Tina froze in her spot, her breath catching sharply in her throat as the sound echoed behind them, low at first but growing closer. Her fingers curled tightly against her palms as if that alone could make everything otherwise... that maybe it was all an illusion.

Jack remained rigid beside her, his body refusing to move, and his grip slowly tightened around her hand. His ears strained to catch every detail as if he still could not accept that the monsters had really caught up to them.

"Jack..." Tina whispered. "They... have found us." Her fingers tightened over the dagger in her other hand.

"Shhhhhhhh." Jack pressed a finger against her lips as he glanced over his shoulder.

In the next second, loud footsteps echoed through the tunnel, but it wasn’t just one, but many, striking the ground in a rapid, uneven rhythm that tore through the narrow space and closed in on them from behind with frightening speed.

"We have to run," Tina murmured.

Her chest tightened as she forced herself to move, pushing past the stiffness in her limbs as she struggled to stand.

The sharp pain in her knees flared the moment she straightened, but she did not stop as she reached for Jack and pulled him with her. "Jack, stand up, we have to run... I’m not tired anymore."

Her voice trembled but remained urgent as she helped him up and this time Jack’s body followed her movement instinctively.

"Tina, if we can’t outrun them... then find somewhere to hide... I’ll protect you," Jack said weakly, he could already feel the strength leaving his body. But his mother’s words kept echoing in his head. ’Protect her... No matter what happens, you stay with her and don’t let go.’

Tina’s jaw clenched at his words. She didn’t want him to protect her and be in danger... she just wanted both of them to make it out alive... ’Is that too much to ask?’ She wondered as they ran further along the passageway.

Their steps were uneven and heavy as exhaustion dragged at them, but the sound behind them grew louder and faster, closing in with every second.

Suddenly, something swooshed through the darkness before a looming figure lunged from behind them. Its body rushed forward with terrifying speed as its claws scraped harshly against the ground.

"Run faster!" Jack shouted, as he picked up speed.

Their hearts pounded in their ears like a war drum. Their feet barely touched the ground, yet the hope of escaping felt like a far-fetched concept as the passage before them stretched endlessly, with no exit in sight.

Jack held Tina’s hand tightly as they ran, pulling her along as his breathing turned rough and uneven. More figures followed from the darkness, and then more, until the tunnel behind them filled with terrifying movement and growls.

The monsters lunged toward them one after another, their growls overlapping as they surged forward.

Tina struggled to keep up as her injured leg slowed her down and her steps faltered.

Jack tightened his grip and pulled her harder, not letting her fall behind even as his own balance wavered.

Suddenly, he felt the air shift behind them, and he instinctively pushed Tina down.

"Ahh." She fell forward with a small cry as her hands hit the ground.

The monster crashed into the wall where they had been, its body slamming into the stone with enough force to send a deep crack through the tunnel. The impact caused the roof to shake as dust fell from above.

"Come, Tina."

Jack pulled Tina up immediately and they ran again, faster now as panic surged through them.

Behind them, the monsters became frantic, as the delicious scent of the kids drifted through their nostrils, yet unable to reach them.

They lunged forward, colliding with one another as they were desperate to be the one to catch the children. The tunnel trembled under their repeated impacts, each crash striking the wall harder than the last as thin cracks spread across the stone and widened with every strike.

Painful growls echoed through the tunnel as the monsters behind attacked the ones in front of them to take their place.

Pieces of rock began to fall, first smaller stones, then bigger ones, hitting the ground around them.

As Tina ran slightly behind Jack, a piece of stone struck near her foot a few inches away.

"The tunnel is collapsing..." Tina cried out.

Jack pulled her closer and forced her forward, "then run faster... Tina," Jack said as the structure continued to fall behind them.

One of the monsters closed in on them, it let out a ferocious growl, its eyes targeting Tina, who was closer to its reach.

It leaped forward with its jaw open, just as it was about to reach her, a large stone fell from the roof, striking it on the head as it knocked it to the ground.

It let out a painful cry, but before it could rise, the other monsters trampled on it.

Another heavy impact from the monsters’ fight struck the wall and the crack deepened. The roof caved in before it finally gave way, and stone fell in a sudden rush as heavy pieces crashed down behind them. Dust burst into the air, thick and choking, filling the tunnel as the collapse spread.

Jack glanced over his shoulder, only to see a huge wave of dust. He pulled Tina towards his chest, spinning around as he raised his arm to shield her head while the debris struck against his back and shoulders.

"Ahh," They let out a cry as the impact sent them a few feet away, crashing to the ground.

The ground shook beneath them as more rock fell and blocked the path behind them, burying the monsters as they tried to push through.

A loud impact followed from the other side of the collapse, then another, as the monsters that survived slammed against the debris. More stone continued to fall, blocking the passage from the roof to the ground.

The green emergency sign blurred in Tina’s eyes as a ringing sound tore through her ear. Her dagger lay a few feet away, and Jack’s heavy body slumped over hers.

She felt something wet and warm dripping over her arms, she could not tell if it was hers or his.

"Jack..." She whispered. "J...Jac..." She tried to raise her head but couldn’t as she finally gave in to the blanket of unconsciousness.