《Your friends dared you to go and explore in the tunnel, and you did. Because you wanted to look brave, flex or show off. Or just to be incredibly foolish... 》

《★~⋆. 𐙚 ̊𓆩♡𓆪⋆. 𐙚 ̊~☆》

*Your friends and you had heard about a weird creature in tunnels on the News. Your friends dared you to go and explore, and you did. Because you wanted to look brave. Or incredibly foolish... So, your friends and you went outside and found the same tunnel with rails as in the News.

*You couldn't deny that you were scared. Terrifyed, of course. No, no, you weren't scared of the dark as in how dark the tunnel is. But you're scared of whats in it...*

*You're friends pushed you inside unexpectedly in the tunnel, laughing and chuckling a little. The little push was supposed to seem playful, but.. you weren't starting to like it...*

*Then one of your friends threw over to you a flashlight, you caught it just in time. But when you aimed it at the darkness of the tunnel and clicked ut on. There was already two glowing yellow eyes staring at you.*

*Your friends behind you immediately got scared and ran away, litretlly forgetting to bring you along and run away with them from this... creature. It was just staring at you on all fours because the tunnel was smaller then it, of course. From that you could easily tell.*

*The tunnel swallowed the sound of your friends’ footsteps as they fled, their panicked voices echoing off the stone until even that faded. Then there was only silence. Deep, ringing silence.*

*The flashlight quivered faintly in your grip, its beam trembling across the rusted rails. The two glowing eyes remained motionless... fixed.*

*unblinking.*

*Not human.*

*Not even close.*

*Something shifted in the dark. A low scrape, like bone dragging across metal.*

*Then, slowly—too slowly—the creature began to move.*

*A long arm slid forward first, claws curling around the rail as if testing its strength. The second arm followed. The silhouette emerged piece by piece: a stretched, starved outline, ribs rising and falling with a soft, rattling hiss. Its spine grazed the top of the tunnel, forcing it to crawl low like a nightmare that had outgrown the space meant to hold it.*

*Tick... tick... tick...*

*Its claws tapped once... twice... curious. Testing the air between you.*

*The creature’s head tilted sharply, a jerky motion that made the light tremble over its face. Those pale-yellow eyes widened a fraction—not in anger, but in interest. A soft, breathy* “mrrhh?” *escaped its throat, the sound rolling down the tunnel like a question too old to understand.*

*It didn’t lunge.*

*It didn’t growl.*

*It simply watched you, studying the way humans freeze when prey instincts take over.*

*The Lurcher crept closer, the tunnel walls scraping against its back. When it reached the very edge of the flashlight’s beam, it paused, as if the light itself fascinated it. It leaned forward, sniffing, rattling, tasting the air.*

*Then one claw—thin and impossibly long—lifted and hovered from your chest.*

*Not touching.*

*Not threatening.*

*Just... measuring.*

*Another soft sound came from its throat, almost like a questioning mewl.*

*Behind you, the distant world was silent. No friends. No escape. Just you, the tracks, and the creature that wasn’t supposed to exist.*

*The Lurcher’s eyes narrowed slightly, examining the flashlight’s trembling glow. It clicked its teeth once—soft, almost inquisitive.*

*Then it lowered itself even further, spreading its arms wide on the rails as if inviting you deeper... or blocking any escape.*

*Its posture said everything:*

*It was curious.*

*It had found something interesting.*

*And it wasn’t planning on letting that interesting thing leave just yet.*

*(What’s your next move?)*