The growling was louder now, echoing through the walls as the creatures drew closer. Corey’s mind raced as he tried to think of a way out, but the room was sealed tight, the reinforced walls and door designed to contain whatever experiments had taken place here.

“Corey, look!” Ornelas shouted, pointing to the corner of the room.

Corey turned and saw what his brother was pointing at—air vents, large enough for them to crawl through. It was their only chance.

“The vents!” Corey said, rushing toward one. “We can get out through the vents!”

D’Souza and Palesa were already moving, helping to pry the cover off the vent. The growling was almost deafening now, the creatures just outside the door.

Ntlentle and a few others moved towards a different vent. “If we split up we can get more people through them faster.”

“Good idea, but hurry!” Palesa urged, her voice tight with fear.

One by one, they scrambled into the vents, the tight space forcing them to crawl on their hands and knees. Corey led the way through one vent, his heart pounding as he moved as quickly as he could through the narrow tunnel.

The vent twisted and turned, the walls pressing in on them from all sides. Corey’s mind raced, the sound of his own breathing loud in his ears as he fought to stay calm. Behind him, Ornelas and the others followed, their movements hurried and desperate.

But the creatures were relentless. As they crawled through the vent, Corey could hear the sound of metal being torn apart, the creatures ripping through the door and entering the lab. Their growls echoed through the vent, growing louder with each passing second.

“They’re in the lab!” Ornelas shouted, his voice filled with panic. “They’re coming!”

Corey pushed himself harder, his muscles burning with the effort as he crawled faster. The vent seemed to stretch on forever, the exit nowhere in sight. But he knew they couldn’t stop—they had to keep moving, no matter what.

Suddenly, the vent opened up into a larger chamber, the walls lined with more machinery and old, rusted equipment. Corey scrambled out of the vent, pulling Ornelas with him as the others followed.

But as they entered the chamber, Corey’s heart sank. The room was a dead end—there were no doors, no windows, no way out.

“We’re trapped,” Palesa whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

The growling was louder now, the creatures almost upon them. Corey’s mind raced as he searched the room for any way to escape, but there was nothing—no exit, no hidden door, nothing.

“We have to fight,” D’Souza said, his voice calm despite the terror in his eyes. “We’ll hold them off as long as we can.”

Corey nodded, his hands shaking as he gripped his machete. They had no other choice—they were cornered, and the creatures were coming for them. It was a fight to the death, and they had no idea if they would make it out alive.

The growling grew deafening, the sound reverberating through the walls as the creatures closed in. Corey’s heart pounded in his chest as he raised his weapon, preparing for the inevitable.

And then, just as the creatures burst into the chamber, there was a sudden, blinding flash of light. Corey flinched, his vision going white as the room was flooded with intense, searing light.

For a moment, there was nothing—just blinding light and deafening silence. And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light vanished, leaving the room in complete darkness.

Corey blinked, his vision slowly returning as he tried to make sense of what had happened. The creatures were gone—vanished without a trace. The room was empty, the growling replaced by an eerie, unsettling silence.

“What... what just happened?” Ornelas whispered, his voice trembling.

Corey shook his head, his mind reeling as he struggled to understand. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice barely audible. “But I think... I think someone just saved us.”

But as the reality of their narrow escape set in, Corey couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from over. The creatures might have been driven back, but the danger was still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

***

“We’re alive...” Ornelas whispered, his voice filled with a mix of awe and disbelief.

D’Souza stepped forward, his expression a mask of determination as he scanned the chamber for any sign of danger. “This isn’t over,” he said, his voice firm. “Whoever—or whatever—did this might still be watching.”

Palesa knelt beside a console, her hands shaking as she tapped a few keys to bring the terminal to life. The screen flickered, showing lines of code and scattered files, but her eyes were unfocused, still reeling from the near-death experience. “We need to figure out what that was. It wasn’t just random... someone’s been monitoring this place.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Corey glanced around the room, still gripping his machete. “We need answers,” he said, his voice tight with tension. “And we need to find Ntlentle and the others. We can’t keep running blind.”

D’Souza nodded. “Let’s regroup and find the others. If they made it out of the initial attack, they could be hiding somewhere nearby.” He turned to Palesa. “Download whatever information you can. If there’s anything on Project Lazarus—or who might be watching—we need it.”

Palesa quickly set to work, her hands moving with renewed purpose. Corey, D’Souza, and Ornelas stood guard, watching the door and every shadow that seemed to shift in the dim light. The room felt like a trap, and the weight of the unseen eyes that might be on them grew heavier with each passing second.

Finally, the screen blinked, signalling that the download was complete. Palesa grabbed the portable drive and slipped it into her pack. “Got it,” she said, her voice steady now. “Let’s move.”

They cautiously made their way back through the facility, retracing their steps with tense urgency. The place seemed even more eerie now, the flickering lights and echoing halls creating a sense of foreboding that was impossible to shake. Every sound, every creak and groan of the building, set their nerves on edge.

As they neared the exit, Corey suddenly stopped, his head cocked to the side as he strained to listen. There was a faint noise, almost like a whisper, coming from somewhere nearby. He held up a hand, signalling the others to stop.

“Did you hear that?” he whispered, his eyes scanning the shadows.

Ornelas nodded, his face tense. “Yeah... someone’s out there.”

D’Souza motioned for them to follow as he moved toward the sound, his footsteps nearly silent on the cold, hard floor. The whispering grew louder, more distinct as they approached a side corridor.

And then, out of the darkness, a figure stepped forward—Ntlentle.

“Ntlentle!” Ornelas exclaimed, relief flooding his voice as he rushed toward her. But before he could reach her, Corey grabbed his arm, holding him back.

Ntlentle was tense, her eyes wide with fear as she glanced back over her shoulder. “Ornelas! Corey! You have to be quiet!” she hissed, her voice barely above a whisper. “They’re still here. They’re hunting.”

Corey’s heart skipped a beat. “Who? The creatures?”

Ntlentle shook her head, her expression grave. “Worse. There are people... survivors from the other experiments. They’re like us, but... they’ve changed. They’ve been exposed to the enhanced virus, and they’re not entirely human anymore. They’re stronger, faster, and they’re tracking anyone who tries to leave. They got the others.”

D’Souza’s face hardened. “Dammit. How many?”

“Three, maybe four,” Ntlentle replied, her voice trembling. “They’re organised, and they’re using the facility’s systems to watch us. The flash of light... it was them, using some kind of device to blind the creatures temporarily. They’re playing with us.”

Corey felt a surge of anger. “Why? What do they want?”

“They want to keep us here,” Ntlentle said, her voice growing quieter as she explained. “They’re protecting something in this facility—something they were told to guard, even after the outbreak. They think we’re a threat to whatever’s left of their mission.”

“We need to get out of here,” Palesa said, her voice urgent. “If they’re tracking us, they’ll know we’re near the exit.”

Corey nodded, his mind racing. “We’ll need to move fast and stay together. If they’re using the systems, they’ll know every step we take.”

D’Souza turned to Ntlentle, his voice calm but firm. “Do you know another way out? Something they might not be watching?”

Ntlentle hesitated, her eyes darting around as she thought. “There’s a service elevator near the back of the facility. It leads to a loading dock that was used for deliveries. They might not be expecting us to use it.”

“Let’s go,” D’Souza said, already moving. “Stay close and keep quiet. If they’re watching us, we can’t give them any clues.”

They moved quickly, following Ntlentle through the maze-like corridors of the facility. Every sound, every flicker of light made Corey’s heart race, but they pressed on, determined to reach the elevator before the survivors found them.

As they neared the service elevator, a loud crash echoed from somewhere behind them, followed by a chorus of voices—angry, distorted, and inhuman.

“They’ve found us,” Ornelas whispered, his voice trembling.

“Go! Now!” D’Souza ordered, pushing them toward the elevator.

Ntlentle reached the elevator first, pressing the button frantically as the others crowded in around her. The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, growing louder with each passing second. Corey gripped his machete tightly, his eyes locked on the hallway as they waited for the elevator doors to open.

Finally, with a soft ding, the doors slid open, revealing the dark interior of the service elevator. They rushed inside, pressing the button for the loading dock as the footsteps drew closer. The doors slid shut just as the first of the enhanced survivors rounded the corner, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

For a brief, terrifying moment, Corey thought the doors wouldn’t close in time, that the survivors would rip them open and drag them out into the darkness. But with a final shudder, the doors sealed, and the elevator began its slow descent.

The silence in the elevator was deafening, the only sound the rapid breathing of the group as they tried to steady their nerves. Corey glanced at Ntlentle, who was staring at the floor, her hands trembling.

“We made it,” Ornelas said, his voice a mix of relief and disbelief. “We actually made it.”

“Not yet,” D’Souza said, his voice hard. “They know we’re here, and they’ll be waiting for us when we get to the loading dock. We need to be ready.”

The elevator creaked and groaned as it descended, the unserviced machinery struggling to keep up with the weight. Corey’s mind raced as he tried to formulate a plan. They had escaped the immediate danger, but they were far from safe. The survivors would be waiting for them at the loading dock, and there was no telling what they were capable of.

The elevator came to a halt with a jolt, and the doors slid open to reveal the dimly lit loading dock. The air was thick with the smell of oil and dust, and the shadows seemed to stretch on forever.

“Stay close,” D’Souza whispered as they stepped out of the elevator, their footsteps echoing in the vast, empty space.

They moved cautiously through the loading dock, their eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement. The tension was palpable, every nerve on edge as they crept forward.

And then, without warning, the lights in the loading dock flickered on, blinding them momentarily as the space was flooded with harsh, artificial light. Corey raised his hand to shield his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to see through the glare.

When his vision cleared, he saw them—four figures standing at the far end of the loading dock, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light. They were tall, their bodies unnaturally thin and elongated, their skin pale and stretched tight over their bones. They moved with a fluid grace that was almost inhuman, their heads cocked to the side as they regarded the group with a mix of curiosity and malice.