A hush fell over the group. The cold air of the prison no longer bit their skin—it simply waited, like it too wanted to hear what Ava had to say.
Ava sat with her knees drawn close to her chest, arms gently wrapped around them, like she was trying to hold herself together. Her eyes avoided everyone except Samuel, who gave her a small, quiet nod—the kind that says "Take your time."
Around her, the others watched in stillness.
Owen leaned forward slightly, lips pressed in a line.
Jace, arms crossed, sat with his gaze fixed—not cold, but focused.
Seirra, Evelyn, Riley, and Noa exchanged quiet glances but didn't interrupt.
Callen, Wesley, and Lawren stood further back, already growing curious about this silent girl they had barely heard speak.
And in the far corner… Victor leaned against the wall, eyes unreadable.
Ava's fingers clutched at her sleeves. Her voice finally broke the silence, soft as a breath—but enough to echo in the stillness.
"It started… when we entered this phase."
The warmth in her tone was gone now.
Her words weren't being spoken.
They were being remembered.
Something about the way she said it made everyone lean in—just slightly—as if a ghost had entered the room with her story. The air seemed to grow heavier, colder.
"It was just me… and Elliot."
"My boyfriend."
She glanced down at her hands.
"We were trying to find the rulebook."
A shadow crossed her face, not from the light—but from memory.
The hallway around them held its breath.
And then—
The scene began to bleed into her past.
The metal door creaked behind them, slamming shut with an echo that stretched far into the distance like a dying scream.
"Okay... definitely creepy," Elliot muttered, adjusting the straps of his backpack and glancing around the dimly-lit corridor of Phase 10. The flickering lights above cast long, twitching shadows on the walls, like something out of a haunted hospital.
Ava chuckled nervously, her voice soft. "It's not that bad... yet."She clung a little tighter to Elliot's arm. Her smile was brave, but her eyes darted anxiously.
"Well, I don't know if I trust any phase that smells like bleach and iron," Elliot said with a half-smirk. "Rulebook first, spooky deathtraps later."
Ava giggled—an airy, delicate sound. "You always make it sound like we're just on a scavenger hunt."
"We kind of are, aren't we?" he teased. "Just with more existential dread and, you know... possibly flesh-eating creatures."
Ava smacked his shoulder playfully. "Elliot, stop!" She whispered, half laughing. "Don't jinx it."
"Alright, alright." He raised his hands in surrender. "Let's just find the rulebook. We follow protocol, we stay together, and we don't do anything stupid—like splitting up."
They nodded to each other—an unspoken pact.
But as they took their first steps deeper into the phase, the door behind them hissed… and locked.
Elliot found the rulebook.
And now he started reading it.
"The Warden, Crawlers, and Whispers… sounds like a haunted house more than anything," Elliot muttered as he flipped through the old, half-burned rulebook. The pages crinkled under his fingers, some text faded, others scribbled in shaky handwriting.
Ava leaned closer, squinting at the page.
"The Crawlers avoid light. The Whispers can't hurt you unless you follow them. And the Warden…" she trailed off, biting her lip. "…just patrols."
Elliot gave a small grin, nudging her shoulder.
"Sounds more like cheap horror tricks than anything lethal."
"Maybe the Phase's are getting lazy," Ava teased faintly, her tone light but her eyes still cautious.The cold stone under them was unforgiving, but Elliot's presence made it feel bearable—familiar.
"Hey," Elliot said, sitting back against the wall, holding the book in one hand. "This phase might actually be one of the easy ones. Creepy atmosphere, sure. But if we keep our flashlight charged and don't go following ghost voices, we're golden."
"The only real challenge…" he paused, tapping the rulebook, "…is finding the exit. That's probably why the difficulty is marked high."
Ava nodded slowly, arms wrapped around her knees.
"Maybe…" she said softly, voice trailing like a hesitant breeze.
For a moment, the world was still.
"Do you trust this phase?" she asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.
Elliot blinked.
"I trust us."
He smiled again, that dorky, reassuring kind of smile he always gave when she was overthinking.
Ava stared at him for a second longer, then nodded.
"Okay."
She believed him.
They both did.
And that was the mistake.
The flickering overhead light buzzed gently, casting faint golden glows across the narrow hallway. Dust floated lazily in the air, but for a moment, the world stood still—as if the Phase itself had paused to listen.
Elliot closed the rulebook and set it down carefully before turning to Ava. He reached forward, gently brushing a few loose strands of black hair behind her ear.
Then, without a word, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead—lingering just a second longer, like he wanted to make the moment last.
"We're going to survive this," he said quietly, like a promise etched into the air itself.
"No matter what this place throws at us… I'll protect you, Ava."
"I'll save you. Always."
Ava's eyes widened slightly, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she looked down, hugging her knees a little tighter.
But then, she looked back up at him.
And she nodded slowly—just like a shy, innocent girl trusting the one she loved.
Elliot met her eyes, and in his gaze there was no fear, no hesitation—only warmth.
Gentle, soft, and honest.
"I love you, Ava."
The words hit softly but deeply.
Ava's heart skipped. Her lips trembled slightly.
And with a voice that was almost a whisper, yet full of sincerity, she replied:
"I love you too."
Then, Elliot leaned in again.
This time, his lips brushed against hers in a small, gentle kiss—tender and warm, as his fingers caressed her cheek with so much care it almost hurt.
It wasn't fiery or rushed—it was patient. Real. Like two souls holding each other in a world falling apart.
When he pulled away, he smiled again—the one that made her feel safe.
"Well," he said as he stood up, stretching slightly, "let's get going now."
Ava didn't say anything, but her heart was loud.
And even though neither of them knew it yet…
That would be the last warm moment she would ever have with Elliot.
As they walked deeper into Phase 10, the atmosphere began to shift. The once-faint whispers that lingered in the distance grew quieter, like the phase itself was holding its breath.
Their footsteps echoed down the narrow hallway, bouncing off the cracked concrete walls. The flickering lights above hummed and dimmed with every few steps.
And then… they saw it.
A cell.
The exact same cell Ava was sitting near—as she told the group her story.
Inside it, a skeleton rested in the corner—its bony fingers still wrapped around the rusted bars. A grim warning, or maybe a desperate soul still trapped in time.
Ava's steps slowed, her gaze lingering on the cell.
"This place feels… wrong," she whispered, her voice low.
Elliot walked past it, barely glancing at the cell.
"Don't worry about it," he said, trying to sound brave. "It's just more of the Phase's scare tactics. That will not be us."
Ava glanced at the skeleton again.
Something about it unsettled her—its posture, its fingers, as if it had once begged to get out… and no one ever came.
"Should we… try opening it?"
Elliot paused only briefly.
"No. Waste of time. We'll go straight."
He took her hand again, gave it a reassuring squeeze, and they continued down the hallway—leaving the cell behind.
But Ava didn't look away.
Even as her feet carried her forward, her eyes stayed fixed on the cage, as though some version of herself was already sitting inside.
And in a way… maybe she was.
The whispers resumed, barely audible.
The lights flickered a little harder.
The Phase was watching.
And something had just changed.
The hallway stretched endlessly before them, its cracked floor tiles and steel walls echoing only the sound of their footsteps. The silence was heavy—not peaceful, but suffocating.
Ava felt it too. It clung to her chest like an invisible weight.
She glanced at Elliot, walking slightly ahead, focused, alert, scanning their surroundings like a protector.
But even in this eerie stillness… she smiled softly.
"Y'know…" she began, her voice light—gentle, like a breeze brushing against glass."The prettiest thing about your face is your eyes…"
Elliot blinked, thrown off by the sudden sweetness cutting through the tension. He slowed his pace, turning slightly to glance at her.
"That was one reason I fell in love with you," she continued, eyes shimmering under the flickering lights. "Your eyes are beautiful."
Her words hung in the air—a warmth amid the cold steel of the prison.
Elliot chuckled softly, scratching the back of his neck, clearly caught off guard."Thank you, babe…" he said with a small smile, that warmth from her words quietly spreading inside him. "You really know how to make a guy melt, huh?"
Ava giggled—a sound that felt out of place in this haunted corridor, and yet so necessary. Like a flower growing through cracked concrete.
For a moment, it felt normal.
Two young lovers, walking hand in hand, teasing and complimenting like nothing was wrong in the world.
And yet…
The shadows in the hallway twisted silently behind them.
Watching.
Waiting.
As they kept walking, the silence began to warp. It wasn't just the quiet anymore—there were sounds now.
Shuffles.
Muted voices.
Ava stopped mid-step. Her hand instinctively gripped Elliot's sleeve. "Did you hear that?" she whispered, barely audible.
Elliot nodded, already reaching for the rusted metal rod strapped to his back. "Yeah… someone's up ahead."
They both moved forward, pace quicker now, but careful—each footstep measured, every breath shallow. The dim hallway stretched on until it opened up slightly into a wider corridor, where the faint flicker of old ceiling lights cast long shadows against the walls.
And that's when they saw them.
Figures.
Human.
Sitting.
Breathing.
Talking.
A small group—nine men and seven women—scattered around in fatigue. Some slumped against the walls, others hunched forward in silence. A few were tending to injuries—bloodied arms wrapped in torn shirts, bruises dark and raw across faces.
Their expressions said it all.
Tired.
Defeated.
But still alive.
The soft murmurs faded as the group noticed Ava and Elliot approaching.
Elliot lowered his weapon slightly but didn't let go of it. His voice was calm but cautious. "Hey… you all okay?"
One of the older men nodded with a dry chuckle. "Define okay."
A girl with a wrapped leg looked up at them, her face pale but her voice strong.
"We've been walking for hours. This damn place loops, and we just…" she shook her head. "...got tired of running."
Ava scanned their faces. None of them seemed hostile—just exhausted. Just… trapped. Like everyone else.
"You guys from another phase?" one of the men asked.
Elliot nodded.
"Phase 7. We just entered here—trying to find the rulebook and the exit."
Murmurs broke among the group again. One of the women sighed, her voice heavy. "If you find the exit… don't forget about us."
That single sentence hit hard.
This wasn't just survival anymore. It was becoming a graveyard of the forgotten.
Ava's hand tightened slightly in Elliot's. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears, and something inside whispered—
This was only the beginning.
Elliot looked around at the faces — drained, pale, hopeless.
Some of them couldn't even lift their heads anymore.
Others looked like they were just… waiting to die.
He didn't blame them.
But he wasn't going to let that silence win.
He took a step forward, eyes calm but burning with resolve, his voice steady and low — but it cut through the exhaustion like a blade through fog.
"I get it."
"You're tired. Scared. You've been going in circles, maybe you even think there's no way out…"
He paused for just a second, letting his words settle in their ears.
Then he looked around — at each of them — before speaking again:
"But listen to me—this place wants us to give up. That's how it wins. Not when it kills us… but when we stop trying."
"We might not know where the exit is yet... but as long as you're breathing—hell, as long as your legs can take one more step—then you still have a chance. We all do."
He offered a faint smile, nodding toward Ava beside him.
"So rest if you need to. Catch your breath. But don't let this place decide your ending."
"We get to write our own."
There was a pause.
And then something subtle happened.
One of the injured girls glanced up with a flicker of emotion in her eyes—barely visible, but there.
A guy who had been staring at the ground just a moment ago sat up a little straighter.
Even the woman who'd said "don't forget about us" blinked slowly, her lips parting like she wanted to say something—but didn't yet.
It wasn't a miracle.
But it was something.
And sometimes, a spark is all you need.
Ava looked at Elliot — a warm, proud smile curling on her lips.
He didn't even realize what his words had done… but she did.
She saw it in their faces.
In the way their shoulders relaxed.
In the way the fear didn't cling so tightly anymore.
Quietly, she reached out and gave Elliot a soft pat on the back.
"You're amazing," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
He turned to her, slightly caught off guard by her praise, but the grin on his face said it all.
Ava hesitated for a moment — then took a step forward, her voice gentle, delicate, but steady.
"I know how hard it is to keep moving…"
"When the halls never end… and you don't even know if you'll see the sun again…"
She looked at one of the women, who was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, and then to a young man clutching his side.
"But sometimes, hearing someone else say it's possible... even when it sounds crazy… makes it feel a little more real."
Her eyes lowered for a second before she added softly:
"We're real. And we're still here. So let's keep going. Together."
There was a beat of silence.
Soon, some of the girls gave Ava little smiles — not the kind out of politeness, but genuine ones. Like she had given them something they forgot they had.
"That was beautiful," one of them said.
"We needed that… especially from someone like you."
Another chimed in with a grin, "You two give good speeches. Couple goals, honestly."
Elliot chuckled while Ava blushed, clearly not used to being the center of attention like that.
One of the men, a tall guy with a deep voice, finally stood up and stretched.
"Alright. If we're moving... let's move. I'm not letting this hallway eat my bones yet."
Another girl extended a hand toward Ava.
"Come on. Let's find that exit together."
Ava hesitated just a moment, then took her hand with a small smile.
Elliot moved to her side as the entire group slowly got back to their feet — a little sore, a little shaken — but now with purpose.
Together.