Chapter 142: The Surface Hunt
The narrow maintenance corridor stretched endlessly ahead, flickering lights casting shadows that danced across the exposed brick walls. The air was damp, tinged with the smell of old mildew and rusted metal. Keller’s boots hit the floor in quiet, measured steps as he moved beside Lin. Both of them knew the danger wasn’t over—it had just shifted.
"Let’s move." Lin’s voice was low, but sharp. His eyes scanned every corner as they moved forward, never pausing for too long in any one spot. The silence around them seemed to press in, heavy with the weight of anticipation.
Keller adjusted his grip on his weapon, scanning the darkened spaces ahead. The surface was close, he could feel it in his gut, but there was no telling what kind of trouble awaited them once they reached it. "You know Mara?" Keller asked, his voice barely a whisper, the echo of their footsteps filling the space between words.
Lin’s jaw clenched. "I know her. Too well."
The answer was all Keller needed to know. Mara wasn’t just another hunter; she was someone from Lin’s past, someone with knowledge of his every move. A dangerous piece to have on the board when everything was already unraveling.
The hallway ahead turned sharply to the left, and Lin paused for a moment, holding up a hand. Keller stopped instantly, his own instincts kicking in. They weren’t alone anymore. The faint sound of movement—a soft shuffle against the concrete—reached their ears. It wasn’t the rhythmic clatter of boots; it was slower, more deliberate, like something was being dragged.
Lin’s eyes narrowed. "They’ve found us. Get ready."
Keller nodded, his grip tightening around the gun. There was no time to waste. Whoever was coming down this corridor would be on them within seconds.
Without a word, they both turned and took position. Keller found a small alcove to his left, while Lin slid behind a rusted maintenance panel that had been partially ripped from the wall. Every second of silence felt like an eternity.
The dragging sound grew louder, closer. A silhouette emerged from the shadows ahead.
Keller’s heart skipped a beat.
A figure—tall, draped in heavy layers of cloth and armor, their face obscured by a helmet—moved cautiously down the hallway. The figure wasn’t alone, either. The faint outline of another person—smaller, faster—shifted in the shadows, moving alongside the first.