Chapter 12: Echoes of the Past
The tunnel lights flickered once more before dying completely, plunging them into silence and shadow.
For a moment, all anyone could hear was the slow, rhythmic drip of water echoing through the corridor.
Ethan’s breathing was ragged. His pulse still hadn’t slowed from the firefight above.
The smell of ozone and burned circuitry clung to the air — the scent of survival and ruin.
A faint glow flickered to life.
Dr. Myles raised her mechanical hand, her palm emitting a narrow cone of cold blue light that cut through the dark.
“Stay close,” she said quietly. “These tunnels run for miles beneath the city. If we take the wrong path, we’ll never find our way out.”
They began to move — slowly, cautiously — the sound of their boots muffled by layers of dust.
