What Was Left Behind

Chapter 19: The Darkest Truth

The narrow passage ahead was tight, the walls pressing in as if they were being funneled toward something darker. Maia's legs ached, her hands raw from gripping the rusted metal ladder as she, Levi, and Camilla hurried through the new corridor. The creature's furious roars echoed below them, reverberating off the stone, but it was too large to follow them up the ladder. For now, they were safe—but Maia couldn't shake the feeling that they were being herded. Something worse was waiting ahead.

Levi glanced back at her, his face tense, sweat dripping from his brow. "Are you okay?" His voice was strained, a mix of concern and fear, but Maia could hear the weariness beneath it. They had been running for too long.

"I'm fine," Maia whispered, though her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. She turned to Camilla, who was leaning heavily against the wall, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her friend's eyes were wide, darting from one shadow to the next, as if expecting something to leap out at them.

Camilla hadn't said much since they'd pulled her out of that cell, but Maia could feel the terror radiating off her. Whatever had happened to her down there had broken something deep inside her, something Maia wasn't sure could ever be fixed.

"We need to keep moving," Levi said, pulling them both forward as the walls seemed to tighten around them. The passage was old, unused for decades, the air thick with dust and the smell of decay. Every breath tasted stale, every step felt like walking through a long-forgotten tomb.

As they rounded a corner, a flicker of light caught Maia's eye. A faint glow pulsed ahead, illuminating the dark tunnel in rhythmic flashes. It wasn't like the dim, weak bulbs that had lined the previous corridors. This light was new, almost... artificial.

"What is that?" Maia whispered, her eyes narrowing as they approached.

Levi shook his head, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't know, but it looks like... an entrance."

They reached the end of the tunnel, where the passage opened into a large room bathed in a strange, bluish light. Maia stepped through first, her heart racing as she took in the sight before her. The room was massive, far larger than any of the other chambers they had passed through. And at its center, standing tall and gleaming under the eerie light, was something Maia had never expected to see.

A machine.

It was unlike anything Maia had ever seen. The massive structure pulsed with energy, its towering frame constructed from a mix of steel, wires, and glowing glass tubes. It hummed with an unsettling, low vibration, the sound crawling under Maia's skin as she stared at it.

"This doesn't make sense," Levi said, his voice barely audible. "This place was supposed to be abandoned. How is this still running?"

Camilla let out a small whimper, her body trembling as she stepped further into the room, her eyes locked on the machine. Maia followed her gaze and noticed something she hadn't seen before—tubes, filled with a strange, glowing liquid, connected to several glass chambers lining the far wall.

And inside those chambers... were people.

Maia's breath caught in her throat. There were at least six chambers, each one holding a figure suspended in the glowing liquid, their bodies motionless, their eyes closed as if they were trapped in some kind of endless sleep.

"They're still here," Camilla whispered, her voice shaking. "The others. They never left."

Levi's face twisted in horror as he stepped toward one of the chambers, his eyes wide with disbelief. "These are the test subjects."