Screams echoed through the hollow as the strange shadow chased them.
Its voice was like metal scraping stone, whispering their names as it hunted them down. The air was thick and cold, and every step shook the ground beneath them.
Then, far ahead in the darkness, they saw it —
a glowing light, small but real, shining like hope in the endless black.
"Run!" Samy shouted, her voice trembling.
Tin grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. The light was fading fast, flickering like it was alive and dying at the same time. Behind them, the hollow twisted and screamed, its shadows writhing like living smoke.
Samy and Tin didn't look back.
Their hearts pounded, their hands locked tight.
The light grew smaller — shrinking into a thin streak in the dark — but they kept running.
Then, in one desperate leap, they dove into it.
The world flashed white — and both were gone.
Jet turned back, her breath short. "Kim! Roger! Come on!" she screamed.
Her voice echoed endlessly through the hollow, but the light was fading too fast.
Kim and Roger were still behind. Kim's hands were scraped and bleeding, Roger's steps were slowing, but they refused to stop. They ran through the trembling dark, trying to reach that last piece of light.
"Jet!" Tony shouted, panic in his tone. "We can't wait — it's closing!"
"No!" Jet's voice cracked. She could see Kim's face through the dark, his hand reaching toward her. "They're right there!"
Tony grabbed her arm. "If we stay, we'll be trapped too!"
Jet fought to pull free, but Tin, already half inside the light, reached out and yanked her through.
Tony turned back one last time.
He saw Kim, still running, still trying — his face filled with desperation.
Their eyes met for a single second.
"I'm sorry," Tony whispered, guilt tearing through his chest.
Then he stepped into the light, and it vanished.
The hollow went completely silent.
Kim stopped, staring at the space where the light had been.
"No…" His voice cracked, raw and broken. "No!"
Roger caught his arm, her voice firm despite her exhaustion. "We'll find another way," she said, trying to calm him. "They made it out. They have to be safe."
Kim looked at her, tears burning his eyes. Slowly, he nodded. "Then we keep moving."
Roger gave a small, determined nod. "Together."
And they ran again, deeper into the darkness.
The others crashed onto the cold floor of the library.
Books were scattered across the room, the old chandeliers flickering weakly. The air smelled like dust and candle smoke.
Samy fell to her knees, gasping for air. "We… we made it," she breathed.
Tin leaned against a shelf, panting. "Barely."
Jet stayed silent, staring at the floor. Her hands trembled. Her mind kept replaying the image of Kim and Roger still running as the light closed.
Tony stood near the center of the room, guilt heavy in his chest. "Kim and Roger… they didn't make it," he said quietly.
No one spoke.
Even the library seemed to freeze.
Samy turned to Jet, disbelief in her eyes. "What do you mean they didn't make it?"
Her voice shook. "Why didn't you help them?"
Jet clenched her jaw. "I tried!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "The light was closing — I couldn't reach them!"
"That's not enough!" Samy yelled, anger burning in her eyes. "You left them behind!"
"Stop it!" Tin shouted, stepping between them. "Fighting won't fix anything!"
But the air was thick with blame and guilt.
Tony stared at the floor, his thoughts drowning in regret. He could still see Kim's face before the door closed — not angry, not afraid — just disappointed.
And that look haunted him.
Samy's voice softened but broke. "They saved us more than once… and now—"
Jet slammed her fist against a bookshelf, making dust fall like snow. "You think I don't know that?" she screamed. "I should've been the one left behind!"
Silence followed.
Only the sound of the ticking clock filled the room.
No one said another word. The guilt was too heavy to speak through.
Meanwhile, deep inside the hollow…
Kim and Roger were still running — barely able to breathe.
The air was freezing, the ground uneven, and the shadow's growl followed close behind. Every second, it felt like the darkness was closing in.
"We're trapped," Kim said between ragged breaths. "There's no way out!"
Roger grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward a collapsed wall. "Hide," she whispered.
They crouched behind the broken stones, pressed close to the ground.
The shadow passed by slowly — its body shifting, whispering, searching.
Kim held his breath, heart pounding so hard it hurt.
Then the shadow stopped.
It sniffed the air — a low, wet sound — and then turned away, vanishing into the black mist.
They waited for what felt like hours before Roger finally whispered, "It's gone."
Kim exhaled shakily. "We can't stay here. We have to move."
They pushed forward, step by step. Roger's broken wrist device blinked faintly, lighting their path just enough to see strange markings crawling across the walls — symbols that moved when they weren't looking.
Then Kim froze.
"Look," he whispered.
Up ahead, there was light — soft and dim, but real.
"Another door," Roger breathed.
They ran toward it, hope rushing back into their chests. But before they could reach it, the floor beneath them cracked open. The air turned icy, and a wave of dizziness hit them both.
Roger tried to speak, but her vision blurred. Kim reached out — "Roger!" — and then everything went black.
Both of them collapsed, unconscious, as the faint light flickered and disappeared.
Back in the library, the others sat in silence.
Jet stared at the floor, her jaw trembling.
Samy hugged her knees, eyes red from tears.
Tin tried to stay calm, but his hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Tony's voice finally broke the silence.
"They're not gone," he said quietly. "I can feel it."
Somewhere, far away in the hollow, two faint heartbeats still echoed — weak, but alive.