Johnny was sitting alone at a small restaurant by the sidewalk. As a first-year college student with no job, he had been spending most of his time searching for one. His laptop was open in front of him, and he was typing when a notification popped up on the screen.
It was from YouTube - a video about how to get a job.
Curious, he clicked on it and began watching. As the video played, he noticed the sky growing darker. Rain started to fall, light at first, then steadily heavier. Since he had been sitting in the outdoor seating area, he gathered his laptop and moved inside the restaurant.
Once indoors, he resumed the video.
Suddenly, a massive crack of thunder split the sky. The sound was so loud that it startled everyone inside. Within seconds, the lights flickered and went out completely, plunging the restaurant into darkness. Panic spread among the customers as the storm raged outside.
Johnny felt a chill run down his spine.
But what happened next was far worse.
The ground began to tremble.
At first, it was subtle - a faint vibration beneath his feet. Then it grew stronger. Tables shook. Glass shattered. People screamed.
The building shook violently. Customers rushed for the exits, unsure of what to do.
"Get out!" someone shouted.
Everyone scrambled to escape, but before they could fully clear the area, the building shattered behind them. Concrete crumbled. Glass exploded outward. The structure collapsed into itself.
Johnny barely made it out alive.
He stumbled onto the street, breathing heavily, his heart pounding against his ribs. But the chaos was not over. The roads were cracking open, splitting apart as if something beneath the earth was forcing its way upward. The ground continued to tremble violently.
And then he noticed something strange.
A group of people - twenty-one in total - had gathered in one specific area of the street. They stood close together, almost intertwined, drawn to the same spot. It did not look planned. It did not even look voluntary.
It was as if some invisible force was pulling them there.
Johnny found himself among them.
"Why are we all here?" he muttered.
A man beside him shook his head. "I do not know."
No one did.
The air felt heavy. Tense. Wrong.
Then, without warning, the ground beneath them began to sink.
At first, it was just a slight dip. Then the surface cracked and collapsed inward. It was not merely breaking - it was folding into itself, revealing a massive pit below.
They did not have time to react.
The earth gave way completely.
All twenty-one of them fell.
Screams echoed through the darkness as they plunged downward. Dust and debris surrounded them. Some shut their eyes. Others were too stunned to even move.
And then...
Everything changed.
The fall stopped.
When Johnny opened his eyes, he realized something impossible - he was not in pain. He checked his arms and legs cautiously. No broken bones. No serious injuries. At most, a few minor scratches.
The others were the same - shaken and confused, but mostly unharmed.
Johnny's mind raced.
What is happening?
Where am I?
He slowly stood up and looked around.
This was no ordinary underground space. The air felt heavy and unfamiliar. Dim light revealed silhouettes in the distance - figures that did not look entirely human.
His heart pounded harder.
He had never imagined that something like this could exist beneath the earth.
Then he saw a familiar face.
"Emily?"
She stood a few feet away, equally stunned.
Emily was his childhood friend - shy, quiet, and naturally introverted. She preferred keeping to herself, avoiding attention whenever possible. But to Johnny, she was someone important.
Seeing her there brought him a strange sense of relief.
At least he was not alone.
Still, one question echoed in his mind...
Where were they?
And who - or what - had brought them here?