Their hands closed on the cold metal of the ladder. Ayla could feel the rust crumble beneath her grip as she pulled herself upward. The rungs were slick with damp and grime, and each step sent flakes of old paint and dirt drifting down into the dark below.
Kade climbed ahead of her, slow but determined, his breath ragged. His fingers trembled, but he didn't stop.
Below, the stranger followed, one hand clutching the ladder, the other pressing a strip of cloth tighter around his bleeding arm. His jaw was clenched, his eyes sharp as he watched the tunnel beneath them.
Mara was last, her rifle slung across her back for now, both hands on the ladder as she climbed in quick, even movements.
The sound of claws scraping stone filled the chamber. The first of the creatures slipped through the shaft, its eyes burning in the dark. More followed, a flood of hunger and rage.
"Climb faster," Mara said, her voice low but urgent.
The ladder stretched up into blackness. The walls around them were rough stone and broken brick, damp with seepage. The air grew colder as they rose.
Ayla's shoulder burned with every pull, but she kept going. Her breath came in harsh gasps. She could feel Kade slowing above her.
"Keep moving," she said, willing him on.
The first of the creatures leapt for the ladder. Its claws scraped metal, trying to find purchase. The stranger kicked out, catching it square in the face. The thing fell back, hissing as it hit the ground, but others surged forward.
The ladder groaned beneath their weight.
"How much farther?" Kade called, his voice strained.
Jace's voice drifted down from above.
"Almost there. Just a little more."
But Ayla heard the lie in his tone. The fear.
The creatures climbed now, faster than she would have believed. Their claws gripped the metal like hooks, their eyes glowing in the dark, drawing closer with each heartbeat.
Mara unslung the rifle, bracing herself as best she could on the ladder. She fired down, the muzzle flash lighting the shaft in bursts of flame. The first creature fell, its skull shattered. The next came on.
The roar of the gun made Ayla's ears ring.
The ladder shook with the force of their climb and the weight of their enemies.
Above them, Jace shouted.
"There's a hatch. I see the hatch."
Relief surged through Ayla, but it was short lived.
The creatures were too close. Mara fired again, dropping another, but it barely slowed the tide.
The stranger's sword flashed in the dark, slicing at reaching claws. Blood sprayed the wall, black and steaming.
Jace reached the hatch and pounded at it, trying to force it open.
"It's stuck," he said, panic creeping into his voice.
"Open it," the stranger growled.
Ayla could see him below, fighting with everything he had, blade flashing, feet braced against the ladder.
Mara's rifle clicked empty. She dropped it on its sling and drew a long knife, slashing at whatever came near.
Kade reached the hatch and helped Jace, both of them straining to force it open. The old metal creaked but held fast.
A claw scraped Ayla's leg, drawing blood. She gasped but didn't stop climbing.
The creatures shrieked, the sound tearing through the narrow shaft.
Ayla saw Kade and Jace finally force the hatch open. Cold night air rushed in, a flood of relief.
"Go," Jace shouted.
Kade pulled himself up and out. Ayla climbed faster, heart pounding, as the stranger fought on below, blood streaking the ladder where his wounds reopened.
Jace scrambled out next, then reached down, grabbing Ayla's arm as she neared the top. Together they hauled her through.
Mara followed, dragging herself out just as the first creature lunged for her feet. She kicked it back, and it fell, crashing into its fellows below.
The stranger was still inside, too low to climb free without help.
Ayla dropped to her knees, reaching for him.
"Take my hand."
He looked up at her, face pale, eyes blazing.
And the creatures closed on him, a tide of teeth and claws.