Round 292

The low humming that had been a constant background noise suddenly intensified, pulsing now like a heartbeat counting down seconds until... what? Abby felt her stomach drop. The walls' breathing pattern had stopped completely—everything except that insistent throbbing sound filling the tunnel. She pressed herself against the opposite wall, trying to put as much distance between herself and the shifting stone as possible in the narrow space.

The symbols etched into the living rock began to glow brighter, their pulsing rhythm matching the humming. The air grew thick with an otherworldly energy that made her skin crawl, heavy and oily against her exposed flesh. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but Silra needed her. She couldn't abandon her friend to this place of living corruption.

Abby forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She could do this. She just had to stay focused, stay alive long enough for Jeane to find them all and get them out. The walls flexed again, stone groaning as the tunnel seemed to contract slightly around her. She flinched but held her ground—she wouldn't let fear control her. Not here. Not now.

The pulsing light intensified further, casting writhing shadows across the stone floor. The humming grew louder still, vibrating through the very rock itself. Abby gritted her teeth, forcing herself to take another step forward. She had to push on. There was no other choice.