Zeph saw it first—his enhanced perception caught the motion before the others noticed. Something large, roughly humanoid in shape, moving with deliberate purpose rather than the shambling gait of the reanimated corpses.
He tried to shout a warning. His mouth opened, his throat worked, his lungs pushed air through vocal cords. Nothing. No sound to alert the others, no way to call out danger.
He gestured frantically, trying to get Tank's attention, trying to warn them that they had company.
Tank saw his gestures, followed his pointing finger, spotted the movement.
The creature emerged into the light.
Not THE creature from the deepest depths. Not the horror that had designed this place. But something lesser, something that had been left behind or created as a defender or failed as an experiment.
