Chapter 6

The group moved slowly through the dim twisting passage, fear thick in the air. Lena stayed near the middle, her long dark hair sticking to her pale neck from sweat. Her expressive eyes kept darting around, taking everything in. Noah Reed walked close beside her, lean and quick, his nervous energy making him glance back every few seconds. Tess Lorne clung to Lena’s arm, her innocent face looking even younger in the low light, eyes wide and watery.

Then Jax Hollow stepped forward.

He was rugged and intimidating, broad shoulders filling the narrow space as he cornered the weaker players against the wall. His presence felt heavy, like a storm about to break.

“Stick close,” Jax said, his voice low and rough. “Or you won’t last long.”

It sounded like he was offering help. But to Lena it felt like something else entirely — control.

A thin man with shaking hands looked up at him. “What do you mean by that? We’re all in this together, right?”

Jax leaned in closer, his rugged face hard. “Together? Look at you lot. You’re slow. Scared. One mistake and you’ll get the rest of us killed. Stick with me and I might keep you breathing a little longer.”

Noah’s voice came out in a shaky whisper right next to Lena’s ear. “I don’t trust him…”

Lena didn’t respond. She just kept watching as the weaker players started to shrink back, shoulders hunched, eyes lowered. Fear followed Jax like a shadow.

Tess squeezed Lena’s arm tighter, her voice small and trembling. “He scares me, Lena. The way he talks… it doesn’t feel nice.”

“I know,” Lena whispered back, her soft heart aching at how easily the others were folding under the pressure.

One of the women in the group found her voice. “But why should we listen to you? You could be leading us into worse danger.”

Jax turned his head slowly, staring her down. “Because out here, strength talks louder than nice words. You follow me, you have a chance. You wander off alone…” He paused, letting the silence stretch. “You won’t last long.”

The woman swallowed hard. “Please… we just want to survive.”

“Then do what I say,” Jax replied, his tone aggressive and dominant. “No questions. No running off. You stay behind me and keep your mouths shut unless I tell you otherwise.”

Another player, a young guy barely older than Noah, spoke up with a trembling voice. “This feels wrong. We should all decide together.”

Jax moved fast, stepping right into the guy’s space, forcing him back against the cold wall. “Decide together? That’s how weak groups die. I’m not asking. I’m telling. Stick close or get left behind.”

Lena felt the pressure building in her chest. People were starting to look smaller around Jax. Their voices grew quieter, their bodies tense.

Noah shifted uncomfortably. “Lena, we shouldn’t stay near him. Something about him feels off.”

Before Lena could answer, a low, guttural growl echoed from the darkness ahead. The sound vibrated through the ground, making everyone freeze.

“What was that?” Tess whimpered, pressing closer to Lena.

Jax didn’t even flinch. “That’s exactly why you need someone like me. Now stop talking and move when I say.”

He started walking forward, and the weaker players fell in line behind him, their steps hesitant and fearful. Lena, Noah, and Tess had little choice but to follow the group.

The passage grew narrower. The air turned colder and damper. Lena’s heart beat faster with every step.

Suddenly, a loud crack split the ground behind them. One of the weaker players screamed as the floor opened up and a twisted, shadowy creature with long reaching claws burst out.

“Run!” someone yelled.

Chaos broke out. The creature lunged, its claws slashing through the air. A player barely dodged, stumbling into another person.

“Stay together!” Jax barked loudly. “If you scatter now, you’re dead!”

He shoved one of the slower players forward. “Move! Keep up or I’ll leave you here myself.”

Tess was crying now. “Lena, I’m so scared… I don’t want to be erased…”

“Hold on to me,” Lena said, trying to keep her voice steady even though her hands were shaking. “Don’t let go.”

Noah’s breathing was fast and shallow. “There’s more coming! I can hear them!”

Another growl answered him, closer this time. Two more creatures peeled from the walls, their forms dark and wrong, red eyes glowing hungrily.

Jax swung at the nearest one with a heavy broken pipe he’d grabbed earlier. The impact made a sickening sound, and the creature shrieked before vanishing into smoke. “See? This is what I mean! Listen to me and you might live!”

A woman near the front begged, “Jax, please help us! Tell us what to do!”

“Stay behind me and stop panicking!” he snapped back. “Panic makes it worse. You run like prey, you die like prey.”

Lena watched in horror as one creature grabbed a weaker player by the leg and dragged him screaming into a side crack. The screams cut off too quickly.

“No!” Tess cried out, burying her face against Lena’s shoulder.

Noah pulled Lena and Tess forward. “We have to keep moving. Don’t look back!”

Jax turned his head slightly, his intimidating gaze landing on their small group. “You three. Stay close. Especially you, dark-hair. You look like you’ve got some fight left.”

Lena’s stomach twisted. She didn’t like the way he singled her out.

The creatures kept coming, forcing the group into a tighter cluster. Fear pressed down on everyone like a heavy weight.

One of the players shouted at Jax, “You’re scaring them more than helping!”

Jax laughed once, short and cold. “Good. Fear keeps you alive longer than false hope. Now shut up and follow.”

Noah whispered again, his voice tight with worry. “Lena… I really don’t trust him. We might need to break away soon.”

Lena stayed silent, but inside she agreed. The way people were submitting to Jax made her skin crawl. Survival was starting to feel like choosing who to bow to.

The group pushed forward through the chaos, creatures lunging from shadows, ground cracking under their feet. Jax kept barking orders, his dominant voice cutting through the screams and growls.

“Faster! Don’t stop! Stick to me if you want to see the next part of this hell!”

Tess was sobbing quietly. “Why is this happening… why does he have to be like this…”

Lena squeezed her hand. “Just keep breathing, Tess. We’re still here.”

As the last creature vanished after Jax’s brutal swing, the group stumbled into a slightly wider area, breathing hard, faces pale with terror.

Jax turned to face them all, his rugged frame covered in dark smears. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke with heavy authority.

“From now on, I call the shots. You stick close… or you won’t last long.”

The words hung in the cold air.

Then, from the darkness just beyond the group, a calm, low voice cut through the silence.

“Interesting speech.”

Lena’s heart slammed hard in her chest as she turned.

Riven Cross stood there, tall with sharp features and cold dark eyes, his scarred hands relaxed at his sides. He was watching Jax with quiet intensity.

Jax’s expression hardened instantly.

The air grew thicker with sudden, dangerous tension.