We get into the harnesses and get strung onto the rappelling lines. My gut knots as I peer into the abyss. I always thought this place would be well lit, a massive gap in the earth open to the sky. But the darkness swallows everything beyond a few hundred feet. It’s wrong.


“You guys ready?” Roger calls from my far left.


“Ready.” I say.


“Ready.” Timerus, to my immediate left, announces.


“That’s a set.” Mia confirms from my right.


Another squad waits behind us. They plan to send people down in quick succession—one minute between drops to keep the lines clear. We exchange nods. It’s time.


I step backward into the void. The harness digs into my ribs as gravity takes hold, the wire whining against the pulley. My stomach twists, wind howling up from below, carrying the stale scent of earth long undisturbed.


Then my boots scrape against the canyon wall, stopping me with a hard jolt. I glance around. The others have landed on the rock face at roughly the same height.


“How much farther?” Roger asks. His form is barely visible in the gloom.


“Hard to say, we have miles of wire going down.” Timerus responds.


“Let’s get lower. Someone thought about flares, right?” I ask.


“I did.” Mia says.


Relief washes over me. We take another jump, maybe a hundred feet, but it feels like nothing in this endless black. The light from above is useless. It fades almost immediately as we descend.


“Mia, drop a flare. Maybe we can get an idea of the depth.”


“I’m on it.” She pulls one free as Timerus catches up with Roger.


The only way we track each other is by the occasional scrape of boots on rock, the rush of our wires, and our voices cutting through the emptiness. I let out a slow breath. Mia ignites the flare and drops it. Red light briefly illuminates jagged walls before shrinking to a distant ember.


“Half a mile?” I guess.


“Yeah, sounds about right.” Mia mutters.


Roger grunts in agreement. We continue. Three more jumps. My muscles ache. The wire tenses above, occasionally shifting with faint, distant shouts from those still waiting to descend.


“About four more jumps.” Mia pants.


“Wow.” Timerus exhales sharply.


“You guys didn’t expect this?” Roger scoffs.


“Well, no.” Mia laughs breathlessly.


“No, I didn’t.” I admit.


“Intel suggested it was a long drop, but I didn’t realize how strenuous it would be.” Timerus sucks in a deep breath.


“Ready to keep going?” I ask.


“Ready.” The three say in unison.


We continue, dropping in controlled bursts. I wonder what expeditions Mia’s been through with equipment like this. But I push the thought away—focus is everything now.


Finally, after what feels like an eternity, my boots hit solid ground. I unhook from the line, exhaling as I stretch my arms. The darkness is unnatural. This isn’t just night—it’s an abyss, an absence that devours light. My flashlight barely pushes through, illuminating only the jagged stone before the black swallows it whole.


Mia tosses a few flares around. They help, but barely. A river’s nearby, its rushing sound unmistakable. Fresh water. A rarity.


“Looks like we’re gonna be walking a ways.” Roger says, stepping to the edge of the flare’s glow.


Mia rummages in her pack and hands us each a flashlight. I click mine on. Roger and Timerus do the same. My skin prickles. Something about this is too easy. We traveled by daylight for a reason—creatures lurk in the dark.


“Shouldn’t we be hearing gunfire by now?” I ask.


“We might still be too far from the lab to know.” Mia replies.


Even standing near one another, the black presses in, shifting like something alive. It swallows detail, erases distance.


“Keep your guard up.” Timerus mutters


“I think I can manage that.” I say, turning to face the others instead of searching the void.


I see Mia. Timerus.


But Roger is gone.


I freeze, my throat tightening. He was just here.


“Uh, guys, where’s Roger?”


Mia and Timerus whip around. No sound. No struggle. Just… gone.


Timerus suddenly lifts a hand. Mia and I rush to him.


A thin, wet smear of blood streaks across the rock.


“Oh hell no.” I whisper.


“What could’ve done that so fast?” Timerus asks, his voice tight.


I don’t have an answer. Neither does Mia. My hands shake as I tear tape from my pack and strap my flashlight to my gun. My beam needs to follow my aim now.


“What moves silently?” I murmur.


“No idea.” Mia exhales. “We still have to move toward the lab. Whatever took him... went that way.”


I was hoping she wouldn’t say that.


“Our work is cut out for us.” Timerus says grimly. “We wait for the next squad to land. They’ll hold position while we advance toward Project Purity. We’ll rotate squads in the same way.”


Mia nods. “Good plan.”


“So we guard the wires to make sure we have backup in case shit goes south?” I clarify.


“Yeah.” Timerus sighs. “Unless you’ve got a better idea?”


“No.” Mia nudges me.


“No, sorry.” I huff.


Standing here feels wrong. The unseen presses against me, sending a constant prickle down my spine. Whatever took Roger—it was fast. And silent. How many more are there?


A faint glow pulses in the distance. Teal light reflecting against the canyon walls. I stop. The others see it too. We exchange glances.


Clicking and growling echoes through the dark.


I stiffen. The sound slithers through the air—layered, distorted. Not one creature, but many. The clicking isn’t just random noise. It’s communication.


Something huge shifts above, scattering loose sand and rock. The next squad has to be close. I keep my light sweeping through the black, pulse hammering. The minutes crawl by before I finally hear the next team touch down.


“Alright.” Timerus turns to update them while they unhook.


Mia keeps her flashlight shifting, scanning. Her grip is tight, her breathing shallow. She’s scanning like I am, not letting a single shadow sit still. I guess I am learning.


The squad takes position. Now, we move.


“Alright, guys. Let’s try to stay alive.” Mia says.


“You know, Mia, I thought maybe this time we wouldn’t.” I smirk.


“Oh, shut up, Etha.” She laughs.


The clicking intensifies, shifting, moving. I aim my light, but nothing is there. Plants appear now—twisting vines that glow with a faint, pulsing teal. Their wet, glistening surfaces seem to breathe. Why would plants thrive here, when the rest of the Badlands are nothing but sand?


"Leave" A hissing harmony of voices calls out to us.


Then a moment of silence, heavy as can be as we learn that we really aren't alone down here. 


"Leave... Or die..." The voices call out in unison.