DESCENT
835 Words
“Down,” you say. “We go down.”
Ethan blinks.
“Down? That’s your plan? Into the creepy underground murder maze?”
“You got a better one?”
“…No. Down it is.”
You sprint toward the lower passage.
The air grows colder immediately.
Heavier.
Like the city above is pressing down on you.
Behind you, the Null Agents follow—but slower now.
Deliberate.
Like they want you to go this way.
Maya notices it too.
“…They’re herding you,” she says.
You don’t slow down.
“Into what?”
A pause.
“…I don’t know yet.”
The corridor opens into something unexpected.
Not an old tunnel.
Not abandoned infrastructure.
Something… newer.
Cleaner.
Hidden.
A massive steel door stands ahead.
Sealed.
Unmarked.
But you recognize the design instantly.
Your chest tightens.
“No way…”
Ethan looks at you.
“What? What is it?”
You step closer, staring at the faint symbol etched into the metal.
“…Orion.”
“Down,” you say. “We go down.”
Ethan blinks.
“Down? That’s your plan? Into the creepy underground murder maze?”
“You got a better one?”
“…No. Down it is.”
You sprint toward the lower passage.
The air grows colder immediately.
Heavier.
Like the city above is pressing down on you.
Behind you, the Null Agents follow—but slower now.
Deliberate.
Like they want you to go this way.
Maya notices it too.
“…They’re herding you,” she says.
You don’t slow down.
“Into what?”
A pause.
“…I don’t know yet.”
The corridor opens into something unexpected.
Not an old tunnel.
Not abandoned infrastructure.
Something… newer.
Cleaner.
Hidden.
A massive steel door stands ahead.
Sealed.
Unmarked.
But you recognize the design instantly.
Your chest tightens.
“No way…”
Ethan looks at you.
“What? What is it?”
You step closer, staring at the faint symbol etched into the metal.
“…Orion.”
“Down,” you say. “We go down.”
Ethan blinks.
“Down? That’s your plan? Into the creepy underground murder maze?”
“You got a better one?”
“…No. Down it is.”
You sprint toward the lower passage.
The air grows colder immediately.
Heavier.
Like the city above is pressing down on you.
Behind you, the Null Agents follow—but slower now.
Deliberate.
Like they want you to go this way.
Maya notices it too.
“…They’re herding you,” she says.
You don’t slow down.
“Into what?”
A pause.
“…I don’t know yet.”
The corridor opens into something unexpected.
Not an old tunnel.
Not abandoned infrastructure.
Something… newer.
Cleaner.
Hidden.
A massive steel door stands ahead.
Sealed.
Unmarked.
But you recognize the design instantly.
Your chest tightens.
“No way…”
Ethan looks at you.
“What? What is it?”
You step closer, staring at the faint symbol etched into the metal.
“…Orion.”
“Down,” you say. “We go down.”
Ethan blinks.
“Down? That’s your plan? Into the creepy underground murder maze?”
“You got a better one?”
“…No. Down it is.”
You sprint toward the lower passage.
The air grows colder immediately.
Heavier.
Like the city above is pressing down on you.
Behind you, the Null Agents follow—but slower now.
Deliberate.
Like they want you to go this way.
Maya notices it too.
“…They’re herding you,” she says.
You don’t slow down.
“Into what?”
A pause.
“…I don’t know yet.”
The corridor opens into something unexpected.
Not an old tunnel.
Not abandoned infrastructure.
Something… newer.
Cleaner.
Hidden.
A massive steel door stands ahead.
Sealed.
Unmarked.
But you recognize the design instantly.
Your chest tightens.
“No way…”
Ethan looks at you.
“What? What is it?”
You step closer, staring at the faint symbol etched into the metal.
“…Orion.”
“Down,” you say. “We go down.”
Ethan blinks.
“Down? That’s your plan? Into the creepy underground murder maze?”
“You got a better one?”
“…No. Down it is.”
You sprint toward the lower passage.
The air grows colder immediately.
Heavier.
Like the city above is pressing down on you.
Behind you, the Null Agents follow—but slower now.
Deliberate.
Like they want you to go this way.
Maya notices it too.
“…They’re herding you,” she says.
You don’t slow down.
“Into what?”
A pause.
“…I don’t know yet.”
The corridor opens into something unexpected.
Not an old tunnel.
Not abandoned infrastructure.
Something… newer.
Cleaner.
Hidden.
A massive steel door stands ahead.
Sealed.
Unmarked.
But you recognize the design instantly.
Your chest tightens.
“No way…”
Ethan looks at you.
“What? What is it?”
You step closer, staring at the faint symbol etched into the metal.
“…Orion.”
- Writer
