Down Below the Pipeline
The hum of the underground lights was uneven—flickering like dying fireflies as the water dripped in rhythm. The air was heavy and cold, laced with mildew and steel. Footsteps echoed through the silent pipeline.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Meira walked alone, her phone in hand, her voice low and uneasy.
"Why would Riven call me to this place… alone?" she whispered. Her eyes scanned the rusted steel walls, their stains like scars from some long-forgotten war. "Where is he? And… what does he want to talk about down here?"
Then—voices.
She froze.
From around the bend, she could hear them. Familiar. Unsettling.
Her footsteps slowed as she turned the corner—and her heart sank.
"...Riv—"
She stopped mid-word.
Standing there in the tunnel's dim glow were Selena, Elara, Callista—and three boys she didn't recognize. Her breath caught. Instinctively, she backed away a step.
"What… why are you all here?" she asked, her voice trembling.
