Chapter 39 Pitfall
Pitfall
They’d barely sealed the maintenance 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 tunnel was cramped and 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. It was narrower than the one they’d been 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.”
Levi was about to agree when another tremor shook the tunnel, more violent than before. The metal walls groaned, and the passage Elliot indicated buckled, the ceiling collapsing just yards ahead.
“Not that way,” Asher said flatly. “We go down.”
No one argued. The new passage was their 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 metal was cool beneath Levi’s palms, slick with condensation. Whatever level they were descending to, it was far 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, there was nothing. 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.
They continued forward with Maddie in the lead, utterly silent except for the occasional sniffle coming from her direction.
“They were going to slow us down anyway,” he murmured, voice pitched for Levi’s ears alone. “This might be for the best.”
“We’ll find them,” Levi insisted, though with less conviction than he intended.
Asher’s fingertips brushed against the back of Levi’s ankle, a gesture too deliberate to be accidental. “Of course,” he agreed, the lie smooth as silk.
The distant echoes of screams interrupted any further conversation—raw, primal sounds of terror that froze them all in place. The cries came from somewhere below, in the direction Owen and Zoe fell.
“Oh God,” Maddie whispered, hands pressed against her mouth. “That’s them.”
Levi felt a sickening lurch in his stomach as the screams intensified, then cut off with chilling abruptness. The silence that followed was somehow worse than the cries had been.
“We need to go back,” Jasper insisted, already trying to turn around. “We can’t just leave them.”
“It’s too late,” Asher said flatly. “Whatever found them is already done with them.”
“You don’t know that,” Elliot snapped, shooting a glare over his shoulder at Asher, but his pale face suggested he didn’t believe his own protest.
Another tremor shook the tunnel, more violent than before. Metal groaned around them, the walls visibly contracting.
“Move!” Tyler shouted, pushing Maddie ahead of him. “This whole section is collapsing!”
They scrambled forward, abandoning any pretense of stealth or caution. The tunnel was closing behind them like a throat swallowing, the metal panels folding inward. Levi felt Asher’s hand at the small of his back, urging him forward with insistent pressure.
The tunnel ended abruptly at a vertical shaft with a ladder bolted to one wall. Without hesitation, they began to descend, the sounds of collapsing metal growing fainter above them. The ladder seemed to extend endlessly into darkness, their flashlight beams barely penetrating the gloom below.
When Levi’s feet finally touched solid ground, he found himself in a cavernous space filled with machinery. Massive gears interlocked, some moving, some static, while hydraulic pistons pumped with rhythmic determination. The air hummed with energy, the floor vibrating beneath their feet.
“What is this place?” Maddie asked, her voice hushed with awe and fear.
“The building’s heart,” Levi realized, taking in the intricate systems. “This is what controls the reconfiguration—all those moving walls and shifting corridors.”
Jasper approached a nearby gear assembly, examining it with grudging admiration. “This is incredible engineering. Way beyond what should have been possible when this place was built.”
“Faine was ahead of his time,” Asher said, moving to stand beside Levi. “In all the worst ways.”
They spread out cautiously, exploring the chamber while staying within sight of each other. The space was surprisingly well-maintained, the machinery gleaming with oil and free of dust. Whatever powered this system was still operational despite the decades of abandonment above.
“Guys,” Jasper called from across the room. “I think I found something.”
He was standing before what appeared to be a control panel near one of the three exits from the chamber, its surface covered with gauges, switches, and a small monitor glowing with green text. The triangular symbol was etched into the metal above the display.
“What does it say?” Levi asked, joining him.
“System status normal. Reconfiguration Protocol 7 active. Guardians deployed: 3 of 5.”
“Three guardians,” Elliot repeated. “The one that chased us, and probably whatever got Owen and Zoe.”
“And one more we haven’t met yet,” Tyler added grimly.
Levi examined the control panel, noting the layout of switches and indicators. “This might be a way to control the building’s configuration,” he suggested. “If we can access the system, we might be able to create a direct path back towards the Administrative Assistant Offices.”
“Where the second key is located,” Maddie said, a hint of hope entering her voice.
“Can you access it?” Elliot asked Jasper, who was already experimenting with the interface.
“It’s not exactly modern tech,” Jasper replied, fingers dancing across the control surface. “But everything is labeled, so in theory…” He flipped a series of switches in quick succession, then turned a large dial to the right. “There!”
The monitor flickered, then displayed a different message: “Manual override initiated. Select configuration template.”
“It worked!” Maddie exclaimed, a genuine smile breaking through her fear for the first time in hours.
A schematic appeared on the screen, showing a simplified map of the sanitarium’s current configuration. A blinking dot indicated their location in the sublevel, while a dotted line traced a potential route upward.
“That’s our path back,” Levi said, pointing to the line. “If we can lock the building in this configuration, we should be able to reach it without encountering any more shifting corridors.”
Jasper searched the control panel in front of him. “I think this one locks it,” he said, flipping the switch without a second’s hesitation. The screen flashed with confirmation: “Configuration locked. Standby for stabilization.”
Around them, the machinery’s rhythm changed, the gears slowing to a more measured pace. The constant background vibration steadied, becoming almost imperceptible.
“You did it,” Tyler said, clapping Jasper on the shoulder.
“We did it,” Jasper corrected, though pride was evident on his face. “Now we just need to follow this route up—”
A harsh buzzer cut through his words, the control panel suddenly flashing red. The monitor displayed a new message, this one pulsing with urgency: “Security violation detected. Countermeasures engaged.”
“What did you do?” Elliot demanded, rounding on Jasper.
“Nothing! I was just clicking buttons, man!” Jasper protested.
The machinery around them accelerated, gears spinning with renewed vigor, pistons pumping at double speed. Metal groaned as the system seemed to strain against its limitations.
“It’s rejecting the commands,” Levi realized. “The security system is fighting back.”
A more immediate concern emerged as panels along the walls began to slide open, revealing recessed compartments.
Creatures stumbled forward, assemblages of parts that vaguely resembled human forms. Gears served as joints, pistons as limbs, dripping with something that made the room smell like death and made Levi’s stomach churn.
“Run!” Tyler shouted, grabbing Maddie’s arm and pulling her toward the nearest corridor leading off from the main chamber. “Split up! They can’t chase all of us!”
“No!” Levi called after them. “We need to stay together!”
But it was too late. Tyler and Maddie disappeared down one passage, while Elliot and Jasper bolted toward another. Levi felt Asher’s grip on his arm, tugging him toward a third exit.
“They’ve made their choice,” Asher said. “Make yours.”
There was no time for debate. Levi allowed Asher to pull him into the corridor, the sound of metal feet clanking against the floor pursuing them as they fled.
They ran together, Asher slightly ahead, guiding their path with unerring confidence despite the unfamiliar terrain.
Levi found himself matching Asher’s pace, anticipating his movements.
They’d done this before—fleeing together, surviving together—and their bodies remembered even if the circumstances differed.
The corridor branched repeatedly, each junction forcing a split-second decision. Asher chose without hesitation, pulling Levi through a bewildering sequence of turns that soon left him disoriented. The sounds of pursuit faded behind them, replaced by the omnipresent hum of machinery.