Chapter 69: A HIDDEN HAVEN.
Johnquis tried everything he could to stop the fall. He twisted mid-air, chain ready in hand, desperate to catch something, anything but the tunnel walls remained smooth, shell-like, and hardened. There wasn’t a single edge or groove to break his descent. Just gravity pulling him down in an endless, unforgiving slide.
He grunted through clenched teeth. "How deep is this place?"
His eyes narrowed as the tunnel began to curve, banking downward into something worse than darkness. He wrapped the chain tighter around his forearm. It bit into his skin, drawing a sharp sting—just enough to keep him alert, focused.
"Dancer, Savier... you better not be dead," he muttered. "I swear, if I hit bottom and you two are sipping blood martinis, I’m gonna kill you myself."
He started counting under his breath, trying to keep track of the time he’d been falling.
"Ten... twenty... thirty..."
Still nothing. Still falling. No bottom. No end. The shaft seemed infinite.
His vision blurred for a second before he forced himself to blink. The air around him had changed. It was heavier now, thick with pressure, pressing in on his chest. The smell shifted too. It was metallic, like rust, stone, and something electric—ozone, maybe.
Then, below him, a faint red light began to glow. It pulsed like a heartbeat, slow and ominous.
"Forty... fifty-five..."
He was far deeper than any of the team had ever gone.
"Seventy... seventy-five... Shit. How deep is this damn nest?"