The red gate screeched, like a thousand screams.

The lost souls to save laid there, behind the dark veil of the lightless caves, in the Abyss.

“Hopes up! And may the sky be filled with yells of joy when we emerge from the cracks in triumph !”

“HURRAH !” shouted the gathering. The sound reverberated on the stone walls around them, ringing the ears.

Behind the door, nothing but shadows, and a path going down, to an unknown realm.

And then, in an instant, the silence.

Fear got palpable, and muscles started to freeze, as the black pit awaited.

Aien thought, “Let us in, for the glory of the explorers.”

So the community walked in, slowly but steadily, all next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, like water in a sink.

Aien and his group came across a sign made of white paint on the red rock, saying: “Don’t go there. Death awaits. The sources of the Plagues.”

It was slowly decaying from the constant filth and moisture of this place.

The door closed behind them in a crash. As light from the camp faded, they turned to their own sources. They couldn’t use fire torches, obviously, as the smoke would have suffocated them.

They used light bulbs, small light sources like shining balls, that lighted all around for hours. Yet, their reach was so low, that after a few feet, there would be only darkness.

At first, there was plenty of light, as the massive group advanced together in the tunnel. Hundreds of people in front, and hundreds behind. It was a safe protection for a while, but soon, as the groups kept spreading in the maze, there was nothing but a shadow all around Aien’s group: an abyss their eyes couldn’t see.

They were alone finally. They still heard clamors from behind: echoes of friends carried by the narrow ways.

Then, nothing.

The adventure began.

“Okay, people, we review the tactic.”

Ran, the Shield, was the one to take the lead for the mission. He was the most experienced, and so was Lise, the Shockwave. Nila the Medic and Aien weren’t as hardened.

“Okay,” Nila said, visibly trying to stay positive despite the fear.

The strategy was simple :

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“I, the Shield, put myself in front. If something comes, I drop on my knees and block it. After me, Aien the Sword. You hit from over my head with the blade. Then, Nila will be able to touch the two of us for healing if the need arises. Finally, Lise is last.”

Lise would protect them from behind if need be. Most paths were occupied by allies, so this was rarely an issue. In fact, she was mainly here for communication: her hands gathered the energy around. She could feel it in the walls and send signals through the stone.

So the team could contact others in the hugeness of the maze.

As they advanced, they saw scratches and burns, witnesses of past fights in the narrow passes.

“An ambush may come at any moment now,” said Ran.

The monsters liked to hide in the dark, without a noise. They could have been under their noses, and they wouldn’t have seen them until their frail lights would have reached them.

They kept advancing slowly, their gazes fixed on the void in front of them, pushing it forward as they moved, while it pushed them too, in their backs.

From time to time, the cave vibrated, proof of ongoing struggles elsewhere.

At times, they came across bushes of glowing plants from unknown species that very few had ever seen.

Then, the air got heavy, and they found themselves between crushing walls: the path narrowed, forcing them to advance by the side, bellies and backs against the rock.

Being in the middle, Aien checked on the others. The large guy in front found the most trouble, due to his size. The girls behind had an easier time, so they carried the bags.

“There should have been monsters by now, this is not normal,” said Lise.

“How can you tell?” Aien asked.

“I read the reports on this place. Most attacks happen in the first half-hour.”

“How long has it been?” Asked Nila, sandwiched between the walls and the rest of them.

“An hour,” said Lise.

“Already? I lost track of time,” said Nila.

“Easy when there’s no sun,” said Ran.

They checked every cavity for harm, every shadow over their heads, every crack at their feet.

The noises they heard were treacherous: every stone drop; every step sound; every breath; might have been from something in front of them in the darkness, as well as lost echoes far away.

Mystery.

Yet, the way soon widened again, releasing their lungs from the pressure of billions of tons of stone. And they saw red lights in the distance.

“This is the End,” Ran said.

The Red Lights Perpetual (RLP) were everlasting flares. They showed the last documented places, the farthest any man had ever been.

Aien stepped on something soft… It was a dead body. The red flesh mixed itself with the light, and the blood merged with the moisture and stagnant water. A bone broke under his feet.

“Is this anyone we are looking for?” He asked.

“Yes, I saw a picture,” said Lise.

“Is she alive?” said Nila.

“No.”

She was the lost team’s communicator, the one who could “see” through the walls. No wonder they had no sign of their team.

“Where are the rest of them?” Nila said.

“Probably in the Unknown Zone. There is no other way,” answered Ran.

Aien advanced past the red lights, expecting to learn more. Instead, he saw a large red face right in front of him, with a sea of teeth, large like his arms.