The light from the torch wobbled slightly as I positioned it better, the beam slicing cleanly through the fog and settling on the outline of a trapdoor set into the cracked concrete floor. Residual rust bled from the hinges and pooled along the edges, staining the surrounding concrete in dark, dried streaks.
I crouched slightly, angling the beam closer to find the lever to open it.
'There should be some sort of mechanism to open the trapdoor. Although I don't know why they made it so difficult to enter the research facility, we're talking about something that was made a long time ago.'
"Ah, here."
I eventually found the metal lever and reached for it.
The surface felt brittle beneath my grip, flakes of rust snapping free and crumbling against my skin as I tightened my hold and forced it open. It resisted at first, a loud groan echoing throughout before finally moving.
