00:41:59
The descent ended in silence.
The air was cold now, damp, metallic. Isla's breathing echoed against unseen walls as she and Mason stumbled into a vast, circular chamber. The floor gleamed like liquid glass, reflecting the faint red glow of their timers.
At the far end stood a single door. Massive, steel, unmarked except for a keypad built directly into its surface. Its screen flickered, showing two empty fields:
CODE A
CODE B
Mason frowned. "They want both of us."
Isla approached, careful not to let her reflection on the mirrored floor distract her. "You think it opens if we enter our countdowns?"
He hesitated. "Maybe. Or maybe it opens for whoever finishes first."
"Finishes?"
Mason's gaze drifted to his wrist. "When the clock hits zero."
The lights overhead buzzed, then steadied. For the first time, Isla noticed faint carvings along the walls, numbers etched deep into the metal. Rows and rows of them, all scratched out. Failed combinations.
She stepped closer. The marks weren't just numbers. They were wrist codes. Every one belonged to someone who'd stood here before. Mason tapped the keypad. "Let's see what happens."
He entered his own countdown: 00:41:00
The keypad emitted a low tone, not rejection, but anticipation. It pulsed red, waiting.
"Your turn," Mason said.
Isla hesitated. Her timer blinked: 00:40:59
She keyed it in.
The door vibrated. A hiss echoed through the chamber, followed by the heavy groan of gears turning.
Then, without warning, pain.
White-hot, ripping through her arm. Isla screamed, clutching her wrist as the numbers on her skin began to move backward, faster than before.
"Mason! It's changing!"
He looked down at his own, his timer had frozen.
00:41:00
He slammed his fist against the door. "It's taking your time!"
The metal glowed, spreading light through the floor. The reflection beneath Isla's feet began to move independently, standing upright from the mirrored surface like liquid rising into form.
Her double smiled again.
"Mason…"
He raised the pipe, ready to strike, but the door suddenly opened with a shriek.
Beyond it lay another corridor, narrow and pulsing with red light. The sound of heartbeats filled the air.
A voice whispered from the dark ahead:
"Only one may pass."
Mason turned to Isla, face pale. "Go. Now."
"No! We…"
"Go!"
He shoved her through the doorway just as the steel slammed shut behind her.
Her timer flickered violently: 00:38:00
The chamber went silent.
Then a single word appeared on the door's keypad display:
PHASE COMPLETE