Chapter 40: The Pitch-Black Darkness and New Dangers
The air in the narrow passage was thick and cold, carrying the scent of damp earth and decay. There was no light, and the darkness was so pitch-black that they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. The sound of their rapid breaths was all they could hear, along with the violent pounding of their hearts in their chests.
Kaelen led the way, his hand tracing the rough rock wall, trying to find a path in the unknown. His body was trembling from exhaustion and pain, but he forced himself to move forward. Directly behind him was Emily, then Caleb, followed by Ethan and Laila, each holding onto the clothes of the person in front to avoid getting separated in the total darkness.
"Is he... is he still following us?" Laila whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kaelen paused for a moment, listening. He couldn't hear the Commander's blows, but he could feel its presence, like a heavy shadow haunting his dreams. "I don't know. But we can't stop."
"The passage is getting narrower," Caleb said, his voice muffled. "We can barely get through."
Kaelen could feel it. The walls were pressing in on them from the sides, and the ceiling was getting lower, forcing them to crouch. This passage seemed endless, a maze of rock and darkness.
Suddenly, Kaelen felt something slip under his foot. He lost his balance for a moment and nearly fell. "Watch out!" he yelled. "The ground is uneven!"
The floor had changed from solid ground to a mix of scattered gravel and rocks, making walking more difficult. Every step was a risk; they could fall into a hole or slip.
"I need some light," Ethan said, his voice trembling. "I can't see anything."
Kaelen remembered the emergency flare he had. It was weak, but it might be enough. He cautiously took it out of his bag and lit it.
A faint glow spread, barely illuminating the narrow passage in front of them. The walls were covered in strange rock formations, looking like distorted faces in the darkness. But more importantly, the light revealed something else.
A few meters ahead of them, the passage ended. Not with a wall, but with a bottomless black chasm. They could hear the sound of flowing water from below, but they couldn't see its source.
"Oh my God..." Emily whispered, her eyes widening in the faint light of the flare.
The chasm was so wide they couldn't see the other side. There was no bridge, no obvious path. They had reached a dead end.
"We can't go back," Caleb said, his voice desperate. "The Commander will find us."
Kaelen stared into the chasm, his mind working quickly. They had survived the Commander, only to face this new challenge. The flare danced in his hand, casting long, menacing shadows on their weary faces.
"There must be a way," Kaelen said, his tone carrying a resolve he hadn't yet lost. "There has to be something we can use."
He looked around, searching for anything, any thread of hope in this pitch-black darkness. The chasm was swallowing the light, as if it were a gigantic mouth waiting to consume them.