The figure moved with terrifying speed, their blade slicing through the air in a blur. Caleb barely had time to react, diving to the side as the weapon cut through the space where he’d been standing. He hit the ground hard, his flashlight skittering away and plunging the room into near-total darkness.


    “Caleb!” Evelyn’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and focused.


    “I’m fine!” Caleb shouted back, scrambling to his feet. He reached for his gun, but the figure was already closing in again.


    The Keeper’s blade came down in a brutal arc, and Caleb raised his gun just in time to block it. The impact sent a jolt up his arm, and he stumbled back, his boots scraping against the stone floor.


    “Little help here?” Caleb called, his voice tight.


    Evelyn was already moving. She darted toward the Keeper, her knife flashing as she slashed at their side. The blade grazed their cloak, but the Keeper twisted away, their movements unnervingly fluid.


    “This one’s fast,” Evelyn muttered, adjusting her stance.


    “Yeah, I noticed,” Caleb snapped, trying to catch his breath.


    The Keeper shifted their focus to Evelyn, their blade striking with surgical precision. Evelyn dodged the first swing, stepping inside their reach and aiming for their exposed arm. But the Keeper was ready. They spun, their blade narrowly missing Evelyn’s neck as she ducked.


    Caleb fired, the shot deafening in the enclosed space. The bullet grazed the Keeper’s shoulder, sending them stumbling slightly. Evelyn didn’t waste the opening—she lunged forward, her knife driving toward their chest.


    The Keeper blocked her strike with the flat of their blade, the sound of metal on metal ringing out like a bell. They twisted sharply, disarming her with a flick of their wrist. Evelyn’s knife clattered to the ground, and she barely managed to step back in time to avoid their next swing.


    “Not good,” Caleb muttered, raising his gun again.


    The Keeper turned back to Caleb, their hood tilting slightly as if assessing him. They lunged without warning, their blade aimed directly at his chest. Caleb fired twice, the shots hitting their torso, but it barely slowed them down.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    “Are they wearing armor or something?!” Caleb shouted, stumbling back.


    “No,” Evelyn said, her voice strained. “They’re just that good.”


    “Fantastic,” Caleb muttered, ducking as the blade whistled past his head.


    The Keeper pressed forward, relentless in their attack. Caleb blocked their next strike with the barrel of his gun, but the impact sent him sprawling. His back hit the pedestal hard, the cold stone digging into his spine.


    The Keeper raised their blade, and Caleb braced himself, his finger tightening on the trigger. But before they could strike, Evelyn came out of nowhere, tackling the Keeper with all her weight.


    The two of them hit the ground hard, Evelyn’s hands locking around the Keeper’s wrist as they struggled for control of the blade.


    “Shoot!” Evelyn shouted, her voice strained.


    “I can’t get a clear shot!” Caleb snapped, scrambling to his feet.


    The Keeper twisted sharply, throwing Evelyn off them with a brutal shove. She hit the ground hard, her breath escaping in a sharp gasp.


    Caleb didn’t hesitate. He fired again, the shot catching the Keeper in the leg. This time, they staggered, their movements faltering for the first time.


    Evelyn was back on her feet in an instant, blood dripping from a cut on her forehead. She grabbed her knife from the ground, her grip steady despite the tremor in her hands.


    “This ends now,” Evelyn said, her voice low.


    The Keeper lunged at her again, their blade slicing toward her midsection. Evelyn sidestepped the attack, driving her knife into their shoulder with a quick, brutal motion. The Keeper let out a guttural sound, their blade slipping from their hand as they fell to one knee.


    Caleb moved in, his gun trained on the Keeper’s head. “Don’t even think about it,” he said, his voice cold.


    The Keeper didn’t respond. They tilted their head slightly, their hood falling back to reveal a pale, bloodied face. Their lips curled into the faintest hint of a smile.


    Evelyn’s grip on her knife tightened. “Who sent you?” she demanded.


    The Keeper didn’t answer. Instead, they muttered something under their breath—a string of words Caleb didn’t understand.


    “What the hell is that?” Caleb asked, glancing at Evelyn.


    “It’s a warning,” Evelyn said, her expression grim. “For us.”


    The Keeper’s body slumped forward, their breathing shallow. Evelyn didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the blade from the ground and drove it into the stone beside the Keeper’s head, pinning their cloak to the floor.


    “We need to go,” Evelyn said, turning to Caleb.


    “Not until you tell me what that was,” Caleb said, his gun still raised.


    Evelyn wiped the blood from her knife, her movements quick and deliberate. “If we stay here, we’re dead. Let’s move.”


    Caleb hesitated, his jaw tightening. He wanted answers, but he could see the urgency in Evelyn’s eyes. Finally, he lowered his gun.


    “This isn’t over,” he said.


    “It never is,” Evelyn replied.