Beneath the Shattered Sky

Chapter 11: A Cry for Help

Maya stood frozen in the dimly lit hallway, her flashlight trembling in her hand. The voice from the door repeated itself, low and pleading. 

"Help me..."

It was human. Or at least it sounded human. 

The hum around her grew louder, more insistent, vibrating through her chest. Maya’s rational mind screamed for her to run back to her apartment, to leave the door alone—but her heart told her otherwise. 

What if someone really was trapped? 

Her hand moved toward the crack almost on its own. She hesitated, her fingers mere inches from the door’s surface, when a sudden shout startled her. 

“Maya, stop!” 

She turned to see Dante running toward her, his face pale and frantic. 

---

“What are you doing here?” he hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the door. 

“I heard a voice,” she stammered. “Someone’s asking for help.” 

Dante looked at the door, his jaw tightening. “It’s a trap. Whatever’s behind that door—it’s trying to lure you in.” 

Maya shook her head. “But what if it’s not? What if someone’s actually in there?” 

Dante hesitated, his grip on her arm loosening. “Even if that’s true, you can’t just open it. We don’t know what will happen.” 

Maya bit her lip, torn between fear and compassion. “Then what do we do?” 

Dante pulled her away from the door, his voice urgent. “We find another way to figure out what’s behind it. But we can’t risk opening it.” 

---

Back in her apartment, Maya paced the room while Dante sat on the couch, flipping through the notebook of accounts they’d gathered. 

“I can’t just ignore it,” she said, her voice filled with frustration. “If there’s even a chance that someone’s trapped, we have to do something.” 

“And we will,” Dante said, keeping his tone calm. “But we need to be smart about it. Rushing in could make things worse.” 

Maya sat down beside him, her mind racing. “What about Aiden? Maybe he knows more than he’s told us.” 

Dante frowned. “You really trust him after everything?” 

Maya hesitated. “I don’t know. But we don’t have many options.” 

---

The next morning, Maya and Dante met Aiden in the courtyard of the campus. His face was tense, and his usual charm was replaced with a guarded demeanor. 

“What’s going on?” Aiden asked, crossing his arms. 

Maya wasted no time. “I heard a voice coming from the door last night. It was asking for help.” 

Aiden’s eyes widened slightly before he masked his reaction. “You didn’t open it, did you?” 

“Of course not,” Dante said, his tone sharp. “But we need to know if it’s possible someone’s trapped in there.” 

Aiden sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not someone. It’s something.” 

“What does that mean?” Maya pressed. 

Aiden hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “It’s hard to explain. The entity behind the door—it can mimic voices. It can make you see things. It’s trying to manipulate you.” 

---

Maya frowned. “But what if it’s not just the entity? What if there’s someone else in there, someone who needs help?” 

Aiden shook his head. “You can’t risk it, Maya. You have no idea how dangerous it is.” 

Dante stepped forward, his expression hard. “Then tell us. Stop holding back and actually explain what’s going on.” 

Aiden looked between them, his jaw clenching. Finally, he said, “Meet me at my building tonight. I’ll show you.” 

---

That evening, Maya and Dante found themselves in the eerie, unfinished building once again. Aiden led them down a dimly lit corridor to an old metal door, similar to the one in Maya’s building. 

“This is another containment door,” Aiden explained. “My dad and I built it as a failsafe, in case the entity ever broke through the first one.” 

Maya’s heart pounded as Aiden unlocked the door, revealing a narrow staircase leading downward. 

“What’s down there?” Dante asked, his voice tense. 

“Answers,” Aiden said simply. 

---

The air grew colder as they descended, and Maya couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. The hum from the door in her building seemed to follow them, growing louder with each step. 

At the bottom of the stairs, they entered a large, dimly lit chamber filled with strange equipment and old documents. 

“This is where it all started,” Aiden said, gesturing to the room. 

Maya picked up a yellowed piece of paper, her eyes scanning the faded text. It was a blueprint of the original rift experiment, complete with notes in the margins about “dimensional anomalies” and “energy stabilization.” 

“This is insane,” Dante muttered, flipping through a stack of files. “They were playing with forces they didn’t understand.” 

Aiden nodded grimly. “And now we’re paying the price.” 

---

As they explored the chamber, Maya found a locked cabinet tucked in the corner. 

“What’s in here?” she asked. 

Aiden hesitated before pulling a key from his pocket. “Something you’re not going to like.” 

He unlocked the cabinet and stepped aside, revealing a collection of old photographs and personal belongings. 

“These were left behind by the people who disappeared,” Aiden said quietly. 

Maya’s stomach churned as she picked up a photo of a young woman holding a baby. The edges were burned, and the image seemed to shimmer faintly, as if it were alive. 

“They were taken by the entity,” Aiden explained. “It feeds on their energy.” 

Maya’s hands trembled as she put the photo back. “We have to stop it.” 

---

Before Aiden could respond, a loud crash echoed through the chamber. The hum grew deafening, and the air became thick with an oppressive energy. 

“It knows we’re here,” Aiden said, his voice urgent. “We need to leave—now!” 

As they scrambled up the stairs, Maya glanced back and saw something moving in the shadows—a figure with glowing eyes and a twisted, inhuman form. 

Her blood ran cold. 

They burst out of the containment door, slamming it shut behind them. Aiden locked it, his hands shaking. 

“This is just the beginning,” he said, his voice grim. 

Maya looked at him, determination burning in her eyes. “Then we need to end it—before it’s too late.”