Shadows Of Deceit

Into The Ruins

The night air was thick with tension as Jenna and Alex returned to Sam's cabin, just as the moon climbed higher in the sky. Sam was waiting for them, a grim look on his face. He handed them small, discreet flashlights and a folded map of the abandoned factory grounds.

"This place is dangerous," Sam said, his voice low and serious. "It's not just the Society you need to worry about. The factory itself is falling apart—rotten floors, crumbling walls. One wrong step, and you might not make it out."

Jenna nodded, her mind focused. "We'll be careful."

Sam hesitated, as if considering telling them to back out. But instead, he handed Alex a small crowbar and a pair of gloves. "This will help you get inside. Use the old service entrance—it's been boarded up for years, but I doubt anyone's been watching it closely."

The three of them set off into the night, moving silently toward the outskirts of town where the abandoned factory lay in ruins. The factory loomed in the distance, its jagged silhouette cutting against the starless sky like a haunted relic of the past. The closer they got, the more oppressive the air became, as if the very ground they walked on was cursed.

When they reached the crumbling fence surrounding the factory, Sam stopped. "This is as far as I go," he said, scanning the perimeter. "I can't be seen near this place. If something happens to you, I won't be able to help."

Jenna looked at him, understanding the risk he was taking even by guiding them this far. "Thank you, Sam," she whispered.

Sam gave her a grim nod before turning and disappearing into the shadows, leaving Jenna and Alex alone at the edge of the ruins. They exchanged a glance, the weight of the moment settling in. There was no going back now.

They crawled through a gap in the rusted fence and approached the factory's service entrance, the wood planks nailed across it brittle and weathered with age. Alex pried the boards loose with the crowbar, the screeching sound sending chills down Jenna's spine.

Once the entrance was clear, they stepped into the darkness beyond. The air inside was cold, damp, and smelled of decay. Jenna's flashlight beam flickered over the dusty, forgotten remnants of a place long abandoned. Somewhere beneath this ruin, the answers they were seeking—and possibly Clara—awaited.

But as they ventured deeper, the overwhelming feeling of being watched crept over Jenna again. Something—or someone—was already here.