Part 6
Several hours later, still underground, Seven reached a staircase. He stopped beside it, looked up, and saw a manhole cover. Glancing to the side, he noticed the tunnel continued onward.
I really don't remember this route… He scratched his head, studying both directions. I think I took the right path, but… should I go up here or look for an exit farther ahead?
"Ísis."
"Yes."
Looking at her, Seven pointed toward the stairs.
"Do you happen to remember where this staircase leads?"
Ísis paused, thinking for a moment before answering.
"No… I believe when Father showed us this passage, he didn't come through here. He took another route. Everything feels brand new to me…"
"I see…"
Sighing — So I only have one choice… — he looked up.
"Stay here. I need to check where this leads."
As soon as his younger siblings heard this, they dropped to the ground like puppets with their strings cut, murmuring among themselves.
"Thank God… my feet were already starting to hurt…" Tired, Victor pulled off his combat boots.
"Mine too…"
"Yawn… I think I'm gonna take a nap…" Stretching his arms, Leon lay down on the floor.
Exhausted from walking for so long, they didn't waste the chance to rest. But Ísis stepped closer to Seven and stopped him.
"Wait. You're going up alone?"
"Yes." He set his backpack on the ground and began preparing.
"But isn't that dangerous? It's already dark out. You have no idea what you might find up there, especially at night."
"We're close to home, so I shouldn't run into anything too dangerous. Maybe a small beast, but nothing serious."
"Wouldn't it be better to wait here until dawn?"
Seven paused for a moment, considering it.
It wouldn't be so bad… Spending the night inside the passages wasn't terrible. Even though it was colder than the surface, the tunnels were very safe. But I don't think it's necessary. We're close to home, and it would just worry Father for no reason…
"We have no reason to do that. If we stay, Father will get worried and come looking for us. Especially since we're returning from an area near the center."
We're already late, so he must be worried by now… It wasn't something they could do on a whim. It would put their Father completely on alert.
Grabbing the last few items he needed, Seven started walking toward the staircase, but felt something tugging at his clothes.
He turned around. It was Ísis.
"I'm coming with you!"
Her voice was firm and her gaze serious, yet her hand trembled slightly.
"No way. I only have one night-vision visor—" He raised one hand, showing the single device he carried. "—and someone needs to stay with the younger ones."
Ísis looked down, trying to think of something.
You're still the same…
Sighing, Seven calmed her.
"I'll be back."
Surprised, Ísis lifted her gaze to her brother.
"…"
After a few seconds, she slowly lowered her head, murmuring as she let go.
"…I'm sorry…"
Seven turned away, walked back to the stairs, and quickly climbed to the top.
Looking down, he saw his younger siblings resting. Leon was lying on the floor trying to sleep, but the twins kept bothering him, while Ísis watched with an anxious expression.
He put on the visor, lifted the manhole cover, and slipped through.
On the other side, still crouched, Seven closed the cover, drew an arrow from his quiver, nocked it on the bow, and pulled the string taut, ready to shoot.
Carefully, he scanned his surroundings.
Just as I thought… I'm still underground… He hadn't climbed far enough to reach the surface. There was no light in the place, not even a window.
He stood inside what looked like a chamber filled with pipes of various sizes running along the walls, along with several valves. It seemed to have once been used to control water flow, probably from the structure above.
What a horrible smell… An acidic, metallic odor filled the entire space, the result of the pipes corroding from the constant humidity, leaving them badly damaged.
He pulled up a section of the cloth from his coat—the same cloth he used to cover his head—and wrapped it over his nose.
There were two exits on opposite sides of the chamber: one sealed shut, the other open. Both led into narrower corridors than the room he was in.
Seeing that the area was safe, Seven lowered his bow and stood up.
The other one is locked, so I only have one path… He turned toward the open passage and headed for it.
It was a small corridor lined with pipes close to the walls, just like the chamber, only narrower.
He entered and continued his search for the exit.
As he moved forward with caution, he realized the place wasn't so different from the areas he had already passed through—the water-control room with its pipes, or the tunnel where his siblings were waiting. Between the pipes he could still see the exposed brick walls.
Here, though, the walls were made of stone, indicating that this section had been built much earlier than the other passage.
Looking ahead, Seven spotted another gate in the distance. Because the tunnel was perfectly straight, he could see it clearly far away.
I hope it's not locked…
As he approached, he took a step and felt his foot slip. He recovered his balance before hitting the ground.
Trying to figure out what he had slipped on, he crouched and ran his hand over the floor.
Is this mud? Not just there—the entire stretch of corridor ahead was covered in a layer of mud. It looks like there's some kind of connection to the surface nearby…
He continued forward, this time more carefully, searching for the passage. Soon he found a staircase hidden among the pipes.
This one definitely leads to the surface… Besides the thicker layer of dirt around it, compared to the previous staircase, this one was noticeably larger.
Since he couldn't climb while holding the bow, he slung it diagonally across his body and stowed the arrow.
Before climbing, he placed one foot on the first rung and tested it.
Seems solid…
All the rungs were metal and bolted directly into the wall. Because it was an exit, the steps and the surrounding wall were damp and covered in rust, though not as badly as the other metal nearby.
Carefully, Seven began to climb, testing each rung before putting his full weight on it.
As he rose, he entered a tighter space where the pipes along the walls made the passage even narrower.
So many roots… Nearing the top of the shaft, thick roots burst through the walls, twisting down and weaving between the pipes and bricks.
The higher he climbed, the thicker and more numerous they became.
"At least if a rung breaks I can grab onto the plants or the pipes," he murmured.
When he reached the top, he pushed against the metal cover with one hand. It didn't budge.
These roots must be holding it down… and they don't look easy to move.
He tried again, putting more force into it—Creeeak—when one of the rungs he was standing on let out a metallic groan.
A chill ran down his spine. Seven froze instantly.
This isn't going to work… Maybe I'll have to go back…
With the other passages locked, if he couldn't get through here he would return to his siblings and look for another exit.
But what if… Looking at the roots growing abundantly around the shaft, an idea came to him.
Using the roots and the pipes along the walls for support, he wedged one foot between them and kept the other on the rungs.
This will be safer—my weight will be spread out…
"One… two… three…" In that position, he pushed again, this time using not only his hands but his whole body.
Even so, it seemed to have no effect. The cover remained motionless.
Come on!
Refusing to give up, Seven pushed even harder. He began to hear the sound of roots snapping, and little by little the cover started to move.
"Almost there!"
With most of the roots and plants that held it in place broken, the cover loosened more easily. Finally, the exit opened.
As he removed it, moonlight poured in.
"Finally… I can see the sky…" Looking up at the moon, Seven let out a relieved sigh.
Above him he saw a large metal framework covering everything around, forming squares. Some still held glass panes, but most were empty or contained only jagged shards caught in the rusted metal.
"Well, better keep moving…" Without wasting time, he set the cover aside and climbed out.
Standing up, his body stiff and aching from the effort of opening the exit, he stretched his limbs a little before continuing, looking around.
This is probably the greenhouse near home…
The place was overgrown with plants of all sizes—medium and small trees, along with creeping vines that covered the ground and climbed everything, almost reaching the top of the greenhouse.
While he was thinking, Seven heard a voice.
"You're late today."
Startled, he spun toward the sound.
A few meters away, near the vegetation and softly lit by the moonlight, stood an adult man who looked to be around thirty. Streaks of white already mixed with his dark brown hair.
He wore clothes similar to Seven's and carried a scoped rifle and a backpack.
"Dad!"
Seven ran to him with a wide smile.
"I finally caught the white rabbit! After all this time!"
His father's face remained neutral, its sharp features making him look stern, but Seven paid no attention to that.
"Good job, son."
He raised his hand and placed it on Seven's head.
Noticing that Seven was alone, he glanced at the passage he had emerged from, removed his hand, and asked:
"Where are your siblings?"
"My siblings? They stayed underground while I checked where this passage came out. I didn't remember exactly where it led, but I'm going back to get them right now."
Turning around, Seven headed back into the passage.
***
In the middle of the night, with the moon shining in the sky, a pale, gaunt creature moved through the abandoned city. It walked slowly, its body covered in burns and a wound across its face.
As it approached an avenue, it suddenly stopped when a current of air swept through the area.
— Snif Snif —
The creature tried to pick up the scent it had lost, but the strong wind made it impossible. It waited patiently.
After several long minutes, the wind finally died down.
— Snif Snif —
It resumed following the trail, bumping into objects here and there as it wandered through the city.
After some time, it noticed the scent growing much stronger from the ground directly below it. The creature crouched, brought its face close to the floor, and licked the spot where the odor was strongest.
The taste made it tremble. A faint vapor rose from its face, and from within the wound on its cheek, a black eye opened.
Now with vision, it stood up and scanned the surroundings. It was between two large buildings beside a wide avenue. Looking ahead, it continued following the trail before the wind could interrupt again.
Weaving between the cars on the highway, it quickly reached the plaza in the middle of the avenue.
But as it drew near the entrance to a subway station, it stopped once more, losing the trail.
— Snif Snif —
There was no wind this time, yet no matter how hard it tried, the scent seemed to end right there. Clenching its fist and baring its teeth, it stomped the ground—Clang—producing a metallic sound that caught its own attention.
Looking down, it saw a metal cover that had been moved slightly.
As it stared at the cover, it noticed a strange smell rising from inside that seemed to grow stronger. The creature crouched lower. Another gust of wind swept across the avenue, making it pause. This one carried a different, enticing odor—one it hadn't smelled in a long time.
Realizing the source was close, it agilely darted toward the ruined buildings and hid among them.
The scent it had picked up was very strong now, meaning its target wasn't only nearby—it was heading straight there.
Adrenaline surged through its body. The creature began to tremble, its mouth full of sharp teeth opening wide. Vapor rose even more intensely from its wounded face, and from within the gashes, another black eye opened.
At that exact moment, its prey arrived—alone, standing in the very spot the creature had occupied only seconds earlier, right in the middle of the avenue near the subway entrance.
Wearing a cloak that covered its entire body, the figure looked around, then crouched and ran a hand across the ground.
Seeing an opportunity, the creature prepared to move closer, but froze when it sensed others nearby.
Four more figures appeared, leaping over the cars with astonishing speed and agility, and stopped beside the first one.
"Found something, sir?"
Even though they were covered like the first figure, the voice clearly belonged to a woman.
"…It's nothing. I thought I sensed something, but it was just my imagination."
The woman spoke, clearly irritated:
"Sir, I know you're strong, but one of our groups has already disappeared in this city. Please don't wander off like that so suddenly. Consider your position—you're the only one left in your family."
The man showed a flicker of annoyance but simply sighed and nodded as he stood up.
"I know. Let's head back," he said, brushing off his hands.
The group left the area, leaping over the cars toward the buildings.
From the darkness between the ruined structures, the creature remained perfectly still, watching them depart.
It fought back the urge to attack, knowing it couldn't win against so many. It retreated, heading toward the center of the city, but those figures were now burned into its mind.