Chapter Text

Sebastian leaned forward, shoulders hunched, his knees brushing against the grimy walls of the cramped submarine. 

He was wedged between two other prisoners, their bodies pressed tightly together in the suffocating space. 

Every shift of movement sent a shiver through him not from fear, though that lingered too, but from the unbearable cold that clung to the metal interior. 

His fingers trembled in his lap, and he balled them into fists to stop the shaking. He kept his eyes glued to the floor, avoiding the hardened stares of the others.

The message they played before they left kept ringing in his head.

You are expandable.

You're not expected to return.

He shouldn’t be here, how did he end up here?

It shouldn’t have been like this. He didn’t belong here, not with these people, not in this situation. He was innocent. 

He hadn’t killed anyone. But that hadn’t stopped the system from stamping his life with a death sentence. Convicted, caged, forgotten.

Then came the offer of freedom in exchange for a mission no sane person would accept. A blacksite operation so dangerous it was practically suicide. 

But the promise was too sweet to ignore.

He was like a fly being lured in with honey.

a cleared record, a second chance. And so, here he was trapped underwater with a group of murderers, thieves, or maybe just other poor bastards as desperate as he was.

A grunt beside him broke his thoughts as the submarine jolted, rocked by the crushing pressure of the deep. 

Sebastian bit down hard on his bottom lip, hoping the submarine wouldn't fold in on itself.

He wished he had a cigarette. God, he’d kill for one.

Wouldn’t that be funny he thought bitterly to himself.

Suddenly, with a low mechanical rumble, the submarine began to ascend. The pressure eased gradually, and then came the sharp hiss of the hatch being released.

The prisoners began to move, stiff legged and silent, pushing toward the open exit like rats fleeing a sinking ship.

Sebastian followed close behind not wanting to be pushed around or left behind.

As his boots touched the dock, the first thing that hit him was the smell of salt and rust, tinged with the sterile sting of chemicals.

He wrinkled his nose, the scent clinging to the back of his throat. The air was cold and unforgiving, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones and refused to leave.

Sebastian stood frozen for a moment, watching the others file in with grim determination. Some marched like soldiers. Others moved like ghosts. All of them were gambling with their lives.

He drew in a deep breath, his chest heavy. He wasn’t ready. He might never be ready. But standing still wouldn’t get him home. Wouldn’t clear his name. Wouldn’t let him see his family again.

So he moved.

One step at a time, Sebastian followed the others, walking willingly into what he knew was another kind of prison, one that might be his last.

•••

The halls were eerily quiet with the occasional scream of agony ringing out in the distance.

Sebastian gritted his teeth, forcing his legs to keep moving. His hands were clenched tightly around the strap of a battered duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

 He’d found it earlier tucked in a supply closet near the upper levels, half-buried under broken clipboards and dust. 

It was scuffed, smelled like mildew, but it was his now. A piece of control in a place designed to strip it away.

The bag was already growing heavy. Inside, he’d stashed whatever he could get his hands on half-burned documents, vials with weird substances, some encrypted files. 

He didn’t know if any of it would matter, but his gut told him information was power. Maybe not against whatever horrors lived here but maybe, just maybe, they could be traded. Bribed. Bargained.

If he made it out alive.

he shakes his head, clearing his mind of that train of thought that made it out alive.

The air grew thicker the deeper he went. The metallic scent was stronger now, so strong it coated the back of his throat like iron dust. It wasn’t rust or old machinery. He wasn’t that stupid 

It was blood.

Fresh, old, maybe both. He tried not to imagine how much of it had to spill to cling this thick to the walls.

He didn't want to think about how many people lost their lives chasing freedom

Just like he was doing right now.

He scoffed they weren’t innocent he shouldn’t be shaken up by this

He bit his lip as he opened another door to a hallway with a locker.

He looked around before stepping through, jumping at the slightest sound.

He feels pathetic.

The thought hit him bitterly, and he clenched the strap of the duffle bag slung over his shoulder, using it as an anchor. 

Something to keep his hands from shaking. Something to do. The weight of it reminded him he had a purpose. A reason. 

Get the crystal. Clear your name. Go home.

The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly, then began to flicker first in slow pulses, then in frantic stutters like a heartbeat skipping. The hallway darkened in jerky flashes, and a chill raced down Sebastian’s spine as the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Then darkness.

The lights blinked out completely.

Everything went still.

And then, from deep within the facility, something screamed.

I

t wasn’t human.

It was shrill and broken and wet

On instinct Sebastian ran towards the locker as the screeching grew louder and louder.

As soon as he flung the locker doors open he heard something crash into the doors.

At the corner of his eye he could see it speeding down the hall towards him

He jumped into the locker closing just in time as he felt the locker rattle as the creature rushed past with such a loud scream it left Sebastian ears ringing.

He dug his nails into the cold metal, his heart racing.

what the fuck was that!!

His breathing came in sharp, shallow gasps. Sweat clung to his brow despite the chill. Every muscle in his body was screaming but not as loud as the thoughts racing through his mind.

He was angry. At himself. At the government. At whatever twisted bastard built this place. But beneath it all, under the rage and confusion, he was terrified.

Was he going to make it out alive?

Would his mother ever know what happened to him? Would his siblings remember him as the brother who just disappeared one day gone without a trace?

What the hell did he sign up for?

He stepped out slowly, unsteady, legs trembling beneath him. His knees buckled for half a second before he caught himself on the wall. His feet felt like jelly..

The weight of the duffle bag felt unbearable now, as if the documents and tools inside could do nothing to protect him from what hunted these halls.

The lights had returned, humming faintly above him. That sterile flicker made everything look normal again too normal, like nothing had just happened.

But he knew what he saw.

And he knew it was still somewhere in this facility.

He quickly but quietly hurried to the next room hoping that'd find another person.

•••

Sebastian didn’t know if he would count himself lucky or unfortunate to have run into a group of three people.

The first was a redheaded woman who talked too damn much. Loud, theatrical, and way too comfortable with their current situation. 

Then there was the older guy grizzled, broad shouldered, and quiet. His beard had streaks of grey in it, and faded scars crisscrossed both forearms. 

And finally, the third guy with the tattoos. He looked maybe two or three years older than Sebastian, with ink crawling up his neck and onto his jaw. His hair was dyed a dull purple, now matted with sweat and grime. He had sharp eyes and a tense energy, like a firecracker with a too-short fuse.

Sebastian scratched the scar that ran across his nose trying to block out the suffocating feeling he had in his bones, as he pulled open a drawer and found a flash light and a couple extra vials.

The ringing in his ears hadn’t gone away, a high-pitched hum that made it hard to focus. Maybe it was from the creature’s scream earlier… or maybe it was this damn woman’s voice.

He pulled open a nearby drawer and found a small flashlight and a few vials filled with an unknown shimmering liquid. He pocketed them quickly. It didn't matter what it was here, everything had value.

“When I get out of here, I'm gonna use the money i get to kick start my acting career" the woman spoke as though she was on a casual stroll and not fighting against monsters.

Like the walls didn’t smell like blood and bleach. Like there weren’t monsters just a few doors away.

“What makes you so sure you will escape?” the guy with the tattoo asks with a hint of annoyance.

She scoffs rolling her eyes like he just said something stupid, “you think you can do better than me?”

“With how loud you're prattling about, I doubt you will make it far” he snaps.

She lets out an offended gasp.

Before the argument could properly explode, the older man moved.

With the calm efficiency of someone who had seen far worse than the two of them, he walked right between them broad shoulders knocking into both as he passed. Not hard enough to start a fight, but firm enough to send a message.

Both of them shut up instantly, the air thick with tension.

Sebastian silently thanked the man and followed behind him not wanting to hear any more of them talking.

The next room looked like it had been through hell.

Chunks of the ceiling hung loose, cracks ran like veins through the walls, and parts of the floor looked ready to cave in. 

Debris littered every corner shattered tiles, broken panels, the occasional glint of glass reflecting the cold fluorescent lights. Most jarring of all were the dark stains smeared across the floor and walls dry, tacky blood in long dragging trails.

As they were walking through the room Sebastian could have sworn he was hearing more footsteps than usual.

And just as quickly that thought came to mind a loud crushing sound came from behind him.

He turned around to see what he thought was crumble bits of drywall crushing the skull of the guy with tattoos.

As he stared he further realized it was some humanoid creature that looked like drywall.

The redhead screamed as blood sprayed across her face, her voice echoing wildly off the walls.

It hissed, jaws stretching open far too wide, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.

and then, without hesitation, dragged the tattooed man’s limp body into a hole in the wall

Sebastian staggered back, hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

He could feel it bile rising fast and hot in his throat, the taste of panic and half-digested food. His vision blurred as he forced himself to stay upright.

He had just watched someone die, he didn’t know the guy but it still shook him as the image of the once lively person dead on the floor being dragged away to be food for some fucking creature.

The sound of retching reached his ears as he turned to see the red head lady on her knee losing the battle of keeping down her lunch.

Tears burned in Sebastian’s own eyes.

He blinked hard, forcing them back. His throat was tight, breath shallow and uneven. Every inhale felt like it might collapse into a sob.

He couldn’t afford to fall apart now.

Not even after witnessing death.

Even when he came to the realization that the guy's family will never know what happened to him.

A person with a voice, with a past, with people out there who would never know what happened to him. Maybe a sister. A mom. A girlfriend. Now gone. Just a smear on the floor and a memory in Sebastian’s head.

Even when he realized he could have been in that guy's shoes.

He couldn't break, because breaking means death, breaking means never going home.

“Come on you two, are you gonna just stand there waiting for death or move forward” the rough guy scoffed like they didn’t just see a man get eaten.

Sebastian grit his teeth.

He hated the man a little for that tone. That coldness. That detachment.

The woman wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve, still pale, eyes wide and glassy. Her steps were unsteady now, like she was walking across thin ice instead of bloodstained tile. But she moved.

Sebastian followed, legs stiff, fingers twitching at his sides. The shake in his hands hadn’t stopped. He clenched them, then loosened them again, trying to ground himself.

Maybe if he had a cigarette It’d calm down his shaking hands.

•••

The next few rooms nothing happened but Sebastian didn’t have it in himself to continue checking drawers he just continued forward.

Only stopping to look for keycards.

The woman moved with the same mechanical rhythm beside him. Her expression was blank, like she’d left the rest of herself behind in that room with the blood.

The rough man stayed ahead, his back broad and stiff, muttering under his breath now and then too low for Sebastian to catch.

They entered another room, Sebastian was beginning to think this place was endless he was already at room 47.

The lights began to flicker.

A soft hum buzzed in the air then a louder crack of electricity and then they saw it.

Down the hallway, stumbling from the shadows, came a grotesque thing. Its limbs were uneven and twitchy, but it moved fast. Where its mouth should’ve been was a row of jagged teeth, and inside its mouth were eyes . Dozens of them. All blinking.

All staring.

Sebastian didn’t wait. Instinct took over and he lunged for the nearest locker.

But just as his hand reached for the latch someone yanked him back.

“Wha—!” he yelped, stumbling.

A hand gripped his shirt tight. The old man.

With a rough shove, the man tossed Sebastian to the floor and slammed the locker shut behind him.

Before Sebastian could even process the betrayal, the click of the lock hit his ears.

The panic came fast, wild and clawing. But there wasn’t time for rage—there was something worse down the hall.

The creature shrieked.

Sebastian scrambled to his feet.

locker the nearest one was back in room 46.

He bolted down the hall, heart hammering, lungs burning. Behind him, wet, chittering limbs skittered faster across the walls.

It was close.

So damn close.

God he was gonna die.

He was gonna die in this hell hole to some fucked up creature urbanshade made.

He didn’t dare look back.

Just a few more feet.

Please, he begged silently, just let me make it.

His fingers brushed the locker handle and then something hit him like a freight train.

It slammed into his back, knocking the air clean out of his lungs.

White hot pain exploded through him.

Razor sharp teeth tore through his side, shredding skin and muscle like wet paper. His knees buckled. Blood splattered the floor.

He screamed.

A guttural, raw scream of pure agony and the sound echoed down the empty corridor, swallowed by the flickering lights and the creature's rasping breath.

The pain didn’t stop the world was suddenly upside down, his head spinning from the intense pain

He doesn’t remember when his body hit the floor, but he could feel his body slowly being devoured.

The searing pain began to fade and his body felt cold.

He was bitter and angry of course the old man would throw him to the wolves, they were a bunch of criminals despite how they acted, how could he have forgotten

He was surrounded by a bunch of lowlifes.

Who looked out for themselves.

What did he do to deserve to die like this?

Cold in pain and not with his family.

Maybe he should have just stayed on the death penalty.

Maybe he would have gotten to see his mom last time

And finally his vision faded to black.

•••

He opened his eyes with a start gasping loudly as he looked around a pitch black room, trying to get him to adjust.

What the fuck? He thought looking down at his shaky hands as the silence stretched on.

He was certain he was on his death bed a moment ago.

Was this the after life?

It's not anything he thought it’d be.

That's when his attention was snapped to a weird clicking sound it reminded him of some whale.

The source  of that sound was a massive creature, part obscured by the shadows, its presence more felt than seen. A large esca hung in front of it, casting weak illumination over the space, but doing little to reveal the full shape of the thing.

Its face was hidden beneath a cracked porcelain mask.

Whatever the creature that was emitting the light he could not see its face.

Its face was hidden beneath a cracked porcelain mask, with two dots for eyes and a thin line drawn into a smile.

 :)

It was then he noticed he was at a table as a claw came from the darkness and pushed a file across the table for him to see and read.

“What are you?” he asked “where am i?”

The creature refused to speak or maybe it couldn’t.

“Am I in hell?” he whispered.

The silence stretched for a beat. Then that same slow, wet clicking started again.

It came from deep in the creature’s throat, rhythmic and echoing. Laughter, he realized.

It was laughing at him.

“Fuck, this is some twisted fucking joke that urbanshade is pulling on me” he shouted growing more angry.

“Where the fuck am I, or so help me I’ll” he got cut of as the creature aggressively tapped the file on the table.

Drawing his attention back to the file, it describes the creature that killed him in detail.

“Is that the thing that killed me?” Sebastian asked, the lure bobbed as the massive creature shook its head in a nod

“Why are you showing me this?” he said after a moment of silence.

The creature didn’t respond and watched him behind the mask, Sebastian figured  he’d read up on the file.

Some of the text was redacted but he didn’t bother asking the creature any questions he doubted it would answer even if it could.

Eventually its clawed webbed fingers reached out and closed the file.

“So what?” he huffed out  folding his arms feeling lost and out of the loop.

The creature made a few clicking sounds before the world began spinning, as Sebastian blinked to clear his head he was no longer in the dark room.

Instead he was standing back in the lobby right as he entered the building that led to his supposed demise.

What the fuck.