The elevator dropped so suddenly it felt like the floor vanished beneath their feet. Both Jay and Nathan screamed, their voices echoing off the metal walls as they clutched at the railings, hearts thundering in their chests.
Then, just as abruptly, the elevator jerked to a crawl, descending the rest of the way with a series of low groans and unsettling creaks. When it finally shuddered to a halt, they stood there panting, legs trembling from the adrenaline.
"Holy shit," Nathan gasped, his knuckles white around the railing. "My soul just left my body. I swear, I almost pissed myself."
Jay let out a shaky laugh, though it sounded more like a dying wheeze. "Next time… let's take the stairs."
"If there is a next time, I'm never coming with you again," Nathan shot back, wiping sweat from his forehead.
A moment later, the elevator doors slowly slid open with a rusty grind, revealing the space beyond.
What greeted them was worse than either had expected.
It was clearly a laboratory—though "lab" seemed too clean a word for what lay before them. Flickering fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting sickly yellow pools of light across cracked tiles and smashed tables. Broken vials lay scattered across the floor, some still leaking dark, sticky fluids that clung to their boots.
Cabinets were overturned, wires dangled from holes in the ceiling like limp, decapitated serpents. The walls were stained with odd, dark smears that Jay sincerely hoped was only rust.
Nathan swallowed. "This place… it's like something crawled through and tore it apart."
Jay nodded, voice low. "Yeah. But it's definitely a lab. Look—centrifuges, specimen jars, microscopes. Or what's left of them."
A chill crawled up Nathan's spine as he stepped around a toppled gurney. "Why does it feel like we're being watched?"
"Probably because you keep saying creepy shit like that," Jay muttered, though he didn't sound convinced himself.
They continued forward slowly, flashlights probing every corner. Each squeak of their shoes on the grimy tiles sounded painfully loud. Dust and the metallic scent of old blood—or something like it—hung heavy in the air.
Then suddenly, a voice shattered the silence.
"IS… IS SOMEONE THERE? PLEASE… HELP ME!"
It was the desperate cry of a young girl, echoing from somewhere deeper within the lab.
Jay froze, eyes going wide. "Holy crap. Nathan, did you hear that? Someone's alive down here!"
"Nope," Nathan said instantly, turning on his heel. "Nope, nope, absolutely not. Have you ever seen a horror movie? Or hell, even one documentary on demons? That's literally how people die."
"But what if she's actually hurt?" Jay protested, taking a step toward the sound. "What if she's trapped? We can't just—"
Nathan grabbed his arm, eyes fierce. "Jay. Think. Best case scenario: it's a person, and we help them, fine. Worst case scenario? It's a demon mimicking a human voice so it can eat us. Or it's someone infected who'll rip our faces off. Either way, I like my face."
Jay pulled his arm back, frustrated. "Man, you're paranoid."
"And you're too damned naïve!" Nathan shot back. "This isn't a fairy tale. This is a world where monsters crawl out of portals and snack on our neighbors. We get the hell out. Now."
Jay opened his mouth to argue but hesitated, chewing on his lip. Finally, he let out a defeated sigh. "Alright… fine. We'll do it your way."
"Thank God." Nathan slapped his shoulder. "Now let's get the hell out of here before something else starts screaming."
They turned back toward the elevator, walking faster now, almost jogging, hearts pounding with every step.
But when they reached it, Nathan's stomach sank. The elevator doors were still open, the same stale, dark box waiting for them—but the button panel inside was completely dark. Dead. He pressed it anyway, several times, jabbing harder each time.
Nothing.
Jay tried next, pounding the panel with his fist. "Come on… come on! Don't do this to us now!"
Still nothing. Not a single flicker of light. The elevator was completely unresponsive.
Nathan let out a shaky laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Well… congratulations. Looks like we're stuck. If something does come to eat us, at least I'll have the pleasure of saying I told you so."
Jay leaned against the wall, running both hands through his hair. "We'll figure something out. There's gotta be another way out of this place."
"Yeah… sure. Lead the way, fearless idiot," Nathan muttered.
Their flashlights cut across the lab again, revealing more twisted shadows. Somewhere in the distance, that same faint voice called out once more, weaker now.
"Please… help… me…"
Nathan shivered violently. He wasn't sure if it was the cold or sheer terror. Either way, it felt like they had just walked straight into a nightmare—and there was no elevator to carry them back to safety anymore.
Jay and Nathan stepped cautiously out of the elevator, their flashlights sweeping over the ruined lab once more. Every dark corner seemed to twitch with possibility, and their own footsteps echoed back at them like mocking ghosts.
"Alright," Nathan said, trying to keep his voice steady. "First priority: find some stairs. Old buildings like this always have a fire escape or something, right?"
"Yeah… hopefully," Jay muttered, though his eyes darted nervously around the shadowy hallways.
They moved together, careful not to drift more than an arm's length apart. Door after door turned out to be storage closets or small observation rooms—most choked with debris and shattered equipment. But no stairs.
Frustration and fear began to gnaw at them. Nathan could feel sweat trickling down his back despite the chill.
Then Jay's voice broke through the silence. "Hey, Nathan! Over here!"
Nathan rushed over, heart leaping. Jay was standing by a wall where an old map of the facility was pinned under cracked glass. Most of it was faded and stained, but parts of the blueprint were still readable.
"It's a directory of the floor," Jay said, tracing a grimy finger along the layout. "See? That's us—'Research Wing B.' But look here: there's another elevator on the far side, near something called 'Containment Storage.'"
Nathan exhaled, relief mixing with dread. "Perfect. Let's just hope it's still working."
They followed the directions on the map, winding through dim, maze-like corridors. Pipes crisscrossed overhead, dripping water that pattered eerily onto the floor. As they turned the final corner, they stopped short.
A heavy metal door blocked their path. Its surface was dented, scratched, and stained with dark smears that could have been rust… or dried blood. According to the map, the room beyond held the other elevator.
But then that voice came again.
"SOMEONE… PLEASE… IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, HELP ME… I'M BEGGING YOU!"
It was clearer now, unmistakably coming from behind that very door.
Jay swallowed hard. "Shit. It's her again. She's gotta be right inside."
Nathan felt his gut twist. "Or it's something else. Something waiting for idiots like us to come running."
Jay clenched his fists. "I know. But what choice do we have? If that elevator's in there, we can't just leave it. We either open this door or we're stuck wandering until we starve."
Nathan stared at the door, heart pounding in his ears. The girl's desperate sobs scraped at something inside him—some old sense of decency, or maybe just fear of what ignoring her might mean.
"Alright," he finally muttered, voice rough. "But we open it together. And the second anything moves that shouldn't, we slam it shut and run."
Jay nodded, flashing a tense, grim smile. "Deal."
They both took a breath, hands hovering near the latch. Beyond the door, the girl's voice cracked into a ragged whisper.
"Please… help… me…"
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut for a heartbeat, then opened them, steeling himself. Whatever was behind that door—human or not—their next choice would decide everything.