Echoes Of The Undying

Chapter 8: Laughter in the Dark (Continued Part II)

While Mary, Shamir, Nicole, Angella, and Nigel navigated the dark, eerie halls of the factory, the other Horizon Shadow students were back at Serenity Vale High School, anxiously awaiting their return.

In the school’s makeshift command center, the atmosphere was tense. A large map of the surrounding area, marked with various locations and routes, was pinned to the wall. The students gathered around it, their faces etched with worry.

“Where are they?” Lorenda paced back and forth, her anxiety palpable. “They should have been back by now.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Ann said, trying to sound reassuring. “They’re a capable group. They’ve been through worse.”

“Yeah, but we’ve been getting those weird signals from the factory,” Farhanah pointed out, her eyes darting to the makeshift communication equipment. “It’s like something’s interfering with the transmissions.”

“Just our luck,” Randy muttered, his fingers drumming anxiously on the table. “If anything happened to them…”

“Nothing’s happened to them,” Filbert interjected, trying to sound positive despite his own concern. “They’re probably just taking longer than expected.”

“Maybe we should send someone to check on them,” Shenny suggested. “It’s been too long.”

“I volunteer,” Max said, stepping forward. “I know the area around the factory. I can lead a team to find them.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Farhanah agreed, nodding. “But we need to be cautious. We don’t know what’s waiting out there.”

“We’ll be careful,” Max assured her. “Who wants to come with me?”

“I’ll go,” Eva Son said, determination in her voice. “I need to know they’re okay.”

“I’m in,” Mae added, stepping up. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

The three of them quickly gathered their gear and headed out, their faces set with resolve. As they left the school, the tension among those left behind only grew.

Back at the command center, the remaining students continued to worry.

“Do you think they’re in trouble?” Silverra asked, her voice tinged with worry. “What if something happened to them?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Ann said. “They’re resourceful. They’ll find a way out of whatever they’re facing.”

Just then, the door to the command center burst open, and a group of students, including new survivor and several of his friends, rushed in, their faces pale and frantic.

“What’s going on?” Clency asked, her voice trembling with fear.

“We just heard something,” the new survivor said, panting heavily. “A loud crash, like something big falling.”

“Not good,” Shenny said, her eyes widening. “They’re still in the factory, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they are,” Farhanah replied, trying to stay calm. “But they’re not alone.”

“Let’s not panic,” Ann said firmly. “We need to stay focused. The sooner we figure out what’s going on, the sooner we can help them.”

Just then, the radio crackled to life, the familiar voice of Max coming through. “This is Max. We’re on our way to the factory. We’ll update you when we can.”

The group listened intently, the static-filled message a small comfort amid their worry.

“Okay, that’s something,” Fazirah said, trying to hide her relief. “At least we know they’re heading in the right direction.”