Kaelo's group did not stop running until their lungs burned.
Boots splashed against damp stone as they scrambled up uneven ground, away from the roaring water channel that had swallowed one of their own. Their breathing filled the corridor like panicked drums.
Kaelo bent forward, hands on his knees, chest rising and falling violently.
"Damn," he muttered between breaths.
The monk steadied himself against the wall, eyes closed for a moment.
"I think they are not following anymore."
Kaelo let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"I guess we cannot win against a colony of snakes with guns."
One of the men wiped water from his face.
"There were so many. From the cracks. From the water. It was like the walls were alive."
The monk opened his eyes.
"What is there to laugh at? At each turn we face traps. Water. Creatures. Death. How will we go back? We are losing lives here."
His voice was calm, but the weight in it pressed heavily on the group.
No one answered.
