No door behind us. No stairs ahead.
Only an elevator sealed into the wall, its metal doors flush with the stone. No shaft visible above or below. A bell sits at the center seam. We don't touch it.
Metal doors line the walls to our left and right.
I let go of Ashlynn's hand.
"Right," Riko says, already turning his body that way.
Ashlynn steps to the nearest door on the right. She presses her shoulder close to it and bites her lip. Her fingers slip into her hair and draw out the lockpick, flat and hidden. She works the lock with her head tilted, ear angled toward the corridor.
"No stairs?" I ask, keeping my voice low.
"I swear it was stairs," Riko says. He shifts closer to me and taps my side. "The thing I gave you—hold it."
I pull the object from my back pocket with my right hand. Metal. Warm against my palm. Oval, smooth enough to sit there without edges.
Was it always oval?
Click.
The lock opens quickly, like the pins were already tired.
As Ashlynn pulls the door inward, warm air spills out across our legs. Riko steps through first. Ashlynn follows. I enter last and pull the door shut behind us, easing it closed until it seals.
"Back to solitary again," Ashlynn mutters.
The solitary corridor is clean and quiet. The floor is smooth underfoot. The walls reflect light faintly. Each room is spaced evenly, each about the size of a car.
Car.
Another hollow word.
Liquid lanterns hang between the rooms, brighter here than in the cells corridor. Their light spreads evenly, no flicker.
Metal doors face us on both sides, polished enough to reflect shapes. As we pass one, I catch my reflection: a young man, athletic frame without definition, straight black hair, blue eyes. The uniform hangs loose on me.
We stop at a door that breaks the pattern.
Its surface is rusted. Untended. The metal is pitted and dark.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The sound comes from the other side. Heavy. Close.
Riko lifts his hand and gestures.
"Lockpick."
Ashlynn steps back and places it into his palm. She moves a few steps away, putting distance between herself and the door.
Riko kneels and works the lock.
The object in my hand grows warmer. I tighten my grip. The oval presses differently now, no longer smooth. My fingers begin to settle into shallow grooves.
I scan the floor. Clean. Nothing loose.
I turn to the wall and reach up, gripping the base of the nearest lantern. I twist and pull until it comes free, the weight settling into my left hand.
"What are you doing?" Ashlynn asks, her eyes on the door.
"I don't know what's on the other side," I say, keeping my body angled toward Riko, "but I'd rather not be unarmed."
"Wise," Riko says, without looking up.
Ashlynn reaches for another lantern and removes it, holding it low by her side.
Click.
The lock gives.
"Ready?" Riko asks.
He braces his foot, then shoves the door inward.
A body falls through the opening and hits the floor on our side. It lands on its shoulder and rolls. Human-shaped. Blue uniform like ours, soaked dark. Its eyes are fully black. Thick liquid leaks from its mouth, nose, ears.
It hisses. Low. Wet.
"Feral," Ashlynn breathes, already stepping back until her shoulders touch the opposite wall.
The feral lunges.
It collides with Riko and drives him to the floor, pinning his chest with its weight. Riko's back hits the stone hard.
I step in and kick the feral's side. My foot connects. It barely shifts.
The feral turns toward me.
Riko twists free and scrambles backward.
I swing the lantern with my left hand. It strikes the feral's face. Teeth scatter across the floor.
The feral crashes into me, knocking me onto my back. Its knees pin my arms. Its face drops toward mine. Hot saliva splashes onto my cheek as it snaps.
My heart hammers.
The object in my right hand burns.
It softens. Melts. Then hardens again, forcing itself through my palm.
I scream.
Not at the feral.
At the pain.
Riko slams his foot into the feral's ribs, knocking it sideways. The pressure lifts.
I roll and push myself upright.
The object has reshaped. A metallic shield spreads from my hand, a spike of it piercing clean through my palm. No blood. The metal pulses faintly, warm.
Ashlynn runs past me into the open solitary room, slapping her hands along the walls.
"Where, Riko?" she calls.
"I'm coming," he says, running after her.
The feral scrambles up and charges Riko.
I step between them and raise the shield. The feral bites down on the metal. Broken teeth scrape uselessly.
I kick it backward through the doorway and slam the door shut.
I hold it.
Ashlynn drops to her knees and works the lock from the inside.
Click.
The door seals.
Silence, except for our breathing.
Riko moves to the upper wall of the room. Black sludge coats the surface there. He presses against it.
Crackle.
Brick collapses inward, opening a narrow passage.
"See?" Riko says, breathless. "A way."
He looks at me. "I knew you could do it."
I nod. I don't know what he means.
"It exists," Ashlynn says, stepping closer. "The passage is real."
We climb inside.
Heat presses from all sides. Air moves slowly. Sound carries nowhere.
Lantern light spills ahead. I tear my sleeve and tie the lantern to my waist through a tear in my pants. The light swings with each step.
"A ladder," I say.
"I told you," Riko says. "Up. Then freedom."
We climb.
At the top, we emerge into a room left unused. Dust. Dried blood. Rusted instruments bolted to the walls.
I notice a red notebook on a chair.
I walk to it. I pick it up. I open the first page.
It belongs to Allen.