We ran for our lives, the screams behind us growing fainter as the darkness closed in. My lungs burned, each breath like swallowing fire. Regina stumbled beside me, her face twisted in pain as she clutched her bleeding shoulder. Ahead, Ronan half-dragged, half-carried one of our companions, his muscles straining under the weight.
There was no time to think, only to run. Run from the shadows that slithered across the ancient stone, reaching with claws that weren't quite solid. Run from the whispers that promised relief if we'd just stop, just surrender, just give in to the exhaustion.
"There!" Regina gasped, pointing ahead with her good arm.
A pinprick of light pierced the darkness, growing larger with each desperate step. Hope surged through my veins, giving my tired legs new strength. We could make it. We had to make it.
The creatures behind us shrieked, sensing our escape. The sound made my skin crawl, like nails on stone, like metal scraping bone.
