The sun had barely risen, its light struggling to reach the depths of the tomb where the group was camped. The air was thick with cold, and the flickering fire cast long, wavering shadows against the ancient stone walls. Wallace sat by the fire, arms crossed, his face locked in a deep frown. Across from him, Kai leaned against a cracked pillar, arms folded, irritation written across his face.
Kelvin, always perceptive, sensed the tension before anyone else. He noticed how Wallace and Kai avoided each other's eyes, their movements stiff and defensive. Deciding to intervene before the situation escalated, Kelvin approached, his voice calm but firm. “What’s going on between you two?”
Kai exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes as he turned to glare at Wallace. “Wallace is upset because I didn’t let him smash last night,” he said bluntly, his tone sharp enough to slice through the heavy air in the tomb.
Wallace’s ears flattened against his head, his scowl deepening. “It’s not just that, Kai. You always push me away without explaining anything.”
Kai’s lips curled into a cold smirk. “You’re upset because I didn’t let you fuck me. Stop acting like a spoiled rabbit. That’s it.”
Wallace shot to his feet, his frustration boiling over. “Spoiled? You shut me out! You don’t talk to me. You just ignore me when you’re not in the mood. What am I supposed to do with that?”
Kai pushed off the pillar and stepped closer, his voice dropping in temperature. “You’re supposed to accept that ‘no’ means ‘no.’ You act like you’re entitled to it whenever you want. Sometimes, I’m not in the mood. That’s all it is.”
Kelvin, recognizing the rising tension, quickly stepped between them, his presence commanding. “Both of you, back off,” he said, his voice steady. He turned to Wallace first. “Wallace, Kai has the right to say no. You can’t take it personally every time.”
Wallace’s posture remained stiff, arms crossed tightly over his chest. “I’m not taking it personally,” he muttered, looking away. “But he just shuts me out, no explanation. I’m left feeling like I’ve done something wrong.”
Kelvin nodded thoughtfully before turning to Kai. “Is that what’s happening?”
Kai sighed, running a hand through his fur. His frustration softened, but there was still tension in his voice. “I shouldn’t have to explain every time, Kelvin. Sometimes I just don’t want to. That should be enough.”
Kelvin turned back to Wallace. “It’s hard not to feel rejected, but you’ve got to respect his boundaries. If he’s not in the mood, you need to accept that and move on.”
Wallace’s stance softened, though his frustration lingered. “I don’t want to feel like I’m being pushed away.”
Kai’s expression shifted, the edge in his voice dulling. He stepped closer, his tone gentler. “You’re not being pushed away, Wallace. I just need space sometimes. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
Wallace hesitated, his ears twitching as guilt slowly crept into his voice. “I get it… I just don’t want to feel like you’re shutting me out.”
Kelvin placed a hand on Wallace’s shoulder, giving it a firm but reassuring squeeze. “You two need better communication. Kai has his boundaries, and you need to respect that. But Kai, it wouldn’t hurt to explain things a bit more sometimes. It helps.”
Kai nodded slowly, glancing at Wallace. “I’ll try. Just trust me when I say no, okay? It’s not about you.”
Wallace let out a slow breath, the tension in his body easing. “Alright. I’ll try not to take it personally.”
Kelvin gave both of them a firm nod, pleased to see the tension dissolve. “Good. Now let’s move on. We’ve got bigger things to worry about.”
With the tension lifted, the group began preparing to venture deeper into the tomb. Although the conversation still weighed heavily in the air, Wallace and Kai had at least reached an understanding—for now. The dark corridors ahead, full of unknown dangers, awaited them, but at least they had resolved one conflict before the next challenge.
They moved cautiously through the tomb, their torches casting flickering light on the crumbling stone walls. The distant sound of dripping water echoed, the oppressive atmosphere thickening with every step.
Wallace walked beside Kai, his mind still lingering on their earlier conversation. The silence between them wasn’t as heavy, but it was still uncomfortable. The air itself seemed to tighten around them, not just from the unresolved tension between them, but from the tomb itself, as if it were watching, waiting.
Kelvin led the group, his sharp eyes scanning the shadows ahead. Fiona followed closely, one hand resting protectively on her stomach while the other remained poised, ready for action. Mica brought up the rear, his eyes darting nervously as they ventured deeper into the cold, foreboding passageways.
"This place feels... wrong," Mica muttered under his breath. “It’s like it’s alive, watching us.”
Kelvin glanced back and nodded solemnly. "It probably is. Tombs like these are often cursed or enchanted to keep people like us out. Stay alert."
As if on cue, a low rumble echoed through the corridor, followed by the sound of grinding stone. The group stopped in their tracks, tension spiking as the walls seemed to shift around them.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Kai muttered, his hand instinctively moving toward his weapon.
They continued forward, the tomb growing darker, the air colder. Wallace shivered, his unease growing with each step. He glanced at Kai, who walked with calm determination, seemingly unaffected by the oppressive atmosphere.
“I’m sorry,” Wallace whispered suddenly, his voice barely cutting through the eerie silence.
Kai turned his head slightly, his expression softened by the dim torchlight. "For what?"
“For earlier… for everything,” Wallace murmured. "I didn’t mean to push you. I get it now."
Kai sighed quietly, his gaze steady. "It’s okay. I know this place is messing with all of us. Just... trust me when I say I need space sometimes."
Before Wallace could reply, the ground beneath them trembled, and the walls shifted with a groan. A thick stone wall shot up from the floor, separating Wallace and Kai from the rest of the group.
"Wallace! Kai!" Kelvin’s voice echoed, muffled by the sudden barrier.
Wallace’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the stone wall. “Kelvin! Can you hear us?”
There was no immediate response, only the eerie silence of the tomb and the occasional distant rumble.
Kai scanned their surroundings quickly, his expression calm but focused. "We’ll find a way around. We’ll meet up with them on the other side."
Wallace nodded, though fear gnawed at him. The tomb felt more threatening now, as if it had intentionally trapped them.
Kai took the lead, moving with purpose, though his eyes constantly flickered around, scanning for threats. Wallace followed closely, trying to keep his mind focused, but the weight of the tomb’s oppressive presence pressed down on him.
They moved deeper into the tomb, the air growing colder, the light of their torches flickering as if the tomb itself was trying to snuff them out. The walls seemed to press closer, the space feeling tighter, more suffocating.
“Do you think they’re okay?” Wallace asked, his voice shaking slightly.
Kai didn’t look back. “They’ll be fine. Kelvin knows what he’s doing. We need to focus on finding our way out.”
Just as they turned a corner, a sudden gust of cold air swept through the corridor, snuffing out their torches. Darkness swallowed them, immediate and overwhelming.
“Shit,” Kai muttered, grabbing Wallace’s arm to keep him close.
Wallace’s heart raced, panic rising in his throat. “What do we do now?”
“We keep moving,” Kai said, his voice steady despite the tension. “Stay close to me.”
They pressed forward, relying on touch and instinct as they stumbled through the dark. Their breaths were shallow in the stifling air, every step feeling like a risk. The tomb’s cold, oppressive presence seemed to close in on them with each passing second.
In the distance, a faint glow appeared, casting an eerie light on the stone walls. Kai tightened his grip on Wallace’s arm, both of them drawn toward the light despite the looming danger ahead.
Whatever awaited them, Wallace had the unsettling feeling that the tomb was testing them—both physically and emotionally—and the real challenge was only beginning.
The faint glow grew brighter as they advanced, casting long shadows that danced along the tomb’s narrow walls. As they pressed on, the oppressive cold seemed to cling to Wallace’s skin, making it hard to breathe. Each step felt like wading through thickening darkness.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Wallace shifted violently. The stone floor cracked with a thunderous tremor, and before he could react, the wall beside him collapsed inward. Chunks of stone slammed into him, and the weight pinned him to the ground with a crushing force. Pain shot through his chest, stealing his breath as his body was trapped beneath the heavy rubble.
"Wallace!" Kai shouted, his voice filled with panic as he lunged toward the crumbling wall. He reached out, clawing at the rocks, but they were too large, too numerous. Dust filled the air, choking the narrow passage.
“Kai…” Wallace’s voice was weak, strained from the pressure of the stone on his chest.
Kai frantically pushed aside smaller pieces of rubble, his heart pounding as his hands fumbled in the darkness. “Hold on, I’m going to get you out,” he said, his voice strained with fear.
On the other side of the stone wall, Kelvin’s voice echoed faintly through the layers of rock. “Kai! Can you hear us? Are you alright?”
Kai’s hands stilled for a brief moment. The weight of the situation crashed over him. Wallace was trapped, and there was no way to get him free. The tomb trembled again, an ominous groan reverberating through the walls, threatening another collapse.
"I’m fine!" Kai called back, though his voice wavered. "But Wallace... he’s stuck under the rubble. I can’t get him out!"
A tense silence followed Kelvin’s voice, thick with the understanding of what that meant. “We need to keep moving,” Kelvin finally shouted back. “The tomb’s unstable. We’ll find a way to reach him later, but right now, we have to go before this whole place collapses.”
Kai’s chest tightened. His instinct was to stay, to dig until he could pull Wallace free. But he knew, deep down, that they were running out of time. The tomb was crumbling around them, and staying any longer would trap them all.
With trembling hands, Kai brushed away a few more stones, his eyes locking onto Wallace’s face. “I’ll come back for you,” he whispered, his voice thick with guilt.
Wallace’s eyes were clouded with pain, but he managed a weak nod. “Go… before it’s too late.”
Kai clenched his fists, his body screaming at him to keep trying. But the sound of the tomb groaning under the strain of its collapsing walls pushed him to his feet. He had no choice.
With a heavy heart, Kai turned and moved deeper into the tomb, leaving Wallace behind. The weight of that decision settled on him like the stones that now buried his companion.
The passage ahead was tight and suffocating, but Kai pushed forward, the echoes of Wallace’s absence haunting him. Rejoining Kelvin, Fiona, and Mica, he said nothing, his face a mask of silent determination. But inside, guilt clawed at his insides like a relentless storm.
For a while, no one spoke. The group pressed on through the narrow corridors, their footsteps the only sound breaking the oppressive silence of the tomb. But for Mica, the absence of Wallace gnawed at him more than anyone else.
Finally, Mica stopped walking, his legs trembling as he collapsed to the cold stone floor. His body shook with heavy sobs that reverberated through the tomb, filling the air with the raw sound of grief.
Kelvin turned quickly, alarm flashing across his face. “Mica? What’s wrong?” he asked, kneeling beside him.
Through ragged breaths, Mica spoke, his voice barely audible through his tears. “If only... If only you raped me one fucking time, Wallace would still be here.”
Kelvin’s eyes widened in shock, the weight of Mica’s words hanging in the air like a heavy fog. “Mica… what are you talking about?”
Mica’s tear-streaked face turned toward Kelvin, his expression a mix of pain and guilt. “Wallace said there was a barrier… one that only those who violated consent could pass through. If you had done it, just once, Wallace wouldn’t have had to die. He’d still be with us.”
Kelvin felt the words hit him like a blow to the chest. His mind raced, trying to process the enormity of what Mica was saying. Slowly, carefully, he placed his hands on Mica’s shoulders, his voice low and filled with compassion.
“Mica… no. That’s not true,” Kelvin said, his voice soft but firm. “What happened to Wallace isn’t your fault. It isn’t mine. It isn’t anyone’s. Crossing that line wouldn’t have saved him—it would have destroyed us.”
Mica’s sobs grew louder, his whole body trembling as he buried his face in his hands. “But he’s gone! He’s dead! And all I can think about is how we let him die. We could’ve done something, anything…”
Kelvin pulled Mica closer, wrapping his arms around him. His voice was barely above a whisper, filled with both sorrow and conviction. “Mica, listen to me. We didn’t make the wrong choice. We respected each other’s boundaries, and that’s what Wallace would have wanted. We didn’t let him die.”
Mica’s sobs quieted slightly, but the pain still lingered in his voice. “But he’s gone… and I don’t know how to live with this.”
Kelvin held Mica tightly, his heart aching not just for Wallace but for the man he knew would one day be his life partner. “We’ll get through this together, Mica. Wallace wouldn’t want you to carry this guilt alone. We made the right choice, even if it doesn’t feel like it now.”
Kai, who had been standing nearby in silence, finally stepped forward, his voice softer than usual. “Mica, what happened in that tomb wasn’t about us not doing enough. Sometimes, even when we do everything right, people still get hurt. Wallace knew the risks.”
Mica’s tears slowed, his body trembling as he processed Kai’s words. “But it feels like we failed him.”
Kelvin gently lifted Mica’s chin, looking directly into his tear-filled eyes. “We didn’t fail him. We fought beside him, just like we’ll keep fighting for each other. We can’t change what happened, but we can honor Wallace by moving forward.”
Mica nodded weakly, though the grief in his heart remained. His tears had stopped, but the weight of Wallace’s absence hung heavy in the air. Kelvin pressed his forehead to Mica’s, a quiet promise passing between them.
“I’m here,” Kelvin whispered. “Always.”
Mica let out a shaky breath, his chest loosening slightly. Though the sorrow of losing Wallace wouldn’t heal quickly, he held onto Kelvin’s presence by his side—steady, unyielding.
The group stood in silence for a moment longer, the grief still palpable, but softened by the strength of their bond. Then, with quiet resolve, they continued deeper into the tomb, knowing that despite their loss, they had to press forward—together.
