Ethan pulled himself from the flooded basement, disgruntled by the brownish water soaking his clothes, cascading down his pant legs and pooling on the dusty ground beneath him— not to mention the acrid smell.

Or the disintegrating body in it…

He trudges on, eyeing the dark cells he went past, praying none of them had who he was looking for.

Down the long, damp hall however, he sees an orange glow streaming down the floor and across the walls. It’s coming from a cell.

He runs over, unwittingly hitting the metal bars of the gated door a little too hard, nearly slipping in his haste.

“Mia?” Ethan calls out immediately, fingers curled over the metal as he rattles the bars. When her still form doesn’t stir, he just barely refrains from slamming the bars.

The last thing he wants is to wake her up scared.

He prattles around the room, shifting through papers and tools. One catches his eye— a list of names. The words ‘Deceased’ or ‘Turned’ was messily scrawled by the side of each name save for the last.

Shaking his head, he continues looking. He lets out a sound of relief when he spots the red handles of pliers.

Wasting no time, he snaps the padlock keeping Mia trapped, rushing to her side and turning her over gently.

“Mia! Thank goodness I found you. It’s me. It’s Ethan!” He shakes her slightly in hopes to rouse her.