Ambrose waits for a moment before snuffing out the torch. The darkness draws back in, her vision clear enough to see in front of her. Her breathing is short and rough as the pain across her back dwindles to a dull ache. She caught a glimpse of the figure. Something pale, almost white yet blended into the black in an uncanny way.
With a groan she staggers onto her feet and walks over to her spear. Picking it up, her she turns her gaze back toward the hallway. The sound came from down there, and so with a small limp Ambrose continues to drag herself toward it. Time passes in the quiet of the darkness. Her limp recedes, and soon she’s walking straight as she strides down the tunnel.
She reaches a bend down the passageway and comes up to a huge chunk of the wall ripped out. Shredded metal lies everywhere, with big, rent piles of it stacked up and cutting off the rest of the path. Where the metal has been ripped away reveals the inner layering of the wall. It’s complex, pipes of various sizes leading toward every direction. A massive, interconnected web of metal.
Ambrose peers inside but fails to find anything but more empty darkness. Turning away Ambrose rummages through the metal junkyard in front of her as she looks for a way through. As she moves some of the metal, she finds more objects under them. Furniture, wires and broken appliances. Her hand brushes against a plush bear, a smile stretched across its face even as its lower body has been ripped away.
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The bear suddenly lights up. Ambrose rears back in shock and raises her spear against it as the jingle of music plays out. The music scratches her ears for a long moment, eerie and discordant until the words rearrange themselves.
Hush, hush, little suns,
Welcome the endless cold,
Drift, drift, little ones,
Children of the dark,
How I wonder what you are
The final words come out in a twisted tone, cold and deep like the endless night. The bear turns its neck toward Ambrose. Its smile growing even wider. Ambrose slams her spear into the plush toy, impaling it as she drags it further along and bores it further into the metal ruins. Fear flickers in her eyes, her hands gripping tight while she swings wide. Her spear arcs and the bear’s remains are ripped into another half when her spear breaks free.
Ambrose heaves, her heavy breaths coming out in rapid bursts as she stares at the objects remains. With shaky hands she grabs hold of her torch and turns it on, the light flickering for a moment before it turns on. The contents become clear, as Ambrose stares at cut wires and shredded padding. She carefully reaches in with her spear raised and grabs at the wires, only to pull the bear up with her as she sees it connected to a small box inside. Its lifeless eyes face Ambrose’s own, her fear reflected in its glossy beads.