They kept running.
Corridors twisting.
Lights flickering.
"Which way?!" Aarav shouted.
Reyaan checked quickly.
"System is unstable… maps aren't working!"
Behind them—
Heavy footsteps.
Guards still chasing.
Elena pointed ahead.
"Emergency exit!"
They turned sharply.
Reached the door—
Locked.
"Damn!" Rishan hit it.
Meher stepped forward.
"Move."
She looked at the panel.
"Reyaan!"
"On it!" he said.
Fast typing.
Seconds felt longer.
Footsteps getting closer.
"Open… open…" Reyaan muttered.
ACCESS DENIED
Silence.
"They locked us in," Aarav said.
Elena looked serious.
"There's no direct exit now."
Meher's mind raced.
"No exit…" she repeated.
Then suddenly—
She turned back.
Aarav frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Meher's voice steady—
"If we can't get out…"
Pause.
"We go through."
Reyaan looked confused.
"Through what?"
Meher pointed behind.
"The core."
Silence.
"That's the most dangerous place right now," Rishan said.
Meher nodded.
"Exactly."
Footsteps were almost there.
Decision made.
They turned back—
Running straight toward the collapsing core.
Because sometimes—
The only way out…
Is deeper in.