The air was thick, stifling, with a faint odor of something rotting. I could feel my pulse hammering in my neck, echoing in the silence that stretched around us. My breath came in short, sharp gasps, but I tried to keep it steady, to maintain control.

Five of us—me, Carl, Emma, Raj, and Sarah—were stranded in this godforsaken hole in the ice, deep beneath Antarctica’s frozen expanse. Our expedition, meant to gather data on ancient ice cores and old fossils, had turned into something from a nightmare, one where we were stuck deep underground with no way out.

I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it all went wrong. It happened gradually, like a bruise forming beneath the skin, something you don’t notice until it’s too late. We were analyzing samples from a cave system deeper than any we’d been to before. The walls, covered in strange, smooth fossils, felt... wrong from the start, as if the ice itself was watching us. And then a shout pierced the air. Emma, the biologist, had found something in a small entrance nearby—something living, something wrong.

That’s when they came. The creatures, or whatever they were. At first, I thought I’d seen a shadow, but then it moved. Too fast. Too wrong. Their bodies were thin, elongated—almost skeletal—covered in translucent skin that shimmered in the low light. They had no eyes, just gaping holes where their faces should’ve been, but I could feel them watching, waiting. They weren’t just predatory—they were intelligent.

Emma gasped as one of the creatures tried to grab her, but Raj saved by destroying the creature's skull with his pickaxe, the thing let go of Emma but didn't die, already I could see it slowly healing.

The situation only got worse as more creatures started appearing, 4 then 9 then 13. Carl shouted "Everyone run back to the previous chamber, the entrance to this one was weak, so we can cave it in!"

We dashed towards the exit, all sense of civility lost as we pushed and shoved each other. Sarah was the furthest behind and everyone heard her screams of pure terror as one of the creatures grabbed her and pulled her back into the smaller tunnel. The sounds of flesh ripping and screaming were heard...then silence.

The rest of us rushed into the first chamber, Carl grabbed Raj's pickaxe and hit the weak points of the entrance causing it to crumble, but not before a tentacle grabbed him and pulled him back, I rushed to him and grabbed his hand, I didn't want my closest friend to die.

"No no no! Keep it together Carl! I've got you, somebody help!!!" I shouted, but the others were huddled against the walls, as far from the entrance as possible. I wasn't ready to give up but Carl must've already knew it was too late, he said "Live Joseph, if not for me then for your family.." and with that he let go of my hand, dragged into the abyss as the last of the cave entrance collapsed.

I fell to my knees, tears stinging my eyes. Raj walked upto me and said "I'm sorry Joseph, but none of us could've helped him. These things seem to have godlike strength". I shouted back "Yeah but us three could've saved him, he's the closest thing we had to a leader..to a brother! And you two abandoned him when he needed us, despite the fact that he was always here for us!"

Raj said nothing, what else could he even say. I collected my thoughts and got up; walking to the corner where Emma was huddled up. Raj joined us and asked "What's the plan now? The entrance to the second chamber is closed" he pointed towards the blocked entrance to the cave "and our way out is still blocked". I replied "Gee you tell us Raj, after all it was your idea to explore further for another entrance right?"

Emma suddenly spoke up "Enough you two, we're stuck in a scenario that shouldn't be possible, yet somehow is. We've made mistakes but now isn't the time to fight, we must work together". I sighed and agreed "Alright let's get out of here first". Raj nodded his head and said "I was thinking, we still have the pick. I could try to break the ice that's blocking the entrance, it'd take a while but it could work. At the very least high command could send a rescue team and they hear us digging."

I asked "And what about those things? I don't think they'll wait for us to free ourselves." Emma replied "We'll have to be quick, we'll take turns, one of us will dig, another will keep watch to make sure those things don't break in and the third will try and sleep alright?"

Me and Raj agreed, I said "Alright I'll keep watch and make sure those things don't break in". Raj said "I'll take first shift for mining, Emma you should get rest". Emma replied "Alright but wake me up if something happens, I don't want to die in my sleep."

That would be a mercy, I thought to myself. Nevertheless I walked up to the sealed entrance to the second cavern and sat down next to it, listening for any signs of those things.

After a while I heard it—sounds of ice breaking—those things were slowly breaking through the ice. I quickly ran away from the wall and shouted "Guys we have a huge problem!" Emms jumped up to her feet despite being asleep mere moments ago and asked "What's wrong? Did they break through"?" Raj also ran to them and asked "What happened?"

I replied "Those things, Raj you were right they do have some sort of super strength, I heard them breaking through the ice, they could be hear any mo—" I never got to finish that sentence as at that moment the ice blocking the entrance to the second cavern shattered, and out walked one of those creatures.

I was shell shocked, I physically couldn't move, and I had a feeling it was the same for Emma. Raj however had a different mindset as he raised his pickaxe and rushed the parasite while shouting "THIS IS FOR CARL AND SARAH!".

He managed to land one hit on the thing before it grabbed him and simply snapped his neck, before throwing his lifeless body infront of us.

More creatures rushed out of the entrance and soon me and Emmah were surrounded. However they did not attack. That's when the one that snapped Raj's neck came upto us and to my utter shock spoke with a raspy and creepy voice Yes, perfect. You will help us..tell us everything you know about this world, and we will let you live. I was too shocked to think, but Emma responded "We-we accept, just don't hurt us".

The creature responded You don't understand, only one of you will get to live, two is a... liability I realized what the creature meant too late, I turned towards Emma but she had already made uo her mind. She took me by surprise and punched me in the face before whispering "I'm sorry Joseph". And with tears in her eyes she pushed me towards the creatures.

The last thing I saw was the thing say How gullible before launching itself at Emmah and ripping the screaming woman to shreds. I thought forgive me Alice, forgive me my children. I'm sorry. Before closing my eyes.

Then there was silence.