The group stumbled into an old building after hours of wandering through the fog. It looked untouched, like it hadn’t been bothered by the city’s chaos. Cory wasn’t exactly thrilled to be stuck with them, but the idea of being alone again didn’t seem much better. They needed a moment to breathe, so he reluctantly followed the others inside

As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, Cory felt a strange weight in the air. The walls around them seemed to shift, like the building was alive, and every room they entered felt wrong—too narrow, too tall, too quiet.

“Is this place...?” Amj started, his voice trailing off as he looked around.

“Don’t worry,” Jinx said, though his usual calm was strained. “It’s just part of the city. We’ve gotta be careful here.”

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this,” Cory muttered, sticking to the back of the group. The flickering lights overhead made everything feel like it was teetering on the edge of falling apart.

They wandered through a maze of rooms that never seemed to lead anywhere. Cory was starting to feel trapped, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to deal with more of Amj’s cheerful optimism. He wasn’t sure where Jinx was going with this, but the city felt more dangerous with each step.

At one point, Cory spotted something strange on the wall. It was a symbol—shiny and glowing, but only for a split second. A key, maybe? He blinked, but when he looked again, it was gone.

"Did anyone else see that?" Cory asked, his voice sharp.

“No,” Amj said, glancing around. “What’d you see?”

Cory hesitated. “Nothing. Forget it.”

But the symbol nagged at him. It felt like air grew thicker. A low hum filled the space, and suddenly, Cory felt a cold chill run through him. A voice, barely a whisper, echoed inside his mind: Cory… Cory…

His heart raced. The voice sounded like it was coming from inside his head, but it wasn’t his thoughts. “What the hell?” he muttered, rubbing his temples.

“What’s wrong?” Tia asked, noticing his discomfort.

“Nothing,” Cory lied, but the voice kept repeating his name, louder now. Cory… you’re not alone.

“Hey,” Amj said, walking closer. “You alright?”

Cory shoved the feeling aside. “Just—just tired. Let’s keep moving.”

But as the others kept talking, he couldn’t shake the voice. It was getting louder, more persistent, like it wanted him to do something.

“Enough of this,” Jinx muttered, finally speaking up. “We’ve got to go. Now.”

“What’s going on?” Kash asked, glancing nervously at Jinx.

“I—I can’t explain it,” Jinx said, his voice tight. “But this place is reacting to us. It’s not safe.”

“I thought you said we were safe here,” Cory snapped. He was tired of the vague answers and the cryptic bullshit.

“This city doesn’t care about your plans,” Jinx retorted, his eyes flashing. “It plays by its own rules, and it’s not going to stop just because you’re trying to take a break.”

Before Cory could respond, the room around them seemed to shift again. The walls cracked and groaned, and the temperature dropped. The building was coming down around them.

“Now, Cory,” Jinx said sharply. “We need to move. Now.”

Without thinking, Cory followed, barely avoiding falling debris as he sprinted after the others. They made it to the back of the building, where the walls collapsed into a jagged opening.

Outside, the fog was thicker than before, but they were free from the collapsing structure. Cory took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. The voice in his head had stopped, but he couldn’t forget the words: Go to The Core.

In the distance, Cory’s eyes narrowed as he saw something faint in the fog—a tall, glowing structure. It wasn’t a building’s it,” Jinx said, almost to himself. “We need to get there. That’s The Core.”

“Great,” Cory muttered under his breath. “Another mystery.”

As they began walking toward the glowing tower, Cory’s mind raced. What was The Core? And why was the city reacting to them this way?

Jinx, once again, didn’t explain. Instead, he simply said, “We don’t have much time.”

The group began their trek toward the tower, but the city’s shifting, eerie presence felt closer now, like something was watching them. The deeper they went, the more Cory felt like they were being drawn into the heart of whatever this place was—and whatever had been waiting for them all along.