Murat steadied himself as his feet hit the ground. For a second, he didn’t move. Just breathed. The space around him was smaller than he expected. A low, uneven cave carved into the rock, just wide enough for a few people to sit. A faint glow came from what remained of the fire—now reduced to embers. Three figures stood nearby. Watching him.
One stepped forward slightly. Older than the others. Beard unkempt, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion. “You okay?” he asked. Murat nodded quickly, still catching his breath. “Yeah… I— I got lost.” The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Lost?” he repeated. Murat glanced back up the shaft. “I came through there… but I didn’t start there.”
That got their attention. All three of them looked up now. Then back at him. “Then where?” the older man asked. Murat hesitated. “…My garage.” Silence. The third man let out a quiet, disbelieving breath. “Your what?” “I broke through a wall,” Murat said, hearing how strange it sounded. “There’s… tunnels. Rooms. It goes way deeper than I thought.”
The older man studied him for a moment. Not dismissing it. Not fully believing it either. Then he glanced at the others. A look passed between them. Like this wasn’t the first strange thing they’d heard… but it was close.