The tunnel was colder than expected.
Leo's breath fogged in the air as he moved forward, scanner pulsing in his hand. The signal was close—steady now, like it had stopped moving. The walls were lined with old pipes and cracked tiles, the kind of place built to be forgotten.
WHISKERS (quietly) "Keep your steps light. This place echoes more than it listens."
JACE (whispering) "Why do I feel like we're walking into someone else's plan?"
LEO "Because we probably are."
They reached a junction—three paths, all dark. The scanner blinked once, then twice. The middle tunnel.
WHISKERS "Straight ahead. But don't trust the silence. It's never empty."
Leo nodded and led the way.
The Room
The tunnel opened into a small chamber—concrete walls, a single hanging light, and a metal case on a table. No guards. No traps. Just tension.
JACE "Is that it?"
WHISKERS (squinting) "Could be. Or it could be bait."
Leo stepped forward slowly, eyes scanning the corners. He reached the table and opened the case.
Inside: a flash drive. Black. No markings. No glow.
LEO (thoughts) No "Starwood Hollow." No symbol. Just a blank shell.
WHISKERS "Check the scanner."
Leo held it close. The signal spiked—then dropped.
WHISKERS "It's a dummy. A signal mask."
JACE "So the real one's still out there?"
WHISKERS "Yeah. But this tells us something."
LEO "They're trying to slow us down."
WHISKERS "Exactly. And if they're scared enough to use decoys…"
JACE "…then we're getting close."
Leo looked around the room. On the wall, dried blood scratched into the concrete, was a phrase—barely visible under the grime.
LEO (reading it aloud) "You don't have to be ready. Just brave enough to show up."
He stares at the words, voice soft.
LEO (quietly) "Mom used to say that… She said it didn't matter if I was ready. Just that I showed up.."
WHISKERS "Then she was right. Showing up is the first win."
Leo stared at the fake drive, then pocketed it anyway.
LEO "Even a lie tells you something."
JACE "Like what?"
LEO "That someone's afraid of the truth."
Exit Strategy
They turned to leave—but the tunnel behind them had shifted. Not magically. Mechanically. A gate had dropped—metal bars, rusted but solid.
WHISKERS "Looks like we're not leaving the way we came."
JACE "Great. Even more classic villain moves."
Leo scanned the walls. A vent. Small, but wide enough to crawl through.
LEO "This way."
They climbed up, squeezing through the tight space. Dust clung to their clothes. Pipes groaned above them.
WHISKERS "Next time we do this, I'm bringing snacks."
LEO "Next time??"
JACE "There's always a next time."
They dropped out into a side alley behind the park. The morning light was creeping in, soft and golden.
Leo looked at the scanner. The signal was moving again—north.
WHISKERS "Let's follow it. Quietly."
JACE "Quiet's not really my thing."
LEO (smirking) "Then learn. Fast."
They slipped into the shadows, the chase continuing.
And somewhere ahead, the truth was still waiting.