The cave swallowed their footsteps, each sound bouncing back with an eerie, distorted echo. Rian held his flashlight steady, the beam cutting through the dense darkness. Leah and Bran followed close behind, while Marcus stayed in the middle, keeping his transmitter on. Devika, Zara, and Milo brought up the rear, Lucky trotting cautiously at their heels.

Leah whispered, “Anyone else feel like the walls are breathing?”

Devika nodded, her hand brushing the stone. “It’s vibrating. Like it’s alive.”

Marcus grunted, adjusting his transmitter. “Signal’s unstable. I’m picking up bursts, but they don’t match the tower’s frequency. It’s like the rocks are resonating on their own.”

Josh, still visibly shaken, muttered, “I heard it in my dreams. The sound… like it was digging into my skull.”

Kira gave him a worried glance. “It’s been like that since we found the caves. Some of the others couldn’t take it and wandered off deeper. They never came back.”

Rian tightened his grip on the gauntlet. “We need to find a safe spot to regroup and figure out what’s causing this.”

As they moved deeper, the tunnel split into three paths. Bran examined the ground, noticing tracks leading down the left path. “Looks like someone dragged their feet. Might be the missing survivors.”

Zara leaned in to examine the prints. “Could be scavengers too. We need to be careful.”

Rian weighed the options. “We’ll follow the left path. If it looks compromised, we’ll double back.”

They advanced slowly, the hum growing louder, vibrating through their bones. At one point, Milo stumbled, clutching his head. Devika steadied him. “You okay?”

Milo grimaced. “It’s just… loud. Like it’s right inside my ears.”

Leah glanced at Marcus. “Any idea what’s causing it?”

Marcus shook his head. “Nothing natural. If it’s some kind of harmonic resonance, it shouldn’t feel like this.”

Suddenly, the tunnel opened into a wide cavern, the floor littered with abandoned gear and makeshift shelters. A few survivors were huddled against the far wall, their eyes wide and unfocused.

One of them, a woman with matted hair, looked up as they approached. “You came back… but you’re not the same. None of us are.”

Rian knelt beside her. “What happened here?”

She mumbled incoherently at first, then managed, “We heard it. The call. It made us move. Couldn’t stop. Just kept walking.”

Kira approached cautiously. “That’s how it started with the others. Once they heard the hum, they just… gave in.”

Bran glanced at the group, his jaw tight. “If the caves are amplifying it, staying here is suicide.”

Marcus adjusted his transmitter. “The signal’s stronger here. I think the rocks themselves are resonating, like they’re part of a larger system.”

Devika looked at Rian. “If the energy is alive, maybe it’s using the caves as a conduit. Drawing people in.”

Zara frowned. “Like a trap. But who — or what — set it up?”

Rian was about to respond when a sudden scream cut through the cavern. One of the survivors, a man clutching his head, started convulsing. His skin shimmered with faint blue lines, veins pulsing unnaturally.

Leah moved to restrain him, but he twisted violently, throwing her back. Bran grabbed his rifle, but Rian stopped him. “Wait! If he’s changing, we need to know how.”

The man’s spasms slowed, and he slumped forward, breathing hard. When he looked up, his eyes were glowing faintly. “It’s… in the stone. Wants to be free.”

Leah exchanged a wary glance with Bran. “What the hell does that mean?”

Marcus knelt, carefully scanning the man with his device. “If the energy is transmitting through the rock, then it might be creating a feedback loop. It affects those already touched by the surge more strongly.”

Josh backed away, his face pale. “It’s trying to make us like them. Like the altered.”

Devika’s hands glowed faintly, reacting to the pulse. “If we don’t break the resonance, it could change everyone in here.”

Rian stood up. “We can’t just leave them. There has to be a way to stop it.”

Leah scanned the cavern. “If the signal is rooted in the stone, maybe we need to disrupt the cave itself. A controlled collapse could break the resonance.”

Bran hesitated. “If we collapse the wrong section, we’re buried alive.”

Marcus pointed to a cluster of mineral veins on the far wall, faintly glowing. “That’s the focal point. If we hit it hard enough, it might disrupt the resonance without bringing the whole place down.”

Rian nodded. "Zara, help me set up some makeshift charges. Remember those old mining crates we passed earlier? If the explosives inside are still viable, we can use them. Leah, keep everyone back."

As they positioned the charges, the hum grew louder, and more survivors began to show signs of agitation. Lucky barked, sensing the tension, while Milo tried to calm him.

Once everything was set, Rian signaled for everyone to move back. “Brace yourselves!”

With a sharp crack, the charges detonated. The glowing veins shattered, and the hum faltered before finally fading to silence. The survivors slumped, some crying, others just staring blankly as if waking from a nightmare.

Leah helped one of the dazed men to his feet. “It’s gone. Whatever was holding them… it’s broken.”

Marcus checked his transmitter. “Signal’s clear. Whatever was resonating is dead.”

Rian lowered his gauntlet, relief washing over him. “We need to get everyone out. If the caves can be triggered like that, it’s not safe.”

As they led the survivors back to the entrance, the dawn light seeped through, cutting through the last remnants of the unnatural hum. Rian knew this was just one victory — whatever caused the resonance was still out there, and the city was far from safe.

End of Chapter 19.  Enjoyed the chapter? Get the next one early on Patreon!"