-Beneath the Surface

The revelation from Aiden weighed heavily on Maya. She couldn't stop replaying his words in her mind—**“It’s a boundary... It’s dangerous.”** The concept of another dimension, of something malevolent trying to break through, was too surreal to process. Yet, the evidence was all around her. 

Still, one question burned in her mind: why hadn’t Aiden told her sooner? 

---

Later that night, as Maya lay awake in bed, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Dante. 

**Dante:** *I did some digging. You won’t believe what I found.* 
**Maya:** *What is it?* 

She stared at the screen, unease curling in her stomach. Whatever Dante had uncovered, it wasn’t going to be good. 

---

The next day, Maya arrived at the coffee shop to find Dante already waiting, a stack of papers spread out on the table in front of him. His face was pale, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by a tense energy. 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Maya said, sitting down. 

Dante pushed the papers toward her. “I might as well have.” 

The documents were old newspaper clippings, some so faded the text was barely legible. Each one detailed strange occurrences at Sapphire Heights—disappearances, unexplained deaths, and sightings of shadowy figures. 

“This place has been bad news since the beginning,” Dante said. “And it gets worse. Look at this.” 

He handed her a photograph of a group of men in suits, standing in front of the building during its construction. In the center was Victor Crowe, the architect. 

“Look at the symbol on his lapel,” Dante said. 

Maya squinted at the tiny emblem—a circle with a jagged crack running through it. It looked eerily familiar. 

“It’s the same as the symbol carved into the doorframe,” Dante said. “Crowe wasn’t just an architect. He was part of some kind of cult.” 

Maya’s stomach turned. “A cult?” 

Dante nodded. “Yeah. I found references to a group called *The Breachkeepers.* Their whole thing was about opening gateways to other worlds.” 

Maya stared at the photograph, dread pooling in her chest. “So you’re saying... this wasn’t an accident? The door was put there on purpose?” 

“Exactly,” Dante said. “And I think Crowe might’ve succeeded in opening it. But he didn’t live long enough to see what came through.” 

---

That evening, Maya confronted Aiden again. 

“You knew about the cult, didn’t you?” she asked, her voice sharp. 

Aiden flinched, then nodded. “I found out after we moved in. My dad told me everything.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Maya demanded. 

“Because I didn’t want you to be afraid,” Aiden said. “And because I didn’t think it mattered. My dad and I have been keeping it sealed for years. I thought we had it under control.” 

“Well, you don’t,” Maya snapped. “People are getting hurt, Aiden. And if what Dante found is true, this isn’t just about your building. It’s about whatever that cult unleashed.” 

Aiden looked at her, guilt etched into his features. “You’re right. I should’ve told you. But I didn’t want to lose you, Maya. I thought if I could protect you—” 

“You can’t protect me from this,” she interrupted. “Whatever’s behind that door—it’s bigger than both of us.” 

---

That night, Maya couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Every shadow seemed to stretch a little too far, every creak of the floorboards a little too loud. 

Around midnight, her phone buzzed. It was a message from an unknown number. 

**Unknown:** *You need to stop looking into this.* 
**Maya:** *Who is this?* 
No response. 

She stared at the screen, her heart pounding. The message was a warning—but from who? 

---

The next day, Maya and Dante decided to check out the unfinished floors of Aiden’s building. If there were secrets hidden in the walls, that’s where they’d find them. 

Aiden reluctantly agreed to let them in, though he seemed uneasy. 

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said as they climbed the stairs to the first unfinished floor. 

“We don’t have a choice,” Maya said. “If we’re going to stop whatever’s happening, we need to know what we’re dealing with.” 

The unfinished floors were eerily quiet, the air thick with dust and the scent of damp concrete. Exposed beams and wires crisscrossed the ceiling, and the sound of their footsteps echoed loudly in the empty space. 

As they explored, Maya’s flashlight caught something etched into the wall—a series of symbols similar to the one on Victor Crowe’s lapel. 

“What is this?” she asked, tracing the lines with her fingers. 

“It’s a binding spell,” Aiden said, his voice tight. “My dad carved them into the walls to keep the door sealed.” 

“But they’re fading,” Dante said, pointing to the cracks running through the symbols. “Whatever’s on the other side—it’s breaking through.” 

---

As they moved to the next floor, the air grew colder, and Maya felt a strange pressure building in her chest. 

They reached the elevator shaft, where a large tarp covered something. Maya pulled it back, revealing a strange machine—a mass of gears, wires, and pulsing lights. 

“What the hell is this?” Dante asked. 

“It’s the failsafe,” Aiden said. “My dad built it to collapse the building if the seal ever broke.” 

Maya stared at him in shock. “You’re telling me you’re willing to destroy the entire building?” 

“If it means stopping whatever’s on the other side, yes,” Aiden said. 

Before Maya could respond, a loud crash echoed from below. The sound of heavy footsteps followed, and the temperature dropped even further. 

“Something’s coming,” Dante whispered, gripping the crowbar he’d brought. 

Maya’s heart raced as the sound grew louder. Whatever was down there—it wasn’t human. 

The door wasn’t just a boundary. It was a beacon, and something had answered the call.