Round 233

She tried to ignore the way her fingers felt wrong in their sockets, the joints bending backward with an audible pop that made her stomach turn. The paralysis was spreading now, climbing up her arm in icy waves, but she couldn't stop. Not yet, she thought desperately, teeth grinding. Just keep moving. Twelve meters. Don't break formation. The tunnel ahead split into two narrower passages, both lined with carvings that seemed to writhe and shift in the flickering torchlight. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and decay, and beneath it all, the low pulsing hum that vibrated through her bones like a second heartbeat counting down. She glanced at Abby beside her, the younger woman's wide brown eyes fixed on the walls with terror and fascination warring across her face. Stay close, she murmured, voice tight. And whatever you do, don't touch anything. Abby nodded wordlessly, her grip on Hera's arm tightening as they approached the junction.