Meanwhile under the platform
Tina and Jack clung to each other tightly as they huddled in one corner of the cramped wooden space. Their bodies pressed close as if trying to disappear into each other while their breathing came out uneven and shallow, and the sounds outside refused to fade no matter how much they tried to ignore them.
They did not know how long they had been there, to them time had lost meaning. Only fear and hope were their only determiner… fear of being eaten by the monsters… hope that Ida would find them… or Laurel.
The scraping of claws against the wood continued without pause, a harsh dragging sound that set their nerves on edge. While the low growls of the monsters circled around them endlessly, rising and falling as if the creatures were right outside waiting for the moment the barrier would give in.
Instead of slowing down, the attacks had grown more relentless, each strike heavier than the last as the wooden boards trembled under the impact.
