I brace my weight—
—and move toward the dark.
The Door Slams Shut
I’m one step from the threshold when the world detonates around me.
The vault door slams shut with a violent metallic crash that hits like a gunshot, rattling my bones. The sound ricochets through the chamber—loud, brutal, final. My lantern jerks in my hand, its flame flaring high before shrinking to a trembling sputter.
For a beat, I just stare at the thick metal door, my mind lagging the terror screaming through my blood.
Then I hear them.
The locks.
One.Two.Three.Four.Five.Six.
Heavy internal bolts grind into place, each one shrieking through the stone like something massive is sealing its jaws around me. The sound reverberates up my spine.
Someone locked me in.
From the outside.
The realization punches the air from my lungs.
“No,” I whisper. “No—no, no—”
Dust shakes loose from the ceiling as the lantern flickers again, casting the room in jagged shadows. My heartbeat pounds so violently I feel it in my jaw.
I lunge at the door, slam my palm against the metal. A shock shoots up my arm.
“Hey!” My voice cracks. “Open the fucking door!”
The metal is ice-cold, unforgiving beneath my hand. I shove my shoulder into it, muscles straining, sweat cold on my back.
The door doesn’t budge.
Panic surges, hot and sharp. I drop the lantern to the floor—its base clanging—the flame whipping wildly. I pound both fists against the steel.
“Who’s there?” I shout, breath ripping out of me. “Open it!”
The cry echoes back at me in distorted fragments. Open it. Open—
Silence swallows everything.
Then — Footsteps.
Slow.Measured.Not fleeing.Leaving.
My entire body goes rigid. I press my ear to the door, breath held tight.
“Hey!” I scream, voice shredding. “Look at me when you trap me! Open the fucking door!”
The footsteps stop.
For one suspended heartbeat—nothing.
Then a voice slides through the stone. Male. Calm. Too calm.
