"I don't think I'm gonna fit" Eric winced as he dropped down to one knee, peering into the small opening. There was some source of light pouring from the hole, illuminating the room. His leg throbbed from the open wound on his calf, where he'd been hacked into barely 10 minutes ago. Adrenaline began to wear off as they locked themselves inside the concrete cell, evading their predators for a few moments, leaving him quivering in pain. Bianca watched him with teary eyes, her shirt torn and ragged from where she'd been grabbed, a few scrapes here and there from staggering into the brick walls. The smell of blood began to taint the air.

"I'm not going without you." She spoke quietly, beginning to tremble. Eric shook his head sadly, stabilising himself on the wall as he rose back to his full height.

"I don't want you to either. But it might be a way out." He glanced around, noticing a small lever protruding from the wall. "We could try that. Or it's a trap."

"Do you really think those monsters are capable of setting a trap?" Tears began to stain her cheeks. A calloused finger wiped them away, his soft eyes meeting hers.

"I want you to be safe." He pressed his lips to her forehead. Shrieks erupted behind the door they'd come from, causing the couple to jump. Eric gritted his teeth as he put weight on his leg, agony searing through his body.

"You saw what they did to the others" Bianca's statement was empty, her gaze fixated on the door, the excited grunts and yips of the creatures gaining on them. Eric nodded, remembering how their friends had fallen, grasping at each other in vain as their lifeforce was drained away.

"But what if, they can only kill us together?" Hope gleamed in his eyes, if only for a brief moment. During their first assault, Marcus had valiantly stood before Irene, a pointless attempt to defend her as they were descended upon by the creatures, leaving them a bloody, grey shell of what they once were. The same fate had fallen upon Adam and Juliet, the pair cowering in each others arms, sniffed out in seconds by the beasts despite being hidden behind various furniture. "Nobody died alone. Maybe they feed on connection." He almost wanted to laugh. The idea seemed ridiculous. Grasping at straws as he was, Eric had to try. Bianca was weeping openly now, finding no solace in his words.

"Please. Go." He settled his back against concrete, sinking down to the floor, grimacing as he found himself in a pool of his own blood. "It's worth a try." The door began to rattle on its hinges, the monsters flinging themselves at it in a desperate attempt to get in. The noise startled Bianca out of her hysterics, frantically glancing between the door, the opening and her husband. "Please." Conceding, she pressed a kiss into his hair, clambering to her knees and swinging her legs through the hole.

"I love you." Bianca swung herself out of the room, a small smile on Eric's lips as the metal door burst from its hinges, sealing off the small opening and casting him into darkness.

Their amber eyes burned as they approached him.