We moved downstream, drifting further and further away from the ladder we had descended. Now, we were at the mercy of the darkness that stretched for miles underground.

We seemed to have stepped into another world. Just moments before, we had been in bright, spacious halls, free of shadows and seemingly easier to breathe in. A world of light and freedom.

And now, here we were in a small, dark corridor, waist-deep in water with terrible visibility and bone-chilling dampness. Above us loomed concrete slabs and tons of earth. The place itself seemed to press down on us, and I must admit, I didn't feel particularly safe. We had been chased by the officers back there, and now, we were oppressed by a crushing atmosphere. The impression was as if we were in a tunnel, like rats, with nothing left to do but move further toward an uncertain and inevitable destiny. It felt as if our path had already been determined, and all we could decide was whether to stay there or venture further into the darkness.

As I glanced around this place, it became immediately clear that few, if any, had ventured here. There were no technical markings on the walls, the kind usually left behind. There were no cables either, the kind that were sometimes attached along the walls for lighting.

However, a clear line marked the level to which the water rose in spring. Above it, the concrete was a regular gray; below, it turned brownish, with a layer of dirt. Had we descended here in the spring, we would either have drowned or simply not been able to pass.

The floor was slightly slippery. Apparently, it was covered with a layer of various substances carried by the underground river.

"I might be asking an insignificant question, but what do we do if everything ahead is flooded or the water is up to our necks?" Alex asked.

"We'll keep going even if it's up to our necks," I replied. "Or we'll find another path if it's flooded, though that shouldn't be the case."

"How would you know?"

"You should read books. See, our goal is the old sewers, where we can vanish from the cops. This one is quite fresh."

"And what does an old sewer look like?" Crowbar asked. "Not that I'm interested, but just in case."

"You won't miss it," I confidently replied.

We walked for about ten minutes before Alex decided to speak again.

"Do you think they already know where we are?"

"They probably suspect something," Malu smirked. "Box, is there any further ascent up ahead where they could intercept us?"

"No idea. I haven't studied the sewer maps and don't even know where we're going. But I know that..."

"There's another sewer passage there," Geezer unexpectedly pointed ahead. His voice was like that of an alcoholic coming off a week-long binge. "Which way do we go?"

I moved ahead, pulling out my compass.

The sewer that connected with ours on the left was an inflowing one, meaning the water flowed from it into ours. And here was a choice - to follow the current further or to move against the current into a new branch. On the one hand, it's easier to go with the flow, but on the other, by following the inflow into our sewer, we would be moving out of the city, judging by the compass, albeit against the current.

"Yes, we're turning," I nodded toward the turn.

"Are you sure?" Syringa asked.

"The city's border is over there. Do you have something to say?"

I didn't mean to be confrontational, I asked in a very calm voice, giving her a chance to speak her mind. Yet, Syringa just silently looked first one way and then the other. I could see her pupils that almost filled the entire iris. Her ears were slightly raised above her head, even though they were hardly visible.

"I don't want anything."

"Do you have claustrophobia?" asked Alex.

"Why don't you just go to hell," she replied, sounding displeased. "Let's move."

It was easier said than done. The drain was about a meter narrower here, and the current was stronger than in the previous one. Not only were we fighting against the flow, but we also had to carry heavy bags. This did not help our speed of movement.

Sometimes, we stopped to listen, whether there was a pursuit or anyone around. But apart from the murmuring, we heard nothing. The perpetual darkness parted before our flashlights, revealing places where people hadn't been for at least a decade. With each subsequent step, I felt that the currents made moving increasingly harder.

Soon, about an hour later, Malu, who was leading us, stopped.

"There's another fork. Box, which way?"

This was a T-shaped fork. Two fairly old-looking brick pipes entered the square concrete drain where we stood from two opposite walls.

"Here..." I checked the compass, "we go right."

"Won't we be going parallel to the first channel?" Crowbar asked.

"No," I shook my head. "This one went with a slight bend to the left. So slight that we wouldn't have noticed it without the compass. Because of this, the pipe to the left goes back to the city, and the one to the right goes away."

"Well, shall we climb in?" Alex sighed.

The pipe was lower than the drain, about one meter seventy, so I had to lower my head slightly. And it was positioned higher so that the water could drain out of it naturally.

We climbed in one by one and found ourselves in a much narrower space, where it felt as if the walls were really closing in on us. The old, moldy red bricks added an atmosphere of age, neglect, and desertion to this place. I must say, it was much more uncomfortable and unpleasant to walk here than in those large concrete drains.

After that, we walked for about another hour, when we encountered a Y-shaped fork. We had just come out of the right branch of this divide. After some thinking and discussing, we went down the left branch, following the current. We walked for about twenty minutes before Syringa stopped us again. Her tension was transmitted to the whole group, causing the others to look around, reaching for their guns involuntarily. But Syringa did not touch her gun - either there was no danger or no point. She was just listening, twitching her ears.

"Is there something ahead?" I asked quietly.

She didn't respond immediately.

"No... no, there's nothing there, just my imagination."

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But I didn't hear any confidence in her voice. Glancing at Malu, I nodded to him. He understood without a word.

"Then you go first. Hold the flashlight in your hand," he had handed her a small handheld flashlight. "This one's much more powerful than a headlamp; it will shine further."

After slightly switching places, we moved along the pipe again. Over time, from constantly having to bend my head, my neck had started to hurt. And there was this unpleasant feeling as if you weren't walking alone. Not only did I feel it, but the others also occasionally looked back. Especially Geezer, who was the last. He turned around every ten seconds, turning on a small flashlight as if trying...

"FUCK!!!"

He had screamed so loudly that, besides him, Syringa, Alex, and I also screamed. The entire team literally jumped in place, turning back. But...

"Fuck... God... I thought someone was standing right in front of me..." he muttered, clutching his heart. "Just looked back and saw someone's silhouette..."

"I nearly shit my pants," Alex exhaled in relief. "God, you can die of fright like this."

"What silhouette?" Malu didn't understand. "A shadow or what?"

"Well, I turned around, and the flashlight seems to have caught a shadow about ten meters away from me," he had beamed there.

Several beams of powerful flashlights immediately hit that spot. But they found no one.

"It must be an illusion," Crowbar shrugged. "Box said there might be hallucinations due to the confined space."

We decided to switch places. I became the last, having the honor of feeling on my own back that infinite darkness was beginning behind me.

And there was also a feeling that someone or something was behind me. But no matter how often and quickly I turned around, I didn't see anyone. The feeling that you know that someone is standing behind you, and you turn around expecting to see someone, but there's no one.

Now, I felt something similar myself. It was unpleasant, especially considering our current location.

"Syringa? What's the matter?" Malu's voice came from ahead.

Our entire column halted, and everyone was trying to make out what was ahead. Syringa, who was leading, just stopped, peering into the pitch darkness in front of her.

"Syringa?" This time, Alex called out.

I, on the other hand, was looking back, feeling doubly uncomfortable. There was someone to look forward, but no one was looking after our rear. I don't believe in horror movies, but this seemed like that very moment when someone from the group should be dragged away, and it's usually the last person.

"Do you see it?" she finally asked quietly in a voice that could be described as funereal. This made us even more scared.

"Damn... Geezer, watch our back," I carefully passed the others and stood next to Syringa. "What's there?"

"I don't know, but I think I see something..." she murmured, a bit scared.

I tried to make out anything ahead, but I didn't do very well. I just didn't see anything, but it was understandable - my vision coldn't compare to hers.

"Is it something alive?" I asked, a bit quieter, shining my flashlight in that direction.

"I don't know..." she mumbled.

She didn't know. But now I was scared. It was a different kind of fear, primal, inexplicable, paralyzing the mind and making you want to run without looking back. Your stomach doesn't churn, and your heart doesn't race; it simply seeps into every muscle, and horror just envelops everything in your chest. It doesn't restrain, but rather surrounds, like a very thick smoke. It was still weak, but the longer we would stand, the stronger it would become - if we didn't figure out what we were dealing with. And then everything could spiral out of control.

"Okay, stay here," I mumbled. "Malu, watch them."

I took the automatic rifle off my shoulder, holding the flashlight with the same hand as the gun. Not that I believed that something could live there, but... looking at Syringa and her ears, I couldn't outright deny this possibility.

Slowly, step by step, so as not to slip, I moved forward, trying to discern something ahead. My gaze was locked on the dense darkness in front of me.

In which two points flared up from the flashlight's beam. Such as if the light were reflecting off somebody's eyes. I felt my entire body clenched as if my muscles had become filled with something heavy. My heart pounded loudly, strongly, and very sonorously, resonating in my temples.

Panic and the desire to run without looking back attacked my consciousness, and I barely restrained myself from bolting backward. I just froze in place, trying to regain my composure. If I let my fear loose, it would be like a dam breaking when it would be impossible to stop the flow.

A few deep breaths filled my lungs with cold moisture, and I began to walk towards those eyes. My finger smoothly moved to the trigger. The automatic rifle was like a wall between me and the unknown on the other side of the barrel. With it, I felt confidence and some kind of power. Amusingly, it wasn't a panacea for any problem, and it wasn't a fact that a bullet would help, but I tried not to think about this.

With my every step in the stream of water, which was waist-deep here, the eyes became brighter.

And then I saw a face, literally looking at me. It belonged to a woman, a ghost from Japanese mythology, with long black hair hanging down. With a dirty face, she looked at me from under her brows like a predator. Her whitish skin shimmered in the light of the flashlight.

To say that everything inside me sank is an understatement. Cold filled every cell of my body, and as if electricity ran through my muscles, making them tense. Literally, I felt my balls in my underwear shrink from fear.

This... this... creature... ... ...

All thoughts short-circuited for a moment, knocking everything out of my head. There was almost nothing in my mind; I just knew that I was staring into the glowing eyes of a girl ahead. Now I know what paralysis from fear feels like - you can't think, you can't move. You can only stand and stare at something, ready to instantly jerk away at any danger, yet unable to move on your own.

I couldn't run off and cause a panic. But I couldn't press the trigger either - because I simply couldn't feel my arms or legs, as if they weren't mine anymore. I just stood still, staring at her snow-white face and glowing eyes, filled with something lifeless.

"Box, what's up over there?" Malu's voice was so unexpected that I involuntarily flinched. I was so engrossed that I forgot I wasn't alone. It was like a light slap to my consciousness.

Malu unintentionally reminded me that I wasn't alone. Yes... I wasn't alone. There were six of us; we had automatic guns; we were a formidable force together and could take down anyone. And there... it was unclear what was there - I hadn't even approached her yet. Maybe it's just a painting on the wall, the kind people sometimes like to draw.

The excuse was blatantly weak, but it, strangely enough, worked, restoring my ability to move.

I had to pull myself together. I had to move on because going back wasn't an option under any circumstances. I had to act and keep moving. I would break through, no matter what.

If anything, I would just start shooting and run back...

Step by step, I approached this girl. Step by step towards her hungry, glowing eyes...

Only to realize that I was just facing a stone wall.

"Damn..." I exhaled in relief, lowering my gun. It felt as if the pressure inside me had been released, and a massive weight literally fell off my shoulders. I felt a chill all over my body and the relaxation of my muscles.

My heart was still pounding hard, but out of relief now and much more calmly.

Yes, it was just a regular uneven wall made of grey stone. From somewhere above, streams of water were flowing down from under the cobblestones, which, over a long time, managed to wash the wall, creating curious hair-like streaks. And two protruding stones that literally jutted out, creating those eyes and giving off water reflections. And it looked like a...

I stepped back, returning to the team while still shining my flashlight on the wall. Now that I knew what was there, the outlines of the face were barely visible. Just a regular wall that was simply washed by water, nothing more.

"So?" Malu asked impatiently.

"Go and see for yourself," I nodded toward the passage.

He looked at me suspiciously before moving forward. He probably walked for about two minutes before cursing out loud.

"Damn it! And here I was thinking!" He cursed, either in disappointment or irritation. "And here I was thinking!"

I nodded to the others, and we moved forward. Because of the too-bright lighting, they couldn't make out the face, but I briefly described the situation, which caused laughter and teasing towards me and Malu. And if I took it calmly, Malu was more sharp.

"You know what, geniuses. Next time, you can check it yourself! I almost shat myself when I saw her."

And I could understand him. As well as fully comprehend the saying: "Fear has big eyes."

"How much longer do we have to walk?" Alex nudged me in the side.

"Well..."

I lit up the place into which our pipe led. A large room made of smooth stone, where several other pipes converged, some of which were as old as the room itself. Down below flowed a real river, which divided into two conduits at one of the walls, going in different directions.

"It seems we're in the old part of the underground canals, so..."

"Why are there so many?" Crowbar wondered. "They're everywhere here."

"That's because Khanksk is built on subterranean rivers. Several large ones and many small ones. Naturally, when they found out, they didn't relocate the city; they just built canals."

"But why so many pipes?"

"In case one gets clogged, or there's a flood, or something else, they're all interconnected, and the water will be evenly distributed among them."

"How do you know all this?" Alex glanced at me.

"History lessons about our region and city."

"I told you they were important and broadened our horizons," Syringa interjected. "But you argued with me, idiots..."

Both of them kept silent. But then Geezer spoke up.

"So, where to now?"

That's what I was about to figure out.