I hit the bottom hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
Darkness swallowed us. The fall felt endless, then suddenly wasn’t. We landed on something that grunted and snarled beneath us: living bodies, slick with sweat and blood and madness. The stench hit me next: rut serum, c*m, terror, metal.
Damian rolled at the last second, taking the impact on his shoulder so I landed on his chest instead of concrete. Even dazed from the dart, his arms locked around me like steel bands.
Red emergency lights flickered on overhead.
We were in a circular pit thirty feet deep. Walls smooth steel, no handholds. Above us, a glass dome. Behind the glass, Chloe stood in black tactical gear, arms crossed, rifle dangling casual at her side. Her lips moved. Speakers crackled.
“Phase Three, Daddy,” her vo
