The tunnel stretched like a scar through the ruins, damp and silent except for the occasional drip of water from the cracked ceiling. The group settled against jagged walls, dust clinging to their clothes, breaths heavy and uneven.
Alex leaned back, muscles still tense, golden eyes glinting faintly in the dim light. Lily hovered near him, flames barely flickering in her palms as she tested the air. Mia and Zack huddled together, whispering quietly, trying to map out their next move without making a sound.
Liana sat cross-legged, pale fingers tightening around her knees. Her crimson pupils flickered as the hunger clawed inside her chest, sharp and insistent. Alex could feel it too, gnawing deep, a wolf-side scream locked in his gut. Neither had eaten since awakening their powers.
"This is… harder than it looks," Alex muttered, flexing claws in frustration.
Liana huffed, fangs glinting as she suppressed a growl. "Tell me about it. I haven't even tasted blood in… hours. It's… unbearable."
Zack glanced at them, brow furrowed. "You two can't… go wild down here. Not with everyone else."
Lily muttered, "I swear, if one of you tries to eat me, I will torch this tunnel."
Mia rolled her eyes. "I think they just need… control. Focus. Don't panic."
Alex closed his eyes, letting his wolf instincts simmer beneath the surface. "Focus… right. We've survived worse."
Liana, trembling slightly, nodded. "Yeah… together." Her gaze softened as she looked at Alex. For a moment, they weren't fighting monsters, weren't facing apocalypse—they were just two beings grappling with the hunger that came with their powers.
---
Hours passed.
The group shared the meager rations they had scavenged before the chase—dried fruits, scraps of preserved meat they hadn't dared eat outside. They told stories to pass the time: Mia recalled her early failures in school magic classes, Lily boasted about the most ridiculous things she'd set on fire, Zack grimaced through his visions-of-disaster stories, and Alex and Liana listened, trading quiet jokes and sharp glances when the conversation dared to brush against tension.
Despite the circumstances, a fragile warmth grew among them. For the first time since arriving in the Wastes, the fear softened, replaced with camaraderie.
But the hunger never left Alex and Liana. It lurked beneath the surface, a constant reminder of what they had become. Every heartbeat made their senses sharper, every scent in the damp tunnel impossible to ignore.
Alex swallowed hard. "I… can't let it take over. Not here."
Liana's eyes narrowed, pupils bright as crimson. "Me neither. We… wait. We survive first. Feed later."
"Later," he repeated. It became their silent pact. Survival first. Hunger second.
---
The night stretched on. Shadows pooled in corners. Outside, the Wastes remained quiet, the distant echoes of the monstrous creature a constant reminder of what hunted them. Yet inside that tunnel, the teens huddled together, sharing warmth, whispered jokes, and quiet reassurances.
They were exhausted, battered, and hungry—but for the first time in days, they were alive.
And in that fragile survival, bonds were forged. Bonds that would hold, when the world itself tried to tear them apart.
---