “So in theory, if we activated this thing, it could undo whatever Doar did to trap us here? Send everything back to before his experiment started?”

“Potentially.” I turned the words over carefully. “Though there’s no way to know the extent of the reset. Or what unintended consequences it might have.”

She met my gaze steadily, resolve hardening her features. “At this point, I’m willing to risk it if it’s our best chance of escape.”

My mouth went dry as she held my stare, her delicate human features set in determination. A strange tension crackled, its unseen energy pulling me towards her.

Mentally shaking off, I forced my focus back to the device. “Very well. According to these instructions, we need a releasecard to stick into this slot.” I turned the device over in my hands, examining it closely.

“Have you seen anything that would fit?” I asked Nicole.

She shook her head, one finger twisting a strand of hair as she thought. “No, nothing like that. Just the initiator device itself.”

We both scanned the lab space, but there was no sign of the required card anywhere amidst the tangle of equipment and displays.

Nicole blew out a frustrated breath. “I guess we’ll have to search the rest of the rooms. Doar could have stashed it anywhere.”

The thought of wandering aimlessly through Fuile’s twisted maze held little appeal, but she was right - we had no other choice if we wanted to find a way out. Nodding tersely, I secured the initiator in a deep cargo pocket and headed for the door.

As I pulled it open, the hallway beyond shimmered and distorted, resolving into an iridescent corridor that shifted with an inner light. Where the stairs leading down should have been was now an arched entryway, the space beyond a disorienting kaleidoscope of bending planes.

“What the hell “ Nicole breathed, coming up beside me to peer out.

The hair on the back of my neck prickled as I studied the pulsing, ever-changing passage. Something about it set my instincts on edge, every sense screaming danger. “This doesn’t look like part of the original house.”

“You think?” she muttered dryly. “More like something out of an acid trip.”

Despite the strangeness, her scent held only mild trepidation rather than outright fear. Good - a useless emotion that would only hinder us. I felt an unexpected flicker of approval.

Stepping out into the corridor, I turned a slow circle, searching for any sign of the stairs or even a solid wall to orient us. But the kaleidoscopic tunnel stretched on endlessly, its planes and angles shifting in a dizzying array of refractions.

A low thrumming noise reverberated through the space, more a vibration felt in the chest than any true sound. The unmistakable hum of power, like the buildup before an energy discharge.

“I don’t like this,” I growled, my grip tightening on the knife hilt as I tensed for combat. “It feels like we’re being herded.”

“Herded?” Nicole’s brows hiked. “By who? Or what?”

I started to respond, but at that moment a tremor shook the hallway, nearly knocking me from my feet. The planes blurred, their geometry warping sickeningly as the hum rose to a bone-rattling pitch.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, everything fell still and silent once more. Except

The corridor had reformed into a completely different configuration, the tunnel branching off into multiple pathways like an intricate maze.

“Okay, that’s not good,” Nicole murmured, shooting me a quick look. “Any ideas?”

My jaw clenched hard enough to grind teeth as I studied the shifting labyrinth stretching out before us. Every battle-honed instinct screamed to turn back, find another way. But we both knew there was no other option.

Letting out a low rumble of frustration, I turned to Nicole. “We’ll have to risk it. Stay close and keep your eyes open.”

She shouldn’t be here. She should never have come here. Because of this damned place, now she was in danger. And everything in my blood screamed at me that she must be protected at all costs.

She met my gaze levelly, giving a sharp nod of understanding. “You got it.”

The tension between us thrummed like a taut wire as we ventured into the maze, the iridescent corridors pulsing around us in a hypnotic display. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. But by what?

Step by step, the geometry warped and distorted in ways that set my mind reeling. Gravity itself seemed to shift, the floor transitioning to walls and ceilings in a dizzying spiral of fractured dimensions.

I fought to keep my bearings, relying on my other senses to ground me. The dry, metallic tang of ozone filled the air, sharp against my tongue. Nicole’s faint, flowery fragrance was a strangely grounding anchor amidst the madness.

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