The tunnel tightened around them, its slimy walls pressing in with every step, the air thick with a damp, earthy stench that clung to their clothes and stung their lungs. Caleb gripped the charm, its heat now a constant burn against his palm, the golden light flickering like a dying flame against the endless dark.
The eyeless faces in the pit below had faded from view, but their wet sucking noises lingered, a haunting echo that made his skin crawl. Lila moved ahead, her boots squelching through the goo, her red hair tangled and damp as she scanned the path with a focused frown. Ethan trailed behind, his jacket smeared with black slime, muttering under his breath about how they were "screwed" while wiping his hands on his pants. Jenny limped at the back, her face pale from the blood still trickling down her arm, her good hand braced against the pulsing wall for support.
The roots that had attacked Jenny twitched again, their thorny tips glistening with that red ooze, and a low growl rumbled from deeper in the tunnel, vibrating through the stone. The chant grew clearer—soft, eerie words in a language Caleb didn't know, yet they twisted in his mind like a half-remembered nightmare. The charm pulsed in time with the sound, pulling him forward, and he stumbled, nearly slipping off the narrow path. "It's getting stronger," he said, his voice hoarse over the thudding heartbeat of the walls.
Lila paused, glancing back with a tight nod. "Keep moving. Whatever's down there, the charm wants us to find it." Her tone was all business, but there was a flicker of worry in her eyes as she steadied herself against a root. Ethan groaned, kicking at a shadow bug that scuttled too close, its tiny jaws snapping. "Great, now we're bug bait too," he grumbled, but he kept pace, his fear hidden behind sarcasm. Nobody replied.
The tunnel twisted sharply, opening into a cavern where the air turned icy, mist swirling around their feet. In the center stood a stone altar, cracked and stained with dark streaks that looked suspiciously like dried blood. Carved into it were the same jagged symbols from the hollow, glowing faintly green. A skeletal hand rested atop, clutching a rusted dagger, its blade etched with runes that pulsed with the chant. The entity's growl exploded behind them, its glowing eyes flooding the tunnel entrance, tendrils lashing out to grab at the walls. Shadow bugs poured in, their clicks a deafening chorus, and the roots tightened, blocking their retreat.
Jenny collapsed against the cavern wall, her breathing ragged. "I can't… go on," she gasped, her injured shoulder trembling. Caleb knelt beside her, the charm's light dimming as the entity closed in. "We need to use this," he said, holding up the relic. Lila stepped to the altar, her fingers hovering over the dagger. "If this is the key, we have to try," she muttered, her voice steady despite the chaos. Before they could act, the ground shook, and the eyeless faces rose from the mist, their mouths opening wide to reveal rows of needle-like teeth.
The entity surged forward, its form a mass of claws and shadows, and the chant swelled into a scream that rattled Caleb's skull. The charm flared, nearly dropping from his hand, and a vision hit him hard—a witch in black, her eyes glowing, binding the entity with blood and stone. The dagger was the lock, and the charm the key. But as the vision faded, a tendril wrapped around Ethan's leg, yanking him toward the altar. Caleb lunged, grabbing his friend, while Lila snatched the dagger, its runes flaring bright. The cavern trembled, the pit's hunger roaring to life, and they were out of time.