Caleb hesitated, the charm tugging at his chest again, pulling him toward the dark. "What if it's a trap?" he muttered, glancing at Lila. She shrugged, her voice steady. "Better than waiting to die. Let's move." She started down, careful but quick, and Caleb followed, with Ethan and Jenny limping behind.The slimy ledge wobbled under their feet, the pit's jagged walls closing in like a hungry beast. Caleb gripped the charm, its heat stinging as the eyeless faces below sucked at the air, their hands clawing up. Lila stood a step ahead, her red hair a messy blur, eyeing the tunnel. Ethan panted, brushing slime off his jacket, while Jenny winced, holding her bloody shoulder. The jump had been rough, but now they had to edge along the ledge—half-climbing, half-walking—to reach the tunnel's dark opening.
The ledge felt like a razor's edge, slick with black slime that made every step a gamble. Caleb clung to the charm, its faint glow cutting through the misty dark of the pit, where those eyeless faces kept sucking and clawing below. Lila moved ahead, her boots slipping but steady, her red hair a wild splash against the jagged walls. Ethan trailed, muttering curses as he wiped goo from his hands, while Jenny limped, her bloody shoulder leaving a faint smear on the rock.
The tunnel loomed closer, its mouth a gaping hole lined with thorny roots that twitched like they were alive. A low growl rumbled from inside, mixing with the pit's cold wind that stung their faces. Caleb's chest tightened as the charm pulsed harder, pulling him toward the dark. "It's leading us somewhere," he said, voice shaky.
Lila glanced back, her eyes sharp. "Then we follow. No turning back now." She edged forward, grabbing a root to steady herself, and Caleb followed, the slime squishing under his shoes. Ethan groaned but kept up, and Jenny gritted her teeth, leaning on the wall.
Inside, the tunnel narrowed, the walls pulsing with a wet thud, like a heartbeat. Shadow bugs skittered past, their clicks echoing, and a faint chant drifted from deeper in—words Caleb couldn't catch but felt in his bones. The entity's growl grew louder, its glowing eyes flickering at the tunnel's end. A root suddenly lashed out, wrapping Jenny's ankle, yanking her down. She yelled, slashing at it with her good hand, and Caleb lunged, cutting it with a sharp rock. The charm flared, pushing the dark back, but the tunnel shook, roots closing in like a trap.