Mike hesitated, one hand hovering just inches from the door handle.
The knock had stopped—but the silence it left behind was heavier than any sound.
Adam stood motionless behind him, barely breathing. His eyes wide, his fingers still twitching near his ears.
Mike whispered, "If I say run, you run. Down the service stairs. Don't look back."
Adam didn't answer, but he nodded once.
Mike unlocked the door… and opened it.
Nothing.
Just the hallway. Empty. Dimly lit. The smell of ozone hung faintly in the air, like after a lightning strike.
But on the floor in front of their suite—
A small black box, no bigger than a jewelry case. Smooth. Seamless. No hinges, no markings. Just… there.
Mike bent slowly and picked it up. It was warm. Pulsing faintly, like it had a heartbeat.
He shut the door quickly.
Adam backed away. "That's not tech. Not modern, anyway."
Mike didn't answer. He placed the box on the table, next to the ancient scroll. Something about it resonated—like it belonged with the symbols.
He reached out, carefully touched it.
Click.
The top slid open on its own.
Inside… a folded strip of golden cloth, and a single scarab, carved from obsidian, etched with hieroglyphs too old for any museum.
Mike's fingers shook.
Adam whispered, "What does it mean?"
Mike didn't want to say it out loud.
But he knew.
"It means someone down there knows we're here."
A beep broke the silence. The landline in the room—supposedly disconnected—was ringing.
Mike and Adam stared at it.
One ring.
Two.
Mike answered.
No static this time.
Just a voice. Deep. Calm. Ancient.
"Professor Arshur. You've brought the Heir to the Threshold. The Path will open tonight."
Mike swallowed. "Who are you?"
A pause.
Then the voice said, "We are the Hollow Envoys. And your blood is overdue."
Click.
Silence again.
Adam's voice cracked. "What do they mean by… 'heir'?"
Mike didn't answer.
Because deep down, he already knew.
And that night, as the desert wind howled outside their window, the sands behind the resort began to shift—receding, folding, as if pulled by unseen hands.
Revealing the staircase.
Descending straight into the earth.