The auxiliary tunnels were nothing like the rest of the Academy.
They were colder.
Darker.
Built with rough cement and emergency piping instead of polished walls.
It smelled like dust, metal, and old machinery—
but underneath that, there was another smell.
Faint.
Wrong.
Like static mixed with decay.
The Prime Subject's scent.
Rowan flinched violently the moment we stepped inside.
Chandler tightened his grip on him.
"Hey… I've got you. You're safe."
Rowan buried his face in Chandler's chest, teeth chattering.
Lucian checked the corridor, jaw clenched.
"This tunnel connects to the secondary maintenance shafts.
If we follow it straight, we should reach the east loading bay."
"Where the emergency lifts are?" I asked.
Lucian nodded.
"Yes. And from there—medics, guards… everything he needs."
He gestured to Horace.
My arms tightened around him instinctively.
Horace's head rested against my shoulder, eyes closed, skin too pale.
His breath ghosted faintly against my collarbone.
He was slipping in and out of consciousness in fragile waves.
I touched his cheek softly.
"Horace…?"
A small sound escaped him.
"…Ellea…"
My chest tightened.
Lucian stopped walking and knelt beside me.
"He's dangerously unstable. We have minutes before the blood loss becomes irreversible."
A cold pulse shot through my veins.
"No—Lucian—don't say 'irreversible.' Don't—"
"I'm not giving up," Lucian said sharply.
"I'm warning you."
My breath shook.
I held Horace tighter.
"I'm right here. Don't leave me. Please."
His fingers twitched weakly against my sleeve.
I felt his pulse stutter beneath my hand—
like his body was fighting to stay here with me.
Still with me.
Lucian stood.
"We move."
THE METAL SCREAM
We continued down the narrow corridor.
The deeper we went, the smaller it felt.
The ceiling lowered.
The walls closed in.
Pipes rattled above us like skeletal ribs.
Chandler carried Rowan with both arms, the boy clinging to him as if letting go meant falling into darkness.
Rowan's voice was barely audible.
"I can hear it."
Chandler frowned.
"What can you hear, sweetheart?"
Rowan's eyes filled with tears.
"It's crawling through the vents."
Lucian froze mid-step.
"…You're sure?"
Rowan nodded rapidly.
"My scent sensitivity—
it's too high—
I can feel every vibration—every sound—every breath—"
Chandler whispered:
"It's okay. I won't let it touch you."
Rowan's fingers twisted in Chandler's shirt, knuckles white.
"I trust you… I trust you… I trust you…"
Lucian motioned forward.
"We need to go faster."
I adjusted my grip on Horace and hurried after them.
The tunnel became tighter.
Dust fell like snow.
Cold air seeped through cracks in the concrete.
Then—
from somewhere above—
SCRAAAAPE.
All of us froze.
Another scrape.
Then a metallic claw sliding across steel.
Rowan whimpered.
"No—no—no—no—"
Chandler pressed him tighter against his chest.
"Look at me. Don't listen. You're okay."
Rowan nodded shakily, eyes squeezed shut.
Lucian drew in a sharp breath.
"It's following us from the ventilation shaft."
"Then we run," Chandler said.
Lucian nodded.
"We run."
THE RUN
We broke into a sprint.
Or as much of a sprint as we could manage—
me carrying Horace,
Chandler carrying Rowan,
Lucian guiding us through darkness.
The corridor shook with distant impacts.
Dust showered down.
Pipes groaned.
Rowan sobbed into Chandler's shoulder.
"Is it coming—is it coming—is it—"
"No," Chandler said firmly.
"But if it does, I'll stand between you and it. Always."
He meant every word.
The sincerity in his voice was a physical force.
For the first time since we entered the tunnels, Rowan's breathing eased—just barely.
We reached a narrow doorway.
Lucian shoved it open.
"This way!"
The room beyond was small—
a maintenance junction with exposed wiring and cracked control panels.
And across from us—
another corridor leading deeper down.
Lucian motioned.
"We're halfway—"
Then he stiffened.
His expression changed.
And not in fear.
In realization.
He moved quickly to one of the damaged control panels and wiped dust from its surface.
A small metal drive was jammed between exposed wires.
Lucian stared at it.
"…No. No way."
"What is that?" I asked.
Lucian pulled it free.
"It's an audio data key."
"So?" Chandler said, breathless.
Lucian swallowed.
"These were used by researchers to leave personal logs.
Most were destroyed after the Prime program shut down."
My heartbeat sped up.
Lucian turned it over in his hand.
"It's labeled 'FZ–08.'"
I froze.
"FZ… Fonze?"
Lucian nodded slowly.
"And zero-eight… the year before you and Elliot were born."
My breath caught.
"Lucian—play it. Now."
Lucian hesitated.
"Elleanore… what if this isn't something you want to hear?"
"I don't care.
Play it."
He swallowed.
Then inserted the drive into the cracked panel.
Static filled the room—
krshhhhh—
Then suddenly—
a man's voice emerged.
Weak.
Tired.
Shaking.
"…This is Researcher Fonze.
Project Prime, Entry 28."
My blood froze.
My father's voice.
Lucian and Chandler turned toward me sharply.
Rowan pressed closer to Chandler's chest, eyes widening.
The recording continued:
"…The successor genome… it's reacting too strongly.
The female subject shows higher potential.
Too high."
My pulse hammered.
"…The bond requirement may kill her.
But without the stabilizer, she will collapse sooner or later."
Chandler muttered:
"Wait—your dad KNEW about this?"
Lucian's face tightened.
The recording went on:
"…If my children inherit this…
I don't know if they will survive it.
The stabilizer must be found in time.
Before the sequence activates."
The breath left my lungs.
No.
No.
No.
Rowan clung tighter to Chandler.
The recording shifted—
a chair scraping
paper rustling
then my father's voice breaking.
Breaking.
"…If you ever hear this…
I'm sorry.
I didn't want you to be born into this nightmare."
My vision blurred.
Lucian pressed a hand gently to my shoulder.
"Elleanore…"
But the recording wasn't done.
My father whispered:
"…I failed Elliot.
But maybe I can still save you."
I staggered backward.
Chandler looked stunned.
Rowan trembled violently.
Lucian caught my elbow.
"Elleanore—breathe—don't let your scent—"
It was too late.
My emotions cracked open.
Fear.
Grief.
Horror.
All of it surged at once.
My scent spiked—
and Horace's body jerked weakly in my arms.
Lucian shouted:
"ELLEANORE—CONTROL IT—HE CAN'T TAKE ANOTHER SPIKE—"
I crumbled to my knees, clutching Horace desperately.
"Horace—Horace—please—please—stay—don't—"
His lips moved faintly.
"El… lea…"
Tears streamed down my face.
"I'm here. I'm here. I'm here—"
His fingers twitched toward me.
Even unconscious.
Even dying.
He reached for me.
Lucian swallowed hard.
"Elleanore… he's tethering you.
Focus on the bond."
Chandler knelt beside me, Rowan in his arms.
"Elleanore… breathe with him," Chandler said quietly.
"You can't lose him. He can't lose you."
Rowan nodded weakly.
"You… smell… better… when you're near him…"
I pressed my forehead to Horace's.
"Come back to me. Please. Please."
Slowly—
painfully—
my scent leveled.
Horace's breathing steadied.
Only slightly.
Lucian exhaled shakily.
"That was too close.
He needs medical support immediately."
Then—
the floor above us shuddered.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
A distant screech tore through the ventilation system.
Rowan screamed.
Chandler hugged him tightly.
Lucian cursed under his breath.
"It's not dead."
The Prototype crawled again—
closer
through the vents
like a monstrous echo following my heartbeat.
My father's last words replayed in my head.
"…Maybe I can still save you."
I rose slowly, Horace in my arms.
My legs shook.
My breath trembled.
But I moved.
Forward.
Lucian blinked in surprise.
"Elleanore…?"
My voice was raw.
Softer.
But steady.
"We're getting him out."
Another screech ripped through the vents.
Rowan sobbed into Chandler's neck.
Lucian clenched his jaw.
"Elleanore—this next part will be hell."
I nodded once.
"I know."
Horace's fingers curled faintly against my chest.
And I whispered:
"I'm not letting go. Not now. Not ever."
Lucian turned toward the next dark corridor.
"Then let's finish this."
We stepped forward—
and behind the walls,
the Prototype whispered again.
"…Elleanore…"
The corridor went cold.
The air went still.
And the real chase began.
The Last Chase
The second corridor was thinner than the last—narrow enough that I had to turn sideways in some parts to carry Horace through without brushing his head against the wall.
Pipes rattled overhead.
Concrete dust filled the air.
The sound of the Prototype scraping through the vents grew louder, sharper, closer.
Not like it was searching.
Like it was tracking.
Rowan whimpered again, burying his face in Chandler's neck.
"It's coming—it's coming—it's coming—"
Chandler held him tighter, voice strained.
"It won't touch you. I swear it."
Rowan shook violently.
"Chandler, please—please don't let go—"
"I won't," Chandler whispered.
"I will never let go."
Lucian motioned for us to follow him deeper into the tunnel.
"It's two levels above us," he said, breath uneven.
"But gaining quickly."
I gripped Horace tighter.
His skin was cold.
Too cold.
His breath stuttered against my collarbone.
His heartbeat fluttered against my wrist—weak and thin, like a dying light.
"Horace… please stay with me…"
His lips parted faintly.
"…El… lea…"
My heart cracked open again.
Lucian glanced back.
"We're almost at the east chute. Keep moving."
We pushed deeper into the tunnel until it bent sharply right—
then opened into a long narrow passage with exposed steel braces and flickering yellow emergency lights.
And then—
BOOM—!!
A massive impact echoed behind us.
Dust burst out of the seams in the concrete.
Rowan screamed and clung to Chandler with both arms.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"It's breaking through the floor above us. RUN!"
THE TUNNEL RUN
We sprinted.
Chandler ran fastest, Rowan in his arms, whispering soothing words between breaths.
"I'm here—I'm here—don't look back—just look at me—"
Rowan squeezed his eyes shut, sobbing into Chandler's shirt.
"Chandler—I can't—I can't breathe—"
"You're doing perfect. Just hold on."
I followed close behind, clutching Horace's limp body.
His head rested against my shoulder, his breath a faint rattle.
"Horace—stay—please—don't slip—"
His fingers twitched faintly at the sound of my voice.
Lucian ran ahead, guiding us through the narrow twists of the tunnel.
Then—
SCRAAAAAPE—
A long metallic drag through the vents above.
Lucian cursed.
"IT'S ABOVE US!"
Another scrape.
Closer.
Faster.
Rowan cried out.
"MAKE IT STOP—MAKE IT STOP—"
Chandler whispered:
"I've got you—baby, I've got you—just keep your face against me—don't look—"
Lucian pointed ahead.
"DOOR—GO!"
We burst into a small maintenance chamber with low ceilings and stacks of old metal crates.
Lucian slammed the emergency seal behind us.
CLUNK.
For a moment—
just a breath—
we were sealed in.
Chandler collapsed to his knees, still holding Rowan as the boy trembled violently, gasping for breath.
Rowan clutched Chandler's shirt like he was afraid of being ripped away.
"I hear it—Chandler—I hear its breathing—"
"You're okay. I've got you."
"I can't—I CAN'T—"
"You CAN," Chandler whispered fiercely, grabbing Rowan's cheeks gently.
"Because you're not alone this time."
Rowan sobbed into his chest.
Chandler wrapped both arms around him, rocking him gently as dust fell like snow.
Lucian leaned against the wall, panting, his voice hoarse.
"Elleanore. How's Horace?"
I lowered him onto a crate—gently, carefully.
Horace didn't move.
My hands shook as I touched his face.
"Horace…? Horace—please—open your eyes…"
Nothing.
I pressed my forehead to his cheek.
"Please don't leave me. Please."
His breath hitched—barely.
Lucian knelt beside us.
His jaw clenched.
"Elleanore… we're reaching the limit."
My heart froze.
"What limit?"
He swallowed.
"The stabilizer bond."
My hands tightened on Horace's shoulders.
"What about it?"
Lucian looked at me with a mix of fear and apology.
"When a Prime bonds this early, this fast—
your body links to his immediately."
Chandler looked up from Rowan, eyebrows drawn.
"Meaning… what?"
Lucian exhaled shakily.
"If one dies, the other follows. Instinctively."
The room spun.
"No," I whispered.
"No—no—Lucian—there has to be another way—"
"Elleanore—"
"There HAS to be something—"
Lucian's voice cracked.
"Not unless we get him medical attention."
My breath trembled.
Then he added—softly, painfully:
"And not unless you stay calm enough to keep him alive until we get there."
That was when the panic hit so hard I almost dropped.
"No—Lucian—I can't—my scent—my body—if I lose control—"
He gripped my shoulder.
"Then DON'T. He needs you stable. Right now."
Rowan lifted his head from Chandler's chest, voice shaking.
"Elleanore…? You… you smell like you're fading…"
My eyes widened.
Horace's eyelashes twitched.
He whispered—
so softly I almost didn't hear it—
"…come back…"
It was the same plea from before.
The same desperate pull on the bond.
The sound of it shattered me.
I leaned in and lifted his cold hand to my cheek.
"I'm here. I'm here. I'm here. Stay with me."
The chamber rattled violently.
Rowan flinched.
Chandler tightened his hold.
"What NOW—?!"
Lucian's eyes widened.
"No. No—NO—
It's right above us."
SCRAAAPE—SCRAAAAAPE—
The ceiling buckled.
Dust fell in clouds.
Rowan screamed and buried himself against Chandler.
Chandler pulled him close, shielding him.
Lucian grabbed my arm.
"Elleanore—IF IT BREAKS THROUGH, YOU RUN."
"No."
My voice cracked.
"I won't leave him."
"Elleanore—"
I cut him off.
"If I run away and he dies, I die too.
There is no running."
Lucian stilled.
Chandler looked horrified.
Rowan whispered, shaking:
"She… she can't… she can't leave him now…"
Something in Lucian broke—
just for a second.
Then he swallowed and steadied himself.
"Then we're all staying. And we protect each other."
But the ceiling cracked again.
KRSHAAAA—!!
A clawed hand broke through the plaster.
Rowan screamed so loudly it tore through the air.
Chandler pressed his forehead to Rowan's.
"It's okay—it's okay—don't look—"
Rowan sobbed.
"Chandler—Chandler—it's going to get us—"
"No.
I'm here.
As long as I'm here, nothing touches you."
Lucian grabbed a metal rod and braced it beneath the collapsing ceiling.
"It's breaking through! We need to MOVE!"
"But where?!" I shouted.
Lucian pointed to a metal hatch on the far wall.
"There's a chute behind that hatch. It leads to the lower mechanical wing."
"And if we go down?" Chandler asked.
Lucian looked at him dead in the eyes.
"We might survive long enough to get out."
Might.
Not will.
Might.
But we didn't have a choice.
Chandler lifted Rowan again.
Rowan clung to him, trembling uncontrollably.
I picked up Horace—
feeling his pulse weaken under my fingertips.
"Lucian—open the hatch!"
He sprinted to the panel—
pried it open—
and twisted the manual valve.
The hatch groaned.
Then slid open.
A dark chute yawned below us—steep, narrow, leading into blackness.
Chandler swallowed.
"Down there?"
Lucian nodded.
"Only chance we have."
The ceiling above us cracked again.
The Prime Subject's voice bled through the hole.
"…Elleanore…"
Rowan shrieked.
Chandler jumped into the chute with him.
Lucian motioned for me.
"Elleanore! NOW!"
I held Horace against my chest.
His breath trembled.
His heart shuddered.
I whispered:
"Stay with me. Please stay."
Then I stepped into the chute—
and fell.
The last thing I heard before the hatch slammed shut—
was the Prototype screaming my name with a voice that tore the air apart.