Clara’s flashlight flickered as she moved closer to the wall, the symbol’s sharp edges glinting faintly under the beam. Her fingers traced its surface, the metal cold and unyielding. A faint humming sound seemed to emanate from it, sending a shiver up her spine.


    “It’s the same as the one in Lila’s journal,” she murmured. “But it feels like it’s… alive.”


    Hensley frowned, his eyes narrowing as he studied the room. “This whole place feels off. Like it’s been waiting for someone to find it.”


    Clara’s gaze drifted back to the vault. The smooth surface reflected her flashlight, its seamless construction giving no indication of a way to open it. She knelt down, examining the floor beneath it. Her breath caught as she noticed faint grooves leading away from the base, forming a hidden track.


    “This vault can move,” she said, looking up at Hensley. “It’s on some kind of mechanism.”


    “Move where?” Hensley asked, his tone skeptical.


    Clara stood, her flashlight scanning the ceiling and walls. “If the Blackthorns were hiding something dangerous, they wouldn’t put it out in the open. It’s probably below us.”


    Hensley’s lips pressed into a thin line. “We’re already underground. How much deeper could this go?”


    Before Clara could respond, a faint click echoed through the room. They both froze, their eyes darting toward the source. Slowly, the grooves beneath the vault began to illuminate, a pale blue light tracing the outline of the hidden mechanism.


    “Did you touch anything?” Hensley asked sharply.


    Clara shook her head. “No. It must have activated when we found the symbol.”


    The vault shuddered, a low grinding noise filling the room as it began to shift. Clara and Hensley stepped back, watching in tense silence as the massive structure slid aside, revealing a dark, yawning hole beneath it.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    “I’m starting to think we’ve crossed into something we shouldn’t have,” Hensley muttered, drawing his flashlight.


    Clara peered into the opening, the beam of her light barely penetrating the darkness. A steep metal ladder descended into the abyss, disappearing into shadows.


    “There’s only one way to find out what’s down there,” Clara said, gripping the ladder. “Are you coming?”


    Hensley sighed, his hand brushing his holster before he followed her. “I’m going to regret this.”


    The Descent


    The ladder creaked under their weight as they climbed down, the air growing colder and more oppressive with every rung. The walls were smooth, as if carved by machines rather than human hands, and faint markings—similar to the symbols on the wall above—glowed faintly in the dark.


    “How far does this go?” Hensley’s voice echoed below Clara.


    “Far enough that the Blackthorns wanted no one to stumble upon it,” Clara replied, her voice tight with apprehension.


    After what felt like an eternity, her feet touched solid ground. She stepped aside to let Hensley descend, her flashlight sweeping across the space. They were in a circular chamber, the walls lined with panels that hummed faintly with energy. At the center stood a pedestal, similar to the one above, but this one held no box. Instead, a cylindrical device pulsed with a rhythmic light.


    Clara approached cautiously. “This doesn’t look like it belongs in a wine cellar,” she said dryly.


    Hensley snorted, his eyes scanning the room. “What the hell were the Blackthorns into? This is like something out of a sci-fi movie.”


    Clara reached for the device, but Hensley grabbed her arm. “Don’t. We don’t know what it does.”


    “We won’t figure it out by staring at it,” Clara countered. She pulled free and carefully touched the device. It was warm, almost alive, and her fingers tingled as she traced the glowing lines on its surface.


    A sudden jolt of energy coursed through her, and she gasped, stumbling back. The room lit up as the panels on the walls came to life, displaying a series of images and symbols. Scenes of landscapes Clara didn’t recognize flashed by, interspersed with diagrams of unfamiliar machinery and… people. Or things that looked like people.


    Hensley’s hand hovered near his gun as he stared at the projections. “This isn’t just dangerous. This is impossible.”


    One image lingered longer than the rest: a map. A series of points glowed on it, each one labeled with coordinates. Clara quickly snapped a picture with her phone.


    “What are these?” she wondered aloud.


    Hensley stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. “They’re locations. And I’d bet anything they’re connected to whatever the Blackthorns were hiding.”