We finally reached the lift shafts—towering cylindrical tunnels stretching deep into the facility. Metal platforms hung above bottomless darkness, supported by magnetic rails.
Paige pointed upward. "If we climb to level zero, we can reach an emergency hatch. It leads outside."
I stared up the impossible height. "I don't think I can—"
Then the alarms changed pitch—sharper, closer.
"They've found us."
Paige grabbed my arm. "Kara—look at me. You can do this."
I nodded, even though fear crawled up my spine.
We stepped onto the nearest service ladder bolted to the shaft wall. Paige climbed ahead of me, moving quickly despite her shaking muscles.
Halfway up, metal screeched below.
A new creature—larger—crawled out of a maintenance hatch, its limbs covered in black-silver veins that pulsed like mine.
Luther's voice crackled through the speakers overhead.
"Specimen K-7, cease your escape attempt. The metamorphosis is not complete. Return to containment."
The creature began climbing.
Paige looked back, horror widening her eyes. "Faster!"
We scrambled upward. My body burned with every movement—pain and energy twisting together beneath my skin. The injected symbols throbbed like they were awakening.
The creature roared.
It was almost upon us.
Paige slipped—her foot missing a rung. She screamed as she dangled from one hand.
"Paige!" I reached down instinctively.
And something inside me snapped awake.
My arm glowed—faint but real—symbols pulsing beneath my skin like molten ink. Strength surged through me, unnatural and overwhelming. I grabbed Paige and hauled her back onto the ladder as if she weighed nothing.
She stared at me, stunned. "Kara… how did you—"
"No idea," I panted. "But I'm not letting them take us."
Above us, the emergency hatch gleamed.
We climbed.
Paige forced it open—the cold air of an alien night rushing in. Strange stars glittered, unfamiliar and sharp. Trees swayed in the distance, their leaves glowing faintly.
"Kara, hurry!"
I pulled myself through the hatch, Paige close behind.
The creature lunged upward—
And I slammed the hatch shut just as its clawed hand reached the edge.
It shrieked, metal reverberating.
But it couldn't get through.
Paige collapsed on the grass, shaking with relief. I dropped beside her, chest heaving, the symbols in my veins dimming but not disappearing.
"We did it…" she breathed. "We actually escaped."
I looked out at the alien wilderness—vast, dark, and dangerous.
"No," I whispered. "We escaped the building. Not the planet."
Paige's expression hardened.
"Then we keep moving," she said softly. "Because luther won't stop hunting you."
I nodded, my voice steady despite everything.
"Then let him come."
Because whatever he put inside me was still waking up.
And I wasn't done fighting.
To be continued