Location: The Resort, Edge of the Sandstair
The staircase stretched down into the earth—impossibly old, perfectly cut, as if bored through the rock by something ancient and surgical.
Mike held the flashlight tight, its beam barely touching the bottom.
Adam stood beside him, pale, but resolute.
"You don't have to come," Mike said.
Adam looked at him. "I have to."
They stepped onto the first stair.
The wind above them died instantly.
It was like passing through an invisible veil—the hum in Adam's ears suddenly sharpened, clearer now. Like music from beneath the world.
Step by step, they descended.
Behind them, the sand slowly flowed back over the entrance, burying the way out.
They didn't look back.
Not yet.
Because ahead… far below… a light had flickered.
And something waiting