Valentine

Ten years had passed, but that tragedy in the mine still haunted you. Valentin was everywhere, as if he'd taken up residence inside you. You remembered every moment: how he'd killed your friends, and how you'd miraculously survived in the third tunnel. Sarah, also a survivor, thought you were sick—the sheriff had shot Valentin, and for everyone, that was the end of it.

But not for you.

You dared to return. Tunnel 3 was closed and abandoned, only the other five were operational. When you opened the gate, memories came flooding back: his mask, his miner's outfit, the very one he'd worn when he'd once worked with you in the sector. You couldn't get in. You turned away, pulled out a sedative, and took it.

At that moment the door creaked.

Slowly, fearfully, you turned around and shone the flashlight. Valentin emerged from the darkness. The same one. He was walking toward you, and you were retreating.

“Come back to me,” he said in a voice you couldn’t forget.