Page 114 of Immersed
They’dbarelysealedthemaintenance access when the storage room door gave way, crashing to the floor with a thunderous impact. The creature’s howl of frustration followed them into the darkness as they crawled through the narrow passage, the vial of blood secure in Levi’s pocket.
The tunnelwascrampedand disorienting, branching in multiple directions like a metallic maze. They followed Zoe’s lead, stopping at every branch to wait for her to shine a light on the blueprint before choosing a direction. The walls vibrated around them, the building’s reconfiguration continuing despite the security breach.
“The blueprint shows this passage should connect to the main corridor,”Zoe whispered over her shoulder, pausing at a junction.“But there’s something wrong. This branch shouldn’t be here.”
Levi squeezed forward, shining his flashlight down the unexpected tunnel. Itwasnarrower than the onethey’dbeen following, with a distinct downward slope.
“The building’s changing,”he said.
“So which way?”Jasper asked, his voice tight with anxiety.“The original route or this new one?”
A distant metallic screech echoed through the passage behind them—the unmistakable sound of the guardian tearing at the maintenance access.
“It’s coming through,”Tyler hissed.“We need to move. Now.”
“We stick to the blueprint,”Elliot insisted, gesturing toward the original route.“That’s our best chance.”
Leviwasabout to agree when another tremor shook the tunnel, more violent than before. The metal walls groaned, and the passage Elliotindicatedbuckled, the ceiling collapsing just yards ahead.
“Not that way,”Asher said flatly.“We go down.”
No one argued. The new passagewastheir only option. They proceeded in single file, the tunnel growing tighter as it descended. Levi felt the weight of the building above them, tons of concrete and steel pressing down, separated only by thin metal walls that creaked and shifted under their collective weight.
“I don’t like this,”Maddie whispered, her voice quavering.“It feels like we’re being herded.”
She’s not wrong.
The slope grew steeper, forcing them to brace against the walls to maintain balance. The metalwascool beneath Levi’s palms, slick with condensation. Whatever level theyweredescending to, itwasfar below the sanitarium’s main floors.
“Something doesn’t feel right,”Owen cautioned from ahead.“It’s like—”
His warning cut off in a startled cry as the floor beneath him gave way. The metal panel hinged downward like a trap door, and Owen disappeared through the opening, arms flailing. Zoe lunged forward, catching his wrist as he fell.
“Owen!”she gasped, her body sliding forward as his weight pulled her toward the hole.“Grab my hand!”
The others scrambled to help, but the narrow passage made it impossible to reach her without pushing past the people ahead. Levi watched in helpless horror as Zoe’s grip began to slip, her small frame no match for Owen’s weight.
“I can’t hold him!”she cried, fingers white with strain.
“Zoe, hold on!”Levi called.“We’ll find another way to reach you both!”
But instead of releasing Owen, Zoe made a different choice. Her eyes met Levi’s for one deliberate moment, a look of quiet resolve crossing her face. Then she stopped fighting against Owen’s weight and allowed herself to be pulled through the opening.
“Zoe!”Maddie screamed, lunging forward only to be restrained by Jasper’s grip.
“Don’t!” he warned. “You’ll fall too!”
The group fell silent, straining to hear any sound from below. For a moment, therewasnothing. Then came the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting a surface far below, followed by Owen’s pained groan and Zoe’s muffled voice.
“They’re alive,”Jasper said, hope edging into his voice.“We need to find a way down to them.”
“If we continue this way,”Levi said, indicating the tunnel ahead and the abandoned blueprint where Zoe had been,“there might be a junction that leads to a lower maintenance level. We need to get over that gap and keep moving.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Asher said from behind him.
“We don’t have a choice,”Levi said.“We need to keep moving.”
Bridging the gap felt both terrifying and deceptively simple. Even Maddie could reach across it, but the moment between lifting a knee from one side to the other caused a disorienting feeling, like the darkness could reach up and pull them down regardless of how careful they were.
