The glowing red eyes in the hallway sent chills down Leo, Maya, and Ben’s spines. Zap’s whiskers twitched as he crouched low on Leo’s shoulder, his tiny claws digging into the fabric.
Then, the scraping sound grew louder.
Something was coming.
“RUN!” Leo shouted.
They sprinted across the lab, dodging overturned desks and broken equipment. The hallway behind them echoed with rapid, claw-like footsteps.
SLAM!
A metal cabinet tipped over, blocking their path.
Ben panicked. “We’re trapped!”
Maya yanked on a locked door. “No, no, no—come on!”
Zap leaped off Leo’s shoulder onto a control panel. His glowing blue eyes scanned the ancient system. “Give me a second—”
Leo glanced over his shoulder. The red eyes were getting closer. A dark silhouette, hunched and unnatural, lurched forward. The air felt heavy as if the very presence of this creature warped the space around it.
“Zap, we don’t have a second!” Leo yelled.
Zap’s tiny paws danced over the controls. “Almost there… just need to override—”
The figure in the hallway lunged.
Just as it reached them—
WHOOSH!
A hidden panel in the wall slid open.
Maya grabbed Zap and yanked him through. “GO!”
The kids tumbled into a narrow maintenance shaft just as the panel slammed shut behind them.
They gasped for breath in the cramped space, their hearts racing.
Ben wiped his forehead. “What… the heck… was that?!”
Zap adjusted his tiny goggles. “Not friendly.”
Leo swallowed hard. “We need to get out of here.”
The Secret Elevator
The maintenance shaft led to a small metal elevator at the far end.
Maya pressed the buttons. “No power.”
Zap scurried up to a nearby power box, gnawing on a few exposed wires.
Ben recoiled. “Ew, dude.”
Zap sparked with electricity. “Fixed it.”
The elevator hummed to life.
They piled in, and the doors shut.
Leo pressed the only active button—B3.
With a jolt, the elevator descended deeper than they expected. The temperature dropped, and the air became eerily still.
Maya shivered. “Why do I feel like we’re going exactly where we shouldn’t be going?”
Zap flicked his tail. “Because we are.”
The doors slid open.
Before them stretched a massive underground facility, untouched for years.
Dim emergency lights cast long shadows across towering glass chambers filled with glowing blue liquid. Floating inside were strange, half-formed creatures—mutations with elongated limbs, extra eyes, and sharp claws.
Ben took a step back. “I hate everything about this.”
Zap’s fur bristled. “This… is Project Omega.”
Maya grabbed a clipboard from the nearest desk. She skimmed through the notes, her voice trembling.
“These experiments… they were trying to create hyper-intelligent creatures. But something went wrong.”
Leo clenched his fists. “Like what?”
Zap pointed to the farthest chamber—
Where a broken glass pod lay shattered on the floor.
The liquid had drained out. The restraints were ripped apart.
And on the wall, deep claw marks carved a chilling message:
“I AM NOT ALONE.”
The kids froze.
A slow, deep growl echoed from the shadows.
Something was still here.
And it was waiting for them.
To be continued…
