11

The team cautiously advanced through the winding tunnel, their flashlights casting dancing shadows on the damp walls. Mary led the march, her heart beating hard against her ribs. The air grew thicker and more suffocating as they ventured deeper into the bowels of the earth.

Suddenly, the tunnel widened, opening into a large chamber. Mary stopped abruptly, causing Carlos to bump into her.

"What the hell...?" the cameraman muttered, focusing his camera.

Before them stretched a space that contradicted everything they had seen so far. Instead of bare rock and natural formations, the chamber showed unmistakable signs of human habitation.

A small fire, still smoldering, occupied the center of the space. Around it, empty food cans and wrappers were scattered across the stone floor. In a corner, a worn sleeping bag lay next to an open backpack.

"Someone has been living here," Anna whispered, her voice tinged with awe and fear.

Mary advanced slowly, her flashlight sweeping over every detail. On the walls, traced with charcoal, a series of symbols and diagrams covered the rock. Some seemed familiar, reminiscent of the Maryn characters they had seen before. Others were completely alien, twisted forms that seemed to change when not looked at directly.

"This is impossible," Elena muttered, her voice trembling. "Who could live down here?"

Carlos approached the fire, examining it closely.

"These ashes are still hot. Whoever was here, left recently."

Joseph, who had been unusually quiet, let out a muffled cry. Everyone turned to see him pointing with a trembling hand towards one of the walls.

There, nailed with what appeared to be a hunting knife, was a photograph. Mary approached, her heart skipping a beat as she recognized the image.

It was a photo of them. Of the entire team, taken in the village before venturing into the cave.

"Oh my God," Anna muttered, her voice barely a whisper. "They were expecting us."

Carlos shook his head, his usual skepticism fighting against the evident fear in his eyes.

"This has to be a joke. Some local who followed us..."

His words were interrupted by a metallic sound. Mary turned to see Elena holding something in her trembling hands.

"It's... it's George's crucifix," the producer said, her voice breaking.

A sepulchral silence fell over the group, broken only by the constant dripping of water somewhere in the darkness.

Mary approached the abandoned backpack, opening it cautiously. Inside, in addition to provisions and survival equipment, she found a notebook. She opened it, her flashlight illuminating page after page of frantic writing.

"It's a diary," she murmured, quickly leafing through it. "Dated... three months ago."

"Three months?" Joseph repeated, incredulous. "Someone has been living here for so long?"

Mary continued reading, her frown deepening with each passing moment.

"It talks about Ek Chapat. About rituals, sacrifices. It says that... that he's close to deciphering it all."

A dull thud made everyone startle. Carlos had dropped his camera, his face as pale as wax.

"We need to leave," he said, his voice hoarse. "Now."

But before anyone could move, a heart-wrenching scream resonated in the distance, followed by the unmistakable sound of something large dragging itself over rock.

12

The tunnel narrowed. Mary led the way, her flashlight barely scratching the darkness. The echo of their footsteps bounced off the walls, mixing with the constant dripping of water. A metallic taste settled in her mouth, while her fingers brushed against the cold, rough rock. The air, increasingly dense, seemed to stick to her skin like a second damp layer.

Joseph cursed under his breath. His flashlight now emitted a weak, yellowish light.

"The batteries are running out," he muttered. "I don't know how much longer they'll last."

Suddenly, a metallic sound bounced off the rocky walls. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.

"What the hell was that?" Carlos whispered, his voice tense.

Elena turned sharply, focusing her flashlight backward.

"It came from there," she said, pointing to a small side passage they had overlooked.

Mary shook her head.

"We can't deviate. We have to find a way out."

Elena frowned, her jaw clenched with determination.

"It could be George. Or an exit. I'm going to take a look."

Before anyone could stop her, she ventured into the passage.

"Elena, wait!" Mary shouted, but her voice was swallowed by the darkness.

Joseph clung to his sound equipment, visibly trembling.

"We shouldn't separate. It's exactly what Ek Chapat wants."

Carlos clenched his fists, his knuckles white.

"There has to be a rational explanation," he said, but his eyes frantically scanned the tunnel. "Although I admit that this... this isn't normal."

Anna approached the passage, squinting.

"Elena, can you hear us?"

Only silence responded.

A mix of adrenaline and determination coursed through Mary's body. Her hands were shaking, but her jaw tensed, determined not to be overcome by fear. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

"I'm going to look for her. You stay here."

Carlos grabbed her arm.

"No way. We're not going to separate more."

A sharp scream pierced the air, chilling the blood in their veins. It came from the passage where Elena had disappeared.

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"Elena!" they shouted in unison, rushing towards the tunnel.

The tunnel compressed, forcing the group to snake in single file, their shoulders brushing against the rough rock on both sides. Mary was in front, her heart pounding against her ribs. The beam of her flashlight danced frantically on the walls, revealing more symbols carved into the rock.

"Elena, where are you?" she called, her voice breaking with fear.

A dull thud made them stop. Something metallic rolled towards them in the darkness. Mary picked it up with trembling hands.

It was Elena's flashlight. The light flickered weakly, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

"Oh my God," Anna whispered, her voice barely audible.

Joseph let out a muffled groan.

"It has her. Ek Chapat has her."

Carlos shook his head frantically.

"No, no, no. She has to be around here. Elena!"

His shout reverberated in the tunnel, but only silence responded.

Mary felt the world crumbling around her. First George, now Elena. What was happening?

A sound chilled their blood. The ground vibrated beneath their feet.

"Run," Mary whispered, her voice barely a thread. "Run!"

They launched themselves backward, stumbling in the darkness. The sound chased them, getting closer and closer. Mary could swear she heard the snap of enormous jaws closing behind them.

They emerged from the side passage, panting and trembling. Without stopping, they ran through the main tunnel, fear giving them wings.

Only when the sound faded in the distance did they dare to stop. They collapsed against the wall, struggling to catch their breath.

Mary looked at the pale and terrified faces of her team. Elena was gone. And something was stalking them in the darkness.

13

The tunnel closed in on them like a hungry throat. Joseph, at the end of the line, felt the walls closing in with each step. His camera, once a comforting extension of his body, now weighed like lead. Every shadow cast by his light seemed to come alive, fueled by his growing paranoia.

A hissing sound made him stop dead in his tracks. He spun on his heels, his heart pounding in his chest.

"What's wrong?" Mary whispered from the front.

Joseph swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

"I thought... I thought I heard something."

He focused the camera on the tunnel they had come through. The screen showed only darkness and damp rock.

Suddenly, something moved at the edge of the frame. Joseph held his breath, adjusting the zoom with trembling fingers. The figure sliding through the tunnel defied all logic. Seven protrusions rose, each moving independently, like conscious snakes. The main body undulated in a way that made Joseph's stomach turn, a mass of muscles and textures that his mind refused to process.

A dark figure slid through the tunnel, moving in a way that didn't seem entirely human. It was long, sinuous, with multiple limbs that twisted unnaturally.

"Oh my God," Joseph muttered, his voice barely a thread. "Mary! Carlos! You have to see this!"

The group huddled around the small camera screen. The figure stopped, as if it had noticed their presence. Seven protrusions rose from its body, unsettlingly reminiscent of the heads in the legend of Ek Chapat.

"It can't be," Anna whispered, her eyes wide open.

Carlos backed away, visibly trembling.

"No," he muttered, "it can't be real."

He swallowed audibly.

"But if it's not... what the hell did we just see?"

The creature turned towards them. For an instant, seven pairs of eyes glowed in the darkness, fixed on the camera.

A shrill cry emanated from Joseph's throat. The camera shook violently in his hands.

"It's moving! It's coming this way!"

Mary grabbed Joseph's arm.

"Run!"

The group lunged forward, stumbling in the gloom. Joseph ran backwards, the camera still focused on the tunnel. The figure approached, moving at an impossible speed.

"Faster!" Carlos shouted, panic evident in his voice.

The camera screen began to flicker, lines of static distorting the image. Joseph frantically hit the device.

"No! Not now!"

For a second, the image cleared. The mass was just a few meters away from them.

A deafening roar filled the tunnel. The camera exploded in a shower of sparks in Joseph's hands.

"Shit!" he shouted, throwing the smoking device.

Mary grabbed his arm, pulling him.

"Keep running!"

They ventured deeper into the cave, the sound of something large dragging behind them. The tunnel split like a forked tongue, offering two equally dark paths. With no time to think, Mary guided them to the left.

They emerged into a circular chamber, panting and trembling. Seven identical passages opened before them, like the jaws of a stone monster.

"What... what was that thing?" Anna managed to articulate between labored breaths.

Joseph collapsed against the wall, his face as pale as paper.

"It was real," he whispered. "Ek Chapat. It was real."

14

Mary stopped abruptly, raising a hand to silence the group. Her nostrils flared, catching something that the others hadn't yet perceived.

"What's wrong?" Joseph whispered, his voice tense with constant fear.

"Air," Mary replied, slowly turning her head. "Fresh air."

Anna frowned, skeptical.

"It's impossible. We're too deep."

But Mary was already on the move, following an invisible current that only she seemed to detect. The group followed her, half hopeful, half fearful of another disappointment.

And then, they all felt it: a soft but unmistakable breeze, laden with the scent of vegetation and damp earth.

"My God," Anna murmured, her eyes widening. "She's right."

Hope, that almost forgotten emotion, began to grow in their chests. Mary quickened her pace, the team following closely behind. The tunnel began to ascend, each step seemingly bringing them closer to the surface, to freedom.

"Listen," Joseph suddenly said. Everyone stopped, holding their breath. In the distance, the unmistakable sound of running water reached their ears.

"A river," Mary said, a smile forming on her cracked lips. "It must lead to the outside."

They advanced with renewed vigor, fatigue and fear momentarily forgotten. The sound of water grew louder with each step, the breeze more intense.

Finally, the tunnel opened into an immense chamber. For a moment, euphoria overwhelmed them... until the reality of their situation became evident.

The water they had heard fell in a deafening waterfall from an impossible height, losing itself in the depths of an unfathomable abyss. Fresh air filtered through cracks in the impossibly high ceiling, as distant as the stars themselves.

It wasn't an exit. It was a trap.

Mary fell to her knees, hope escaping from her body like air from a punctured balloon. The others remained motionless, too shocked to react.

It was Joseph who finally broke the silence, his voice barely audible over the roar of the waterfall.

"Look at the walls."

Everyone turned, following his gaze. The chamber was covered in symbols, older and more complex than any they had seen before. In the center, carved into the living rock, one they already knew too well: the seven heads of Ek Chapat.

They weren't closer to escaping. They were exactly where the creature wanted them.

15

Anna approached the walls of the chamber, her fingers brushing the symbols carved into the rock. The flickering light of her flashlight danced over the characters, casting shadows that seemed to come to life.

"This is... incredible," she murmured, her eyes frantically scanning the inscriptions. "Some of these symbols are Maryn, but others... they look like the ones we've found before."

Mary approached, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach.

"Can you read them?"

Anna nodded slowly, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Part of them. They talk about Ek Chapat, but..." She stopped, her eyes widening. "Oh my God."

Carlos approached, his camera focusing on the inscriptions.

"What? What does it say?"

Anna swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly.

"It's not a monster. It's... a guardian."

A sharp, broken laugh escaped Joseph's throat, more like a squawk than a laugh. His eyes, too wide open, jumped from one side of the tunnel to the other.

"A guardian? Of what?"

"Of a portal," Anna replied, her fingers tracing the symbols. "It says that eons ago, beings from another world tried to invade ours. The ancient Mary created Ek Chapat to protect the portal and prevent them from crossing."

A penetrating cold took hold of Mary, as if her blood had turned to liquid ice. Her fingers went numb, and she had to struggle to maintain her grip on the flashlight.

"Are you saying that... thing we saw is a Maryn creation?"

Anna shook her head, her face pale under the flashlight's light.

"Not exactly. It says they summoned a being from another plane and bound it to this place. They gave it seven heads so it could see in all directions, and they fed it with sacrifices to keep it strong."

Carlos ran a hand over his face, letting out a shaky sigh.

"God, I never thought I'd say this, but... what if they're right? What if there's something here we can't explain?"

His words were interrupted by a distant roar that shook the walls of the cave. Rock fragments detached from the ceiling, falling around them.

Anna continued reading frantically.

"The riddles... they're tests. Ek Chapat devours those who fail to maintain its strength, but if someone manages to solve them all..."

"What?" Mary urged, her heart beating hard. "What happens if someone solves them?"

Anna paled even more, if that was possible.

"The portal opens."

A sepulchral silence fell over the group, broken only by the constant dripping of water somewhere in the darkness.

Joseph was the first to speak, his voice barely a whisper.

"Do you think... someone has been trying to solve the riddles? The one who was living in that chamber we found?"

Mary remembered the diary they had found, the pages full of frantic symbols and calculations.

"Oh God," she muttered. "That's what he was doing. He was trying to open the portal."

Another roar, closer this time, shook the cave. Dust and small rocks rained down on them.

The ground beneath their feet began to vibrate. A sound, like something huge dragging itself, came from one of the tunnels.

Mary looked at her team, fear palpable on every face.

"We have to get out of here. Now."