The six of them pressed their bodies against the cold stone just beyond the archway. The wall felt damp under their clothes, the chill seeping into their skin. They stayed close enough that their shoulders brushed, breathing in short, quiet bursts so the sound didn't travel.
Ahead, the corridor stretched away into dim light. It was narrow at first, then slowly widened, its walls smooth and pale except where cracks split across the surface. The only light came from narrow slits high in the stone, like thin wounds in the wall. Through those gaps leaked a dull red glow, faint but steady, its source hidden somewhere outside. The light gave the dust in the air a faint, rusty shimmer.
The air was still, heavy in a way that made every sound they made feel too loud. Even a shift of cloth seemed swallowed instantly by the silence, yet each of them moved as if that silence might shatter like glass.
