It was 9 p.m. when George, one of the workers, came by to see the girls. He showed up holding two trays of food. They hadn't asked for anything, and definitely weren't expecting dinner, but they accepted it with quiet appreciation. Maybe it was his way of saying thank you, or just showing he cared. Either way, after a quick goodbye, George headed back down the road.

  Luna carried the food inside. When they opened the containers, it wasn't much. Honestly, it looked rough—barely a full meal, and the quality didn't look great. More like leftovers scraped together than anything thoughtfully prepared. Still, they weren't about to waste it. Sitting around compining wouldn't help. So they pushed aside their hesitation, picked up their forks, and started eating.

  They expected the worst—maybe even to get sick. The food looked bad enough to make someone gag. But to their surprise, it actually tasted... good. Different, but good. Better than it looked by a mile. They kept eating, a little confused but too hungry to stop. Before long, both trays were wiped clean, looking nearly brand new.

  Oddly enough, the food gave them a small burst of energy. Alice used it to go over some documents, trying to get familiar with the report she'd have to handle tomorrow. It wasn't anything major, just a quick review.

  Feeling the bit of that energy, Luna stood up and stretched. "I think I'll go for a walk," she said. "Get some air."

  ~~~~~~

  Dark as it may be, the light coming from the mppost a few feet away from Luna, at least lit some areas and the path she was currently on. Probably without these mpposts, she would've tripped over something and taken a nasty fall. This was still a mining area, after all. Not exactly the safest pce to be wandering around at night.

  And in case, if you're wondering, (the answer is a no) the girls aren't near the pit. They 've moved to a temporary spot—an old section that used to house miners and workers.

  As Luna was walking, she discerns something on her current path. Even with the damage around, there were patches of green. Some trees still standing strong - while tiny glowing insects flew across the air, casting soft light in the quiet.

  Just around the corner, near the roadside and under four mpposts (except one that was flickering every five seconds, Alice found a pce to rex. She leaned against the railing and bent forward slightly, letting out a breath. "Hahhhh... it's nice to take a breather," she said, gazing into the darkness—daring to look deeper into it.

  She looked out over the scarred but still-standing vegetation, patches of forest clinging to life, and asked herself, "Why would they destroy this pce?"

  Her gaze dropped to the dirt beneath her feet. She didn't have an answer—not really. She knew the usual expnations: economic growth, job creation, progress. Those were the reasons always given. That was about it.

  After a while, she let out a breath, turned, and hit the road.

  She walked.

  And walked.

  And walked—until she was gone, swallowed by darkness.

  But though she had left, the forest had something left to show.

  There were no signs. No warnings. Nothing visible at first.

  Just movement.

  The trees trembled. A breeze hissed through the leaves—shhhh... shhhhhh...— and then, from deep within the brush, a sound echoed. Not loud, but unmistakable. It cut through the stillness with something primal and wrong.

  Of a sheep and wolf's vocal chords mashed together, sounded unnatural. Rhhhhwww!

  Whatever made that sound was no product of nature. Something was out there.

  It sounded unjust, inhumane._________________________________

  It was noon, and the reporting session was fast approaching. Once they had their gear in order, they headed to the cave site, starting the shoot as soon as they reached the trail's end.

  "You ready?" Luna asked, resting the camera on her shoulder.

  "Yeah... let's do this," Alice replied, steady now, focused and ready to go.

  The scene cut sharply to a new setting: the broadcasting headquarters back in America. The studio was mid-transition, shifting from routine news segments to a live report from the mining site. Familiar background visuals—stock footage of newsrooms, satellite feeds, and subtle ambient sound—pyed as the male anchor delivered a brief introduction.

  "We now turn to our team on location with a special report from the mining site," he said, voice steady and professional, before the screen faded to the remote feed.

  The scene cut to Alice on the screen. Everyone watched. From her perspective, there was hesitation, as uncertainty coiled in her chest. She felt nervous, unsure about speaking. The air inside the tunnel felt thick, almost oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Her heart pounded, and a light sheen of sweat formed on her face, barely noticeable but real. She exhaled sharply as hot breath escaped her lips. Everything felt too warm stifling, like standing under the sun too long. Her discomfort was becoming hard to hide.

  "Is everything okay?" the news anchor asked, his voice calm but edged with concern. The 10-second dey only made things worse. Behind the scenes at HQ, murmurs and rustling voices began to stir.

  Just before the anchor could intervene, Alice spoke up. "Sorry about that, James," she said, managing a steady tone. "It's kinda hot inside the tunnel—it's a bit distracting."

  Her words sparked ughter—first from James, then from Alice herself.

  "Huhuhuh, sounds like you're having a tough time down there," James joked.

  "Huhuh, yes, James, it is," she replied, easing into the moment.

  The light exchange wasn't just humor—it was calcuted. Alice had made the right move. Her quick thinking gave James the cue to improvise, helping to justify the dey to the viewers. It was the best move she could come up with to keep the live segment going. Any longer, and the broadcast might've been cut short.

  "All right, Alice," James said, smoothly transitioning, "tell us what you've got for us."

  Alice raised her head high and tightened her grip on the mic. She took a breath, recalled everything she had prepared, and spoke. It was this that she knew not be afraid; that her voice would finally rise to meet the world.

  ~~~~~~

  The broadcast ran for a few minutes before things started to get interesting. The broadcasting team remained on the sidelines, preparing for the main event. Although deep within the cave (or tunnel, depending on how you saw it) the air is breathable, and the conditions are safe. They had been equipped with proper safety gear before entering headfirst.

  At the center of attention stood a massive drilling machine (Yes, a real, industrial-grade drilling machine). It had been used frequently in past operations, but this occasion was different. This time, it mattered. For the first time, the team would witness it in action, prompted by the discovery of rare minerals buried deeper than their current position.

  "Alright, back up. We're about to begin," one of the senior supervisors called out.

  The drilling machine roared to life, its massive drill spinning almost like a windmill - Vvvvhhhhh! - the high-pitched whir of the bdes filled the cave, echoing off the walls.

  Once the drill reached full speed, it was time for the next phase: advancing the machine toward the rock face.

  "Here we go!" the supervisor called out, gripping the lever tightly. With a steady hand, he pushed it upward while keeping a close eye on the meter glowing on the control panel.

  The heavy wheels creaked forward at a snail's pace. Inch by inch, the drill edged closer—until, finally, metal met stone.

  Boom! Contact. The drill bit tore into the rock face, pushing through it with surprising ease—like a hot knife through butter. Like everything else goes, shards of stone flew in every direction, a chaotic spray that looked more like rapid erosion than deliberate excavation.

  And just like that, the broadcast team had captured the moment.

  The camera zoomed in on the powerful dispy, then smoothly cut back to Alice who stood nearby and gave her response to the camera.

  "...and that's it, folks," she said, her tone steady with awe. "We've just witnessed the beginning of what could be a groundbreaking discovery..." She continued, offering insights as the drill hummed on in the background.

  Some of the workers even cpped for joy and excitement. The supervisor......not so much, but he let it slide and thought of it then just work.

  But as they celebrated, the drilling machine began acting up. Nothing catastrophic—at first. But something was off. Mid-drill, the speed faltered for a fraction of a second, then surged abruptly. Gears within the machine groaned with a loud, mechanical crank—an unusual sound, harsh and degrading, unlike anything heard before.

  Alice noticed.

  "Is the drilling machine supposed to be doing that?" she asked, her voice edged with concern.

  The man at the control panel barely looked up. "Happens all the time. Just a routine glitch. Part of the job down here."

  The camera followed Alice, prompting the male news anchor to ask, "Is something happening?"

  Alice gnced back. "Not at all. There seems to be a minor error, but everything's fine."

  But everything wasn't fine.

  The machine was struggling with something unseen. Was it just old age? Unlikely. It had run perfectly until now. Rather than that, there was something different in the rock face itself. The bdes weren't dull, whatever they struck, it didn't want to be pierced. The material hardness - something tougher. Resistant.

  Slower and slower, the drill ground forward, groaning against resistance it wasn't built to handle.

  The operator didn't seem to care. Without hesitation, he shoved the lever to its maximum, pushing the machine to its limit.

  And then it happened.

  Deep within the rock, the drill bit caught in a narrow fault. A sudden jolt. A shockwave bsted through the machine, halting it instantly. The vibration echoed through the gears like a violent warning.

  Then—boom!

  An explosion tore through the machinery. The drill shuddered to a stop. Sparks flew. The electrical system shorted out.

  The machine was dead.

  This was unheard of— for a catastrophic failure like this is simply impossible. And yet, it had. Luna, holding the camera, had recorded everything. The footage was shaky, blurred by sudden movement and clouds of dust, but what she caught was true to believe.

  Dust began to settle, James (the male news anchor) shouted through the feed, his voice tight with panic.

  "Alice! Alice, do you copy? Are you alright? Is everyone okay?"

  "Yes, we're all okay... except that—" The reply came quickly, her voice slightly distorted by static.

  The camera, still in Luna's hands, panned to Alice, then swung toward the drilling machine. It wasn't the same. Not anymore. Fmes licked at its sides, thick bck smoke billowing upward. it was badly devastated. One thing led to another, and the workers immediately sprang into action, grabbing extinguishers and tools, shouting commands as they fought to put it out.

  Not only that, what they just witnessed (both viewer and news team) were disturbed by the scenario that unfolded before their very eyes. On all ptforms whether it was a phone, a radio, or the television, there were shrieks and recoil from all kinds of people. Before all this could go any further, the feed cut out.

  The camera's indicator light switched from green to red. Silence.

  Back at headquarters, James straightened himself in his seat. He didn't know what to say, so he came up, in mind, what he had to say that was still as professional as he could go. "We've lost the feed, folks......W-we'll bring you updates as soon as we re-establish contact.

  "Stay with us."

  ~~~~~~

  Later, once the fire was extinguished, the damage was beyond repair. The drilling machine, in no way operational (dead for that matter) was now a scorched, twisted wreck. Functionally useless.

  The operator and the supervisor paced in tight circles near the wreckage, speaking in hushed, frustrated tones as they tried to come up with a justifiable expnation for what had just happened. Neither had ever seen the drill fail like this and certainly not with such a tremendous backsh.

  Around them, the rest of the crew lingered on the sidelines. Some stood in uneasy silence, while the mechanics, equipped with tools and headmps, climbed up the smoldering machine, inspecting its mangled gears and scorched casing, searching for the source of the failure.

  The news team kept their distance.

  Alice sat on the ground, elbows resting on her knees, sipping from a half-warm bottle of water, still catching her breath. The chaos had settled. Of course, unease still lingered. Luna stood nearby, her camera set down on the gravel beside her.

  While drinking water, Alice had her gaze was fixed on the operator, eyes narrowed, unreadable. Concern etched her face. A word summed in her mind: Suspicion.

  She remembered it clearly: the operator and the supervisor had brushed off the warning signs. Just a minor error, they'd said. No expnation. No details. And now the machine was a heap of burnt steel, and it could've been much worse.

  She said nothing, but the question hung heavy in her mind:

  Why didn't they say more?

  "You know what really pisses me off," Alice started off.

  "What are you on about?" Luna asked.

  "Them...." she said. Her brows scrounged. "Wait here, I'm gonna have a word with the supervisor."

  "Sure, suit yourself," Luna replied unknowingly of what to come.

  Alice walked over to the operator and the senior supervisor who were closing positioned at the rear of the drilling machine.

  "Hey you!" She stormed to and voluntarily grabbed the shoulder of the senior supervisor.

  "What the hell happened?!" She yelled at the male senior supervisor.

  Having to deal with one problem piled on to the next, the supervisor was overcome with a familiarity of awareness and caution.

  "Nothing is wrong. We JUST had some unfortunate turnover," the supervisor said as if wanting to dismiss the question shoved to his face by Alice.

  "Really," she went on to state. "Because the way I see it there was confirmation that nothing would go wrong. And might I add," he pointed at him, "It was you who made the call to keep on going even THOUGH the machine exhibited abnormal signs, and yet, you IGNORED the signs and continued."

  "What do you have to say about that?!"

  Although hesitant to speak, the supervisor had a lot in mind and didn't want to complicate things. He answered.

  "Okay, yes...Things, have gotten out of hand," he straightened his voice in a defensive stance, "But do you REALLY expect me, as well as my man, down in this shit hole to know everything."

  He then slowed down. "Everyone here has their own things to look to and do their jobs."

  He sighed. "Look, I take full responsibility for overseeing this mass and that includes your safety. If anything -"

  Before the supervisor could finish his sentence, he was stopped by one of the workers. An engineer.

  "Sir, sir! We've got an update on the cause!"

  "Alright I'll be there," he said and walked to the worker.

  "We'll finish this conversation ter," he added to the conversation before leaving.

  "Hey wait!" Alice grunted in anger.

  And before was Luna who saw the whole thing unfold. "You didn't really have to do that." She spoke.

  "Well, what was I supposed to do, JUST sit around and do nothing."

  "Yes," Luna responded. "It's better than causing a ruckus."

  "Yeah sure.... whatever?" Alice kindly but also hated the acceptance of Luna's words. She then looked at the supervisor as he got to do his investigation. She couldn't bear to witness as their perfect opportunity to get into the big shoes of their job got ruined just like that. Most especially, she couldn't handle the miners do their work, and the news absolutely wither away, broken and unrecognized. She had to take matters into her own hands. Any time for them to shine is now.

  Looking at the investigation as it was going on, Alice suddenly had a spark of revetion pop into her head. She had an idea.

  "Luna the camera's still working, right?" She asked. Of intentions hinting a dark side.

  "Yeah, why?" Luna asked curious.

  "Nothing at all. I just might have an idea to get back our opportunity."

  This idea she had come up with was not of the right road where she pnned to go.

  ~~~~~~

  "So, what do you think about it?"

  "To be honest, I don't have the faintest of clue what it is." The senior supervisor said as he examined the inside of the strange rocky formation hidden within this deep in the cave. To be frank, he didn't know what to call of it. What he was told was that there were rare minerals hiding beyond this point such as coal, copper, and diamonds. He didn't expect to find an entire discovery of minerals he hadn't seen before.

  Picking out a piece and looking at the strange solid rock, he didn't know of what to make of it. It didn't resemble those of what he has seen on the usual job. A faint red glow and a shiny interior but a hard surface and bcker than volcano ash on the exterior, this rock type was new to the eyes of the supervisor. What he also found strange, was that, when broken, the inside of the rock released a dusty - smokey - mist of tiny particles. Like grains of sand much smaller.

  "So, what was the cause of the malfunction?" he stood.

  "Sir!" One of the workers stepped and went through the expnation with the supervisor. "Apparently, the drilling machine didn't have any error or what could have caused it to malfunction."

  "Go on," the supervisor told them to give him a brief run down.

  "Certainly." the worker nodded. He added, "We've found no concise evidence that the machine malfunction, however," he paused and began, "But we did find what caused it."

  "Through our finding, there were damages dealt to the engines, then we followed up to the drill. Because of the speed of how the drill was going and how it was operated," he looked at the supervisor but continued as he didn't want to anger who was responsible, "......the bdes of the drill somehow met a gap within the rock formation, got stuck, and transferred the force to the machine, which inevitably caused a huge amount of energy to release."

  "And yes, that was my fault as well." the supervisor admitted his fault. "That's it then, right."

  "Yesh ah sir," the worker had slight panic in heart.

  It was back to the senior supervisor. He looked at the rock again. There was a lot of specutive thoughts running wild in his head. Like what was he gonna do about it. Should he turn it in? Should he afraid of it (should he)? Or should he hide it and continue with the drilling? What was he really going to do? Damn, this discovery of a new mineral and that of his job makes him get headache.

  Then it got worse.

  Behind the senior supervisor and the workers came along the extra trouble. They know they shouldn't be doing it, but the leader said otherwise.

  Alice took charge. Luna followed suit as she held the camera on her shoulder - this time, the camera was on. The camera was recording.

  "Okay is it on," Alice asked.

  "Yeah," Luna responded on a nod.

  "Good," she went on to walk and do a rundown. "Good evening viewers, welcome back, here, we are at the moment of disaster, and an investigation is going on..."

  "Alright zoom in," Alice told Luna to put the camera's focus to the sight. And she did. She took some shots of the interior of the cave wall that was drilled and pried open.

  Witnessing this two do something that isn't part of the following procedure, the senior supervisor, whose name is Joe, sprang into his high heels when one worker spoke which he took notice. "Hey, what are you doing! You can't be recording here."

  "What's going on here?" Supervisor Joe asked.

  "Sir, I've have found this two are recording without permission," the worker crified.

  "Is that so," the supervisor said. He looked at the reporters. "Recording without prior permission is quite the feat." he spoke.

  "Why are you recording? This something that doesn't require your concern." He saw that security was up ahead and told them, "Get these two out of here!"

  "Hey now, just wait there, we have our rights," Alice spoke with authority.

  "Rights you say. And when were you given that," he spoke one st time and turned around leaving them as security caught up and got them by their arms.

  "Alright their missy, you're coming with us."

  "No wait, you can't do this!" Alice struggled to free herself and so did Luna who was being blocked from viewing the sight by the security guards.

  This was it. This was the end of their opportunity to shine. Was it worth it? Maybe for a little bit, but not like this. This was just unfair.

  As the guards tried to pull Alice out of the way, there was a slight movement that echoed through the walls, and the pce shook like an earthquake.

  RRRRHHHHHHH!

  "What's happening?!"

  "What the hell's going on?!

  RRRRHHHHHHH!

  What felt like ten seconds into the unimaginable shaking - the shaking stopped with one big gushing force that shocked everyone - it caused them to lose bance and fall to the ground.

  The supervisor felt it. They all felt it.

  He wanted to stand up but then his vision led him astray. It led him to the opening from where the drill had opened. In it, he saw the rocks glowing reddish, and then it donned on him.

  'Those rocks I've seen them before,' he thought and just realizing his mistake. Those rocks thought about had some bad light of memories. So instead of reminiscing about the thought, he got up and yelled.

  "Alright folks, time to go!" he urgently shouted.

  The workers were confused. What did he say, some talked. But he wasn't kidding. This was real.

  "WE NEED TO EVACUATE THIS PLACE! ALL PERSONAL, I REPEAT, WE HAVE TO EVACUATE NOW!"

  This was an emergency on his behalf. Alerting every worker was the best thing he could do. "Come on people, let's go!"

  Just like that, the masses listened and got to it.

  "Forget about the tools, worry about yourself!" The supervisor said. And they did.

  The supervisor got to the news crew and told them too. "What are you waiting for, move now!"

  More people added to the masses, and it grew. They ran. They were running for the exit but were 40% there.

  The engineer that did the briefing for the drill, ran next to the supervisor. "Sir, what's this all about?" he asked. He knew something was wrong.

  "A hunch." he muttered.

  "I don't want to think this is just me who thinks this way, but I'm sure there is more to this earthquake. For now, we just need to get everyone out of here." He thought of another thing, "Seth," he called the engineer's name, "Sound the arm."

  "Will do," Seth the engineer agreed and turned to the left to pull the lever that indicated emergency use only.

  Reaching 100% exit, the workers ran out of the cave in droves.

  Now what remained was the remaining workers. If you haven't known yet - the cave is made up of three tunnels. The tunnel they were in was the middle. To the left was the first, the right was the third. The middle was the second.

  After the second tunnel of workers made it out, it was time for the first and the third.

  They waited.

  "Come on, where are they?!" The supervisor said, anxious of their arrival. "Come on, give me a sign. Any sign."

  Just then the sound of footwear rumbled through the tunnels. It was the workers from first and second tunnel checkpoint.

  The supervisor could see them. They were making their way out.