The pipe was a cramped, metallic artery that vibrated with a dissonant, low-frequency hum. Sarah’s flashlight beam was weak, struggling to penetrate the thick, humid darkness that seemed to swallow the light before it could hit the distant walls. The wet, rhythmic thumping grew louder, punctuated by the metallic screech of claws scraping against the inner casing of the conduit. Whatever was hunting them, it did not need to see. It was tracking them by the displacement of the air they left behind.
"Stop," Elian whispered, pressing his back against the cold, curved wall of the pipe. He signaled for Sarah to hold her position. "The sound is changing. It's not one thing. It's an entire cluster."
Sarah slid her rifle forward, her breathing shallow and controlled. "How many?"
"Too many," Elia
