The Green Tide Passage

He couldn't remember the exact moment he arrived there; all he knew was that the wall coverings were breaking apart into irregular fragments, and that the atmosphere smelled of mushrooms, wet limescale, and a dense silence that outweighed any metallic material.

In the back, under the edge of an entrance that seemed to never come close, she was there. A static female figure with long, unkempt hair hanging from her back and torn clothing that barely protected her anatomy.

I shouted at her; although my voice expired before covering ten meters of distance, she didn't make any body movements. She simply stayed in that position, waiting. I walked toward her. Ten steps, twenty, fifty.

The dark entrances on both sides seemed to vibrate as I moved forward, releasing a cold breath that caused tingling in my epidermis. Regardless of the progress made, the physical separation between the two subjects did not decrease.

In fact, the passage seemed to lengthen, gradually becoming narrower, as if the side surfaces were ready to compress me. The terror caused speed in my limbs.

I ran until I felt a burning sensation in my respiratory system, until the sweat obscured my vision, but the human form continued to be located identically in the same place under that dim lighting. Finally, exhausted, I stopped moving.

And at that moment, I sensed his presence. It was no longer in the remote area; it was next to my right flank. The figure was right in front of me, a few millimeters from my face.

I hadn't detected their previous movement, nor did I hear the sound of them.