Iris sat slumped beneath the sewer entrance, the moon’s pale glow pouring down through the opening above. Her back rested against the wet stone, and her head leaned faintly to one side. A few moments passed before a drop of water fell from the ceiling and struck the stone below with a hollow plop that echoed through the tunnel. Iris’s fingers twitched. Another fell moments later, slower than the first, its impact, however, was softer against the stone. Her fingers twitched again. The tunnel remained quiet for several minutes before a third drop struck the ground with a sharp splash. Iris jolted upright, beads of sweat scattering from her brow.

  “Help!” she gasped. The word tore from her throat before she could stop it. She glanced around the dark tunnel in confusion.

  “Alpha-4? …Five?” Her voice wavered as she peered into the darkness. “Where are you?”

  The tunnel gave no reply. She pressed a hand against her forehead as a sharp pain pulsed behind her eyes. Damn it… Where are they? Ok, I should call for backup.

  She reached for her left ear, only to find the earpiece missing. Huh? Where is it? She dropped to her knees and swept her hands across the thin sheet of water; her fingers skimmed over the freezing surface and scraped against the uneven stone below. The only light came from the moonlight spilling down from the entrance above.

  There.

  Her fingers caught on something wedged within a narrow crack in the stone. She froze, then dug her nails into the crevice and pulled the earpiece free. These things better be waterproof. She lodged the device into her ear and flipped its small switch. A short, low hum vibrated through the tunnel. As it faded, Iris spoke into the comm

  “Alpha-3 to HQ. Immediate backup requested at the sewer entrance on East Hollow Street. I repeat, immediate backup requested at East Hollow Street.”

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  She paused, hoping to hear a familiar voice on the other end, but there was only silence. She sucked her teeth under her breath in frustration and attempted to call for backup once more. However, before she could utter a single word, a strange sound began to seep through her earpiece. A sharp, strained groan, as though whoever was on the other side could barely form a word. Iris sat frozen, puzzled by the strange sounds. Once the strange sound came to an end, a deep, calm voice spoke.

  “Dukhma asut iuh soehk mo.”

  The low groan sent a cold shiver down her spine, forcing her back as she instinctively ripped the earpiece from her ear and hurled it into the running water. It struck the surface and vanished between the cracks in the stone below. Above, the moon had shifted across the street, and its pale light would not reach the sewer floor for much longer.

  Where are you guys? There’s no way they went ahead without me, right? She glanced around frantically. Besides, I can’t feel their…

  She stopped. A faint scent drifted through the air. Blood? Iris spun around and froze. She clamped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened at the sight before her.

  “No… no,” she mumbled, her hands still clamped over her mouth. She crumpled inward, her fingers sliding into her hair before a guttural scream tore from her throat. The cry split the air and echoed violently through the sewer, bouncing from wall to wall before dissolving into the darkness. Before her sat the lifeless corpse of her partner, his once-bright grey eyes now darkened. Iris struggled to keep him in her gaze through tear-soaked vision.

  “What happened to you, Daichi?”

  He sat against the stone with his eyes wide open, a face frozen in pure horror. Iris, however, did not have enough time to grieve her loss, as the sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind her. She spun around, her hands still tangled in her hair. The footsteps softened, then quickened, as though something smaller had broken into a run to escape the darkness.

  Iris braced herself, expecting one of the hounds from earlier. Instead, the bruised, lifeless head of a corpse rolled into view. The closer it came, the clearer the features became beneath the fading moonlight, until there was no room left for doubt.

  “Kaien?!” Her voice tore through the sewer, echoing violently against the damp stone walls.

  The tunnel fell silent for a moment, and then it happened. From within the darkness ahead, the same voice reached her once more, carried through the still air as slow footsteps echoed through the stone.

  “Tu vahk’de ukka asut.”