**Chapter 3: The Bridge to Nowhere**

Mira's breaths were shallow, her back pressed against the cold stone wall as her gaze darted down the desolate hallway. Sonia was gone—vanished without a trace. The dim lights overhead flickered ominously, and an eerie silence cloaked the passage like a suffocating fog.

She tried to suppress the growing fear in her chest, telling herself that Sonia must have walked ahead, unaware that Mira had fallen behind. But a whisper of doubt clawed at the edges of her mind: *What if she’s not coming back?*

“Sonia?” Mira called out softly, her voice trembling.

The only reply was the hollow echo of her words bouncing back to her.

Her hands trembled as she traced the wall for support, inching forward in hesitant steps. The air grew colder, and her unease deepened with each step she took. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, twisting in ways that didn’t make sense, like it was alive and changing.

Finally, the narrow corridor opened up to a wide expanse. Mira froze. She was standing at the edge of what appeared to be a bridge, its structure stretching into darkness. The faint wind brushing her face told her the sides were open, though she couldn’t see far into the void. A strange metallic smell lingered in the air, sharp and bitter.

Ahead, the bridge sloped downward into a pitch-black passageway. A shiver ran down her spine.

Mira clutched her phone tightly, fumbling to dial Ryan’s number with trembling fingers.

“Ryan!” she cried out as soon as he answered. “I... I followed Sonia. She’s gone. I don’t know where I am. It’s some kind of bridge, but it’s too dark to see anything, and I’m scared!”

“Mira, listen to me carefully,” Ryan’s voice was urgent. “Don’t move any further. Stay where you are. We’re coming to get you. Which way did you go?”

“I—I think it...