Kavya's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the ventilation shaft. She could hear the sound of her own ragged breathing, and the soft whispers of her companions.
"Where does this lead?" Raj asked, his voice barely audible.
Maya's voice was a whisper. "I'm not sure. But we need to keep moving."
Elijah's device beeped, the data finally downloaded. "We have what we need," he said. "Let's get out of here."
Kavya nodded, her mind racing with their next move. They had the intel, but they still had to get out of The Archon's headquarters alive.
As they crawled through the shaft, the air grew thick with dust. Kavya's lungs burned, her eyes watering.
Suddenly, Maya stopped, her hand raised. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.
Kavya listened, her heart pounding in her chest. The sound of footsteps, echoing through the shaft.
Kavya's heart sank. They'd been discovered. "Move!" she whispered urgently.
The group scrambled forward, their crawling pace frantic. The footsteps grew louder, closer.
Maya suddenly dropped down, her feet disappearing into darkness. "This way!" she whispered.
Kavya followed, her stomach lurching as she fell through the opening. She landed hard on a concrete floor, Raj and Elijah crashing down beside her.
They found themselves in a narrow, dimly lit corridor. Maya beckoned, already running down the hall.
"Where are we?" Raj asked, panting.
"Old maintenance tunnels," Maya replied. "Abandoned years ago."
Elijah checked his device. "We're clear. No surveillance."
Kavya's relief was short-lived. The sound of alarms echoed through the corridors, growing louder.
"We're not out yet," she warned.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and died. The group froze, plunged into darkness.
Kavya's heart raced in the darkness. "What's going on?" she whispered.
Maya fumbled in her backpack, producing a flashlight. The weak beam illuminated their tense faces.
"It's a security measure," Elijah said. "The Archon must have triggered a blackout."
Raj's eyes narrowed. "We need to keep moving."
Maya nodded, leading them deeper into the tunnels. The air grew thick with dust, the smell of decay hanging heavy.
As they walked, the darkness seemed to press in around them. Kavya's skin crawled with unease.
Suddenly, Maya stopped, her head cocked. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.
Kavya listened, her heart pounding. The sound of footsteps, echoing through the tunnels.
But this time, they were different. Lighter, more cautious.
"Someone's following us," Raj breathed.
Kavya's grip on her flashlight tightened. "Let's get out of here."
But as they turned to leave, a figure emerged from the shadows.
The figure stepped forward, its features illuminated by Maya's flashlight. Kavya's heart skipped a beat as she took in the familiar face.
"Ava?" she whispered, disbelief etched on her face.
Ava's eyes locked onto Kavya's, a mixture of emotions swirling in their depths. "Kavya, I...I've been searching for you."
Raj's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"
Ava hesitated, her gaze darting between the group. "I had to escape. I couldn't be a part of The Archon's plans anymore."
Elijah's expression softened. "We can trust her," he said. "She's been feeding us intel from the inside."
Kavya's mind reeled as she processed this new information. Ava, the former Archon agent, had been working against them all along.
"What do you know about The Archon's plans?" Maya asked, her voice firm.
Ava took a deep breath. "I know everything. And I can help you stop them."
YOU ARE READING
||•MOONLIT SHADOWS •||
Pertualangan"In the shadows of Sahyadri's misty mountains, a secret simmers. Kavya's seemingly perfect life unravels, revealing a tangled web of love, lies, and longing. Will she find courage to break free, or will the silence consume her?"
