The green explosion tore through me like lightning ripped from the earth. There was no time to think, breathe, or curse. I only felt the force catch me midair and drag me down the narrow corridor like a garbage bag. My spine met the wall with a sickening crack, and I slid to the floor, trying to remember what it felt like to exist without pain.
I tried to get up. Terrible idea. My body protested immediately. When I finally managed to brace one hand on the ground, I looked at my arms.
The green blotches were back. Pulsing. Breathing. Alive.
And, of course, the headache returned. That kind of pain that makes you want to rip your own brain out just to see if it eases.
Then I saw his damn silhouette.
Oud walked down the corridor as if he were crossing a cool breeze at sunset. Not a scratch. Not a speck of dust on his clothes. He crossed the spot where the Ulzor had exploded as if strolling through a garden.
He stopped in front of me with that expression of someone who doesn't understand urgency.
— Hey, blue… you're tired, aren't you?
He studied me for a second.
— You're sweating. That's bad. Shouldn't you stop?
I almost answered with a punch. But I took a deep breath. Standing up was the priority. I spoke through clenched teeth:
— We need to get out of here. This place is a maze.
He nodded. Slowly. Always slowly.
— I think I've remembered a few things… maybe a path. If you want, you can try following me.
And off I went, limping after him. The corridor led us to a foul-smelling room, covered in dust and debris. In the corner, almost invisible, a small wooden door.
— This door leads to a tunnel — he said, opening it. — Exit to the storage area.
From the hole came a sound that could only be described as "bad news."
Scuttling. Movement. Living things.
— There are Ulzors down there. I'm only going if you help. — I muttered.
— If you want, I'll go first and deal with it.
He said that with the calm of someone offering to change a light bulb.
— Fine — I said, because I no longer had the energy for irony.
Oud climbed down into the hole without hesitation. I still tried to say something, but I already heard him sliding into the tunnel, vanishing into the dark.
One second of silence.
Then noises — many of them.
First a crack, like something breaking.
Then another.
And then the sound of Ulzors — growls, claws scraping, flesh slamming against stone.
And then everything became chaos.
A deep explosion shook the ground. Dust fell from the ceiling and I stepped back on reflex.
— O-Oud?! — I shouted, unable to stop myself.
No answer.
Only more destruction.
Another explosion.
This one stronger.
A green light tore through the tunnel, so intense I had to turn my face away.
— Shit! — I jumped back. — If that light hits me, I'm smoke!
The light vanished.
For two seconds, silence.
And then… BOOOOM.
A third explosion.
Then a fourth.
Then a sequence so fast it felt like a storm of underground bombs.
Green lights flashed inside the hole as if someone were welding hell itself.
— If Oud is still in one piece down there… it's a miracle.
Or… he's not human.
And how does someone do that?
I didn't want to know.
But I needed to.
I approached the hole again, swallowing hard.
— OUD! — I tried again, almost pleading.
Silence.
And silence, in that place, was never a good sign.
One last, intense green light burst from the tunnel.
— Thank goodness I'm not down there.
I stuck my head into the hole.
— Oud! — I shouted.
Absolute silence.
Silence is never good.
I slid down the tunnel and fell into a room even worse than the one above. Dark, stifling, filled with dust that clung to the air like grease. I struggled to my feet. The green blotches on my arm were shrinking. The headache too. That meant something… but I didn't know what.
— Oud? — I called, walking forward.
And there he was. Sitting against the wall, breathing as if he'd run a marathon while chewing smoke. Around him, several Ulzors on the ground. Dead.
He lifted his gaze, coughing.
— Blue… you still haven't told me the year. Or your name.
I stepped closer, wiping grime from my arm.
— Ark. The year is 3026. And we need to leave. Now.
Oud went quiet. Very quiet. As if listening to something I couldn't perceive.
— 3026… — he murmured. — So much time.
That made me frown.
— You're strange. You know this place… but it's been abandoned for decades.
He turned his face away.
— Maybe… because I've been here before.
I was going to ask. I really was. But the corridor began to tremble.
The lights flickered on the ceiling as if they were about to give up. And in the distance, heavy footsteps. Many of them.
I looked at Oud.
— We have to run. Now.
We sprinted down the corridor, debris flying beneath our steps. Then they appeared — Ulzors emerging from the sides, dragging themselves out of the shadows, as if the place itself were birthing monsters.
— I'm going to the Masterful City! — I shouted without looking back. — Do you know where it is?
— Not that way! — he replied. — More Ulzors ahead!
I kept my pace. If I stopped, I died.
— Look — I pointed — a light at the end of the corridor!
But the ground began to split. Cracks like veins. The floor crumbling.
— Run! The floor's giving way!
I leapt over the opening fissure. Oud tried, but slipped. I grabbed his arm and pulled with all my strength.
— They're catching up to you! GO!
Ulzors roared right behind us. Their hot breath hit the back of my neck. We passed a rusted panel on the wall, full of burnt wires.
Oud stopped.
Of course he stopped.
— What are you doing?! — I shouted, turning back.
— This panel… it might have data on the Ancient cancer!
Before I had time to call him insane, an Ulzor came flying toward us.
I clenched my fists.
The corrupted chi burst from my pores as if I were sweating living oil. The dark substance covered my body, tearing the air into strips of shadow.
I lunged forward.
I spun and kicked the Ulzor in the chest. It flew back and knocked down two others. The ground split even wider with the impact, opening a massive chasm.
It was the opening Oud needed to escape through a side door.
I followed him. The room was small, filled with torn papers and sticky dust. Oud knelt and began rummaging through things.
— There must be information about the Ancient cancer…
What he found wasn't useful. Almost nothing legible. Just a partial inscription:
H.C.3
Before he could comment, I heard roars approaching.
— MOVE! — I shouted.
We ran again. Reached a rusted door. I slammed it with my shoulder. Almost. Just almost.
— If we don't get through this, we'll never reach the City.
Oud looked down. Broken vials. Phosphorescent green liquid spilled across the floor.
— This is Cactus energy…
I didn't have time for theory.
The roars were at the door.
— EITHER WE RUN, OR WE DIE! — I shouted.
And I kept running, because I still hadn't given up on staying alive.