Darkness

Rylan’s POV

“What the heck happened?” I rubbed my head and blinked a few times. I was surrounded by darkness.

“Rylan?” Daniella called out and I could sense her fear and relief from her tone.

“What’s is going on? Where are we?” She started to get hysterical.

“Daniella, I have no idea.” I shouted back. My voice was loud and echoey. I guessed that we were in a big room but I couldn’t work out where. My mind was blank. Where was my brothers and my pack? Daniella was here but still remained the question of how and why?

“Where is everyone?” I said out loud.

“Rylan something bad is happening, isn’t it?” Daniella started to whine and I couldn’t be bothered to deal with her right now. I needed to find a way out out of this place.

“Daniella, focus!” I snapped, trying to shake off the fog that clouded my mind. “We need to keep calm. We can’t let panic take over.” But even as I said it, I felt the knot of worry tightening in my stomach.

“Right, okay, calm,” she murmured, though her voice trembled. “But what do we do? We can’t just sit here!”

I strained my ears, trying to detect any sounds, any clues that could tell us where we were or how we got here. The only thing I heard was the sound of our breathing reverberating in the stillness. Even my wolf, usually so alert to our surroundings, was quiet, an unsettling reminder that we might be trapped.

“Let’s try to find a light switch or something,” I suggested, feeling the walls around me for something familiar, something solid that would ground me. “If this is a room, there has to be a way out.”

Daniella nodded, her movements hurried but unsteady. “I can’t see anything!” she exclaimed, panic creeping back into her voice.

I placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. “I know it’s dark, but we need to stick together. Just keep moving, slowly.”

We ventured deeper into the darkness, my fingertips grazing the cold, rough texture of what I assumed to be a wall. I followed it, listening intently for any other sounds that might indicate we weren’t alone, or that we were getting closer to an exit.

“Rylan,” Daniella whispered after a moment. “Do you think something happened to the pack? Do you think they’re looking for us?”

I didn’t want to consider the alternative, but the truth clung in the air like a thick fog. “I don’t know, but we can’t dwell on that. We need to think of a way out—” My words cut off abruptly as I felt something shift beneath my hand. It was a door handle, cold and metal.

“Daniella, here!” I pulled her close and fumbled with the handle, twisting it with all my strength. It squeaked, protesting against the darkness that had swallowed us whole.

With a deep breath, I pushed the door open, the creaking sound slicing through the quiet. A sliver of dim light filtered in, illuminating part of an empty hallway. Relief washed over me momentarily, but it was accompanied by a gnawing sensation of dread.

“Is it safe?” Daniella murmured beside me, peering into the narrow beam of light, her fear still palpable.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, keeping my voice low as I stepped through the doorway. “But it’s better than staying in here.”

With a quick glance behind us, we plunged into the dim corridor, hoping that the unknown would lead us to answers—or at the very least, to freedom.

We stepped out into the corridor, the soft light casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls. The air was heavy with a stale aroma, filled with the metallic scent that made my instincts scream danger. I instinctively placed a protective hand on Daniella's back, guiding her forward while I scanned our surroundings with heightened awareness.

"Keep close," I whispered, glancing over my shoulder. "We don’t know what’s out there." We moved cautiously, every creak of the floorboards amplifying the tension that hung between us. The hallway stretched out before us, flanked by a series of doors, some ajar, others completely closed. The dim lighting made it difficult to judge how far we had to go, but the oppressive silence only deepened my sense of urgency.

“What if it’s a trap?” Daniella asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Fear threaded through her words, and I could feel her fear mingling with my own. I took a deep breath, forcing down the anxiety that threatened to claw its way up my throat.

“Then we’ll deal with it,” I said firmly, gripping her shoulder to instill a sense of reassurance. “Together. We have to keep moving.”

As we ventured deeper into the corridor, I scanned the doors we passed. Some were eerily silent; others seemed to hold secrets behind them that I feared were better left undisturbed. A low hum reverberated through the air, unsettling in its persistence. It felt like the very walls were alive, whispering, taunting us. My instincts prickled at the back of my mind, urging me to be ready for anything.

Just as I turned to check the next door, a horrifying shriek pierced through the silence, echoing down the corridor. My blood ran cold. Daniella flinched, pressing against me, her eyes wide with terror.

"Rylan! What was that?"

I hesitated, heart pounding in my chest as adrenaline surged through my veins. “I don’t know,” I replied, my voice steady despite the chaos in my mind. “But we’d better find out what’s going on. We can’t just stand here.”

“I don’t want to!” she whimpered, but I could see the determination flickering in her eyes. Despite her fear, she was ready to follow me into the unknown.

“Okay,” I said, my voice softening for a moment. “This is just like training. Remember what Eric taught us? Stay low, stay quiet, and be aware of your surroundings.”

Drawing on every ounce of training, I made a decision. “We have to check that room.” I nodded towards the nearest door, which was slightly ajar. A muttered whispering drifted from within, melding with the pulsing hum.

Daniella hesitated. “What if there’s something dangerous inside?”

I took a breath and steeled myself. “That’s why we have to be smart and stay together. On three.”

“Okay…” she said, swallowing hard.

“One two three!”

We pushed open the door in unison, muscles coiled and ready to react. The room was dark, and a heavy curtain obscured most of the light. I squinted, trying to make out anything unusual. There, in the center, sprawled a figure on the ground, tangled in shadows.

“Who is it?” Daniella whispered, her voice barely a tremor.