Their walk through the underground continued in silence, broken only by the echo of their footsteps and the rhythmic drip of water somewhere in the dark.

  Occasionally, there were a few jokes and laughter on Adrian's shoulder, probably to kill the tension he was feeling.

  Aside from the occasional joke, they walked in silence, studying their surroundings to avoid getting lost.

  Spending time in the underground was difficult; it felt like the place played tricks on your mind. If he’d come alone, Adrian was sure he would’ve gotten lost. The small talk and jokes were what kept him grounded and helped maintain his focus.

  Sometimes it felt like the shadows were moving. Other times, he was sure he’d seen something just outside the beam of light, always at the edge of his vision. The eerie silence didn’t help. Not one bit. The longer they stayed quiet, the more his mind played tricks on him, making him see things that weren’t there.

  Then they finally reached what appeared to be an intersection. From here, the tunnel splits into multiple directions. There was an opening to the left, the main path continuing straight ahead, and three narrower passages branching off to the right.

  They had already passed the two previous left turns. Each time, there were only two options: forward or left. But now, for the first time, the tunnel offered multiple paths to the right. Adrian couldn't help but feel curious about where they might lead. He turned to face Alex, silently asking the question with his eyes.

  When he didn’t get an answer from Alex, he decided to ask. "So where do the other passages go?"

  Alex turned his gaze towards the right side of the tunnel before answering. "From the first passage, no one has come back," his face darkened a bit.

  Watching his expression, Adrian felt a bit of guilt. He wanted to ask him about it, but knew that if he wanted to tell him, he would eventually. And it also didn't feel right; He didn't want to sour the mood.

  Alex pointed his hand towards the second passage, " That one," he paused for a moment, "is a dead end."

  Adrian snorted. “Of course it is. Real helpful map you’ve got.”

  Alex ignored him, pointing further. "Got no clue about that one, no one was willing to explore it after what happened to the first."

  Then he pointed the light forward where the tunnel continued, "This one leads to a chamber, it's a little bit different than the first, the symbols are different, and a few other small differences. Other than that, there isn't much of anything else."

  He caught Adrian’s curious look and smiled slightly. 'Next job, we can take a detour and check it out,' he said. His face looked a little brighter now, like he’d managed to forget whatever had darkened his expression earlier.

  Adrian was about to speak when a noise echoed from the long tunnel ahead. He glanced at Alex, his words suddenly caught in his throat.

  Alex slowly reached for the knife hanging from his belt and drew it out with deliberate care.

  Seeing this, Adrian quietly reached into his backpack and pulled out the knife he got from Alex, silently cursing himself for leaving it inside the bag. His hands trembled, and he struggled a bit, but after a few tense seconds, he managed to grip the knife firmly.

  The noises grew closer. Alex swept his flashlight along the tunnel walls, and Adrian mirrored his movements. After a few tense seconds, screeches echoed from deeper inside. Adrian froze, his heart pounding faster and harder.

  He kept glancing at Alex, wondering why they weren’t running. Fear flickered in Alex’s eyes, but his face remained calm, controlled.

  The closer the noise came, the harder his heart pounded; his fingers clenched the knife and flashlight so tightly they went white.

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  He managed to steady himself slightly and, glancing at Alex, whispered, “Should we run?” His voice was hoarse and shaky.

  Alex just answered without even looking at him, his gaze in the direction of the noise. "Not yet."

  Adrian kept glancing toward the right passage they were supposed to take. His mind screamed to run, but he forced himself to stay put, holding back with every ounce of willpower.

  Then, on the tunnel wall directly ahead of them, a massive shadow loomed. It looked like some kind of rodent. Adrian was scared out of his mind.

  Alex started chuckling softly, but Adrian didn’t notice. His fear took over, and he bolted toward the opening without looking back.

  Just as he took a few steps, something clutched his shoulder, and he heard Alex’s voice, saying something he couldn’t quite catch through the panic. He tried to wrench himself free, but his foot caught on something, and he crashed to the ground, his flashlight clattering out of his hand.

  Just as he was about to get up and run again, something clutched his hand. He turned around and saw Alex, shouting something he couldn’t quite make out over the pounding in his ears.

  He stopped himself, glancing back at the tunnel where the noise had come from, but there was no light, only darkness. His panic began to rise again.

  Alex’s voice finally broke through the noise in his head.

  “Adrian. Look at it.”

  Still breathing hard, Adrian squinted into the tunnel. Noticing this, Alex pointed the light at the tunnel, illuminating the spot Adrain was looking at.

  A rat.

  Just a rat.

  Big, sure. But it was still just a rat.

  It froze under the light for a second, its beady eyes catching the reflection, then scurried off into one of the side tunnels, its claws scratching against the ground.

  Adrian stared in disbelief.

  He was still trembling, palms slick, heart hammering like it wanted out of his ribcage.

  “…You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered.

  Alex sat back on his heels and burst into full-on laughter, clutching his stomach.

  “You should’ve seen your face,” he wheezed between laughs.

  Adrian groaned. “Glad you enjoyed the show. Next time, maybe warn me before I almost shit myself.”

  "At least I didn't overreact," Alex said while wiping away the tears.

  His heart was still pounding, but he still managed to chuckle.

  "That was the scariest moment of my life," he said, his hands still shaking.

  Alex calmed down a bit, then looked at him. " Never run if I don't tell you to, that was more dangerous than whatever else could've come out from the tunnel." His face turned serious, " If u missed one passage, you could've been done for. You can't ever panic here."

  Alex extended a hand. "Never."

  Helping him get up, he repeated, "Never."

  Adrian just nodded. He felt like he could have made a huge mistake there, but luckily, Alex was with him. He was still trying to come down. This experience was one of the scariest things he had ever done.

  Starting from, going into the underground, doing something that is illegal, and now running away from the shadow of a rat. This was too much for him. He was used to a quieter, more normal life.

  Before the slums, after the slums, it didn’t matter. Life was still normal, at least once, starving started to feel normal.

  Doing this made him feel more alive than he had in years, like he was chasing something bigger, something that finally made sense.

  After a brief break and some laughter to shake off the tension, they pressed onward and finally reached the tunnel’s exit.

  "So we're almost done," Adrian said as they got near the exit.

  Alex just nodded. He moved to a spot near the tunnel’s exit, where a faint sliver of sunlight peeked through. He pulled aside a large rock, revealing a hole in the ground. Carefully, he placed the backpack they’d taken from the clinic inside, then pushed the rock back over it.

  He glanced at Adrian, "Job finished."

  Adrian smiled at that, "Now what happens?"

  "Now we take a break. Then we explore the city and buy some real food!" he said, his voice lighting up with enthusiasm at the end.

  They spent the next few minutes resting, recovering from all the walking. Then Alex stood up and began uncovering the exit slowly and carefully, making sure not to draw anyone’s attention.

  When they finally got out, they found themselves in a park.

  A real park.

  It was yellow and brown, with only a few stubborn patches of green clinging to the grass. The chill in the air was evident.

  Leaves crunched softly beneath their feet. Most trees had surrendered their foliage, their bare branches reaching skyward like skeletal fingers against the gray sky.

  The park was clean, and it reminded him of a better past.

  They settled on a nearby bench, the cold biting through their jackets, but it was a welcome break nonetheless.

  For the first time in what felt like forever, he stepped beyond the slums. It was a bitter reality that he’d have to return, but for now, he finally had a moment to breathe and to taste life beyond those grim walls.

  Leaving the slums for good was going to take time. But he was determined. All he needed was to save enough money, and once he did, there’d be no turning back.

  He could stay here for now, but once the police found him, things wouldn’t end well. His options would be grim: either the front lines or a cell.

  He didn’t like either of those options.

  “Let’s get food,” Alex said.

  Adrian smiled, but his hand still shook. No matter how open the sky was above him, the tunnels hadn’t let go yet.