The heavy door swung shut behind them, sealing away the nightmare. The transition was jarring.
One moment, they were in a tomb of silent, brutal death... the very next, they were plunged into the chaotic, vibrant life of a night market.
The alley was a canyon of noise and shadow. Lanterns strung between ramshackle stalls cast a warm, flickering glow on a throng of people.
Vendors shouted over one another, hawking dubious-looking spirit herbs, shimmering talismans, and sizzling skewers of mystery meat.
The air, once thick with the scent of blood, was now a competing mélange of spices, incense, and the faint odor of damp stone.
Xiao Pei took a deep, shuddering breath, the normalcy of the scene feeling utterly surreal.
It was then that the ground gave a low, deep groan.
A tremor ran through the cobblestones, silencing the haggling for a split second. Heads turned.
Then, with a sound like a mountain sighing, the entire building they had just exited collapsed in on itself.
