So we sprinted. The forest opened out to us as we ran aimlessly, already having lost the trail we came through in our haste. Hands clung to mine as we panted, twigs crunching under us as the rumbling behind our heads grew louder and louder. When I dared look back, I let out a wail.
"Don't look!" Michael cried to me, tugging me forward instead. It was too late, though - the image was burned into my mind. An army of the dead were following us in the most terrifying forms: a dead woman limply dragging herself from tree to tree as her dislocated jaw dragged on the ground, a stamping beast with the legs of a horse and bloody arms reaching out to heave us back, a tiny boy with the blackest of eyes, grinning as he charged at us, growling ferociously.
Hell. Literal hell.
It all seemed too easy as a pipe stuck out of the ground, the only thing separating us from miles of forest. It was wide enough for us to crawl down and though I had no idea where it would lead, it had to be somewhere better than what loomed behind us.
It was a collective decision as we threw ourselves downwards, scrabbling through the tunnels as we cried out shallow breaths, barely enough room to move. It grew darker and darker till we were in the pitch black, voices echoing as we ignored the thundering footsteps behind us.
"Go, go!" Violet cried, "They're... they're coming into the tunnels!"
As the person in front of everyone, I found myself scraping my body to pieces as I scrabbled forward, no idea where this damp tunnel would lead. If it would end. If it would stop dead, if Vika would simply set us on fire inside of here and that was it.
"You got this, Al'," Michael panted, "You've always had this. You're so much stronger than you think you are..."
"Stop talking like you're going to die," I pleaded, panting as I heaved my body forward, "Michael, I need you-"
"You don't," he told me firmly, "Al', somebody has to, and I need to know you're going to be okay if I'm not here-"
"Stop!" Seb's voice came through from the back, "If this doesn't lead anywhere, Finn's picking me-"
"No-"
"Stop!" Seb cried, "It's the right thing. You girls have each other, Al' needs Michael-"
"We need you!" Violet cried, "We need all of you, oh my god."
I had to hold back my sobs as I continued moving forward, wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me.
"For god sake, we can't just give up-"
"Wait!" I cried, "I... I think I see something!"
And I did, because even though the thunderous growls behind us seemed to be moving ever closer and Seb could probably feel them looming right behind him, I saw light. Literal light at the end of the tunnel.
"Move quicker, there's a way out!"
It wasn't a way out, though, it was a way in. Because a valve in the tunnel appeared and it was cracked open, enough to see brightness.
"Stop moving!" I cried behind me as I shimmied breathlessly to the valve, trying to pull it open. It was moving, but barely as laying on my front meant I couldn't get any strength behind my arms. I let out a yell as I pushed at it, pleading with it to move.
"Please, please, please..."
"They're coming!" Seb's voice was frantic, even though I could hear him trying to keep himself calm for our sakes, "Get yourselves in!"
Their voices grew louder and deadly screeches and yells overpowered my senses, the smell of rotting flesh and blood filling the tunnels. I could only imagine the kind of creatures creeping up on Seb as they moved to lunge at him, sinking their teeth in-
But it moved. And at the first budge, I let out a quiet yelp as a creaking noise sounded and the contraption flew open, leaving enough room for me to painfully pull myself through and thud to the damp ground feet below me, groaning in pain. My friends followed one by one, clambering to our feet in yet another large tunnel until just Seb was left, fingers flexing as he moved to pull himself through.
"They're-"
His voice was cut off as he suddenly disappeared from view, yanked backwards out of nowhere. I let out a cry as I flew towards the entrance, yelling his name.
"Seb! Seb!"
Nothing.
"Boost me!" I cried, trying to claw my way back upwards, but it was Finn who moved clumsily towards the entrance, jumping to reach it. Before he even got a chance, Seb's hands clutched the exit once more, his voice coming through as a pained cry.
"They're holding me," he wheezed, "Just run!"
"Don't be insane!" Michael cried, "Finn, get on all fours!"
He did, and I could only watch as my brother clambered onto Finn, now able to reach Seb's hand as he grabbed on clumsily, attempting to pull.
"Just go!" Seb repeated but my brother growled in response, pulling as hard as he could. I dropped to the floor on all fours, gesturing for someone to stand on me.
"Help him!" I cried, "Please, help him pull!"
It was Kira who hopped on me, joining Michael to yank Seb through the dark tunnel. There was a horrifying moment where the two people above me stilled and the monsters clambering above us screeched that I thought Seb had been pulled to his death, swift and horrifying. But as a yell sounded and I was suddenly hit with too much weight and bursting pain, I realised the painful heap on top of me was Seb.
"Allison!" he scrambled to roll off of me, trying to lift my body, "Oh my god, are you okay? I'm so sorry!"
Everyone moved to help me to my feet because even though my back cried out in pain, I was more concerned about hell stuck to the walls of that tunnel, thundering down and ready to fall on our heads.
"Close it!" I cried, right as my brother and Seb co-ordinated so that the latter could yank the door down, slamming it closed behind us. A single bloody and mangled hand made it through the gap, desperately trying to hand onto Seb. He let out a cry, lifting and slamming it down once more to free us of the servants of hell who now slammed on the tunnel walls, gargling and screeching.
"I don't wanna stay here," Kira whispered, and we didn't need telling twice. As we finally took in our surroundings, it seemed we were in a white-lit tunnel which seemed to open into miles of space before us. Buttons and levers covered the walls and honestly, I wasn't even sure this place was real. I'd long since learned demons would gladly fill our heads with whatever they wanted, leading us to the path they'd already chosen.
"Let's just go," Michael pulled me into a relieved hug, then charging us forward as a walk moved to a jog, and a job moved to a run. None of this felt quite right. The feeling only worsened as an odd creaking sounded around us, bouncing off the walls and right into our brains.
"This doesn't feel right," Violet admitted, "Maybe we should-"
She was cut off by a deafening bursting noise, followed by an odd rushing in the distance which left us bewildered. As we slowly moved away from the racket, it suddenly dawned on me what it was.
"Water," I whispered, voice rising in a panic, "It's water!"
"Shit, run," Seb commanded, clumsily grabbing my hand as we surged forward, panting through blind fear and exertion. As the rushing noise grew closer, the tunnel just seemed to grow longer. If a wall of water were to hit us, we would drown. There was no way up, no way down. Nothing.
"Maybe we could go back?" Kira cried out, wincing as she clutched her stomach. Finn shook his head.
"That water is closer than the valve," he panted, "And those things... I'd rather the water."
So we ran. And if I squinted, I thought perhaps I could see our salvation.
"It's a door," I cried out, pointing forward. It wasn't just a door, it was a heavy-duty vault door, freeing us of whatever was about to crush us from behind. As we sprinted closer and closer, lungs burning up inside our bodies, I became more and more confident it would hold the sea erupting behind us. Hell, we were in tunnels. Maybe it was designed for that. Maybe this time, we were one step ahead of hell.
"It actually fucking opens, oh my god," Violet practically sobbed in relief, yanking the huge, weighted door open. I slammed on the glass, exhaling when I saw how thick it was. We might actually survive this. We tumbled through it, heaving it closed and waiting for some kind of telltale click. When it swung back open uselessly, our mouths fell open. The rushing water was becoming deafening. It was coming. Now.
"Where's the locks, a bolt?" Seb dropped to his knees, looking for something we already knew wasn't there. Finn joined him in a panic, shoving the door as hard as he could.
"Maybe we could push it?" he offered in a breath, but we all knew it wouldn't work. I swallowed back bile rising up my throat as I clutched at Kira and Violet, watching with one eye as my brother stepped out, eyeing the other side of the door.
"Shit," he muttered, drawing our eyes.
"What?"
He shook his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. When he looked up, it was at me. "I found the bolt."
"Good!" I cried, stepping towards him in relief. I stopped mid-stride as I realised what he was saying, "Wait-"
"It's outside," he shrugged, pointing towards his side of the door, "It only locks from this way."
"We're actually going to die," Kira muttered, dropping to her knees. Her eyes were wide as she looked up towards the tunnel we had just escaped from, shaking her head in disbelief. I looked up at my friends, eyes full of tears. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
"I'm so sorry," Finn shook his head in a daze, "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," Seb said hoarsely, still eyeing the door with some kind of look on his face.
"I wanna run," Violet swallowed, pushing her slick hair back, "Let's try. Please let's just try. I don't want to die. I don't want to die!"
"You're not going to die," my brother said calmly, sending me the sweetest, most serene smile I thought I'd ever seen. I was confused until he took a step back, slamming the door shut in one swift motion, him on one side and us on the other. As he pushed the huge bolt shut and separated us once and for all, burning realisation dawned on me.
"Oh my- Michael, no!"
I rushed forward, throwing my fists into the door as my brother took a step back, face crumpling as he watched me. "Open this door!" I cried in complete shock, "Michael!"
Seb joined me, slamming all his weight on it as we tried to get it open. Soon, everyone was pounding, using all of our force to try and undo his horrendous, thoughtless decision.
"Please stop," my brother said quietly, "This always needed to happen. You need to run, you need-"
"Get back here!" Seb growled, pounding on the class, "Michael, undo that bolt! Swap places with me!"
"Michael!" I sobbed, voice coming out in a desperate shriek, "Please stop playing games, I can hear it coming!"
"Look after Ellie, alright?" he asked me seriously, stepping towards the glass and pressing his hands against where mine were. I opted to punch it instead, hammering my fists onto the glass over and over as I continued to pummel my weight into the door.
"Look after her yourself!"
"Make sure mum and dad are okay," he whispered, tears falling down into his mouth which was quivering, "Look after yourself."
"Michael!" I wailed, because I could almost see it now, right in the distance if I squinted. Rushing water, floor to ceiling. Coming. "Michael, stop, please! Please open the bolt!" my voice was nothing but childish wails as I bruised my body hammering myself into the door.
"Mike," Violet slammed on the glass, "Please!"
"You guys turn and run," Michael said quickly, taking a huge breath as he sensed the water behind him, "Turn back for nothing. Please, Seb, keep my sister safe."
Seb stopped hammering for a moment then as he shared a look with my brother, pausing as he eyed the incoming waves. He let out an almost-sob, shaking his head slowly.
"Mike-"
"Seb, you know this is right," Michael nodded reassuringly to him, "I know you do. You get them out of here, alright?"
I felt him nod next to me, even though I was still frenzied and pounding on the door, sobbing as my body grew limp. Suddenly I was engulfed in someone's arms as Seb pulled me into his hoodie, pressing a kiss into the top of my head and sobbing quietly as he held me, trying to stop me lashing out in every direction.
"Michael- come back! Michael!"
And it was here. The rushing water hurtled towards us at breakneck speed, and I saw my brother tense, staring me dead in the face.
"Look away," he whispered, pleading.
I shook my head, body hurting everywhere. The most intense pain I'd ever felt tore through me as I reach toward the glass to touch him, but felt nothing. I pleaded one last time, begging him to come back to me. Begging him not to die. Seb clutched at me, holding my face still as he looked me in the eyes, trying to keep me calm. I ignored him, reaching past him for my brother.
"Finn, quickly," Michael instructed him, face pressed to the glass, "Sacrifice me now, choose me!"
"What?" Finn cried, "I-"
"I'm going to die anyway!" he yelled, turning back towards the incoming seas, "Finn, this will save all of you. Go, now!"
"No!" I screamed, "Finn, don't you dare-"
But he was already saying the words, leaving my hand pressed to Michael's through the glass as he ended it all.
"Vika, I choose Michael! I offer you Michael as a sacrifice to save the rest of us!"