The Last Veilborn

Chapter 2

I looked toward the map displayed on my wrist device and watched the emergency route blink red.

"That shouldn't be possible," I said, even though I already knew he was telling the truth.

"I know it shouldn't be possible, but it is, and unless Eryx can override the system, we're trapped inside this building with whatever is hunting us."

"Can you override it?"

"Eryx could," Riven replied, and the way he said Eryx's name made the silence afterward feel heavier.

I stared at the blinking communication icon on my device, waiting for another signal from him.

Eryx.

Still nothing.

"Find him," I said, forcing myself to focus on the next step instead of the fear building inside me. "I'll get to you and Lyra, and once we're together, we'll reach the communications room."

"Caelan, listen to me."

Riven's voice changed, losing the joking tone he usually used whenever he wanted to keep me from worrying.

He sounded serious.

"Don't go looking for everyone alone, because we don't know what this thing can do and we don't know how much of the building has already been compromised. We stay together, just like we always have, and that is how we're getting out of here alive."

I closed my eyes for half a second, remembering how many times he had said the same thing during training and missions, always acting as if keeping the team together was more important than his own safety.

"I'm not leaving anyone behind," I said.

"I know," he replied, and his voice softened despite the danger around us. "That's exactly why I'm telling you not to do something stupid, because you'll run straight into danger for any one of us without thinking about what happens to you."

Despite everything, I almost smiled.

That was Riven.

Even when the walls were shaking and something unknown was hunting us through the darkness, he still sounded like he was talking to his younger brother instead of another trained Hunter.

"I'll see you in two minutes," I said, trying to make the promise sound certain.

"You better," he answered. "I'm not dragging you out of here if you get yourself killed before I can reach you."

The signal cut out.

I ran.

The lights above me went completely dark, leaving the corridor so black that I could barely see the outline of my own weapon.

I stopped immediately, pressing my back against the wall while I listened for any movement.

For three seconds, there was nothing but silence.

Then something breathed somewhere behind me, slow and wet, close enough that I felt the sound more than I heard it.

I turned.

Nothing.

I raised my weapon and slowly moved backward, keeping my eyes on the darkness while trying to control the panic rising in my chest.

"Riven," I whispered into the comm, hoping his voice would answer before whatever was behind me decided to move.

Static filled my ear.

"Riven, respond," I said again, louder this time. "Tell me where you are and tell me if you can hear me."

Nothing.

A sudden movement came from my left.

I fired without thinking.

The bullet struck the wall, sending sparks across the corridor, but there was no target and no sound of anything being hit.

My pulse was racing now.

This wasn't right.

Creatures didn't disappear like that, and they didn't move without making noise unless they possessed abilities we had never encountered before. They also didn't manipulate our equipment or cut communications with the precision of someone who understood our systems, which meant there had to be something else involved.

I remembered the briefing before the mission.

Unstable Veil activity.

Unknown supernatural signature.

Possible creature crossing.

Simple investigation.

That report was wrong.

I knew it before I reached the loading area, because every detail around me suggested that someone had prepared the warehouse for our arrival.

The doors were supposed to be open.

They weren't.

The emergency route had been sealed from the outside.

I ran toward the control panel and checked the electronic lock, watching the system display the same message over and over again: the door had been manually overridden, and the override had been entered before the breach began.

Someone had closed it.

My hand froze over the screen as the meaning settled in my mind.

Someone.

Not something.

I tried accessing the emergency release, but the system rejected my authorization and flashed a warning across the display.

"Come on," I muttered, pressing my fingers against the panel as if force could make the system recognize me. "Open the damn door before we all get trapped in here."

The system flashed red.

ACCESS DENIED.

I hit the panel again, harder this time, ignoring the pain that shot through my knuckles.

"Open the damn door!"

Nothing happened.

Then I heard footsteps behind me, slow and uneven, coming from the corridor I had just crossed.

I turned quickly.

Lyra stood at the end of the corridor, holding her weapon with both hands while trying to control her breathing, and the flickering emergency lights made her look almost as pale as the walls behind her.

"Caelan."

I lowered my weapon but did not release my grip.

"Where's Riven?"

She shook her head, and the movement was small but enough to make my chest tighten.

"I lost him."

"What happened?" I asked, stepping toward her while keeping my eyes on the darkness behind her. "Tell me exactly what happened, and don't leave anything out."

"We were moving toward the loading area when something attacked us, and I thought it was behind me, but when I turned around, Riven was gone." She swallowed hard and tried to control her breathing before continuing. "I went back for him, but the corridor changed, and I swear to you, Caelan, I went through the same door twice and ended up somewhere completely different, as if the building was rearranging itself around us."

I stepped closer and looked her over from head to toe.

"Are you injured?"

"Not badly."

"Show me."

"Caelan, I'm fine, and we don't have time to stop here while Riven is still somewhere inside this place."

"Show me," I repeated, keeping my voice firm because I knew she would ignore the injury if I gave her the chance.