Learning Catacombs

The torch went out halfway through the catacombs. In the dark, something breathed—slow,

patient, close. My phone light flickered on, revealing walls

of skulls… all facing inward. One skull’s jaw moved. “Lost?” it whispered.

Footsteps echoed behind me, then ahead of me, then inside my head. The map ended.

The tunnel didn’t. When I finally saw daylight, the exit sealed shut.

I realized the catacombs weren’t underground anymore. They were learning me.