Chapter 6: Ep 6 - Hidden
Chapter 6: THE HIDDEN WING
The iron door groaned as Takiya heaved it open. Rust flaked from its hinges, and a draft of stagnant, dust-choked air wafted from the darkness beyond. Kanata peered into the tunnel, the dim beam of his flashlight slicing a thin arc through cobwebs and forgotten decay.
"This goes beneath the cafeteria," Godou-sensei whispered, clutching her map. "It was sealed decades ago after the quake. Maintenance tunnels... maybe fallout shelters too."
Kanami adjusted the straps on her backpack, the nail-shooter tucked beneath her arm. "It's creepy. And it smells like something died in there."
"Something probably did," Serizawa muttered, stepping forward. She gripped her blood-crusted bat tightly.
Kanata said nothing. He was already moving.
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The tunnel stretched longer than expected. Concrete walls damp with old condensation. The group crawled under collapsed beams, skirted deep puddles, and passed the husks of rusted-out machinery. Their breathing echoed around them like ghosts.
They reached a rusted ladder that descended into a lower level. Godou-sensei checked her map again.
"This leads to the original sub-basement wing," she said. "Before the school was renovated in 2002. There might be an access hatch into the East Wing basement... maybe even an old fire exit."
Kanata dropped first. His flashlight flickered against long-abandoned walls. As the others descended, he noticed something: scratch marks on the wall.