Page 31 of The Hyena’s Guardian

Matt caught only fragments of the creature between bursts of gunfire. Black movement crossed the corridor at impossible speed while claws tore sparks from the stone walls and pale eyes flashed white in the darkness.

Whatever the thing was, it was far too large to be human.

Before anyone could pin it down properly, the creature moved again. It crossed the tunnel in a blur of violent motion while bullets shredded the stone where it had been only moments earlier.

“CONTACT REAR!” somebody shouted.

Another operative screamed.

Matt spun toward the sound just in time to see the creature slam into one of the wolves hard enough to drive both of them through a weakened excavation support. Stone cracked instantly around the impact.

Then the corridor exploded.

The ceiling answered with a violent grinding roar as the damaged support column collapsed inward. Dust and shattered rock slammed through the tunnel while floodlights burst overhead in showers of sparks.

“MOVE!” Vale shouted.

The floor lurched beneath Matt’s boots.

Then the tunnel gave way.

For one weightless second he felt himself falling through darkness while stone and debris crashed around him. Somebody grabbed briefly for his arm through the dust before the collapsing floor tore them apart again.

Matt hit hard against stone and rolled violently down a steep incline hidden beneath the collapsed corridor. Pain exploded through his shoulder as he slammed into another outcropping before finally crashing to a stop against wet rock somewhere deeper underground.

The world went silent except for falling debris.

Dust choked the air around him while smaller fragments of stone continued raining from the ceiling overhead. Matt coughed hard and forced himself upright, his ears ringing violently enough that it took several seconds before sound returned properly.

“…Baptiste?”

Nothing answered.

Matt grabbed for the flashlight clipped to his vest and switched it on with shaking fingers.

The flashlight beam illuminated a narrow stone corridor half-buried beneath fresh collapse debris. Ancient walls stretched away into darkness on both sides while dust drifted through the air like smoke, thick enough to dull the edges of the tunnel around him.

Matt swept the light across the corridor again, searching for movement, voices, anything.

There were no operatives. No gunfire answered him, only the occasional crack of settling stone somewhere deeper underground.

Matt touched the comm clipped near his collar. “Vale? Baptiste? Anybody copy?”

Static crackled faintly through the speaker before fading again.

He tried once more, louder this time, but the result remained the same. Nothing answered him.

A cold realization settled into his chest while he looked back toward the collapsed incline above him. Several tons of stone now sealed the passage completely

He was alone.

Years of military training took over as he checked himself for injuries, reached automatically for his rifle, and found only empty space. The pistol was still holstered at his side. Only then did he sweep the corridor for another way out.

Matt forced himself to breathe evenly while inspecting the damage. His shoulder was already bruising beneath the tactical vest, and one sleeve had been torn open where falling stone sliced through the fabric, leaving blood running lightly down his forearm. Everything still moved correctly, though. Nothing felt broken.

Matt exhaled and looked deeper into the corridor around him. “Fantastic,” he muttered into the silence. “Absolutely excellent evening so far.”

The flashlight beam trembled as Matt turned deeper into the corridor, its narrow cone of light sliding across wet stone and drifting dust. That was when he heard the breathing again.