The vents groaned again.
A slow, rhythmic metallic creak echoed above the ceiling tiles. At first, it had blended in with the distant howls of failing machinery. But now it was distinct, purposeful. Something was moving up there.
Williams held his breath and motioned for the group to stop. They were deep in one of the older maintenance corridors near the surgical suites, where backup lights flickered and dust coated every surface. The hospital had clearly abandoned this wing long ago, but now, it might be the safest place left.
Or so they thought.
"Do you hear that?" Eve whispered, clutching Franklin's hand.
"I do," Finn replied, eyes scanning the ceiling. "The pattern's too consistent. It's crawling through the ventilation shafts."
Edward was pacing, eyes wide. "This is bad. Really bad. That thing is... smart. What if it's mapping us out? What if it's following our heat signatures like predators in the movies?"
"Calm down," Williams muttered. "We need to stay together."
Rika clutched her backpack to her chest. "We should get somewhere with a closed ceiling, solid roof. Somewhere it can't watch us."
Jonah, who had grown increasingly distant since the initial breach, suddenly stepped away from the group.
"I just need a minute," he said. "I'll check the side hallway. It looks like there might be an old security room. Maybe it still has a radio."
"Wait," Williams started, "don't go alone."
Jonah raised a hand. "I'll be quick. It's just around the corner."
Before anyone could argue, he turned the corner and disappeared into the dim hallway.
Seconds passed. Then a minute. Then two.
"Jonah?" Franklin called. "Jonah, answer us."
Silence.
Then, metal scraped.
They heard something fall. A thud. Then nothing.
Williams didn't hesitate. He drew the wrench he'd been carrying like a makeshift weapon and charged down the hallway. Franklin followed, Eve close behind. The others stayed near the corridor junction.
When they reached the intersection, the security room door was open, but there was no sign of Jonah.
Only his flashlight, lying on the ground. Still warm.
The room smelled of ozone and rust.
"Where is he?" Eve asked, her voice trembling.
Williams scanned the space. "No blood. No scuffle. Just gone."
Finn entered behind them, face grim. He pointed upward. The ceiling vent had been opened.
The screws had been pried loose, carefully, methodically.
The metal edges bore the marks of claws.
"It took him," Finn said. "From above. No struggle means he didn't even see it coming."
Franklin cursed and slammed his fist against the wall. "He was just trying to help."
Rika stood in the hall, arms wrapped around herself, whispering a prayer under her breath.
Edward looked up and down the corridor, then at the others. "We're sitting ducks here. We need to block the vents. Or find somewhere sealed."
"An MRI room," Finn said suddenly. "Radiology… those rooms are lead-lined and fully enclosed. Some are even magnetically sealed for containment. If we can get to the third floor..."
"Elevators are locked," Williams reminded.
"Then we take the stairs," Eve said. "Quickly. Before it comes back."
They moved in formation, eyes darting to every ceiling grate, every dark corner. The hospital's air was thick now, humid and electric, as if the building itself had begun to sweat in fear. Shadows danced unnaturally. Lights flickered without cause.
As they climbed the emergency stairwell, a metallic clang rang out from three floors above.
"It's ahead of us," Rika gasped.
Finn pointed to a side passage. "There's an old dumbwaiter shaft here. I saw it on the hospital blueprint. We could climb it to bypass the stairwell. It's risky, but—"
"We don't have time for safety," Williams said. "Go."
One by one, they entered the narrow shaft. The dumbwaiter cage was rusted and creaked as they shifted their weight inside. Franklin and Williams helped lift the others. As Finn led the climb, his fingers traced the cables and braces.
Midway through, a heavy crash echoed behind them. It was in the stairwell.
A shadow passed by the cracked opening in the shaft wall. Something sniffed.
And then came a noise no human could make, a low, gurgling click followed by a screech that peeled into the air like splitting metal.
Eve whimpered.
"Keep climbing," Williams said, his voice steel. "Don't look down."
The group emerged into the radiology hallway, panting and shaking. Franklin slammed the MRI room door shut and twisted the emergency lock.
They were safe.
For now.
Inside, the room was cold, humming with the remnants of power. The lead-lined walls muffled sound, and the air was still.
But Jonah was gone.
Eve sat down hard on the floor, burying her face in her hands. "We should've stopped him."
"We couldn't have known," Finn said softly.
Williams paced. "We need to find out what it wants. There's more going on here than just random attacks. It's calculating. Testing us."
"Then we outsmart it," Franklin growled. "It might be a monster, but it's still a product of this place. And this place is broken. We use that."
Edward looked up at the sealed vent in the corner of the MRI room. "It's not human. It's not even just an animal. It's something else. Something worse."
"Then we kill it," Williams said. "Or we die trying."
And somewhere, deep inside the walls, the monster listened.
Waiting.